Mix-Up under the Mistletoe (Glenbriar #11)

Chapter Fourteen

Rafe

R afe kissed Tilly firmly, almost desperately, a deep sense of urgency rising inside him. Snow dripped from the hedge above and he vaguely registered the rhythmical drops landing on the back of his head and neck like someone was flicking him to get his attention. But good luck with that, because they weren’t getting it. Tilly was everything in the here and now, and all that mattered was stealing more of these delicious kisses. She didn’t seem to want him to move either. He was wedged on top of her, but her hands were clamped so tightly around his neck he couldn’t get up without a huge effort. And why should he? This was infinitely more pleasant. The heat and decadence of their combined lips was like nothing he remembered experiencing.

And I’ve kissed a few women.

Perhaps it was the completely unorthodox location.

He freed a hand from its glove and traced his fingers around her jaw, loving how it moved so hungrily as she kissed him. Her lips parted again, allowing him deeper access, and he took it, sweeping his tongue against hers. Her nails clutched the skin at the nape of his neck. Electricity roared through him, and she gave a little whimper, moulding closer to him. The fire in his gut would be more than enough to melt the surrounding snow.

What the hell were they playing at?

But he couldn’t stop. The tension that had been intensifying since the previous day was pouring out now. This was a whole new level of magic. The forbidden aspect was thrilling – he was kissing a rival spy, someone who shouldn’t even be here, who he didn’t really know, and yet… The danger was still there. Was his trust justified? What if this was all part of an act? It wasn’t unheard of for people to sleep their way to the top. Was she buttering him up for her own reasons?

He continued kissing her, finding the answers in the way she responded to him. This wasn’t fake. Together, they were making enough heat to scald themselves even in these subzero temperatures. How better to keep warm in winter?

‘Rafe! Tilly!’

Voices were shouting nearby. Possibly from the top of the hill. Could people see them from up there? Would they come down?

‘Shit,’ Rafe muttered, pulling back. Tilly’s eyes were closed like she didn’t want to wake from a dream. ‘People are coming. Let’s save this for later.’ He moved off her and helped her to her feet. She looked almost dazed, her hair dishevelled and her gaze unfocused.

‘Later?’ She fumbled for her glasses that had fallen off the top of her head, wiped them quickly, and put them back on.

‘Well, only if you want to… Though maybe we shouldn’t.’ He straightened out his jacket and ski trousers, then bent and picked up the sledge.

‘I—’

Tilly didn’t get a chance to finish as Finlay bolted over the small embankment they’d veered off.

‘Are you guys ok?’ he said.

‘Yeah, all fine,’ Rafe said. ‘That was an unexpected detour.’

‘I thought you’d got stuck.’

‘We kind of did.’

Tilly flashed him a look, her eyes wide and desperate.

‘That hedge didn’t want to let us out.’

‘And no injuries?’ Finlay said.

‘Don’t think so. You ok?’ He smiled at Tilly.

She nodded, her mouth slightly open, and ran her fingertips over her pinkish cheeks. Rafe hadn’t shaved that morning and she’d clearly got some stubble burn, though hopefully it would look like she was rosy-cheeked from the cold.

Finlay turned and waved, giving the thumbs up to unseen people. Obviously, everyone had been panicking about them. How long had they lingered down here?

Rafe bent down, picked up Tilly’s gloves and the one of his own that was lying in the snow, and handed hers back. She took them with a brief smile and put them on.

Then he clambered up the embankment, turning to check she was following. She was picking her way up, taking her time, looking unsure. ‘Here.’ He thrust out his hand, and she grabbed it. He tugged her up with him.

Finlay was nudging something with his foot just a few steps ahead. ‘You snapped this baby Christmas tree on the way down.’ He rolled it over with his boot.

Rafe looked at the tiny thing now bent flat on the ground and gave a jerk of his shoulder. ‘I think that’s what knocked us off course. Not much we can do about it now.’

‘Can’t we save it?’ Tilly asked.

‘Na, it’s properly broken,’ he said.

‘There are loads of them.’ Finlay gestured around at the taller trees before walking on.

