Kiss Me (Townsend Legacy)

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

T ania

“Something isn’t right.” I bite my bottom lip as I stare at the almost completed gingerbread house.

Without a thought, I reach for another gingerbread cookie from the plate of extra, unused pieces.

I chew slowly while examining our gingerbread house.

“What are you talking about? It’s perfect,” Taehyun claims. He stands and spins our gingerbread this way and that to display this supposed perfection. “It’s double the size of everyone else’s since you insisted on using three boxes.”

I ignore him as he recounts how we even had Mrs. Townsend check the rules to make sure I could use a second box. That triggered others around us to insist on second boxes to double the size of their house.

Yes, I then used a third to construct the house.

“It’s a damn gingerbread McMansion,” Taehyun says.

“It’s missing something,” I insist. The house looks good. But it can be great.

He chuckles when I tell him as much.

“We’ve already added a damn two-car garage, a front and backyard, as well as a Nativity scene in the front yard. What else could it possibly nee?—”

“More gumdrops.” I snap my fingers before taking another bite of the cookie in my hand.

I move to get up to search for some gumdrops since we’ve used all of the ones supplied to our table. A pair of strong arms on my shoulders stops me.

“How about I get them?” Taehyun’s eyes land on me. There’s a knowing glint in his eyes.

Dammit. Once again, I’ve forgot all about my injured ankle.

I peer around the room, but to my relief the more than thirty family members around the room are engaged in constructing their own gingerbread houses, teasing one table or another about how lame their gingerbread house is, or arguing how superior their home building skills are.

“How the hell has this guy been head of Townsend construction for two decades?” Damon Richardson calls out while gesturing to his and Joshua Townsend’s gingerbread house.

The two friends chose one another to partner with since their wives are two of the judges. They’ve bickered off and on for the past hour.

It’s hilarious to watch.

“Where the hell have your construction skills disappeared to?” Joshua gripes to the man I’ve learned is his best friend.

Laughter spills from me and I turn back to Taehyun. “They’re getting antsy because they know ours is superior.” I rub my hands together. “Get the gumdrops.”

His eyebrows spike. “Bossy much?”

“Do you want to win or not?”

That gets him going. Taehyun heads off from one table to the next searching for extra gumdrops.

Laughter spills from me when one of the younger Townsends, who doesn’t look more than eleven or twelve, snatches a box of gumdrops that Taehyun was about to swipe from a table.

“Get your own.”

“That wasn’t particularly hospitable.” Taehyun looks like he’s on the verge of pouting.

I have to cover my mouth because I’m laughing so hard from my seat.

“All hospitality goes out of the window when it comes to our annual gingerbread house competition,” someone yells at Taehyun from across the room.

“In that case …” he says and quickly grabs two boxes of gumdrops and hurries across the room to our table, carefully guarding his treasure.

“We better win this damn competition,” he tells me as he places the boxes in front of me.

“Have you seen me do a backside one-eighty? This W is as guaranteed as me landing one of those with my eyes closed,” I say before he can answer my question.

I rip open the box, uncaring that a few of the gumdrops spill onto the floor.

“Grab all of the red ones from that box,” I instruct.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him give me a sideways glance, but soon enough, he does my bidding. Before this competition began, I would’ve bet three gingerbread men that Taehyun was the type to balk at taking orders.

Especially from someone he’s hoarding a secret over.

Yet, he surprises me at almost every turn when I instruct him on how to build the perfect gingerbread house.

“The last one goes right here.” I draw out the word ‘here’ as I place the final red gumdrop along the roof of our home. “Now, she’s perfect.” I push out a sigh as I press back against my seat.

When I do, the ice pack that I’d been ignoring falls onto the floor. I barely notice it, but Taehyun quickly scoops it off the ground and carefully places it back on my ankle.

Our eyes lock while he kneels down, adjusting the pillow under my ankle.

“How’s that?” he asks after a second.

My lips part and close a few times before anything comes out. He knows, just like I do, there’s no need to be concerned about a fallen ice pack. Nor do I need the pillow under my ankle.

Yet, he adjusts everything as if he truly cares.

“It-It’s perfect,” I stutter out. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him why he’s being so damn caring, but we’re suddenly interrupted.

“Look who’s caught under the mistletoe,” Stasi Townsend sing-songs.

Taehyun and I both slowly tilt our heads upward to discover she’s holding mistletoe over us.

“You two can’t not kiss. It’s a family tradition,” she encourages, smiling brightly.

“I, uh, well, it’s not—” Yeah, my protest is suddenly cut off when Taehyun cups my face.

“Well, if it’s tradition …” His voice is smooth as silk and as enticing as a gingerbread cookie that’s been dunked in warm, creamy hot chocolate.

A second later, I come to discover that his lips taste as good as the aforementioned treat when he pulls me in for our very first kiss.

He doesn’t let the kiss linger, though. It’s just long enough that I get the taste of the peppermint chocolate bark he snacked on earlier, while also leaving me wanting way more than I should.

“Nice!” Stasi says before skipping off to the next table.

Taehyun rises to his full height, never taking his gaze off of me. Meanwhile, I can’t take my eyes off of his lips.

Those very lips start to spread into a smile. But it’s not like the cocksure grins he’s given me over the past twenty-four hours. It’s an expression as if he’s just realized something.

Something important.

My stomach twists and heart races with an anticipation I can’t put a name to.

“Alright, that’s time,” someone calls out, putting a halt to the gingerbread house decorating.

“With all of the abuse I took to get your damn gumdrops, we better win this competition,” Taehyun says as he retakes his seat next to me.

