So I was going to edit this and post this weekend but I'm having a REALLY bad day and need some Jonead Christmas cheer...I hope everyone enjoys this!

Another Cahill gathering.

Another 'senseless' bet.

Only this time, Sinead wasn't involved—she had definitely learned her lesson in that area. Leaning her head against the headrest of the rental car, she listened with amusement as Dan and Amy argued over who would be the first to 'ruin' the Kabra annual Christmas party.

"It's going to be Hamilton. The dude has no idea how to act at parties," Dan was saying, only to have Amy combat it with:

"That may be true, but I think he will be at least trying the first couple of hours. Jonah, on the other hand…"

Sinead's heart quickened at the mention of their distant cousin but didn't outwardly react as Amy proceeded to argue her point. "He'll start hip hop dancing or try to take over the DJ booth, I almost guarantee it."

Dan started cackling. "Oh man, that would be epic! I hope you're right! Imagine the look on Ian and Natalie's faces."

"Of course I'll be right. And you will be the one paying for my Hawaiian vacation."

This was the ridiculous part of the bet. Amy and Dan had money, and plenty to spare.

Nellie Gomez, their temporary chauffeur, seemed to agree with her. Raising a pierced eyebrow, she asked, "I expected more creativity from you two. If you need my help, I'm a pro at making bet terms. If you recall"—Sinead felt the older girl's stare, but ignored it—"I helped Dan with one not too long ago."

She was referring to a bet between Sinead and Dan, made and carried out only three months ago. It had been a complete disaster, ending with Sinead losing and having to wear Jonah Wizard's clothes for an entire day. The Ekat tried not to think about it, but every once in awhile the memory would drift through her mind before she could stop it—like now.

"You look good in my clothes."

The sentence echoed in her head, just like it had many times since then. And every single time it was accompanied with a rush of anger. She could almost hear the Janus' voice too—laced with a smirk—which sent a rush of heat throughout her body, which she channeled into even more anger.

Stop thinking about it! You're only making it worse.

Besides, it wasn't like it had meant anything. He had only been trying to get under her skin. In fact, Sinead doubted he would even talk to her at the party tonight, let alone the rest of the weekend.

She was brought back to the present by the taste of blood in her mouth and realized that she had been practically gnawing on her lip.

"You alright back there Starling?" Nellie's voice drawled. "You look pale."

"I'm always pale," was Sinead's automatic response. Then, to deflect the attention from her, she added, "I'm dreading this party, that's all. It's probably going to be super uppity and the music will probably suck too."

It worked. All three of the other passengers made a face at her words.

"I hope the food isn't too awful," Dan said, then brightened. "If it is though, I brought back-up. But don't spread it around because I have limited quantities."

"Oooh did you bring some chocolate-covered Zefirs by any chance?"

Dan stared at Nellie blankly. "Some what?"

Nellie started to answer but was distracted by pulling into the Kabra's ridiculously long drive. They had all seen it before but never with Christmas decor lining the pathway. Gold and silver lights adorned the trees, while gigantic red glass ornaments hung strategically from branches.

In no time at all they were being ushered in by the butler, who informed them that 'Master Ian' and 'Mistress Natalie' were busy with party preparations, but to go ahead and settle in their rooms and simply 'ring him' if they needed anything. "The Kabras request everyone's presence downstairs at precisely 6:00pm," he added. "So please do not be tardy."

Dan rolled his eyes but Amy politely answered that they wouldn't. As soon as she was safely inside the room with Sinead, however, she mimicked "please do not be tardy!"

Sinead released a chuckle. "Do you think that was from Ian or Natalie?"

"Probably Natalie," Amy admitted. "But I wouldn't put it past Ian either."

Mentally agreeing with her cousin, Sinead glanced around the lavish room but wasn't impressed. Now if there was advanced technology filling the space instead of pointless decor, that would be another story.

"I'm unpacking," she announced. "Then I'm working on the project I brought."

"We'll need to start getting ready soon too."

Sinead grimaced. "I almost forgot about the hours of preparation required for holiday parties."

Amy chuckled but the Ekat sighed. This was going to be a long weekend.

