Kiss Me Katie! & Hug Me Holly! Read Online Free Page A

they’d been in last night, nose to nose, thigh to thigh.
    â€œYou—you have blue eyes,” she said inanely. “When did that happen?”
    â€œAt birth, actually.” He grinned. “Let me guess, you hate blue eyes.”
    â€œNo, I—” Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and in a totally innocent gesture, she licked her dry lips.
    Bryan nearly groaned, but managed to hold it together because he had a huge advantage— she might not know how good they’d be together, but he did. Dammit, what a dilemma, because despite himself, he never, ever took advantage of women.
    Well, almost never.
    â€œAbout that mistletoe…” he murmured.
    â€œNo! No, it was a bad idea! A stupid idea. A really idiotic—”
    â€œI get the picture.” He tipped his head to one side because her hands had come up between them to grip his shirt, whether to push him away or to keep him close, he had no idea. “You don’t strike me as much of a risk taker.”
    â€œAbsolutely not,” she said quickly. Too quickly.
    He smiled, because last night, for whatever reason, she’d done exactly that, she’d dropped her reserve and had made the first move on a man. On him.
    â€œIn fact, risk is a bad word in my book,” she continued. “A really bad word, as bad as—as—”
    â€œAs…?”
    â€œAs…oh never mind!”
    Above them, the intercom buzzed, then Mrs. Giddeon paged Katie to the front desk.
    With a cry of what could only be relief, Katiebroke free, brushing against him as she ran off down the hall.
    Good, Bryan decided. He shouldn’t have teased her. He had absolutely no idea what had come over him. He could really care less that she wanted Matt, that she wasn’t his type. It wasn’t his problem.
    Five minutes later he walked into his office and faced his two other pilots, both of whom looked at him and laughed. He looked down.
    And saw two perfect handprints—made from dirt—on his white shirt. “Very funny,” he said, but he wasn’t annoyed, just strangely unsettled.
    Katie might be a novice where men were concerned, but she’d accomplished something no woman other than his sisters and mother ever had.
    She’d left her mark on him.

3
    â€œL ORDIE , would you look at that?” Julie murmured beneath her breath to Katie.
    At the voice of her friend and co-worker, Katie looked up from her notes for the upcoming staff meeting, but she saw nothing out of the ordinary.
    Cassandra and Eloise filed into the conference room, followed by Dale, Jack, Evan and Mrs. Giddeon. Everyone looked perfectly normal, even Holly, as she sauntered in.
    Then she caught the newest arrival.
    Bryan.
    That her belly gave a little quiver really got to her. “Him?” she asked Julie, who was practically drooling.
    â€œHim,” Julie answered breathlessly. “Wow.”
    Granted he was tall, dark and…okay, gorgeous. So what? And yet for some reason that only upped her annoyance factor, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. Even worse, she was hit with a strange sense of… awareness?
    She didn’t understand it, but she didn’t appear to suffer the enigmatic problem alone. Apparently every female in the room was afflicted. Even Holly, who managed to maneuver herself close to him.
    Watch out, Katie wanted to warn him. Holly was looking as predatory as she had…oh, about one minute before she’d stolen Katie’s fiancé three years ago.
    Beneath her own Christmas tree no less.
    Old times, she reminded herself. Forget it.
    And anyway, where was Matt?
    She’d been hoping for a few minutes alone with him to discuss their kiss. It’d been three days!
    But still, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from Bryan. She had to admit the man had a presence. The very air around him seemed to change, shimmer with an aura of excitement. Thrill.
    Danger.
    That presence wasn’t put on, like