Christmas Kisses Collection. Louise Allen

      For once he looked completely serious. “As much time as you want and need.”

      “What if I never want or need ‘that’?”

      “Then I will be reintroduced to cold showers,” he teased, taking a bite of his yogurt and not seeming at all concerned that she might not want or need “that,” which contrarily irked her a bit.

      “I’m not going to jump into bed with you tonight.”

      “I don’t expect you to.” He was still smiling as if they were talking about the weather rather than his sex life, or potential lack thereof.

      “But if I said yes, you would jump into my bed?”

      “With pleasure.”

      Shaking her head, she let out a long breath. “This morning, had someone told me I’d go out to dinner with you, go for dessert with you, I’d have told them they were wrong. It’s going to take time to get used to the idea that we are an item.”

      “Does it usually take a while to get used to the idea of dating someone?”

      “Not ever,” she admitted.

      “Why me?”

      She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because for so long I’ve told myself I’m not allowed to date you.”

      “Because of work?”

      “Amongst other things.”

      “Explain.”

      “I’m not sure I can,” she admitted. How could she explain what she didn’t fully understand herself? Even if she could explain it to him, she wasn’t sure she’d want to. “Enough serious conversation. Tell me how you got started in community theater.”

       CHAPTER SEVEN

      LANCE WALKED MCKENZIE to her front door, and stood on her porch yet again. This time he didn’t debate with himself about whether or not he was going to kiss her.

      He was going to.

      What he wasn’t going to do was go inside her place.

      Not that he didn’t want to.

      He did.

      Not that he didn’t think there was a big part of her that wanted him to.

      He did.

      But she was so torn about them being together that he’d like her to be 100 percent on board when they made that step.

      Why she was so torn, he wasn’t sure. Neither of them were virgins. Neither of them had long-term expectations of the relationship. Just that his every gut instinct told him to take his time if that’s what it took.

      Took for what?

      That’s what he couldn’t figure out.

      He just knew McKenzie was different, that for the first time in a long time he really liked a woman.

      Maybe for the first time since Shelby.

      Guilt slammed him, just as it always did when he thought of her. What right did he have to like another woman? He didn’t deserve that right. Not really. He took a deep breath and willed his mind not to go there. Not right now, although maybe he deserved to be reminded of it right now and every other living, breathing moment. Instead, he stared down into the pretty green eyes of the woman looking up at him with a thousand silent questions.

      “Well?” she asked. “Are we back to my having to ask for your next move? Seriously, I gave you more credit than this.”

      He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. “If that were the case, what move would you ask me to make?”

      McKenzie let out an exaggerated sigh. “Just kiss me and get it over with.”

      He tweaked his finger across her pert, upturned nose. “For that, I should just go home.”

      She crossed her arms. “Fine. Go home.”

      “See if you care?”

      Her brows made a V. “What?”

      “I was finishing your rant for you.”

      “Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Go home, Lance. Have your shower. Cold. Hot. Lukewarm. Whatever.”

      Despite his earlier thoughts, he couldn’t hold in his laughter at her indignation. “I intend to, but not before I kiss you good-night.”

      “Okay.”

      Okay? He smiled at her response, at the fact that she closed her eyes and waited for his mouth to cover hers, though her arms were still defensively crossed.

      She was amazingly beautiful with her hat pulled down over her ears and her scarf around her neck. The temperature was only in the upper fifties, so it wasn’t that cold. Just cold enough to need an outside layer.

      And to cause a shiver to run down Lance’s spine.

      It had probably been the cold and not the anticipation of kissing McKenzie that had caused his body to quiver.

      Maybe.

      “Well?” She peeped at him through one eye. “Sun’s going to be coming up if you don’t get a move on. Time’s a-wasting.”

      She closed her eye again and waited.

      Smiling, he leaned down, saw her chin tilt toward him in anticipation, but rather than cover her lips he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

      Her eyes popped open and met his, but she didn’t say anything.

      Her lips parted in invitation, but he still didn’t take them. He kissed the corner of each eye, her cheekbones, the exposed section of her neck just above her scarf. He kissed the corners of her mouth.

      She moaned, placed her gloved hands on his cheeks and stared up at him. She didn’t speak, though, just stood on tiptoe while pulling him toward her, taking what she wanted.

      Him.

      She covered his mouth with hers and the porch shifted beneath Lance’s feet. They threatened to kick up and take off on a happy flight.

      Unlike their previous kisses, where he’d initiated the contact, this time it was her mouth taking the lead. Her lips demanding more. Her hands pulling him closer and closer. Her body pressing up against his.

      Her wanting more, expressing that want through her body and actions.

      Lance moaned. Or growled. Or made some type of strange noise deep in his throat.

      Whatever the sound was, McKenzie pulled back and giggled. “What was that?”

      “A mating call?”

      “That was supposed to make me want to rip off your clothes and mate?”

      His lips twitched. “You’re telling me it didn’t?”

      Smiling, she shook her head. “Better go home and practice that one, big boy.”

      “Guess I’d better.” He rubbed his thumb across her cheek. “Thank you for tonight, McKenzie.”

      “You paid for dinner and dessert. Everything was delicious. I’m the one who should be thanking you, again.”

      “You were delicious.”

      She laughed. “Must have been leftover frozen yogurt.”

      He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

      She met his gaze and her smile faded a little. “Tell me this isn’t a bad idea.”

      “‘This’?”

      She