Of course, he was right, but Tilly’s face fell, and Rafe’s heart sank a little with it. ‘We could take it back to the house,’ he said. ‘And decorate it. Our own little Christmas tree.’

Finlay glanced around and raised his eyebrow as if to comment on the use of ‘our’, but he said nothing, only smirked, and carried on up the hill. No doubt he’d be straight to Genevieve with that juicy morsel of gossip.

The smile had returned to Tilly’s lips. Those lovely, kissable lips. ‘Well, ok, I don’t usually bother with a Christmas tree. In fact, this’ll be my first one.’

‘This is a day of firsts for you, isn’t it?’

She nodded. ‘It really is.’

He stooped down and detached the tree from the tiny section that was still attached to the root, then shook the snow from it. ‘Not a bad shape actually.’ He held it up and examined it. ‘A little sparse. Needs some TLC.’

His eyes moved instantly to Tilly. Yup. Same applies to her. A bit of TLC would work wonders on her, he was sure, and he’d quite like to be the one administering it. With another smile, he headed upward, ignoring the speculative looks on both his sisters’ faces as they met them near the top of the hill. Was it so obvious what he and Tilly had been doing? Had Finlay already passed on his bit of gossip? Or were Cress and Gen just hoping for a Christmas miracle? Something was going on, otherwise why kiss Tilly? What madness had come over him? Lust. If only he could go to the gym. Running up that hill should have dispelled some of the restless energy, but it didn’t seem to have done anything. The feelings hadn’t gone. He’d kiss her again in an instant, maybe even in front of his family. He almost didn’t care… Except for her. She didn’t need more complications, not when she only just seemed to be coming around to being here at all. With that in mind, he squashed the rising desires.

Something cold and wet brushed his cheek, then his forehead, and he blinked. Snowflakes blew in the wind.

‘Is that coming from the trees?’ He held out his hands.

‘I don’t think so,’ his dad said. ‘Looks grey over that way.’

Already it was coming down heavier, the flakes getting thicker and colder by the second.

‘Let’s get back,’ Cressida said. ‘Alexander is getting cold and hungry.’

‘Me too,’ Finlay said. ‘Well, maybe just hungry.’

‘You’re always hungry.’ Genevieve gave him a little poke.

The walk back was tough going as the wind picked up, hurling more snow at them. Alexander started to cry, and Cressida zipped him inside her jacket to keep him warm. Tilly was shivering too.

‘Keep behind me,’ Rafe said. ‘It’ll stop the snow from hitting you.’

‘What about you?’

‘I’m fine.’ A white lie, but she didn’t need to know how hard the wind bit his neck. It was good for him and stopped his mind from wandering to places it shouldn’t.

When they finally reached the shelter of the house, Rafe went with his dad to put the sledges away in the large garage, while Tilly took the baby tree into the house.

‘That turned into a bit of a nightmare.’ Geoff stacked a sledge on a free shelf.

‘Yeah, not half.’ Rafe tossed the next sledges on top of the first one.

‘You had any more thoughts about taking over the business?’ Geoff asked in a casual way that didn’t fool Rafe one bit. He’d been waiting for a moment alone to pounce.

‘Yeah, Dad, I think about it a lot, but it’s not the right move for me. I’ve spent a long time building my business from nothing. I know I’d be taking on an even bigger business, but it isn’t mine. And I don’t want to sound selfish…’ Though he was sure he did. ‘But—’

Geoff placed a hand on Rafe’s shoulder. ‘It’s ok, son. I understand. You’ve done so well for yourself. I just thought I’d check in, but I don’t blame you for not wanting to. I’d have been exactly the same at your age. You’ve got to follow your own path.’

Rafe frowned, then smiled. He hadn’t expected that. ‘Thanks.’

‘I take back what I said about Tilly too. She’s a good soul and I can see she’s not up to any funny business. Not unless you count wanting to land you as a date.’

‘Meaning what?’

‘She only has eyes for you.’

Rafe looked away, running his fingers through his damp, snowy hair. ‘Maybe. But it’s not exactly a realistic option, is it?’

‘No? You were fine with the whole long-distance, she works for another company thing when you made up the story to your sister. Before you’d actually met Tilly.’

