Better Not Pout (Mistletoe Falls)

by Maren Moore

Rosalie Sullivan has my full attention, whether I want it that way or not.

“Trust me when I say I don’t need to beg a woman for anything, Rosalie, unless she’s into that kind of thing, and then I can be a very good boy.”

“Any guy would be the luckiest motherfucker on this planet to be able to touch you, and if he says otherwise, he’s a liar.” We’re so close I can feel the soft puff of air that escapes between her lips as she sucks in a breath. “So no, having to touch you, kiss you, hold your hand when we’re in public isn’t going to make me feel uncomfortable. Even if it’s fake.”

Wait… “You know my coffee order?” He shrugs nonchalantly. “I pay attention.” He. Pays. Attention? To me?

“But I’m starting to realize just how wrong I am about you. Now, all I want is to find out if you taste as sweet as I’ve imagined, Rosalie Sullivan.”

But as I’m kissing my fake girlfriend in the middle of my barely renovated bar, it feels like the most right thing I’ve ever done. Like all of the shit that I’ve been through in the last couple of years has led me straight here. Straight to her.

“They’re tempting, but they’re nothing compared to how tempted I am by you. I’m beginning to realize that my sweet tooth is for you, Rosalie Sullivan.”

“Eyes on me.

“The whole time I thought I was searching for a place to call home, when all along, I was searching for you, Rosalie.”