claiming both of them as they tumbled onto the snowbank, Tagg taking care to stay away from her legs. When he couldn’t reach her face, he pushed the handful of snow down her neck. Leslie shrieked at the sudden cold against her skin and tried to do the same to him.
But he caught her wrist. A second later, her arms were pinned against the snow and the upper part of his body was lying across her to hold her down. Out of breath and laughing, Leslie stopped struggling and glanced at the male face above her. His mouth was parted in a panting smile of triumph.
“Give up?” Tagg asked, breathing hard from the short tussle in the cold, morning air.
“Yes.” Her admission of defeat came out on a puffing breath.
His hold on her forearms relaxed, but it wasn’t taken away. In the twinkling of an eye, the playful atmosphere changed and became charged with an elemental tension. Her breaths lengthened out under the darkening glitter of his gaze while her swiftly racing pulse took on a disturbed beat.
An awareness ran through both of them at the intimate positions of their prone bodies. The searching probe of his gaze moved over her face and became diverted by her parted lips. More of his weight began to settle onto her as Tagg began to slowly lower his head.
“Aren’t you going to let her up, Daddy?” Holly’s puzzled question short-circuited the volatile currents running between them.
Turning his head to the side, Tagg dragged in a deep breath and shifted his hold to clasp her arms. As he straightened backward, he pulled Leslie with him, sitting her up. The wryness in his blue eyes showed an amused regret when he met Leslie’s sparkling glance.
“I swear, Holly—” his gaze slid to his daughter, “—Cupid would never choose you for an accomplice.”
Holly frowned at him. “What’s an accomplice?”
“Get Leslie’s crutches for her.” Tagg ignored her question.
When his feet were solidly under him, he spanned her waist with his hands and lifted her up to stand precariously balanced on one foot, her fingers gripping the sleeve of his coat for support. Holly retrieved the crutches and dragged them over to Leslie. Tagg brushed at the snow sticking to her coat, slapping off the worst of it.
“Are you all right?” His warm and lazy glance moved over the subdued radiance in her eyes.
“Yes.” She nodded briefly, a small smile showing. There was a clump of snow on the collar of her coat. Tagg reached over and brushed it off, then let the gloved tips of his fingers touch her neck before lifting strands of golden tan hair outside her collar. Despite the coldness of his gloves, she was warmed by the light, tingling caress.
“I’d better walk you to the house so you don’t get knocked off your feet again,” he said.
Leslie took one step, then remembered. “I had a package.” She looked around for it and spied the present sticking out of a snowdrift.
“I’ll get it for you.” Holly noticed it at the same instant.
At the sight of the Christmas-wrapped present, Tagg quirked an eyebrow at her. “What’s this?” he murmured dryly. “I thought you didn’t go in for last minute Christmas shopping.”
“There’s an exception to every rule,” she retorted and started to take the package from Holly, relieved to notice the paper hadn’t been torn.
“Better let me carry it.” Tagg took it from his daughter, and gestured for Leslie to go ahead of him. “I’ll catch you if you fall.”
“Promises from the man who knocked me down,” Leslie mocked.
“Ah, but I picked you back up again and brushed you off,” Tagg reminded her with a twinkling glance as they started up the driveway toward the house.
Holly split away from them. “I’m going to work on our snowman.”
“Don’t be throwing any snowballs,” Tagg warned with a faint smile and let his gaze follow his young daughter as she took off for their front yard where the partially constructed snowman waited.
“Do you have any plans for
But he caught her wrist. A second later, her arms were pinned against the snow and the upper part of his body was lying across her to hold her down. Out of breath and laughing, Leslie stopped struggling and glanced at the male face above her. His mouth was parted in a panting smile of triumph.
“Give up?” Tagg asked, breathing hard from the short tussle in the cold, morning air.
“Yes.” Her admission of defeat came out on a puffing breath.
His hold on her forearms relaxed, but it wasn’t taken away. In the twinkling of an eye, the playful atmosphere changed and became charged with an elemental tension. Her breaths lengthened out under the darkening glitter of his gaze while her swiftly racing pulse took on a disturbed beat.
An awareness ran through both of them at the intimate positions of their prone bodies. The searching probe of his gaze moved over her face and became diverted by her parted lips. More of his weight began to settle onto her as Tagg began to slowly lower his head.
“Aren’t you going to let her up, Daddy?” Holly’s puzzled question short-circuited the volatile currents running between them.
Turning his head to the side, Tagg dragged in a deep breath and shifted his hold to clasp her arms. As he straightened backward, he pulled Leslie with him, sitting her up. The wryness in his blue eyes showed an amused regret when he met Leslie’s sparkling glance.
“I swear, Holly—” his gaze slid to his daughter, “—Cupid would never choose you for an accomplice.”
Holly frowned at him. “What’s an accomplice?”
“Get Leslie’s crutches for her.” Tagg ignored her question.
When his feet were solidly under him, he spanned her waist with his hands and lifted her up to stand precariously balanced on one foot, her fingers gripping the sleeve of his coat for support. Holly retrieved the crutches and dragged them over to Leslie. Tagg brushed at the snow sticking to her coat, slapping off the worst of it.
“Are you all right?” His warm and lazy glance moved over the subdued radiance in her eyes.
“Yes.” She nodded briefly, a small smile showing. There was a clump of snow on the collar of her coat. Tagg reached over and brushed it off, then let the gloved tips of his fingers touch her neck before lifting strands of golden tan hair outside her collar. Despite the coldness of his gloves, she was warmed by the light, tingling caress.
“I’d better walk you to the house so you don’t get knocked off your feet again,” he said.
Leslie took one step, then remembered. “I had a package.” She looked around for it and spied the present sticking out of a snowdrift.
“I’ll get it for you.” Holly noticed it at the same instant.
At the sight of the Christmas-wrapped present, Tagg quirked an eyebrow at her. “What’s this?” he murmured dryly. “I thought you didn’t go in for last minute Christmas shopping.”
“There’s an exception to every rule,” she retorted and started to take the package from Holly, relieved to notice the paper hadn’t been torn.
“Better let me carry it.” Tagg took it from his daughter, and gestured for Leslie to go ahead of him. “I’ll catch you if you fall.”
“Promises from the man who knocked me down,” Leslie mocked.
“Ah, but I picked you back up again and brushed you off,” Tagg reminded her with a twinkling glance as they started up the driveway toward the house.
Holly split away from them. “I’m going to work on our snowman.”
“Don’t be throwing any snowballs,” Tagg warned with a faint smile and let his gaze follow his young daughter as she took off for their front yard where the partially constructed snowman waited.
“Do you have any plans for
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