Christmas Kiss (Accidental Kisses #4) Read online

  Christmas Kiss

  Accidental Kisses Book 4

  Tammy Andresen

  Copyright © 2018 by Tammy Andresen

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  Camp Crush

  Also by Tammy Andresen

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Evan

  I sat fiddling with my drums. It was nothing more than a monotonous tic tat tic tic tat to get my hands warmed up. November had hit Boston with a vengeance and the temperatures had plummeted down to freezing. It was no big deal other than I couldn’t get my hands to do what I wanted until I got the blood pumping.

  Which worked out well that day, because one of Echo Stream’s members was late for rehearsal. Drew, the lead guitar player, had changed his strings and was working to get the guitar in tune, and our rhythm guitarist, Derek, was cracking jokes as he fiddled with his pedals. Boredom took over as the minutes slipped by, so I broke into a more complicated rhythm. Derek, catching my beat, laid a smooth guitar riff over it.

  Jam sessions were my favorite way to play. It was my junior year of college and I knew what I was about. The music drove my soul. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t expect to make a living off of my drums. That was a dream so many had, yet so few achieved. No, I didn’t dream of fame in front of the screaming masses. I wasn’t in a band for the attention, or drinking, or even girls. I was there to play.

  As we synched up, Drew joined in, adding a killer line to what we had going on. Man, these guys knew my soul. Drew had only been in the band for a few months, but that dude got it. When we went off with no particular song in mind, magic happened. Everything went away and it was bliss.

  Winding up, I banged out a complicated sequence. My hands were warm. I didn’t open my eyes, I didn’t need to. I didn’t see Jay come in, but when the base fired up, I knew our last member had finally made it to rehearsal. Our lead singer was humming along. Seth was writing in his head as we went, as he always did, and he’d add killer lyrics later, I was sure of it—or Derek would. They both had sick talent when it came to writing.

  When we wound down our jam session to an end, my fingers were singing, ready to start busting out our set list for our show this weekend. I gave one of my sticks a spin when clapping broke out in the back of the rehearsal room. The noise startled me. I assumed we were alone.

  We lived in an old mansion at the Boston Conservatory School of Music. They had purchased the hundred-year-old building and converted into a dorm. The ballroom had been left intact and it had retained its fantastic acoustics. The claps echoed through the entire space. I groaned. That clap was messing with my jam.

  I searched the room and found the offender. Most of the other students who lived in the building knew not to interrupt rehearsal, so I couldn’t figure out who the hell was there. My gaze landed on the clapper. She was a perky, petite, freshman-looking blonde with her hair piled high up on her head. Her skinny jeans hugged every curve. Ugh. She looked like an irritating sorority-wannabe with big green eyes, a pert little nose, and gloss-covered lips. Those chicks were not, I repeat, not my thing.

  To be fair, not many chicks were. The other guys said I was super-picky, and maybe I was. But I liked what I liked, and I didn’t see the point in dating girls I wasn’t into. It wasn’t that women didn’t try. To me, girls were like a good jam. It either totally worked or it didn’t. I failed to see the point of dating someone if I wasn’t feeling it. My friends drifted in and out of one-week or two-week relationships. That felt like a huge hassle and a lot of wasted time to me.

  She clapped again and I rolled my eyes. Her enthusiasm was nauseating. “That was so cool,” she said, gushing. “I loved it, JJ.”

  JJ? Was she talking to Jay? Oh man, was this his new girlfriend? Hopefully she lasted as long as the other girls Jay brought around, because this one might be the worst in the bunch.

  “Thanks, sis.” He turned to the rest of the band. “Guys, this is my sister, Kayla. We call her Kay for short.”

  I didn’t mean to, but I made a little choking noise. Everyone heard it, including Kay, and all eyes turned to me. It was rude, I knew it, but…Jay and Kay? I bet their parents looked like they’d stepped out of a J. Crew catalogue. I mean, blonde kids named Jay and Kay? Ridiculous. I pointed to my throat to suggest I had a cold thing going on to explain away my rudeness. I have no idea if it worked.

  “Hi,” Kay gave a cute little wave as she wrinkled her nose and her shoulders jerked up and down. A blonde curl escaped from her ponytail and floated down around her face.

  I saw Seth shift his weight. “Hey, Kay,” he said in that low, husky voice that spoke volumes. Sound was my thing and I could tell by the way he said it he was a little more than interested in Jay’s little sister.

  Jay smacked Seth on the back of his shoulder. Hard. He’d heard Seth’s tone too. “My sister is a freshman.” He drew out the word freshman as his eyes narrowed at Seth. “At Simmons. She’s helping to put together a Christmas charity event for the school where she is a student teacher. Most of the food will be donated by local restaurants, and every guest will bring a toy for a child at the school.”

  “Hey cool,” Seth said as he holstered his mic in the stand and stepped around the chords. “What a great idea.”