‘I was, wasn’t I?’

‘Yes, you were. And don’t forget that. Don’t let a good person get away on a technicality.’

But it wasn’t that simple. Rafe couldn’t deny he felt something for Tilly, but they hardly knew each other. Even if she liked him in return, it was too soon to do anything crazy.

But what about that kiss? Was he just desperate after a dry spell? A niggle said there was more to it than that.

They returned to the house through the blizzard, shielding their faces. ‘This isn’t letting up, is it?’ Rafe said.

‘I think Tilly might be around for another few days,’ Geoff said.

‘I’m not sure that’ll please her.’

‘It might.’ Geoff slapped him on the back as they reached the door.

Once inside, they took off their ski jackets and trousers and hung them in the utility room. Delicious smells wafted from the kitchen. Hilary looked like she’d opened a hot chocolate factory and had jars laid around the table with sprinkles, chocolate coins and crushed candy canes. A vat of milk was warming on the stove, and everyone was sitting around rosy-cheeked.

Rafe took a seat next to Tilly, smiling at her as he sat. She returned it a little shyly, almost like she didn’t want anyone to see the level of heat passing between them, but he felt it all over, from the tip of his nose to deep inside, in all the places he shouldn’t really be sensing it. Not with so many people present. Their eyes linked, remembering the kiss, the soft touches, the promise of more.

‘I doubt I’ll get to church tomorrow,’ Hilary said. ‘Which is sad because the lovely little nativity is on, and we do a fundraiser where we serve Christmas soup and a sandwich lunch after. But in this weather, I won’t be going anywhere.’

‘Do you think I’ll be stuck here tomorrow?’ Tilly asked Rafe aside.

‘Looks like it.’

‘I might have to pull that sicky after all.’

‘Or tell them the truth.’

‘But what if they say I should never have come here?’

‘They don’t know your personal business. You could have used the trip to Glasgow as a base to visit some friends over Christmas. They can’t stop you from doing that. You weren’t to know it would snow like this.’

‘But Mitchell knows where I went. He’s bound to tell them.’

Rafe gave a little shrug. ‘And does he know all your personal business? How does he know you didn’t change your plans last minute?’

She let out a sigh, rested her chin on her palm, and stared ahead. ‘It’s just that… Well, I don’t really have anyone. They’ll know it’s a lie.’

Rafe tilted his head and frowned slightly. Tilly stirred her hot chocolate absently. ‘Nobody knows anything unless you’ve told them.’

‘I’ve never told him anything about myself, but that’s the point. There’s nothing to tell.’

Was that true? She must have friends, family, hobbies. ‘If you’ve told them nothing, they know nothing. What they assume isn’t your problem. Tell them you’re visiting friends, and now you’re stuck. As soon as the roads are clear, you’ll go back.’ As the words left his lips, a sharp pain accompanied them. He didn’t want her to go back. He wanted her with him here, spending Christmas with him, carrying on what they started. But that was selfish and mad. She had her own life to live.

‘Who wants cream?’ Hilary asked, walking around the table with a can.

Rafe held up his hand like a primary school child, then took hold of Tilly’s and held it up too.

‘How do you know I want it?’ she said.

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Just guessing.’

She smiled. ‘You guessed right.’

Yes, he had. And it wasn’t just cream she wanted right now. Her eyes betrayed her, and he was with her. One way or another, they had unfinished business.

‘Where did you put the tree?’ he asked once he had a warm mug of hot chocolate cradled in his hands.

‘Your mum gave me a pot for it. It’s in the utility room.’

‘Ah, that lovely little tree.’ Hilary took a seat next to Tilly. ‘I have a box of spare decorations you can have for it too. Where would you like to put it?’

‘Oh, I’m not sure,’ Tilly said.

‘In your room?’ Rafe suggested.

‘If that’s allowed.’

‘Of course,’ Hilary said. ‘Be my guest. You should help with the decorating, Rafe. I hear it was your bad steering that brought the poor thing down in the first place.’

‘Pardon? My bad steering?’

‘Well, it was,’ Genevieve said.

‘We’ve all heard, so there’s no point denying it,’ Grandma said with a smile. He didn’t point out that she had a blob of cream on the end of her nose. If she was going to gang up on him, she could keep it there!

