Under the Millionaire's Mistletoe by Maureen Child Read Free Book Online Page B

on.”
    He held out the leather jacket and Anna knew she should say no and head back inside. Sunset was already staining the sky and she should be headed home. Back, she thought, to her empty apartment, a hot shower and a cold glass of wine. Then she looked into his blue eyes and knew that she wasn’t going anywhere but with him.
    She slipped the jacket on and zipped it up. Then she accepted the helmet he offered her and tugged it on as well. He grinned at her and her stomach did a slow bump and roll. He pulled on his helmet, flipped the visor down and indicated that she do the same. Then he shouted, “Hop on!”
    Knowing it was most definitely a mistake, Anna didjust that. She climbed aboard the motorcycle, her thighs spread wide, aligning along his. She leaned into him and he turned his head to say, “Wrap your arms around me and hold on, Anna.”
    â€œWhere are we going?”
    â€œIt’s a surprise,” he called back.
    He’d already surprised her, she thought, feeling the rumble of the engine rippling throughout her body. She’d never been on a motorcycle before and she had a feeling that this trip, wherever he was taking her, was going to be memorable. She wrapped her arms tightly around his middle and inhaled sharply as he roared down the length of the driveway and out onto the road.
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    Sam drove along the coast road for miles, and Anna watched as night claimed the sky. Trees lined one side of the wildly twisted road and the ocean, dazzled by moonlight, lay on the other.
    She’d never experienced such a thrilling sense of freedom before. Fear rode just below the surface of her excitement, but she refused to acknowledge it. Instead, she focused solely on the incredible sense of being as one with Sam and the machine carrying them both through the darkness.
    He doubled back after a long while and she realized they were headed back to Crystal Bay. Disappointment rose up in her as she realized she wasn’t ready for the ride to end. For the magic to be finished. Lifting one hand from the handlebars, Sam pointed into the distance and she shifted her gaze to follow the motion. Her breath caught as she saw the town of Crystal Bay, sitting on a crescent-shaped harbor, spreading back through the trees. In the surrounding darkness, the town’s Christmas lights shone from a distance like jewels strewn acrossthe ground. She smiled and felt a stirring of something magical rise up around her.
    Soon, they were roaring down Main Street and Anna wondered if everyone they passed was speculating. Sam’s motorcycle was well known and she was guessing that her long, red hair hanging out from beneath her helmet would be enough for most people to identify her. The question was, did she care?
    No. At the moment, no, she didn’t care. She loved the feel of being on the powerful Harley with Sam. It was a moment snatched out of time. They couldn’t speak, so they couldn’t argue. They were wrapped so tightly together, each of them could feel the heat of the other’s body.
    Her own heartbeat was hammering in her chest and she thought she felt a matching rhythm coming from Sam’s body. Anna swallowed hard and rested her head against his broad back. Her grip on him tightened as the rumbling of the engine vibrated her body and jolted every already-sensitive nerve ending.
    Christmas lights blurred into a stream of color as they whizzed past. Shoppers hurried along crowded sidewalks. Pine garlands were strung across the street from lamppost to lamppost. Carols pumped from one of the stores they passed and she smiled behind her helmet. The giant Christmas tree in the town square glittered, while overhead, stars slipped in and out from behind clouds.
    She didn’t know why he’d taken her on this ride, but she was so glad he had. Anna felt alive in a way she had never known before. She wanted this night to never end, but of course, it did.
    He slowed the motorcycle down as