  Kay nibbled at her lip and I nearly choked again. Everything this girl did was adorable in a super-annoying kind of way, almost as if rehearsed for effect. There wasn’t a bit of it that looked natural. “The only problem I have is music,” she said. “I’d gotten a DJ to volunteer, but he got a paying gig for the same night and backed out.”

  Oh man. Now I knew why JJ’s little sister was sitting in the back and clapping like a maniac. She wanted a favor. “No,” I said, answering before the question had been asked.

  Everyone looked back at me and Jay outright glared in my direction. “She didn’t even ask anything yet.”

  “Yeah, but it’s coming.” I twirled one of my sticks, not sure what else to do as everyone stared at me. Our band was finally doing well, and we were getting decent gigs. I didn’t want to get roped into some charity night.

  Seth lifted an eyebrow and then turned back to Kay. I saw him give her a slow perusal. His hooded gaze slid from her sassy ponytail all the way down her cute sweater, past her skinny jeans, to her suede, low-heeled, ankle boots. For some reason that was irritating too. Why was he into this chick? “Did you want us to play the event?”

  She gave a tentative nod, her ponytail bouncing as another curl slipped out. “It’s only from noon to three. It shouldn’t interrupt your regular gig schedule.”

  That annoyed me even more. It was as if she could counteract every argument I could make before I could make it. She took a little step toward us
. “We’re just hoping to have music for an hour or two to make it more festive. Then you can go, or stay for passing out presents.” I saw her swallow hard. “I just want it to be special for the kids.”

  One corner of my mouth turned down. Standing there in her designer outfit, she didn’t look altruistic. She probably wanted a good bump on her future resume. I knew I was judging her a bit harshly as I had never met her before, but this girl was getting under my skin.

  “I’m in.” Seth grinned as he stared at her with a slight smirk. “Who’s with me?” That didn’t surprise me at all. Seth was clearly into this girl. Though to be fair, Seth was into every girl. However, one person’s vote did not mean the entire band had to join.

  “I’m in too,” Derek played a little chord on his guitar from “Deck the Halls.“ “Could be fun, and I bet it would be great marketing for us. Charity events and such.” Great. Derek’s girlfriend, Melissa, had been harping on him about marketing, and apparently the message had sunk in.

  “I’m in too.” Drew gave her a wave. “And my girlfriend, Chloe, will for sure help out. She’s studying to be a teacher too.”

  Kay’s hopeful expression broke into a brilliant grin. It was like somebody turned on a floodlight, that thing was so bright. “Thank you,” she said, excitedly.

  Jay turned to me. “What about you, Evan? It would be hard to play without a drummer.”

  Yep, it would.

  Chapter Two

  Kay

  What is it with that guy? He had rolled his eyes at least three times in the last five minutes. I’d seen Echo Stream play a couple of times since I’d started school, and Evan always seemed happily content when he was drumming. And hot. He was definitely gorgeous.

  But, since he’d seen me today, it had been all hostility, glares, and eye rolls. It was strange, because when I’d first walked in, he’d been super into practice. His energy had been completely different when he was playing. I’d noticed the second I’d stepped through the door, and I hadn’t been able to look away.

  The only thing that had changed was that he’d noticed me. Did he not like me being here? I bit my lip. Clearly he didn’t, and I had no idea where the hostility was coming from. My shoulders slumped. I could admit, at least to myself, that I’d worn one of my cutest outfits because of him. I’d had one of those secret crushes on the guy, which were always dangerous. In my head, I turned him into nice and dashing as well as hot. I’d taken his on stage persona and applied it to how he would be with me—attentive, upbeat, and super-focused. I’d created this dream guy in my head.

  “I can’t make it,” he mumbled loudly enough for everyone’s benefit.

  My eyes met his and he immediately looked away, his frown deepening. I cocked my head as realization struck. “I haven’t told you the date yet.”

  There was a moment of silence, and then several band members laughed. “Busted,” Derek called out.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Jay said, firing at Evan with a warning tone in his voice. He crossed his arms. Jay and I had spent a lot of time on our own as teens, and he’d definitely developed the protective-older-brother vibe, but I didn’t need it now.

  I walked toward the stage. I’d stayed back because I didn’t want to intrude on rehearsal, but now that we were talking, it was weird I remained on the far side of the room. “The kids are five and six, so they still believe in Santa.” I either needed to get him to believe in what I was doing, or I was going to have to bribe him. As much as I thought he was being a jerk, I understood they couldn’t play without a drummer. “I think I’ve hired one Santa to pass out presents, but I haven’t finished negotiating his fee. My budget is really tight, but I might be able to pay you guys a little if—”

  “No,” Jay said, interrupting. He came to stand next to me. “Evan.” He looked over at the drums. “It’s the first Saturday in December. Think you could take a little time out of your busy schedule to help out some kids in need?”

  “Help your sister, you mean,” Evan said with a grumble, shooting me a narrow-eyed glare.

