Under the Mistletoe Read Online Free PDF

shovel.
    Nick stared at him. “This is none of your business.”
    “Did I say that to you when you waited like a vulture in New York to swoop in and pick at the bones?” Carlos asked.
    “Oh, for God’s sake,” Mia said. “This is ridiculous. Both of you need to—”
    “She was mine then,” Nick said, stepping closer. He could feel Mia’s surprised reaction at this, and couldn’t blame her. It was the first time he’d laid public claim to his feelings for her. He was surprised as hell, too. But oddly enough, it felt natural.
    And right. “She’s mine now,” he said.
    “Hey,” Mia said with a frown, “I’m—”
    Carlos stepped up to Nick so that they were toe to toe. “You need to go. I’m going to stand here and watch you. Then I’m going to pick at the bones this time. How’s that?”
    “You have a real problem,” Nick said.
    “Yeah,” Carlos said. “It’s you.” And he punched him.
    Perfect , Nick thought, swinging back. A fight was just what he needed, and the next thing he knew, he and Carlos were in a tangle, rolling around on the ground, fists flying.
    Carlos landed a few good hits, but so did Nick. In fact, he was getting the best of the fight when they were suddenly blasted with icy water.
    He and Carlos rolled away from each other, flat on their backs, gasping for breath. Nick swiped dirt and water from his face and blinked as an old lady came into view. She was in a pink velour sweat suit with white sneakers, and she was holding a hose.
    “That’ll do it every time,” she said to Mia.
    Mia’s mouth was pinched tight. “Thanks, Lucille,” she said. Then, with one long, hard glare at both Nick and Carlos, Mia stormed inside the B&B and slammed the door.
    The sound of the lock clicking into place was unmistakable.
    Lucille tossed the hose aside and brushed off her hands. “Hello,” she said to Nick. “Nice to meet you. I run the art gallery down the street.” She looked at Carlos. “You two are good now? No more silly boy stuff?”
    “Yeah,” Carlos said and sat up, rubbing his jaw. “We’re good.”
    Nick sat up, too, rubbing his aching ribs as he nodded.
    “Great,” Lucille said. She pulled a cell phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of them. “Behave now.” And then she was gone.
    Nick glanced at Carlos. “She for real?”
    “Unfortunately.”
    “You going to tell me what the hell that was about?” Nick asked.
    “Does it matter?”
    Nick thought about it. “No.” Taking a careful breath, he rolled to his feet. “We are done, right?”
    Carlos gave him a long, considering look. “Depends on how stupid you are.”
    Nick shrugged. He tried hard not to be stupid, but apparently where Mia was concerned all bets were off. Wet, dirty, and off center, he walked around the B&B until he came to the back. As he suspected, there were steps leading up to the wraparound porch and a sliding glass door, which was thankfully unlocked.
    Inside, Mia sat on the couch with her smartphone, working on a word puzzle. “I have a problem,” she said when Nick walked in. “I need a three-letter word for asshole, and I don’t know if it’s M-E-N or Y-O-U.”
    “Either, no doubt.” He walked over and crouched in front of her, his hands on her thighs as he looked into her face. “Am I too late, Mia?”

Chapter 6

    M ia was startled by Nick’s question. “That’s an odd thing to ask,” she said carefully, “for a guy who was too afraid to come to a wedding with the girl he’s been with for six months.”
    “I wasn’t afraid.”
    She just looked at him and he grimaced. “Okay, maybe a little.”
    Carlos appeared at the slider, as dirty and wet as Nick, and Mia narrowed her eyes at him as well.
    “Hey,” Carlos said, raising his hands in surrender. “I’m just working here.” But he didn’t go anywhere.
    Mia stood between the only two men she’d ever been with. The only two men she’d ever loved. “We need a moment,” she said to Carlos.
    “You going to