Free Mistletoe Bachelors by Jennifer Snow

pressed against his chest, but she didn’t push him away. Instead, she
clutched his sweater as her thoughts conflicted with the passion cursing through her body.
BZZZZ . Cole’s cell phone vibrated in his jeans pocket.
Madison jumped and moved away from him. She took a deep breath. Oh my God, that was
close . She tugged at the neck of her turtleneck and placed a hand to her flushed cheeks.
“Damn it,” Cole muttered as he reached into his pocket and removed the vibrating phone.
He glanced at the caller I.D. “It’s Nathan.”
“Answer it.” Madison nodded toward the ringing phone. Dammit that phone had the worse
timing?
Or
the
best? She
couldn’t
decide.
Disappointment
mixed
with
relief
over
the
interruption. She stood to distance herself from him and to calm her quickened heartbeat.
“Hey Nathan, what’s up?” Irritation at the interruption was evident in Cole’s terse voice.
Madison folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe to the living room.
“Sure, don’t worry. Give us twenty minutes.” Cole said. He too had stood and paced back
and forth the kitchen. He hung up the phone and turned to Madison. “He forgot the ring.” He
rolled his eyes.
“Are you serious?” She shook her head in disbelief. After all that worrying and preparing,
how had he done something as stupid as that?
“Yes, and he sounds close to a panic attack. He said he left it on his bedside table. I’ll grab it
while you put on your coat.” Cole disappeared into the bedroom.
Madison grabbed her coat from the back of the chair and tossed it over her arm. Still hot
from their exchange, she longed for the cool fresh air outside.
Cole emerged from the bedroom seconds later, ring in hand. “Here it is. Shall we?” Cole
opened the door and waited for her to exit. “Oh, and don’t worry, I’m not forgetting about that
kiss,” he whispered.
Madison locked the door and jiggled the knob. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The moment had passed. She was determined not to let the temptation occur again. What
happened to her resolve whenever they found themselves in a situation alone together? Why was
she so helpless against his charm and gentle persuasion? In three years, no other man had been
able to weaken her resolve. She would just make sure they weren’t alone together often.
“I’ll be sure to remind you.” Cole grabbed her hand and kissed her palm.
She didn’t doubt he would. She was in trouble.

Chapter Five
    Madison yawned as she rode the elevator to the hotel lobby the next morning. She didn’t get
paid enough to be up this early. She wrapped her scarf around her neck and leaned her head
against the elevator wall, closing her eyes. Nathan had a promotional photo shoot this morning,
in Central Park, with the representatives of the accessories division of Gucci . His new collection
of shoes and purses were being featured in their upcoming spring issue, hitting store shelves in
March. While Cole had raved all evening about being an observer on the set, she was less than
thrilled at the prospect. The day was sunny and bright, but she wasn’t fooled. The morning news
had announced an expected high temperature for the day of fourteen degrees. Even in her
warmest layers, Madison experienced a chill as the elevator doors opened in the lobby.
    Cole waited for her on a bench in the elevator lobby. His smile was wide as she approached. Wow, someone was excited this morning .
“Good morning.” Cole stood and handed her a Starbucks cup.
“No, good would have been at eight. Why do they insist on doing photo-shoots at five
    o’clock?” Nathan had warned them it would be an early morning, but five a.m.? Nothing should
be happening this early except sleep. She accepted the coffee cup and took a big lifesaving gulp.
The thick, creamy liquid stuck in her throat. She gulped. “Disgusting!” She grimaced. “What is
that?” She lifted the lid to peek inside the cup.
“Eggnog latte.” Cole grinned at