Read Online Christmas Wishes by Patricia Kiyono - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Patricia Kiyono
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until wedding season begins.”
The thought of weddings made her heart skip a beat. She closed her eyes, needing to block out the view of the man who’d invaded far more of her thoughts than she’d be willing to admit. But she couldn’t keep them closed for long without looking silly. She opened them to find him staring at her. Not just at her, but into her. Deep into her soul. Could he tell what she was thinking?
She looked into his eyes for a signal, a sign, anything to tell her what to do. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his face drew closer, and closer… she closed her eyes and waited.
The first touch of his lips on hers was gentle, like a caress, and Sophie wondered if she had imagined it. She ran her tongue across her lower lip and gasped when he wrapped his arms around her and captured her mouth in a soul-searing kiss. But the shock was soon replaced with a yearning for more. Her arms went around him and she melted into him.
His lips touched every inch of her face, and as his fingers threaded her hair, she realized her fantasies hadn’t come close to the intense reality of being kissed by Mitch Carson. She rose on tiptoe and caressed the back of his head, matching him kiss for kiss.
A car door slammed shut outside. The sound was like a slap, a douse of cold water, and they broke apart just before the back door burst open.
“Miss Sophie! You came to visit us! Yay! Daddy, did you invite her over? Look at what I got.”
Sophie cast a glance at Mitch and noted his dazed expression.
The little girl eagerly showed her party favors to the adults, oblivious of the tension between them. “Wanna see my room? Daddy let me decorate it just the way I wanted. Come on!” Angie tugged at Sophie’s arm. There was nothing to do but follow.
The room was relatively plain. The walls were painted a pale shade of lavender with white trim. White lace curtains with purple trim covered the windows. A white four-poster bed graced the middle, and a matching dresser and chest of drawers flanked the window on the opposite wall. A small toy box was tucked next to the bed, and stuffed animals spilled out of it.
“I like purple, so I told Daddy I wanted everything to be purple. But he told me if everything was purple I wouldn’t be able to find anything. So I got white stuff too. Do you like my room, Miss Sophie?”
The little girl looked so earnest. “Yes, Angie. You did a wonderful job decorating your room. Purple is one of my favorite colors, too.”
Angie beamed. “Daddy said I could choose anything I wanted, because it’s my room. And ‘cuz he can’t see colors very well.”
“I can see some colors, kiddo,” Mitch argued from his post at the doorway.
Angie giggled. “I know, Daddy. But sometimes you get them mixed up. So this way, you can always get things right in my room ‘cuz everything is either purple or white!”
He grimaced then looked over at Sophie. “My daughter takes such good care of me.”
“Yes, she does.” So the man was color blind. That might explain the lack of decorations. Actually, there wasn’t much of anything on the walls, anywhere. No photos, which seemed odd for a photographer. No portraits of family, or vacations. Just one large school picture of Angie, showing her wide smile, missing teeth and uneven pigtails. That picture rested in a place of honor on the fireplace mantle, still in the cardboard frame from the school. Sophie’s imagination went into overdrive, thinking of all the ways she would decorate the house, even though she knew she’d never have the opportunity to put them into practice. She’d start with enlargements of the outdoor scenes he’d taken that afternoon. Best to go, before she got too comfortable there. “Well, I should head back to Joanie’s house—”
“Aww, can’t you stay and eat lunch with us? Please, Daddy, can she stay?”
“Oh, I couldn’t—”
“We’re having leftovers, but you’re welcome to share it with us. We’ve got
The thought of weddings made her heart skip a beat. She closed her eyes, needing to block out the view of the man who’d invaded far more of her thoughts than she’d be willing to admit. But she couldn’t keep them closed for long without looking silly. She opened them to find him staring at her. Not just at her, but into her. Deep into her soul. Could he tell what she was thinking?
She looked into his eyes for a signal, a sign, anything to tell her what to do. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his face drew closer, and closer… she closed her eyes and waited.
The first touch of his lips on hers was gentle, like a caress, and Sophie wondered if she had imagined it. She ran her tongue across her lower lip and gasped when he wrapped his arms around her and captured her mouth in a soul-searing kiss. But the shock was soon replaced with a yearning for more. Her arms went around him and she melted into him.
His lips touched every inch of her face, and as his fingers threaded her hair, she realized her fantasies hadn’t come close to the intense reality of being kissed by Mitch Carson. She rose on tiptoe and caressed the back of his head, matching him kiss for kiss.
A car door slammed shut outside. The sound was like a slap, a douse of cold water, and they broke apart just before the back door burst open.
“Miss Sophie! You came to visit us! Yay! Daddy, did you invite her over? Look at what I got.”
Sophie cast a glance at Mitch and noted his dazed expression.
The little girl eagerly showed her party favors to the adults, oblivious of the tension between them. “Wanna see my room? Daddy let me decorate it just the way I wanted. Come on!” Angie tugged at Sophie’s arm. There was nothing to do but follow.
The room was relatively plain. The walls were painted a pale shade of lavender with white trim. White lace curtains with purple trim covered the windows. A white four-poster bed graced the middle, and a matching dresser and chest of drawers flanked the window on the opposite wall. A small toy box was tucked next to the bed, and stuffed animals spilled out of it.
“I like purple, so I told Daddy I wanted everything to be purple. But he told me if everything was purple I wouldn’t be able to find anything. So I got white stuff too. Do you like my room, Miss Sophie?”
The little girl looked so earnest. “Yes, Angie. You did a wonderful job decorating your room. Purple is one of my favorite colors, too.”
Angie beamed. “Daddy said I could choose anything I wanted, because it’s my room. And ‘cuz he can’t see colors very well.”
“I can see some colors, kiddo,” Mitch argued from his post at the doorway.
Angie giggled. “I know, Daddy. But sometimes you get them mixed up. So this way, you can always get things right in my room ‘cuz everything is either purple or white!”
He grimaced then looked over at Sophie. “My daughter takes such good care of me.”
“Yes, she does.” So the man was color blind. That might explain the lack of decorations. Actually, there wasn’t much of anything on the walls, anywhere. No photos, which seemed odd for a photographer. No portraits of family, or vacations. Just one large school picture of Angie, showing her wide smile, missing teeth and uneven pigtails. That picture rested in a place of honor on the fireplace mantle, still in the cardboard frame from the school. Sophie’s imagination went into overdrive, thinking of all the ways she would decorate the house, even though she knew she’d never have the opportunity to put them into practice. She’d start with enlargements of the outdoor scenes he’d taken that afternoon. Best to go, before she got too comfortable there. “Well, I should head back to Joanie’s house—”
“Aww, can’t you stay and eat lunch with us? Please, Daddy, can she stay?”
“Oh, I couldn’t—”
“We’re having leftovers, but you’re welcome to share it with us. We’ve got
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