I don’t even realize how natural it feels when he slides his arm along the length of my chair. All I can feel is the comforting warmth brought on by his body’s closeness.

Suddenly, I don’t even want the last remaining gingerbread cookie on my plate. What I crave is to get closer to him.

I shake my head, forcing the ridiculous thought from my mind. “What abuse?” I counter. “You practically bullied a twelve year old for some candy.”

“That was at your behest. And have you met that twelve year old? Those Townsend kids aren’t pushovers. Don’t let the cuteness fool you.”

A giggle spills from me at the way he mock shivers as if in fear.

“Right. It’s not like I haven’t met anyone new within the last twenty-four hours who’s willing to do some unscrupulous things to get what he wants.”

I level him with a glare.

His eyebrows raise, affronted. “Muah?” He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “I’m offended.”

“I’m not buying it.” Then I narrow my eyes and lean in so only he can hear me. “Besides, you haven’t even told me what it is you really want,” I finally say.

He tilts his head to the side.

I wave my hand between the two of us. “This. You’ve yet to reveal exactly what it is you want from me. It’s not money. That we’ve established.”

All Taehyun has told me is that he wanted me to come with him to tonight’s outing. And any other events he requests my attendance at. I’ve yet to figure out his angle.

He doesn’t answer for a long while. So long that I get lost staring into his dark gaze. It’s not as dark as I previously thought, when I first met him out on the ski lift. His pupils are a mixture of copper-brown and black. Depending on his expression, the colors can change.

The longer I stare, the more beautiful they become.

“You still haven’t realized it yet?” he asks.

It takes me a beat to even remember what it is we were discussing.

“If I knew, I wouldn’t have to ask.”

I expect a witty or snappy comeback, but he just nods and tells me, “You’ll figure it out.”

“Well, what do we have here?” a woman questions behind us.

Taehyun and I both spin in our seats to find the four women judging this competition standing over us. All four admire our gingerbread house.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gingerbread house with a two-car garage,” Patience Townsend, Kennedy and Kyles’ mother, says.

“Not only that,” I instantly reply, “we’ve made a tiny tree house in the backyard.”

The women sing our praises.

Kayla Townsend calls out to the others around the room for them to come and look.

I give Taehyun a triumphant look, silently telling him that I knew what I was doing. He nods and smirks at me as if to say he agrees.

“What are you talking about? I had a garage for my gingerbread house last year,” Aaron Townsend, of all people, says.

“Daddy, that was Kyle’s gingerbread house,” Stasi, his youngest daughter, counters.

The older Townsend cocks his head to the side and glowers at her. The look makes me recoil in fear even though he’s not looking at me. But Stasi merely laughs it off.

“All those times you woke me up in the middle of the night as a baby, I should’ve known then you would be the one to betray me.” He shakes his head and actually cracks a smile while hugging Stasi.

“That is, after your sister broke my heart first.”

He looks across the room at Kennedy and then gives Taehyun’s cousin, Dae, a scolding look. One ten times more vicious than the expression he gave Stasi.

“Mom, please remind your husband that he lost fair and square.” Kennedy looks over at her mother.

Patience holds up her hands. “I’m a judge and therefore an unbiased party in this situation.”

Aaron Townsend grumbles something, making his youngest daughter laugh before she presses a kiss to his cheek.

The exchange brings on thoughts of my own father. A familiar tightness begins to spread in my chest. Not for the first time I long for the father I had before he became my manager.

No, in truth, before I turned professional. Back when I was his Ace for doing something minor like tying my shoelace, or getting into my skis all by myself. A time when things were simple and easy.

Before sponsors and brand deals and expectations of gold medals.

“Back to the judging,” Patience Townsend says, bringing my attention to the moment at hand.

I go to look up at the older woman but instead my gaze connects with Taehyun’s.

His eyes are narrowed but not in an angered or frustrated way. He’s watching me, like he’s trying to figure out what’s going on in my head.

I quickly school my features and sit up, making sure not to jostle my injured leg at the same time Patience Townsend says, “Congratulations to Taehyun and Tania for winning this year’s Townsend Gingerbread House Competition.”

Despite a few grumbles that sound around the room, there’s applause and congratulations thrown our way.

“Let’s see what the winners get,” she says.

“Wait, there’s a prize for winning?” I ask.

Countless heads turn my way. “Of course there is,” Patience answers. “Last year’s winner won a movie theater-style popcorn maker.”

“Which Little Miss Chloe broke after three months,” Destiny Townsend calls out and looks over at her youngest daughter—the cutest little girl with tawny brown skin and red hair just like her father, Tyler Townsend.

“She was framed!” Tyler defends.

Destiny rolls her eyes. “We literally have video footage of it. One day that man will admit that little girl has him whipped.”

He grins and leans over to tell his wife something in her ear. It’s hard to miss the way her hard expression softens from whatever her husband privately says to her.

A lump in my throat forms. I might not have been around this family for long, at all, but it’s damn hard to miss how much love is shared amongst all of them.

I know the feeling. Even though the family I grew up with—my mom, dad, and me—was small, there was plenty of love to go around.

I take a bite out of the leg of a gingerbread man to sweeten the sour taste that’s developed in my mouth.

Looking over, I’m not surprised to see Taehyun’s eyes on me. I have to be making things up when I swear, I see a look of concern in them. I haven’t known this man long enough for him to be concerned about me.

Right?

I meet his gaze again and yup, he’s still staring, not even trying to be shy about it.

“And this year’s prize that goes to Taehyun and Tania is …”