Free Christmas With Her Ex by Fiona McArthur Page A

beautiful than you did fifteen years ago.’
    Now her cheeks burned and she didn’t know where to look. The obvious place was at him. Dark dinner suit, white shirt and bow-tie. Sardonically suave yet with a twinkle in his eye. ‘Thank you. You look pretty hot yourself.’
    ‘I was hoping you’d say that.’ His face became more serious. ‘So why haven’t you married, Kelsie?’
    ‘Why haven’t you?’ she countered.
    He shook his head. ‘That’s a cop-out and I asked you first. I had the impression you were a brave new you. Don’t be shy. I’m sure it’s not because you haven’t found anyone who exceeded my charms.’
    ‘Oh, you’re charming, too, but way too old for me. I’m looking for a younger man now. Like our friend at the bar.’
    She’d been trying to keep it light, not sure they were quite at ease enough to get down to real truth. That it would take someone pretty darned special to make her give up the independence that she’d fought so hard for.
    She wasn’t going to make the same mistakes her mother had made and if she never did get married and have a child at least she wouldn’t walk away from them like her own mother had.
    She was starting to feel more emotional than she wanted to. Here was this gorgeous man, flirting with her, and all she could remember was how she’d left him standing alone on a corner. How worried his face had been. It made her feel bad. And sad.
    ‘So you think I wouldn’t be able to keep up with you?’ His hand reached across the table and he squeezed her fingers, stroked the inside of her wrist, and she shivered. There was that unmistakable frisson of awareness that assured her they still had far too much chemistry happening for her peace of mind.
    His hand moved back away from her and instantly she missed the connection. ‘I’m willing to bet I could.’
    Her fingers tingled. It wasn’t fair that he could do that with just a touch and she’d always thought the whole vibration in auras between a man and a womanhad been exaggerated. ‘You seem determined to put a personal spin on all my words but you can never go back.’
    Her mouth was saying things her body didn’t agree with but it seemed appropriate when she wanted to create a distance he was trying to close. Her imagination wasn’t helping with fantasies of finding out just what would happen if she crawled into Connor Black’s lap and kissed him.
    He was watching her face and unfortunately there was nowhere to hide. ‘Today I was thinking about our first kiss.’ His voice dropped and she leaned forward to hear. ‘You were soft, like a kitten.’
    She bounced back into an upright position, blushing like a schoolgirl, and it was her turn to hope nobody had heard or could see the pink in her cheeks. ‘And you missed my mouth the first time.’
    He smiled lazily. ‘I’m better at it now.’
    That made her smile and instantly the rapport was back. ‘You weren’t so bad even then, once I got over the shock.’
    Thankfully the meal arrived and it should have been easier but her eyes strayed to his strong white teeth as he put the fork to his lips, that tilt to his wicked mouth and his strong throat.
    She tried to work out what was pushing her buttons. He was unmistakably the full package when you put his undivided attention and the close proximity of their bodies together. Plus the memories of their slow awakening as they’d grown to adulthood together all those years ago.
    Would things have been different if they’d made love before their wedding day? The room was getting hot again.
    Connor watched the play of emotions cross her face. Every now and then he caught glimpses of the young girl from so many years ago. A vulnerability he thought she’d lost that made him want to protect her, but he stamped that down. No way. She didn’t want him to, and had never wanted him to. That was why she’d left him, remember?
    But that wasn’t all he saw. He saw the pulse beat at her throat, the subtle lushness