Page 12 of Christmas Souls

"This here is a romantic dinner, young man. Are you going to court her again?" Mrs. Pierce asks.

"Calm down, ladies. I made this dinner as a thank you for all the hard work Michael and his crew have done on the house."

"I don't see any of the crew here celebrating."

I blush profusely and clear my throat.

"Do you want some lasagna? I've got plenty."

Michael closes his eyes in resignation.

"No, dear. We'll be going. Just be careful with this Casanova."

That makes me giggle and I get up to walk the ladies to the door. I don't know why Michael is considered a Casanova now, but I'm eager to find out. The ladies walk slowly towards the door, and I thank them for bringing the dessert. When I close the door behind them, I take a breath and turn around, only to find Michael standing right behind me.

He grabs me by the waist, and our bodies are now flush with one another. I can feel him breathing fast as if he's just run a marathon, and I feel a little lightheaded. I look up into his eyes and see hunger and desire there, and I swear if he wasn't holding me tight, I would fall down on my ass. He's got me, though, and I don't think he wants to let go.

I lick my lips in silent invitation. God, I shouldn't do that, but I do it again. His pupils dilate further, and he lowers his mouth so it’s just an inch from mine. It feels like he's letting me make this decision, and I know I'm going to make the wrong one. I lift up on my toes and press my lips to his. They are salty and warm and I close my eyes as I let myself go and indulge in their texture.

For a few seconds, he doesn't move, and I worry I might have pushed him into something he doesn't want, but then his mouth takes over mine and starts ravaging my lips in passionate hunger. I grab his shirt and pull him tightly to me. The kiss goes on and on until I have to stop because I literally can't breathe.

"Wow," I gasp.

He lets out a slow breath. "I think I should go—otherwise, we might christen something else in this house."

I blush, but truly, what he's saying is true, and I don't even know if I want to start a romantic entanglement with him. I don't want to let him down once again.

"Right."

I go pick up the dishes, and Michael helps me clean and put everything back. I send him home with a piece of lasagna and some bread for tomorrow's lunch, and I go back to Ana Maria’s house, where she jumps at the chance to have a home-cooked meal. Throughout the night all I can think about are Michael's lips on mine and how we couldn't get enough of each other.

I can't get involved with him if I'm not willing to tell him the truth. Will he hate me forever when I refuse his advances?

Can I refuse his advances?

Chapter 6

Mandy

It's early morning, and I'm rushing to city hall. There's something wrong with one of the permits for my grandmother's renovation. I offered to come here instead of having Michael do it. I've been sort of hiding from him these past few days. I just don't want a confrontation and am doing everything I can to avoid it.

I park my car and go up the stairs to the old building. I think it's a historic site or something, but I'm here to do business. I approach the front desk for information on where to get my issue straightened out, and someone takes my papers and sits me in a comfortable chair facing what I think is the door to the mayor's office.

After thirty minutes I start to worry that there's something wrong, so I get up and ask the mayor's assistant for help. She tells me that everything is being taken care of and that I just need to be patient and wait. I'm not really good at that, but I give it my best shot. After one hour, my leg is tired from bouncing off the ground, and I'm at my wit’s end.

The door to the mayor's office opens, and out comes the mayor himself. He's a handsome man, but he got into a fight with one of the Hoffer brothers the day of the Christmas Mixer and half his face is a purplish and yellow color.

"Miss Schmidt, can you come in for a minute?"

I look at the assistant, but she does not spare me a glance. I get up slowly and walk towards the office. There's a chair in front of his desk, so I take a seat. I hear the door close, and there's a small sound as if the lock has been turned, but I don't know why that would be. I'm certain no one would barge into the mayor's office.

The mayor sits on the corner of his desk and crosses his legs in front of him. The tips of his shoes are almost touching my own and I wonder if no one taught him the meaning of personal space.

"Is there something wrong with my permit?" I ask.

"Jensen Buchanan."

A chill goes through me, and I almost jump out of my seat. The mayor puts his hand on my shoulder and pushes me back onto the seat.