Jonah had been to countless parties. So many in fact, that while he took them in stride, he usually was pretty bored with them.

This one was different, though.

He glanced at the door again, trying to peer through the hoards of guests that the Kabras had invited. The huge ballroom of the estate was kind of crowded, but he felt like he would spot her the instant she walked in.

He felt so pathetic, letting one girl—and a brainy Ekat at that—affect him so badly.

Sinead Starling's face popped into his mind again, almost the same as every other time she came into his thoughts. It wasn't the image of her blazing eyes, the annoyed look she sometimes threw him, or even the nonchalant expression she had worn most of the day when she had 'borrowed' his clothes. No, it was the image of her face as she stared at him, almost panicked, like he was seeing too much of her, the part that she liked to hide from everyone. It was the part of her that made him curious, that made him want to get to know her better.

And he was hoping that this party would be the perfect opening for him. Jonah wasn't an idiot (though he pretended to be sometimes, and it worked to his advantage), he knew that it wouldn't be easy to surpass the Ekat's walls, but he had done it before. How hard could it possibly be to do it again?

He scanned the room once more, and then he spotted her, walking in with Amy. Dressed in a black dress, she didn't look much different from a lot of the other guests. But the sleeves and top of the short outfit were lacey, showing off her skin, and he had to force his eyes off of her legs, which were emphasized by the black high heels she was wearing. Her head was turned, but his eyes drifted up to her hair, worn down with loose curls, and his mouth went dry.

It wasn't fair how she made him feel. With just one look at her, he was gone, and he hadn't even looked at her face.

Then she turned, drawing his attention to her eyes, her best trait in his opinion. Since she wasn't looking at him, he allowed his gaze to linger. Bright green eyes were scanning the dance floor warily like it would attack her and force her to the floor, and slender hands were folded in front of her as if preparing for such an attack.

His heartbeat sped up, his mouth went dry, and nerves clenched his stomach but instead of those things freezing him in his tracks, they propelled him towards her. Jonah was a lot of things but he wasn't a coward.

As he approached he saw Ned join the two girls but he kept going, not stopping until he reached them.

"Jonah, hi!" Amy was the first to greet him, followed by polite greetings from the two Starlings. Ned smiled at him but Sinead barely glanced his way.

Jonah returned the greetings and was trying to figure out how to ask Sinead to dance when Amy suddenly excused herself, leaving him with the two siblings.

Well, there's no time like the present, Jonah thought, seeing that Sinead was glancing around like she was trying to find a reason to escape.

"Do you want to dance Sinead?"

She jerked her head over, a look of shock gracing her features. Ned looked a little surprised too, but Jonah noticed that he stepped back and smiled.

"Um," she stammered. "Uh, no."

"You'll wear my clothes for an entire day but you won't dance one dance with me?"

The glare she turned on him was withering and would have sent most guys running to the corner. But Jonah Wizard wasn't 'most guys.'

Holding her gaze, he gave her a sincere smile and held out his hand. "I was only joking. Dance with me, please?"

When she gaped at him, he resorted to bargaining. "I won't ever ask you ever again—unless you want me to that is. Please. I wanna talk to you."

She held his gaze for a minute, and Jonah felt the nerves return under her searching eyes. What was up with all of this emotional stuff? Wasn't he the one that was supposed to have the upper-hand?

Finally, she gave him a quick nod and tentatively took his offered hand. Jonah fought the urge to grin like an idiot.

Thankfully a song was playing that he was familiar with: 'Kiss From a Rose' by Seal. He was surprised that the Kabras were actually playing it at their party but he went with it, leading Sinead to an empty spot on the floor and placing them near the middle. She didn't protest so he got into position, lightly grazing her waist with his free hand. His other hand clasped hers tighter as he quickly found a rhythm and he couldn't help but note how Sinead fell into step almost right away.

It was silent until they got to the chorus, then Jonah decided to break it. "You're a pretty good dancer."

Before she could answer he spun her and was relieved when she easily followed his lead. As he pulled her back to him, he couldn't help but mouth the line "Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels".

