Debra Kastner - A Holiday Prayer

At least not yet. But he wasn’t the least bit threatening.

He raised a questioning eyebrow over the top of the mask.

The decision was hers. She glanced back into the ballroom and the safety it represented.

The Phantom stood patiently, arms crossed over his thick chest and a half smile lingering on his lips. She had the niggling impression that he sensed the dilemma she was working through and was certain of the outcome.

She stood undecided for a moment more, knowing what she would do and waiting for the rational part of her brain to call her an impulsive fool. She instinctively trusted her Phantom. He was strong, but gentle. If she were going to gamble with her safety, she would bet on this man.

She nodded slowly. “All right. Let’s go.”

A gust of crisp Christmas air hit them as they stepped out of the hotel, causing Maddie’s lungs to burn. It was a pleasant sensation, she decided. She carefully watched her steps on the icy pavement. Glass slippers weren’t exactly winter weather gear, and she found herself wishing she’d worn her thick leather snow boots.

She slipped and giggled. The Phantom quickly clasped her arm, but not fast enough to keep her from sliding unceremoniously to the ground in a heap. The picture of herself in a satin dress and snow boots sent her into another fit of giggles.

It felt good. Very good.

“Your surprise…” the Phantom reminded her.

He reached a hand to help her to her feet, then pointed at the curb. Her heart pounded as she got her first hint of the Phantom’s scheme, which was at that moment stomping its impatience into the pavement. She clapped a hand over her mouth and exclaimed in delight over the slick white horse-drawn carriage, complete with a liveried driver.

“Oh, it’s lovely!” she exclaimed as he settled her on the seat and wrapped a wool blanket around her legs. “But aren’t we going to freeze?”

The Phantom chuckled and draped an arm around her shoulders. “No chance of that. We’ll just take a short ride down the 16th Street Mall. Have you seen the Christmas lights yet? They’re gorgeous this time of night”

Maddie shook her head. This was truly a night she would remember for a long time to come. If she believed in fairy tales, she’d think she stepped right into one. Even the crisp air couldn’t dull the heat warming her cheeks.

Motioning for the driver to stop, her Phantom gestured at the forty-three-foot Christmas tree in Larimer Square, the largest to be found in Denver.

“Didn’t I tell you it was beautiful?” he whispered, his breath fanning her cheek.

She turned her face toward him, expecting him to be watching the Christmas display, hoping to be able to study his masked face. His eyes met hers, and she suddenly realized that he’d been watching her, seeing the wonders of Christmas in downtown Denver through her, sharing in her delight

Her breath mingled with his, their lips only inches apart. His dark, intense gaze probed hers. It would take only the merest action on her part…just a shimmer of movement and their lips would meet.

Dragging in a breath, she turned away. How could she even consider…? But she had. She did. Guilt ripped through her like a rudder blade on the snow.

She had no right. And even less sense.

“Drive on,” her Phantom commanded, leaning back in the seat. She was afraid to look at him, afraid of what she would see in his eyes.

If only he would take that blasted mask off and she could see him as a real human being instead of the larger-than-life Phantom of the Opera. It was just that fairy-tale feeling again, getting the best of her. He was only a man underneath that mask. A plain, ordinary man. Maybe even disguising some hidden flaw.

The corner of her lips quivered into a smile.

“A penny for your thoughts,” he whispered. On the inside of her wrist, he planted a tiny kiss that radiated heat up the entire length of her arm.

She tried to ignore the sensation. “As if I’d sell them so cheap.”

The Phantom lifted an eyebrow. He was intrigued by this bright-eyed Cinderella, more so than he wanted to put a value to. “A million dollars, then.”

She stiffened.

“What? What did I say?” He’d been teasing, but by the look on her face, he could tell he’d said the wrong thing. She went as hot and then cold as a kitchen tap.

“Nothing.”

Nothing. No more than she had told him all evening. And why should it matter? He wasn’t in the market for a relationship. He should be glad she wasn’t pressing him.

But he wasn’t glad.

Who was this woman? He’d been stretching his mind for the answer, but the mask continued to throw him. He’d seen her somewhere—he knew he had.

But how to coax her from her shell? Flattery didn’t work. With a teasing lilt to his voice, he appealed. “Tell me your name.”

Maddie’s brown eyes sparkled mischievously. “Not just yet. You’ll find out soon enough, in any case.” She gently removed her arm from his grasp and laced her fingers together on her lap. “Tell me about you.”

“Okay,” he agreed easily, leaning back into the cushion and laying his arm over the back of the seat. Perhaps if he opened up, she would feel more comfortable revealing something about herself. He barely dared to hope.

“I work for a large company in the area. I play racquetball and golf. I like pizza and Pepsi. Anything else you want to know?”

“My, my,” Maddie bantered. “Vague, aren’t we? A large company in the area? That hardly narrows it down. What kind of business?”

“Enough about me,” he countered, combing his fingers through the curls on his neck. “Tell me about you.”

Maddie didn’t want to talk about herself. Not tonight. She lifted her chin. If he could be stubborn, so could she.

The Phantom chuckled again. “We all have secrets, don’t we?” he said before tapping the driver on the shoulder. “A rose for the lady, please.”

The driver nodded and pulled to the side of the road, gesturing to one of the many corner flower vendors peddling their wares to the late-night Christmas shoppers. “I need a rose,” he rasped.

The Phantom presented the single, long-stemmed red rose to Maddie with an endearingly crooked grin. “A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady.”

Maddie’s breath caught in her throat. “I…I…”

The Phantom frowned and he rolled his eyes.

“What?” Maddie asked in surprise.

“I think I’ve just blurted out the most inane line in history. And it’s all your fault. One look at you and my mind gets all mixed up.”

He was teasing her, she knew, but nonetheless she could feel the heat staining her cheeks crimson. She took refuge in inhaling the rose’s intoxicating scent. The petals still had moisture on them, and they glistened in the dull light of the street lamps.

“Won’t you tell me your name?” he pleaded quietly, his rich baritone rolling over each syllable. “We’re going to unmask soon anyway. What difference will a few minutes make?”

She stared at her hands clasped in her lap. Maybe he was right. What was the difference? She glanced over at him, but he was staring off into the distance. “Maddie Carlton,” she whispered, her breath misting the air.

His gaze snapped to hers, boring into her with such intensity that Maddie felt suffocated.

“You’ve heard of me,” she said quietly, removing the now unnecessary mask from her face. “I lost my husband in the March’s Department Store fiasco last Christmas. My only claim to fame is that Neil March settled me with a ridiculous amount of money.”

The Phantom’s jaw tightened and he looked away. She could see the tension lining his face, causing the muscles in his neck to strain against his cravat.