  I put my hand, now a fist, firmly on my hip. How had I considered this guy to be good-looking? He sizzled on stage, but here and now? He was a dud. “It doesn’t matter. Don’t come.” I tossed my ponytail, which would have been more effective if several more tresses hadn’t fallen out. “Most of these families can’t afford to buy gifts. They will be happy with whatever we provide.” I swallowed the lump of anger that had risen in my throat. “Thank you to the rest of you for helping. I really appreciate it.”

  I turned to go, though I had originally planned to stay for rehearsal. My brother wanted me to see his band, I knew he did. However, the entire exchange with Evan had left a bad taste in my mouth and a vague ache in my chest. I wouldn’t enjoy it and I didn’t feel welcome, at least not by Evan.

  “Wait.” It wasn’t Jay who spoke up, but Seth, the singer. “You don’t have to leave. Several of the girlfriends are coming to rehearsal. They’ll be here any minute and then we’re all going for pizza. It’ll be fun. You should definitely come.”

  I wrinkled my nose, but before I could say no thanks, Jay chimed in as he walked over to me. “Yeah, Sis. You’ve been so busy we’ve hardly had time to hang out.”

  “You are the only guy on the planet who wants to spend more time with his little sister,” Evan called out from behind the drums. He then played a badum dum, like he’d told a clever joke. His attitude had moved beyond irritating to revolting.

  “You know what?” I said, my other hand coming to my hip. “I will stay. It sounds like fun.” I gave Evan my best scowl, the one I typically reserved for Jay when he insisted on annoying me. I rarely made it a point to needle people, but honestly, Evan had it coming. He was rude for no reason at all. I flushed with anger as I recalled some of the fantasies I’d had. As usual, I’d gotten romance—or potential romance—all wrong.

  In response to my glare, he raised one eyebrow. All right, he did look super cute like that and maybe he was still a hottie, but he was also still a jerk. I didn’t have time for guys like that. I didn’t have time for anyone like that.

  To be fair, I didn’t usually have time for guys at all. I hadn’t dated much in high school. I’d always been shy. I’d made a point my senior year to be more social, but I’d said no to the guys who’d asked me out. None of them had made my heart beat faster or my cheeks flush, so I’d left it alone. For a quiet introvert like me, managing my newfound social schedule had been enough. I still didn’t know if I wanted to date. College had brought on a whole new set of responsibilities and my go-to response was to work more.

  “I’m glad you’re staying.” Jay looped his arm around my neck. “You deserve a little fun.”

  “A little fun?” Seth asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. “You’re a freshman. Isn’t it all fun?”

  “Not with her,” Jay said, frowning. “She takes on too much. And she lets relationships slide to—”

  “Jay!” I cut him off. “They don’t need to know my life story. It’s just pizza.”

  Badum dum went the drums again. I nearly jumped out of my skin as I glanced over at Evan. This time, both his eyebrows arched. Man, that guy was annoying. Part of me wanted to jump up on stage and tell him what I thought about his bad jokes and his dirty looks. He had me completely off my game.

  Two girls walked in, chatting with each other. A blonde, who was sweetly adorable, and a brunette, who was utterly gorgeous. My hands laced in front of me as I bit my lip. I never hung out with the pretty girls. They weren’t usually mean to me, but on the other hand, I wasn’t one of them either. I fit in better with the geek crowd. They were more accepting of my introverted personality. The “in” crowd seemed to take my tendency to wander off on my own as a snub, whereas the other crowd understood without explanation. Sometimes, I needed to be alone, and social exchanges were, at times, utterly exhausting.

  It wasn’t that I was shy. I was a little...or a lot. I had problems with crowds. I hated being
in front of them, and sometimes, being in the middle of them. I froze when faced with public speaking. In addition to that, I often preferred time alone, and I most certainly felt more at ease in small groups as opposed to big ones. My personality did not lend itself to popularity and I was thoroughly okay with that. I had no idea how my brother played in a band. Hordes of people looking at me was my idea of hell. Oddly, I didn’t mind talking in front of a crowd of kids. But adults, well, that was a whole different scene altogether, and the thought of it filled me with abject terror.

  The only other thing that frightened me nearly as much was a crowd of popular girls. It was enough to make my palm sweat, and two of them were approaching me now. Their smiles were friendly as they came toward me, but my brain screamed for me to run. Jay held me in place. He knew me so well. “Chloe.” He pointed to the blonde. “And Melissa. This is my sister, Kay.”

  “Jay and Kay,” Evan said, his voice echoing in the hall. “It is too cute for words.” His voice deepened, like he didn’t think it was cute at all. I tried not to glare at him again. I was dealing with the pretty girls, so I didn’t want to deal with a jerk musician who thought he was too cool on top of it.

  Instead, I gave the girls a shy smile. “Nice to meet you.” Why couldn’t I be witty in these situations, or sarcastic, at least?

  “You too,” Chloe reached forward to shake my hand. “I’m Drew’s girlfriend.”

  “Mel is also a freshman and our marketing guru. She happens to date Derek. We’re not sure what she sees in him.” Jay said as Mel stuck out her hand.