Kissa Under the Mistletoe (6 page)

She exited with a smile and walked straight into his waiting arms.

“Time to go conquer London.”

The air held a crisp bite to it as they exited the King’s Cross tube stop and headed toward the British Library. Kissa took a deep breath, letting the city wrap her in its arms. Her euphoria from their earlier romp lingered. They’d taken their time getting dressed for their tourist day out.

Lucas had insisted on helping her, which consisted more of him touching and licking and kissing. If not for his cell phone ringing, she was certain they would have made love again before heading out the door to enjoy London.

It had been ages since she’d been home, and despite her conflicted emotions about Lucas, she meant to enjoy her time with him for the next two weeks. His family was charming, and she couldn’t wait to spend the holiday season with them as well. She took a deep breath of the crisp air.

“What’s the plan for today, Professor?” She tucked her arm into his and smiled up at him. He was so handsome in his black turtleneck and dark jeans. He’d shrugged on a navy-blue peacoat to ward against the chilly December air. He looked good. He smelled good, too. The light breeze picked up his cologne.

“First the library, chicken. I want you to see the Shakespeare Folios. Then I thought we would get some lunch and wander around like tourists at play.” He pulled her closer to him as they walked, the heat from his body seeping through their layered clothing.

“Sounds great,” she said, letting herself sink into his warmth. Images of what they’d done in the shower only hours ago filled her head when her breasts brushed his biceps. She shivered but not from the cold.

“Cold? We’ll be in the library soon. It’s just around the corner.”

“I’m fine.” She lifted her face up to his and met his gaze. Heat flared in his eyes turning them a rich navy. His lips spread into a wolfish grin, as if he could see the images in her head. She was trying to behave, but now she’d had a taste of him, she wanted more.

“I can see.”

He pulled her off the main road down a side street. Shifting her in his arms, he walked her backward until she felt the hard brick wall of the building against her. He traced a single fingertip down her jawline and simply looked at her as if trying to memorize her face.

“Lucas.” His name sounded more like a question than a statement. She needed to feel his lips on hers, his body tight against hers. Plain and simple, she needed
him
.

His arms felt warm and strong against the small of her back despite the chill in the December air. He lowered his head until his mouth was only a hairbreadth from her face.

“You can’t look at me like that out here in the open and expect me to behave respectably.” Husky and soft, his voice thrummed through her, skating along her nerve endings and turning her knees to water. He tightened his arm around her waist, holding her closer. She could feel the heat from his body radiating off him in waves, and she generated some heat of her own.

He tipped her chin up with his free hand and gazed into her eyes. A faint smile tugged at his lips, and then he brought his mouth down hard on hers. There was nothing gentle in his kiss this time. He plundered her mouth with a fierce hunger, and she met him with equal passion. It roused her blood. Desire flooded her veins, thick and spicy like the Turkish coffee her grandmother use to drink.

As he drove her crazy with his mouth, she twined her arms around his neck to pull him closer. Not a single pound note could fit between their bodies. With a groan, he released her waist, only to move her more fully against the wall, leaving his hands free to stroke her wherever he wanted. With expert fingers, he unbuttoned her jacket and slipped inside to cup her full breast through her knit sweater.

“Lucas,” she whispered against his lips. “We can’t do this in public—”

He cut off her words with another kiss. She moaned low in her throat when his thumb traced over her nipple.

“That’s it, sigh for me. I love the little noises you make when I tease you.” He placed kisses on her cheeks, her eyelids, and her nose. “Yes, love, just like that.”

She laughed breathlessly and pushed his hand away.

“That wasn’t me, Lucas.”

He pulled back and looked down at her in surprise. She gestured over his shoulder. He turned, still holding her in his arms, almost shielding her body with his.

A bobby stood grinning at them in amusement, his hands crossed over his chest. “Not on the street now. Take that back to your flat,” the police officer said sternly, but the twinkle in his eyes belied the seriousness of his tone.

