Free The Homespun Holiday by Sarah O'Rourke Page A

did.  And I won’t be happy if you act like you want me to take
it back, Mills.  A man does have his pride, you know,” he admonished gently,
his gaze soft as he stared into her eyes.
    “I don’t want to take it back; I’m
just not sure what it means,” she explained cautiously.
    “Neither do I,” he offered softly. 
“What I do know is that chemistry like what we have together doesn’t come along
very often.  You lit up like the fourth of July the moment I put my hands on
you, Millicent.”
    “I’m sorry,” she apologized, looking
away from him and feeling thoroughly embarrassed.  “It’s been a long time since
a man has paid me that kind of attention,” she muttered defensively.  “I
couldn’t help how…”
    “Hey,” Mack interrupted, gently
covering her moving lips with the palm of his hand.  “That wasn’t a criticism,
baby.   I loved it.  And for the record, you aren’t the only one that got lit
up by that kiss.  I don’t remember anything ever feeling as good as your mouth
under mine.”
    Shocked and bewildered, Millie
could only stare dumbly at him.  Was he serious right now?  He’d felt that
electrical current running between them, too.  She wasn’t too sure what exactly
it was that she’d felt.  She only knew that his kiss had left her feeling
wildly bereft and completely baffled.  It seemed like his lips had burned a
permanent imprint onto her body.  Yeah, the kiss had been that good. 
Phenomenal, even.  But she had no idea what that meant to him or if it would
mean anything at all in the long run to her ongoing relationship with him.  In
short, her mind and her heart were fighting a vicious battle with each other
because while her mind knew that an intimate relationship in the workplace
rarely worked out, her heart wanted desperately for her to try and have a
successful one.
    “Babe?” Mack called softly, shaking
her arm gently to get her attention.  Waiting until her eyes had focused on his
face again, he chuckled softly.  “Stop thinking so hard.  There’s steam rising
from your ears.  Just go grab your coat and purse.  Let’s go have a nice dinner
and then we’ll go back to my place and talk.”
    “I’m not sure that a stop by your
place is such a great idea,” Millie stated worriedly.
    Seeing her dubious gaze settle on
him, he grinned again.  “Don’t look at me like that.  We were going to go by my
house so you could get a feel for what decorations I’d need, remember?   I’ve
got no imminent plans to seduce you.  At least, I don’t have any plans for
tonight,” Mack amended quickly when Millie opened her mouth to object.
    “Fine,” Millie relented.  “But you
keep your lips to yourself until we figure out what the hell we’re doing here. 
Got it?” she asked, pointing her index finger toward his nose.
    “Got it,” he agreed.  “But Millie,”
he began, waiting until she turned to look at him again before he spoke.  “I
already know what’s going on with me, babe.   I figured it out the second my
mouth touched yours.   I’m just waiting on you to catch up.”
    Startled by his words, Millie
curled one of her hands into a tight fist, the nails of her hand digging into
her palm.  The small bite of pain assured her that this was no dream. 
Mackenzie Daniels really was here saying these things to her.  She’d really
kissed him, and they’d both really enjoyed it.
    “Millie.  Get your very firm ass in
gear before I decide that I want a tour of your house.  Specifically, your
bedroom,” he warned gruffly.
    “I’ll just grab my coat and bag,”
she agreed quickly, spinning on her heel as she sprinted for her jacket.

Five:  Angels from the Realms of Glory
     
    Several hours later, Mack let
himself back into his own house, and for the first time in a long time, he
entered his home smiling.    His dog greeted him at the door.  Patting Nugget
on the head as he tossed his keys in the ceramic dish on the entry table