A Yowling Yuletide (3 page)

The fury and apprehension that he’d felt
moments before vanished as he was overwhelmed by a fierce and
unforgivable need to taste those lips, to discover if she tasted as
good as she looked.

Then, ever so slowly, she smiled and stood
up on her toes. There was a hint of hope and pleasure in her eyes,
even as her cheeks turned an enticing shade of pale pink. She was
stepping outside of her comfort zone, seeking his acceptance and
approval.

It was impossible for him to deny all those
soft, feminine curves filling his arms. The warmth of her body
seduced him, as her inviting smile filled his mind with the endless
fantasies that had haunted him all week.

With a harsh curse, he tightened his arms
fiercely around her body, lifting her up so he could capture her
mouth beneath his own.

Miranda made no attempt to stop him.
Instead, she moaned and raised her arms to wrap them around his
neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss.

Her eagerness awakened a blaze of heat and
lust that ripped through his body like a fiery tornado. It burned
away all of his inhibitions and made him forget all of the reasons
why he should simple put her down and walk away while he still
could.

He crushed her to him, wrapping her legs
around his waist as he carried her across the floor to the desk. He
seated her there, freeing his hands to fist them in all of that
incredible red hair. It was every bit as silky soft as he’d
imagined, drawing a ragged sigh from his chest.

She was eager and supple in his arms,
sending tidal waves of desire racing through every nerve in his
body. He was drowning in need, rendered breathless and shuddering
beneath the crushing weight of that need.

Then she was wiggling away from him. Her
hands were pushing at his chest, confusing him, forcing him to
break that searing connection to her lips.

His brows knit with confusion and a touch of
anger, until he heard what it was that had her scurrying backward
across the desk to climb off onto the floor and straighten her
blouse and skirt.

Her hair was a wild tumble of curls where
his hands and played, and there was a rosy glow of guilty pleasure
in her face that nobody could mistake. But there was no time for
him to point out those details, as the harsh knocking came again
and Brian abruptly opened the door to peek inside.

“
Oh,” the senior law
partner gaped, looking from Matt to Miranda, and then back to Matt.
“Sorry, I just figured you were on the phone, I was going to drop
these on your desk for you to read later.”

He made a halfhearted gesture using the
bundle of papers and files in his hands.

“
Sorry.” He started to
close the door, but Matt quickly stepped forward to stop
him.

Brian’s shocked expression was enough to
shatter the fantasy that he’d momentarily fallen into.

“
Actually, I was just on
my way out,” Matt growled. “I’ll take them with me.”

He didn’t dare look at Miranda as he quickly
shouldered past the older man and escaped into the hall, grabbing
the paperwork from Brian’s grasp and hurrying towards the exit.

“
I’m not feeling all that
well,” he shot back over his shoulder. “It looks like it’s going to
be a slow evening anyway, with all this snow, so I’m going to
finish up my work from home. I’ll see you Monday.”

Yanking open the front door, he was struck
by a blast of snow laden wind, reminding him that he’d left his
coat hanging on the peg in his office. But he wasn’t going back for
it now, not with that seductress waiting for him.

By the time he reached his car, he was half
frozen, but it helped to clear the last of the lust from his
body.

On Monday, he’d call the temp agency and
have them replace Miranda with a new receptionist. Preferably an
old, ugly man.

It Came Upon a Midnight
Clear

"I'm sorry, but we're currently experiencing
blizzard conditions in most of northern New York." The woman on the
other end of the phone call did not actually sound sorry at all. It
might be because she'd already told Matt the same thing half a
dozen times.

He'd called the temp agency early Monday
morning, hoping to find someone less attractive to work the front
desk, but he was being told that was impossible.

"We were lucky that Miranda lives in Aspire,
nobody else is willing to make the drive out there until the
weather clears," the woman explained yet again.

Matt considered using tears or bribery, but
he suspected he'd get the same results either way. He'd have to
survive another week working with Miranda, or go back to managing
the front desk himself.

That latter option sounded really good,
until he considered the need to explain the switch to the senior
partners Brian and Greg. They would definitely not understand and
he couldn't risk jeopardizing his position at the firm.

A good attorney needed strong people skills.
His bosses knew that and would look critically upon any sign of
weakness in him. If he ever wanted to make full partner, he'd have
to figure out this Miranda situation quickly and discretely.

She was seated at the front desk when he
arrived at the office and immediately flashed him a huge smile, as
if he hadn't half devoured her and then left her to make all the
excuses to his boss just a few days earlier.

The girl not only looked like an angel, she
had the heart of one too. For a moment he was filled with guilt,
but he shook it off, along with a thick layer of snow that had
settled over his new coat and hair.

“
The postal service made
it through today,” she informed him, ignoring the cold shoulder he
was offering. “There is some mail here for you. Also, Brian left me
a stack of papers related to the file you took home on
Friday.”

Matt’s eyes cut towards the desk, seeking
the paperwork, but instead found themselves glued to the girl. She
was wearing a dark green dress that perfectly hugged her figure and
dipped dangerously low in the front. From her ears hung little
green Christmas ornaments in the same shade of green, with gold
glitter highlights.

The colors amplified her exquisite hair and
the gold of her eyes, rendering him speechless in admiration.

