Pralines and Mistletoe by Kate Hunt

Author:Kate Hunt [Hunt, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-12-08T16:00:00+00:00

The next few days went by in a blur as we explored more of New Orleans together. Alana and I rode the streetcars, went to City Park to see the holiday light displays, stopped by Cafe du Monde to get beignets and chicory coffee, toured some historic local homes, and listened to so much jazz that it began to feel too quiet when there wasn’t any playing.

It was damn hard not kissing her. There were countless moments that I wanted to. But I stayed true to my word and didn’t make a move. I enjoyed what we did have, which was being together. Talking with her. Hearing her laugh.

Falling harder and harder in love with her.

And then, finally, it was Christmas Eve. As night fell, we headed down to see the bonfires along the Mississippi River. Most of the structures were huge pyramids built out of logs, but there were some formed into other shapes, too: a scaled-down steamship, a giant alligator, a fleur-de-lis.

Soon they were all engulfed in flames, the bonfires burning against the winter night sky, sparks flying off into the darkness.

“God, they’re stunning,” Alana said, looking up in awe.

I knew there was a brilliant scene in front of us, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

After the bonfires, we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We were finally getting around to that Réveillon dinner we’d talked about. I’d booked reservations for us at a nice restaurant not too far from our hotel, but told Alana she didn’t need to worry about getting too dressed up—I told her she’d look beautiful in whatever she had on.

She had blushed a little at the compliment, then smiled in a secretive way.

It didn’t take long before I found out why: when we met back up in the lobby, she was wearing a phenomenal red dress.

“You look incredible,” I said, stunned as I took in the sight of her. The dress fit her perfectly, from the way it showed off her décolletage to the way it clung to her hips.

“Thanks,” she said, beaming. Her eyes slid over my pants and button-up shirt. With a playful smile, she said, “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

I offered her my arm and she took it. It was a short walk from the hotel to the restaurant. As we entered the dining room, it seemed that everyone’s eyes were drawn to Alana.

Only a fool would be oblivious to her beauty.

The meal that followed surpassed all my expectations. Based on the little moans of pleasure Alana was making, I could tell the same could be said for her. Crispy pork belly, shrimp remoulade, satsuma-glazed quail…and then the grand finale, dessert: an ample slice of chocolate praline cake for us to share, which was also artfully topped with pieces of praline.

“Tastes like heaven,” Alana said, covering her mouth as she enjoyed her first bite.

The caramel buttery sweetness was melting over my tongue.

“Damn right it does,” I said.

“Wow. I think pralines are my new favorite thing.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.