Kissing Under the Mistletoe (36 page)

Then Marc came up behind her and, pressing his body against hers, leaned over her and reached around her to scrape some leftover filling off the tray. Never one to disappoint, Marc stepped back and ran a cream-coated finger down the back of her thigh before whistling. “Come here, boy.”

Not caring if she kicked Marc, Lexi started pumping her limbs like a teeter-totter. She might not be the most athletic girl on the planet, but she’d manage.

“Hold up, you’re going to hurt yourself.” Warm, strong, and incredibly unsettling hands rested on her upper thigh, stopping her movements and sending her heart into overdrive. Not to mention making everything below her belly button tingle. Oh, so not good. “Now push up against me and I will slide you out of there.”

“Nope. I’ve got it.”

“You sure?”

Oh, yeah. The last thing she needed was his help.

T
o my incredible agent and fast friend, Jill Marsal, without whose support and endless belief, this book wouldn’t exist. Thanks to my editors, Lindsay Guzzardo and Caitlin Alexander, for their enthusiasm and insight, and to the entire team at Montlake Romance, whose dedication and amazing contributions are appreciated.

I am blessed to be surrounded by a fabulous group of women who have filled my life with laughter, love, and lots of support on my way to publication. From my beta readers, to my coven of Roguers, my MFAers, and my fellow RWAers, I am honored to know each and every one of you.

As always, I am indebted to three very special ladies: Britt Bury for helping me plot and replot and patiently listening as I navigated through this story; Jacee James, for your endless hours of editing and advice and always being my constant cheerleader; and Hannah Jayne, for knowing how to plot me out of a corner, when I need a trip to PG and, more importantly, a stiff drink.

Finally, to my husband, Rocco, who became Mr. Mom for the weeks leading up to my deadline, never complaining when I fell asleep spooning my laptop, or when I was still in my pajamas come dinnertime. You are
my
forever home, and I would follow you anywhere.

Photograph by Tosh Tanaka, 2012

M
arina Adair is a lifelong fan of romance novels. Along with the St. Helena Vineyard series, she is also the author of
Tucker’s Crossing
, part of the Sweet Plains series. She currently lives in a hundred-year-old log cabin, nestled in the majestic redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, with her husband and daughter.