Marry Me at Christmas (Fool's Gold #19)(28)

“I know. One of our only eyesores.” Madeline unfastened her seat belt. “But it’s a great multipurpose building. We have all kinds of events here, especially at the holidays. The Dance of the Winter King has gotten so popular that it had to be moved here, and in a couple of weeks we’ll have the annual holiday pet adoption here.”

“Pet adoption?”

“Just like it sounds.”

“Is there anything the town doesn’t do for the holidays?”

“Nothing that isn’t good. Although last year someone stole all the toys for the toy drive.”

Something he couldn’t imagine happening in this place. “Let me guess. In forty-eight hours you had everything replaced, and even more toys than before.”

“Something like that,” she admitted with a smile.

Her eyes were a pretty shade of blue. She wore her hair loose and had on jeans and a sweatshirt with cartoon reindeer on the front.

In the close confines of his SUV, they seemed to be the only two people in the world. He could inhale the scent of her soap, or maybe it was a light perfume, along with the essence of the woman herself. It was a heady combination. One that made him think that if he were someone else, he would haul her close and kiss her until they were both mindless.

The wanting felt good, he thought. It had been a long time since he’d allowed himself to relax enough to get there. Although he hadn’t consciously been easing his guard, there was just something about being around her. She was easy to talk to. Easy to be with. Comfortable, in a way. But sexy. Talk about a combination that was difficult to ignore.

“Ready to be amazed?” she asked.

He was—in every way possible. Even though he knew she was talking about the gift bazaar and all the crazy Fool’s Gold-ness that went with it, he allowed himself to get lost in the possibility, if just for that moment. Knowing there would be hell to pay later, he leaned in and kissed her.

Her mouth was soft and warm. She had on a lip gloss that tasted of peppermint. The SUV console kept them from getting too close, so he couldn’t do much more than put his hand on her side and move his mouth against hers.

She yielded. There was no other word to describe her acquiescence as she leaned into him and rested her fingers on his shoulder. Being in a car, the careful way they weren’t going for it, reminded him of high school. Back when he’d been like everyone else and life’s problems were easily defined.

Wanting filled him, heating him before, predictably, heading south. He wanted to deepen the kiss. He wanted a whole lot more than kissing. Even as his body screamed for him to make his move, his brain reminded him that he liked Madeline. Liked her a lot. So keeping her safe was his first priority.

He drew back.

Her eyes were closed, her cheeks flushed. Then she drew in a breath and looked at him.

“Okay,” she murmured. “That was interesting.”

He laughed. “Interesting?”

“Unexpected.”

“I was hoping for something more.”

“Like delicious?”

It was as if someone had kicked him in the gut. All his air rushed out and he was left gasping. Desire exploded and he felt his control being stretched.

He swore silently. He had no one to blame but himself, he thought. He’d asked for it.

“Delicious works,” he said, his voice husky. He touched her cheek. “You have no idea how it works.”

She studied him. “But? There’s a but coming. You have but face.” She looked away, then back at him. “You know what I mean.”

“I do. And yes, there’s a but. Being with me is difficult. It’s the whole public-figure thing. The press can be a problem. I’m not a good bet.”

He thought she might say something, push back. Voice an opinion. But she didn’t. Instead, she raised her hand, then let it fall back onto her lap.

“So this never happened?” she asked.

“No.”

“And you won’t do it again?”

“Are you asking me to promise?”

She looked at him for a long time. “You think this is all about you being Jonny Blaze the actor, but you’re wrong. Maybe it was at first, but now that I’ve gotten to know you, it’s not.”

She opened her car door. “We need to get inside before someone else buys all the good stuff.”

With that, she slid out of the SUV.

He followed her, aware that she hadn’t answered his question, but still pleased with what she’d said. Because of who she was, he believed her. It was nice to be liked for himself, even if the kissing issue hadn’t been resolved.

They walked into the front of the convention center. Tall, seasonally dressed plastic nutcrackers stood guard by the doors. A pleasant woman gave them a map, showing the location of the different booths, and wished them happy shopping.

When they walked inside, Jonny was hit by the volume of noise. There were Christmas carols playing over the speakers and thousands of people talking in a space not designed to dissipate sound in a way that made sense.

Visually, there was just as much going on. Long rows of booths filled the giant room. Hanging banners directed shoppers to different areas. Jewelry, toys and clothes were clearly marked, as were the food areas, holiday decorations and kitchen gadgets.

He considered himself more enlightened than the average male, but even he was overwhelmed by the shopping possibilities. How on earth was he supposed to find a present for Annelise in all this?