Page 68 of A Newport Christmess

I gave a small pout, thinking of a hundred different ways I’d rather spend my evening, and they all included Landon. “I didn’t realize how early Irene wants them at Rosecliff on Thursday. If I’m going to make it to Nikki’s bachelorette party on Tuesday, I have to get this one finished tonight.”

He nodded and stood up. “That’s my cue.”

“No.” I kept hold of his hand. “It wasn’t a hint you should leave.”

“I know. But I promised that if you came with me to visit my grandma, I wouldn’t distract you. And considering that’s all I want to do ... I should go.” He lifted my hand to his mouth and pressed his lips against my palm, keeping hold of my fingers. Despite how gentle the kiss was, it caused an explosion of electricity to pulse through me. “Night, Quinn.”

When he took a step away, instead of releasing his hand, I tightened my grip. His gaze moved to our interlaced fingers and then to me. I pulled him back toward me, craning my neck to look up at him from my chair. “I’m of the opinion that there’s always time for a kiss.”

A smile slowly stretched across his handsome face, and he bent toward me but stopped right before our lips touched. “Are you sure?” His breath was warm and sweet, and I could almost taste him.

I closed my eyes and nodded. “I’ll always make time for this,” I whispered, my voice breathless.

Then, his mouth was on mine, his lips intertwining with my lips. His hand came to the nape of my neck, softly pressing me toward him to compensate for the increasing strength of our kiss, of our movements. I ran my hands over his chest and up around his neck, but still, I wasn’t close enough, so I stood, lifting onto my toes. Landon’s hands settled on my hips, the tips of his fingers making contact with my stomach and sending a rush of desire through me. I tightened my grip on him, needing to get even closer.

Suddenly, Landon stepped back, letting his kiss linger for a moment longer, before he pulled away. His chest was rising and falling in quick bursts. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He ran a hand across his beard and let out a slow exhale. “Wow. That was ... amazing, which is why I should go. And you need to work, so ...”

My face flushed with heat at his meaning, and as much as I wanted to convince him to stay, I knew that wouldn’t have been a good idea for more reasons than I wanted to admit. “If I can get started on the third house tonight, we could probably plan to do something tomorrow night—for a little while, anyway.”

“I actually have somewhere I’d love to take you.” He took a step closer again, his hands coming to my arms and then trailing down them slowly. Goosebumps spread over my skin.

“Where?”

“You don’t want to be surprised?”

“Surprises make me anxious.”

He smiled, and my gaze unintentionally went to his mouth. “One of the mansions does tours by candlelight. They deck out the whole place in Christmas decorations, and it feels like you’ve traveled back in time a hundred years. I think you’d love it.”

I beamed up at him. “That sounds amazing.”

“So you’re in?”

I nodded.

“Perfect. Then I’ll see you tomorrow.” He placed one, gentle kiss on my lips and stepped away.

“Night.”

With one last smile, he disappeared out the door, locking it behind him and leaving me alone with the gingerbread houses and my reeling thoughts.

* * *

“I’m not going to lie.” The speaker on my phone vibrated as Ashlee spoke, and I repositioned it. “When I didn’t hear from you for an entire day, I thought Mr. GQ might be a psycho killer after all. See how you’ve rubbed off on me?”

I laughed. “Nope. Not a psycho killer.”

“What’s going on with the two of you? Is the fake-dating thing working out?”

“So, about that ...”

“What happened?”

I hesitated, trying to think how best to word it. “It turns out it’s not fake anymore. Landon told me tonight his feelings for me are real.”

“I knew it! I knew this was going to happen. I mean, how could it not—you’re amazing, you’re both gorgeous, and those fake-dating schemes are basically an invitation to get together. I mean, look at every romance ever with that as a plot device. The characters end up in love. Every time.” She hummed thoughtfully. “Why have I not tried that yet?”

I laughed. “I highly recommend it.”