Free Kissing Under the Mistletoe by Marina Adair

crossed his arms, waiting for her to get all riled up so he could enjoy the show. But she sat there wide-eyed and mute, her expression washed white. Shame rose swiftly, pounding in his head until it began to ache. What the hell was he doing?
    “Listen, about the rent, let’s just forget—”
    “Would you prefer to give me an address to send the check or just handle this through Jordan?” Her voice wobbled, but he could hear her pride kicking in.
    Not wanting to screw this up any more than he already had, Gabe reached into his pocket, extracted a business card, and offered it to her. She took the card, careful not to brush fingers, placed it in her handbag, and sidestepped him.
    Opening the door, she leaned over the steering wheel and turned the key. The car sputtered to life, black exhaust expelling from the tailpipe as the keys vibrated from the over-idling of the engine. Wanting to apologize, Gabe placed his palm down on the door frame just as Regan grabbed the handle to open it wider. It slammed back shut.
    “What!” She spun around. “What more do you want from me?” Her voice shook and instead of anger, something else entirely shot through his body. This was the moment he and his brothers were waiting for: Regan stripped down to the point where she would talk. All he had to do was push.
    But in this instant Gabe didn’t care about Richard or the affair or the big picture. He couldn’t think past this insane connection he felt or how every time he looked at her it was like someone had kicked him in the gut.
    They stood silent for a long moment, the rain coming down harder, yet neither moved.
    As the wind gusted, a few wet strands of hair clung to her lips. Gabe reached out, tucking them behind her ear, his finger lingering. He felt more than heard Regan’s breath catch, and he knew he was in trouble because his chest was doing some catching of its own. Especially when she worried her lower lip, making it fuller, redder, and wetter.
    “The truth, Regan,” he whispered gruffly. “That’s all I want and then this will end. For both of us.”
    She stood there, open and vulnerable, her finger tracing the top edge of the side mirror, and nodded. They both knew he was talking about so much more than their rivalry. Just like they both knew that whatever was happening between them, if allowed to grow, would only wind up hurting someone—most likely Regan.
    She studied the ground for a moment, shifting her weight, then looked up at him through rain-spiked lashes. “Do you want to hear that I was stupid? That I gave my heart to a man who lied to me? That for the first time in my life, I was happy that my mom had died so I wouldn’t have to see the disappointment in her eyes? Would that make you feel better?”
    No, it wouldn’t, and it didn’t. Because he could see that she had been crushed by Richard. Worse still, Gabe had made her life even harder.
    “You’d think business trips over Christmas and Easter would have been a sign that something was up. But I was in love,” she croaked out. The look of horror and pain in her eyes was genuine, and at that moment he knew he had made a mistake.
    “I didn’t cheat on your sister, Gabe. Richard did. I’ve never even met the woman. But I’m willing to bet she knew as much about me as I knew about her.”
    When he didn’t move, didn’t so much as respond, she sagged, her whole body giving in. And this time when her eyes met his, they were filled with tears.
    “I don’t know how many more times I can apologize. I’m so sorry for hurting your sister. Sorry for trusting Richard. You have no idea how much I’ve paid for that mistake. In a way, I actually understand why you set out to ruin my life. And your sister...she’s lucky to have a family that cares for her so much.” She brushed angrily at her cheeks.
    Is that what he’d set out to do? Ruin a woman’s life? A woman, he admitted, he didn’t really even know?
    Looking back, he’d only meant to scare