It Happened Under the Mistletoe: A Holiday Novella by Valerie Bowman

Author:Valerie Bowman [Bowman, Valerie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Historical romance, Regency
ISBN: 9781466847132
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2013-10-28T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Cerian pulled away sharply and wiped a shaky hand across her lips. Oliver concentrated on restoring his breathing to rights and willing his overheated body back to normalcy.

“What was … that?” she asked, slowly pulling her fingertips away from her mouth.

“It was…” He couldn’t answer it either.

It was a rhetorical question and they both knew it, but Oliver couldn’t help but ask himself the same thing. What was that? This time there was no mistletoe, no excuse, no pretending in front of other people. They were alone, just the two of them now, and that had been the kind of kiss that made his cock throb. He blew out deeply through his nose and shook order back into his mind.

“It was nothing,” Cerian said, answering the question for both of them. “It’s Christmastide. It’s romantic. That’s all. Yes. Yes.”

“Christmastide?” Did his voice sound less sure than hers?

“Yes. That’s all. We mustn’t let our little game confuse us.”

“Our little game?” Christ. Now he definitely didn’t sound sure of himself.

“Yes. You know, pretending to be courting?” She cleared her throat and glanced away. “For the sake of the others.”

Oliver blinked. He sure as hell hadn’t just kissed her for the sake of the others or because he was playing a game. He’d kissed her because he wanted to, damn it. Wanted to badly. But Cerian seemed intent on relegating whatever had just happened between them to a mistake and Oliver wasn’t about to declare himself to a woman who thought kissing him was a blunder.

“Quite right,” he responded, steeling his resolve. “I forgot myself, forgive me.”

Cerian nodded. “I … we … It’s quite all right. We should simply be more careful henceforth.”

He glanced at her. She smoothed a hand over her hair and straightened her shoulders. She looked as prim and proper as someone’s fussy maiden aunt, nothing like the woman who’d just responded passionately in his arms. And she’d just used the word ‘henceforth’; no good could come of that. But it was another word she’d used that worried him.

“Careful?” he asked. What the hell was she talking about?

“You know? We should, well, perhaps we should stay away from each other.”

Oliver fought his groan. Cerian suggested they stay away from each other just when he relished her company the most.

* * *

“Dear, come for a walk with me in the conservatory.”

Cerian gulped. She couldn’t very well say no to Kate, but the conservatory was the last place she wanted to go. She’d spent the last hour trying to banish the memory of the kiss she’d shared with Oliver there earlier.

She smiled weakly at Kate. “Why don’t we walk down the corridor, instead?”

Kate gave her a broad smile. “Whatever you’d prefer.”

Cerian entwined her arm through Kate’s and the two women began a leisurely stroll.

Cerian took a deep breath. “Kate … I…”

Kate glanced at her. “Yes, dear?”

“I wanted to thank you for inviting me here.”

Kate squeezed her hand. “I’m so happy you came.”

“And for … sponsoring me and introducing me to every one.

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