Free Ask Her at Christmas by Christi Barth

guard. If Monica had her way, it could be Caitlin’s last chance to be alone with him. She had to seize the moment.
    “Kyle, don’t do it.”
    “What?” He finished off the champagne and dropped the bottle soundlessly onto the gray carpet.
    She held her breath. In his current mood, how would he react? With her nerves already frayed, Caitlin wasn’t sure if she could take it if he verbally slapped at her. But he was so open right now. He’d already seen right through her to her true feelings. If his head wasn’t all caught up in the mess with his father, Kyle would’ve called her on it. Damn it, she loved him and wouldn’t give up without at least one good fight.
    “Don’t marry Monica.”
    He shrugged, hard enough to dislodge her hand. “Too late. It’s already in the works. You’re dreaming up a sleigh bell-and-holly-covered proposal for me, remember?”
    How could she forget? The image of him down on one knee in front of another woman kept her awake and staring at the ceiling every single night. “It isn’t too late. Until you’re both standing at an altar and say I do , it isn’t too late.”
    “Caitlin, don’t be naïve.” The tenderness in his voice disappeared. His mouth turned down at the corners, and his chin jutted out. Kyle jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Strip away the white dress, veil and four-tiered cake, and this is a simple business deal. One where we each profit. It might not be ideal, but few things in life are. Monica’s a nice woman. We get along fine, when she’s around. She’s great at parties. Dances like J. Lo after a couple of martinis. I’m not exactly getting the short end of the stick.”
    All the fight had drained out of him. And all the light was gone from those ocean-blue eyes, as if the moon had gone behind a cloud. It made her want to cry, but that wouldn’t be enough to change his mind. Caitlin grabbed his hands. “You deserve so much more. You deserve a real wife, one who’s your best friend in the whole world.”
    “Don’t need that. I’ve got you slotted in the best-friend-for-life role.” He tried to tug his hands back, but she held on tight.
    “What if I’m not always around?”
    “This is the twenty-first century. Skype, phones, texting—you don’t have to be next to me to be with me. We’ll still talk every night. Nothing will change.”
    If only she could believe that. But if he married Monica, Caitlin now knew that everything would change. “It might.”
    “It won’t.” He smiled, that smile that filled her heart like helium. “It’s always been you and me. I can’t live my life any other way.”
    She played one last, desperate card. “What about sex?”
    “What?”
    “You deserve a wife who belongs to you, body and soul. You deserve a lover in your marriage bed. Someone to be there in the middle of the night to chase the demons away. Someone who fires up your blood and stirs your passion. Someone who wants you, who needs you with every cell of her body.”
    Did she move? Did he move? Caitlin couldn’t tell. All she knew was that his hands cradled her face and his lips were on hers. It was the kiss she’d fantasized about for years, and yet it wasn’t. It was so much more. His warm lips tasted faintly sweet from the champagne, and she wanted to lap at him for days. Kyle moved, softly at first, tasting her, fitting himself to her. A cascade of sensation washed down her body. He moved his hands to her back and drew her close.
    They fitted together perfectly. Thanks to the extra four inches her stilettos added, all the interesting parts lined up. A bulge, hard and impressively large, pressed at the junction of her legs. Caitlin’s heart flipped over at the proof she’d already managed to arouse him. She laced her hands through his hair and took over the kiss, pulling him tighter. Her tongue darted into the warm cavern of his mouth, learning what he liked, and what she liked.
    Rocking back and forth slightly, just enough to rub