“Yes, Officer, we shall.” Lucas dropped his hands from her body and moved back.

She worked on buttoning her coat up all the while trying not to laugh. It had been years since she’d gotten busted making out.. It made her feel like a teenager again.

“We just got a little too into the Christmas spirit, Officer. I’ll make sure he behaves from now on.” She smiled at the bobby while slipping her arm into Lucas’s.

The man nodded and tipped his hat. “Happy Christmas,” he said before walking away.

“Come on, Professor. Show me the library before you get us in trouble with the Queen or something. I don’t need MI6 after me.” Kissa tugged Lucas in the direction of the library. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his neck. He shook his head, laughing.

“When we get back to the hotel, I’m stripping those clothes from you and having myself some Christmas cheer. Maybe I’ll give you your present early.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and stepped up on her tiptoes. Placing a kiss to his lips, she enjoyed the intake of breath as she teased him for a brief moment.

“What present?”

“Wait and see, chicken. It’s a surprise.” He flashed her a wicked grin before they continued down the street to the British Library.

Kissa shivered in anticipation. She needed to up her game if she was going to get the jump on Lucas. When they got back to the hotel, she intended to call her friend, Ahmed. Her plan to treat Lucas to dinner and a belly dance would be a night he would never forget.

***

Lucas watched the wonder on Kissa’s beautiful face the minute they passed security and entered the library. A large tiled entryway with big windows to let in the light greeted them. Kissa looked over everything as a child would when confronted with a wondrous world. He knew she’d understand why he wanted to show her this. Leaving him behind, she strolled to the metal sculpture resting off to one side. It was a book spread open, its pages splayed to be used as a bench, but with a ball and chain manacling it in place. The beautiful piece had been done by K. Bavisi.

“Have you never been here before, chicken?” he asked, coming to stand near her and the sculpture.

“Once or twice when I was younger. I actually haven’t been back to London in about ten years.” She touched the cool metal of the sculpture’s “pages.”

“Well come on then, you must see the Shakespeare Folio and the Beatles’ handwritten lyrics sheets.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the lobby area.

Looking up, she looked around the interior of the library.. A single staircase led to the higher floors, but Lucas took her past that, laughing like a kid, until they reach a doorway off to the left side.

The room was filled with hushed conversations as people peered into glass-covered cases and wall displays. Lucas stopped just beside the doorway and seemingly drank it all in. He squeezed her hand whether by accident or by design she didn’t know.

“Haven’t been here in a bit. Always amazes me,” he said as he looked down at her with a smile on his lips. “Lots of wonderful artifacts to see.”

She shook her head in amusement.
Cute
. That was the only word to describe him in moments like this. Always so straitlaced, proper, and stoic when he was teaching, the sight of classic literature reduced him to an incredibly articulate six-year-old. But now, with her, roaming the streets of London, he was almost a different man completely. Her Lucas, not the one the students were on the receiving end of at the University, all but danced around the library.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close as they stood beside one of the display cases.

“Here it is. Shakespeare’s First Folio. It is just gorgeous.”

“Yes, Professor, it is,” Kissa said as she snuggled in closer to him, peering into the case. The book was rather pretty but didn’t hold the same wonder for her as it did Lucas. Not that she’d tell him. She couldn’t burst his bubble.

“You’re gorgeous, too,” he whispered, nuzzling her neck.

“Thank you.” She shivered.

“Listen, I need to step out and make a phone call. You go ahead and look. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said, disengaging herself from his hold.

He cocked his head to one side with a quizzical expression on his face. She rose up onto her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth.

“Don’t worry. It’s a surprise for you. Trust me. You’ll enjoy it.” She winked at him before turning on her heel and heading out into the main part of the library. Pulling her cellphone from her purse, she went outside to make her call. It rang a few times before someone finally answered, just long enough for her to need to jump up and down some to stay warm in the chilly winter air.

“Darya Persian Cuisine. This is Rebecca. How may I serve you?”

