Winter Kisses Anthology

From Winter Solstice Kiss by Kelley Heckart:

Shane lay on the weight bench in his basement workout room, his thoughts turning to last night’s events. He wanted to kick himself for leaving the celebration right after the Yule ritual, but the friend who drove him to the party had to leave. The last image he had of the woman he knew only as Gwenhwyfar remained in his thoughts. She looked so happy dancing around the fire with her friends. He should have approached her, but he decided not to disturb her.

Not to mention the wedding ring she wore caught him off guard. Yet another reason he'd decided not to approach her again.

But she haunted his thoughts.

There had to be an explanation for the wedding ring. If she were married, she'd attended the party without her husband. But she didn't strike him as the type of woman who would accept another man's advances if she were already in a committed relationship. Maybe she was separated? I should have asked her.

He kept thinking of the kiss they'd shared under the mistletoe. The mindless exercise of bench-pressing always made his mind wander. With a grunt, he did a few extra reps with heavy weights, pushed through the last one, then set the bar back in its resting spot with a loud clang.

He lay on the bench daydreaming about how beautiful she looked when he first saw her standing by herself next to the banquet table. She looked like Gwenhwyfar—who just so happened to be the woman of his dreams. Her long brown hair spilled down her shoulders in an enticing splash, framing a delicate face and the creamy tops of her breasts—those full, heaving breasts. The thought made him shudder with arousal.

His first thought was that she was too beautiful to be by herself. She looked somewhat sad, watching the others dance. Her pensiveness made her more intriguing to him and he had to know the lady behind the mask. She'd spurned his invitation to dance, but he refused to give up. Even the gentle sound of her voice pleased him and he remained determined to learn more about her.

She tried to elude him again inside the house. Her elusive behavior only made him more determined. Women always flocked around him. This was the first time a woman turned down his advances and it intrigued him further.

He'd almost run out of ideas when the mistletoe caught his eye, drawing his gaze with its strange, almost magical light.

She'd stood right beneath it, giving him the perfect opportunity to make his move.

He would never forget that kiss, the sweet taste of her lips. At first she'd held herself stiffly, but she'd finally relented, surrendering to him. Her soft lips caressed his mouth with yearning. He'd never experienced such passion in a kiss.

Of course, some wanker had to interrupt them and ruin the moment. Then, like an idiot, he allowed her to slip away.

But what about the wedding ring?

He groaned in exasperation. What difference did it make? He had no way of finding her now.

He glanced at his watch. Damn. If he didn't get moving he'd be late for rehearsing battle scenes before tonight's show. Rising from the weight bench, he grabbed his gym bag and headed out the door.