Holly versus Mr. Ivy by Amanda P. Jones
Chapter 31
Holly
to my house after Rhett’s surprise snow tubing date, Mom had a box on the kitchen table filled with real sprigs of mistletoe tied with a red velvet ribbon.
“Where did you get these?” I asked.
“Trevor dropped them off on his lunch break. I thought they’d be cute to hang around the house.”
Rhett and I kissed plenty without the aid of mistletoe. Was Mom hoping some stranger manifested himself and took advantage of the green leaves of holly hanging around? “And you needed twelve to put up around the house, because why?”
She patted my cheek. “They’re pretty. And between you and Rhett and the new girl Trevor is dating, it seemed fitting.”
Trevor said we’d meet his girlfriend on Christmas Eve. I was excited to meet her. “We’ve never had mistletoe before.”
Rhett’s brows popped up. “Really? Never? We always had some in our entryway.”
I turned to him. “Then take some for your house.”
His eyes flashed with desire, and my stomach fluttered. “I’ll take some if you want me to. I know the perfect spot.”
Above his couch? That had become our favorite place to kiss. “Where do you want them hung up?” I asked Mom.
She pointed to each location as she spoke. “Above the kitchen sink, the dining room table, couch, entry, the couch in the formal living room, and by the Christmas tree.”
I calculated the spots indicated on my fingers. “That’s only half.”
“Looks like Rhett gets to find six places to hang mistletoe in his house.” Mom patted his shoulder. “I’ll leave you to it.” She winked, then ambled off to her bedroom.
I looked at Rhett and started laughing. “My mom is insane. Twelve sprigs of mistletoe? Does she think we need that much help?”
Rhett trailed his fingers down my arms until both his hands were holding mine. “Why are you complaining?”
“I’m not complaining, I just think it’s ridiculously over-the-top. Hang one. Not twelve.”
Rhett let go of me and moved to the box sitting on the table. Picking up a bunch of green stems, he let it dangle in front of him. “How do you want to hang these?”
“I’ll get some thumbtacks.” I went to Dad’s office and pulled out the top drawer, locating what we needed. Rhett took a kitchen chair and placed it by the sink. We slowly worked our way through the house, hanging mistletoe and kissing underneath each spot as we went. In the entryway, a gold and glass chandelier dropped down from the ceiling.
“I’ll just tie the ribbon around one of the poles.” I climbed onto the chair. Rhett put his hands on my hips, keeping me steady. My shirt rode up as I reached above me. His thumb brushed back and forth across my stomach, making sparks of fire erupt within me. I finished tying the ribbon, then put my hands on Rhett’s shoulders. “I like being taller than you.”
Rhett stepped closer until his shins hit the edge of the chair I stood on. My arms wrapped around his neck, drawing us flush against one another. Rhett looked me in the eye.
“Does it give you a power trip?” he teased.
“Do I have power over you?”
His pupils dilated, and he licked his lips. “More than you know.” His tone was low, gravelly.
It went both ways.
Rhett’s thumbs kept rubbing along my stomach, right next to my hip bone. I shivered as goosebumps raced up my back.
His eyes burned into mine. I never wanted to look away. I drowned in that fiery gaze that said he wanted me—loved me—as much as I did him. My breath met his as our lips slowly drew together. When the flutters in my stomach and the warmth flooding my body demanded more, I whimpered, “Kiss me.”
Rhett’s lips immediately met mine. It was a kiss that said he was mine and I was his. It wasn’t demanding or full of lust. It spoke of shared love and a willingness to give and take. I got lost in the sweetness of it.
Rhett parted my lips with his, and a new wave of flutters took over my stomach. He intensified the kiss, and I nipped at his lips with my teeth. Sliding my fingers into his hair, I lightly scratched his scalp, and my kiss burned with all the passion within me.
Rhett reacted by wrapping his arms around my legs, swinging me around, and pulling me into his lap, all without breaking lip contact. Rhett’s mouth trailed down my jaw.
“Santa?”
“Hm?” he grunted.
“This is what I want for Christmas.”
He pulled back long enough to say, “Then Merry Christmas, Holly,” before his lips crashed against mine. My heart beat so wildly, it wouldn’t surprise me if it jumped right out of my chest.
The shrill sound of Rhett’s phone ringing registered in my mind, but I had no intentions of stopping. I moved my mouth to the spot behind Rhett’s ear that always elicited a groan. Rhett’s phone stopped, and mine started.
Rhett pushed my shoulders back, breaking contact. “We should see who that is.”
I growled, hating that he was right. Whipping my phone out of my back pocket, my stomach turned to knots. Anthony Ivy’s name flashed across the screen. I held my phone up to show Rhett.
“Answer it.”
With shaky fingers, I clicked the green button, putting Anthony on speakerphone. “Hello?”
“Chef Holly,” he seethed.
My heart stopped beating. “Yes?” I squeaked out.
“I need you to meet me at my office in twenty minutes. I’ll text you the address.”
What? Why? What had happened? The blood drained out of my face. Did he know about Rhett and me? “Okay. May I ask why?”
He snorted. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
The line went dead.