“Hi, Rebecca, I was wondering if Ahmed is around. I’m an old friend.” Kissa danced from one foot to the other in an effort to get the blood circulating. She hoped her friend was there and would be receptive to her request.

“One moment, I’ll check. Your name please?”

“Kissa Nazir.”

She glanced at the glass doors of the library, knowing Lucas was likely still immersed in the collection. Hopefully, he’d stay that way until she was finished with her call. She didn’t really want him being nosey. This dinner was to be a surprise—if she could get L to go along.

“Kissa, angel, it’s been years. How are you? How’s the family?”

She found herself smiling in genuine pleasure at the sound of Ahmed’s voice. It was so familiar she could almost picture him in her mind.

“Good, Ahmed. They’re wonderful to be honest. How are you and yours?”

“Amazing! What do I owe the honor of your call, my sister of twins?”

Kissa laughed at his comment. It was always fun when someone understood the meaning of her name, especially someone who knew she was one for three.

“I’m in town, and I was wondering if I could bring a friend and some of his family to dinner,” she said, pausing to take a deep breath, “and maybe dance for the customers…and him.”

“Of course. I’d be delighted to have you. When would you like to come in?”

“How about tomorrow? We don’t have anything planned with his family, so this will be the perfect night for it.”

“Wonderful. I shall put you down for seven? How many in the party?”

“Put down six, but it will probably be only four.”

“Done, my angel. I’ll give you one of our best tables by the dance floor. Can you come in later this afternoon so I can have one of my staff show you the back room for changing?

“Of course, I’ll stop in around two or three-ish.”

“Wonderful! I’ll have Rebecca or Elise made aware of your arrival. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Perfect. Thanks, Ahmed. See you then.”

Kissa tucked the phone back into her purse and headed into the library once more, a big smile on her face. Now all she needed to do was stop at one of the local costume shops for something to wear when she danced.

She slipped back into the exhibit room and scanned the area for Lucas. He had his long body hunched over a glass display case holding some bibles. She caught sight of the colorful, gilded pages as she sidled up to him, sliding an arm around his waist and resting her palm on the small of his back.

He straightened, smiling at her as he did. He pulled her close, brushing his chin against the top of her head.

“We’re having dinner tomorrow at a friend’s restaurant. No arguments.”

“You’ll have none from me, then. Now, just look at these.”

Kissa left Lucas taking a nap in the hotel room and headed out into London once more. They’d returned to the hotel after a lunch with his family. She found herself being charmed by the Slate clan more and more. Convincing his parents to join them at Darya tomorrow was not as hard as Kissa had thought it would be. Margaret had jumped at the chance to try something new and exotic to her. John just smiled and did as his wife bid. Kissa found the pair adorable.

Lucas was so seductive in his request for her to join him on the bed she’d almost stayed for the fun and games he suggested. He’d given her a playful pout before telling her to be on her way. But she was a woman on a mission. Nothing in her suitcases would work properly for dancing tonight, and she needed everything to be perfect.

Digging into the front pocket of her jeans, she grabbed for the paper with the directions on it and pulled it out, giving it a glance over. She’d asked Margaret about the best shop for what she needed, and the woman had written everything down in neat handwriting. Kissa took an instant liking to the older woman, and she hoped Margaret felt the same about her.

The Mind the Gap warning sounded, and the tube train doors opened. Kissa shouldered her bag a little tighter and stepped out onto the platform like a seasoned Londoner. Even though born in London, the last time she’d been in the city New Kids on the Block still ruled the pop charts. She’d almost forgotten how much she loved it. The hustle and bustle. The sound of the taxis. The
clink
of the glasses in pubs. The city was electric, and she soaked up every bit of it. Promising herself to make the effort to visit more often, Kissa exited the tube stop into the sunny London afternoon.

The first shop on her list was only a few blocks from the tube station. Kissa had no trouble finding it from the directions provided by Lucas’s mom.