‘You can decorate the tree after this,’ Hilary said. ‘Then we’re having the cocktail making competition. Winner gets to choose the Christmas movie.’

Rafe groaned. Great. Cocktails were definitely not the most sensible thing for him to have right now. What would they do but add more fuel to the fire simmering low, pushing him closer to Tilly? No doubt that was Mum’s plan. If only she knew what had happened under the hedge that afternoon. She’d be on the phone to the minister booking a wedding before you could say mistletoe.

‘Your mum is so lovely,’ Tilly said later as she carried the tree up the stairs. ‘She’s washed and dried all my clothes already. I really can’t thank her enough.’

‘She likes you,’ Rafe said. ‘Whether she can match you with me or not, I know she cares about you.’

Tilly turned at the door to her room and looked at him. ‘Does she know about what we did earlier?’

He shook his head and leaned one hand on the wall beside her. ‘No one knows about that except us. And we should probably keep it that way unless the reason you wanted to kiss me was to be nice to my mum.’

Tilly let out a little laugh. ‘I can’t say that even crossed my mind. I wanted to because…’ She glanced back at the stairs. ‘Well, you’re a nice man.’

‘Nice?’ He shook his head, chuckling. ‘Ok. I’ll take it.’

‘You should because it’s true.’ She went into the bedroom and gazed at the tree.

Rafe opened the bag of decorations his mum had given him. ‘So, how do you want to do this?’

Their eyes met, and he knew what she was thinking. Shove the decorations where the sun doesn’t shine and carry on the kiss.

‘It’s too risky,’ he whispered, pushing the door half closed. ‘My mum is likely to barge in here at any time.’

‘I didn’t say anything,’ Tilly said.

‘I know what you were thinking. It’s pretty much all that’s on my mind.’

She nodded and smiled at him until he was putty again. That smile did things to him. Dangerous things. Exciting things.

He moved closer, unable to take his eyes off her. If he just leaned closer…

‘How are we getting on?’ His mum threw open the door and marched in.

‘Great.’ He shoved his hand into the decoration bag. ‘Just deciding what to put where.’

Soft music started playing, ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High’. A carol that reminded him of Dickensian London in old films and nostalgic Christmases with the Radio Times on the coffee table – all the good dramas and films highlighted for each day.

Hilary propped her phone on a shelf, and he realised that was where the music was coming from. ‘Such a beautiful little tree,’ she said. ‘So perfect in this room.’

‘This room is perfect,’ Tilly said. ‘It’s like the inside of a log cabin.’

‘I’m so pleased you like it.’

Rafe handed her a little star. ‘Pop that on the top.’

Her fingers trembled a little as she placed it on. ‘My first tree decoration.’

‘Didn’t you do this as a child?’ Rafe caught a warning look from his mother. What?

‘No,’ Tilly said. ‘I grew up in a home. There was a tree in the common room, but the staff decorated it.’

‘Jeez, I’m sorry. I didn’t realise.’ Did his mum already know that? From the look on her face, she did.

‘It’s ok,’ Tilly said. ‘But it’s part of the reason Christmas has never really been a big thing for me.’

‘Well, you can enjoy it this year.’ Hilary patted her on the back. ‘Just wait until we get the cocktails on the go.’

They finished off the tree and Rafe stood back as Tilly took a photo of it. ‘That looks great.’ He checked his phone. ‘I’ve got some messages from friends I should reply to. Will you come downstairs in a bit?’

‘Sure.’

‘Great, see you then.’ He backed out of the room, still smiling at her. His mum was on the landing, waiting, and he almost collided with her. ‘What are you up to?’

‘Just putting away the decorations we didn’t use.’

‘Did you know she’d been in a home growing up?’

Hilary nodded and let out a sigh. ‘She mentioned it when she first arrived.’

‘And I went and shoved my big foot in it.’

Hilary glanced at the bag in her hand, then back at Tilly’s door. ‘Go back in and check she’s ok.’

‘What?’

‘Please, Rafe. Just do it. She might be upset.’

He hesitated. Should he? What if she just wanted to be alone?