She tilted her head slightly and smiled,
drawing his gaze straight down to her mouth.

He could still remember how she tasted. It
was all he’d been able to think about all weekend, no matter how
busy he’d kept himself around the farm. That, and the way that
she’d felt in his arms, so soft and eager.

She’d claimed that she loved him, but that
was impossible. People didn’t have soul mates and there was no such
thing as instant love. Instant lust, yes. He could admit that he
had an undeniably fierce desire for her. But he would not accept
the possibility that it could be anything more.

Dragging his eyes away from her took
herculean strength.

“
Leave it on your desk,
I’ll grab it later,” he told her. Preferably at some point when she
wasn’t sitting nearby, which meant he’d probably be working late
tonight, waiting for her to go home for the evening.

“
Alright,” she agreed
before he could escape down the hallway. “But I do have a couple
more questions for you.”

He hesitated, but kept his back to her.

“
Yeah?”

"What time will you be picking me up on
Friday?"

He tensed, realizing that she had not
forgotten Rachel's invitation to come to Christmas dinner with his
family. Even after all that he'd said and done to chase her away,
she still wanted to spend time with him.

He knew that he shouldn't feel flattered or
glad that she was being so stubborn, but he was. Still, he'd have
to firmly turn her down. It was hard enough being around her at
work. There was no telling what trouble his libido might get them
into if they were left alone together at the farm.

"Rachel was wrong," he lied boldly. "We
don't actually have room for any more at our table this year."

For a long moment Miranda remained quiet. He
started to fear that she might be crying but when he turned she was
standing directly behind him.

How the heck had she moved so quietly? This
was the second time she'd managed to creep up on him this way. She
moved like a predatory cat, silent and graceful. But her eyes were
flashing golden flames as she confronted him.

"Have you ever read
A Christmas Carol
by
Charles Dickens?"

He blinked, confused by the question.

"No, but I've seen a few movie
adaptations."

"So you understand the concept of the
Christmas ghosts and embracing the spirit of the season?"

"Sure, whatever." He was having a hard time
thinking clearly with her this close.

"You love me, Matt. And I love you. Don't
throw it away like Scrooge did."

Love
. She'd said it again. He just wished it didn't sound so good
when she said it. She made him want to believe in love at first
sight, even if it was impossible.

He cast a condescending scowl over one
shoulder.

"I suppose you're going to warn me about
Christmas ghosts now?"

Rather than looking hurt, her saw a spark of
surprised humor light her face.

"That's not a bad idea," she grinned. "If
you won't believe me, maybe it's time for a little Yuletide
magic."

His scowl blackened considerably. He wasn’t
really sure if that kind of supernatural magic existed, but if it
did, it was probably dangerous.

"You shouldn't play around with stuff like
that," he growled, worried about her, although he told himself he
had no right to be. "I don't want to think about you getting
hurt."

She raised one lovely eyebrow at him,
wordlessly pointing out the way he had treated her ever since she'd
arrived at the office to help him.

That simple gesture hit him in the gut like
a freight train, effectively flattening his anger and leaving him a
wreck of regret and guilt.

"Sorry," he sighed, running a shaky hand
through his hair. He didn't like the monster he'd become in an
effort to drive her off.

"I better get back to work," he muttered,
taking a hesitant step towards his office. Then he paused and
almost turned around to face her.

What if he just explained to her what he was
feeling? What if he told her that he couldn't trust himself to care
again? Would she accept his reasons, or would she challenge them as
Rachel had?

He shook his head again and walked away,
unaware of first hope and then disappointment that shown in
Miranda's eyes.

Matt strode straight to his office, locked
the door, and didn't come out again until he was sure that she'd
gone home for the evening. He even called the front desk to check
and was relieved when the answering service picked up.

Outside he was nearly thrown off his feet by
a gust of icy, snow laden wind. It was nearly white-out conditions
and he had to seriously consider whether it might be safer to just
spend the night at the office rather than risk the road.

After a long hesitation he finally chose the
road. If the snow was still blowing this hard tomorrow Brian and
Greg would simply close the office. Which was a godsend for Matt
because it meant one more day he wouldn’t have to fight his
temptation for Miranda.

The snow was piled knee high around his car,
requiring that he dig down a bit before he could even open the
door. Thank goodness he'd thought to put snow chains on his tires
that weekend, or he never would have made it out onto the
street.

The snow plows had been busy trying to keep
the roads clean, but the wind was making it a challenge. There was
still several inches of the powdery white stuff covering the
asphalt, but he drove slowly and arrived safely at the farm.

The snow plows didn't clear private farm
lanes, so he parked the car in his mother's driveway and then
walked across the pasture to the house he'd converted from their
old stable.

He chuckled a little as he kicked off his
soggy shoes just inside the garage entry door. Tanya would never
have lasted a winter in this house. He tried to imagine the woman
hiking through the pasture wearing one of those ridiculously short
skirts and mile high designer heels.

Then he stopped, blinking in surprise. That
was the first time he'd actually thought about Tanya since Miranda
had shown up in his life.

Yes, he'd thought about the pain left in her
wake, but never about the woman herself.

Even more surprising was the way he felt
right now. He'd actually laughed at how ridiculous and high
maintenance she'd been, and how impossible it would have been for
them to have a future here. A future together.