To Sinead's credit, she didn't look embarrassed but he heard the sigh she let out.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it." He let out a little laugh. "It's in my blood."

She rolled her eyes at the pun but looked more amused than anything else. "Like inventing and technology is in mine?"

"Yep."

He paused, shifted them to the right quickly to avoid another couple who had no clue what they were doing, then admitted, "You know, when I approached you and your brothers at that party last year, that was the main reason why."

"What do you mean?" Sinead asked, her brow wrinkling in confusion.

"You can't tell anyone this cause it might ruin my rep."

She gave him an exasperated look but he shook his head. "I'm serious. My mom would kill me."

Now she frowned but nodded at him. "I promise."

"I really like technology, computers mainly. My mom and dad don't mind when I use them for creating music and lyrics, but kinda frown if I get too 'gadgety'. I guess a Janus isn't supposed to be into that stuff."

Sinead looked like she wanted to say something but he rushed on while he still had the courage. "Anyways, I've always been fascinated by how smart you three are, so that's why I came up that time. I wanted to talk to Ned about computers but had to be casual about it."

The redhead in front of him was silent for a minute, before saying, "That's really sad."

"What? That I like things like that?" He looked away self-consciously. "Or that a Janus like me could be interested—"

"No." There was an impatient note in her tone and he whipped his head back to look at her. "It's sad that you can't tell anyone. Who cares if you like stuff like that. I—" but she cut off abruptly.

"You what?" he inquired, curious.

He saw her swallow, then her eyes met his, guarded but somehow open at the same time. "You have to promise that you won't tell anyone either."

"Of course I do."

"I like drag racing. I even have my own car and gear and enter professional competitions. Just not popular ones and I race under an alias so no one will find out."

He halted mid-step, not sure if he heard her right. She groaned and looked down. "See? It's totally stupid. I can't believe I just admitted that to you."

"I think it's cool!" he blurted.

She kept her stance though, so he took the hand that was on her waist and used it to touch her jaw, noting how soft her skin was. "Hey, look at me."

To his shock, she obeyed, but all traces of openness were gone from her face.

Not deterred, he studied her for a second, then dropped his hand and smiled.

"What?" she snapped.

Shrugging, he confessed, "I was just imagining you all geared out."

"And that picture is funny?"

"Nope. Cute. You would look adorable in a racing suit."

Sinead was back to looking at him like he had three heads, and he figured he would be in for it. Instead, he was rewarded by her smile. It was a tiny smile and didn't hold one hundred percent humor, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"You're so weird," she stated.

Again, all he could manage was a shrug. "Well, the ladies love me in spite of that."

To his surprise she ignored his comment, looking down and focusing on her feet. Jonah wasn't sure why, she had been doing just fine so far, but he let it slide, thinking it probably was better for him that she hadn't responded.

When she lifted her head again, her expression was blank. Jonah didn't know what to say to break the silence but put his hand back in place, this time taking a bit more liberty and lightly running his fingers over her waist. To distract her from the movement, he quickly asked, "You should tell me the next time you're racing."

"Why?"

"So I can come watch."

Skepticism flickered in her eyes. "Why would you do that? You're a celebrity that's probably super busy all of the time."

"Hey, I gotta take time off too. Besides, it would be fun. I could disguise myself as a little old granny or something."

She snorted, but he was still talking. "White wig, ugly glasses, bushy eyebrows..."

"Grannys don't have bushy eyebrows," she countered.

"Well I did."

"Wait, you've actually dressed up as a grandma before?"

"A celeb's gotta do what a celeb's gotta do. If you saw my fans, you would do it too."

At first, Sinead just stared at him. Then, to his amazement, she laughed—not a chuckle either, but a real laugh—and his heart thudded at the sound. All he could do was stare in fascination. It was so rare that she dropped her defenses that he wanted her to keep laughing so he could keep gazing at her. Her eyes were lit up with amusement, her cheeks flushed, and suddenly he was tempted to kiss her.

Not a smart move. Don't do it, he warned himself, and just in time, because Sinead stopped, shook her head, her expression mellowing.

"Sorry, but the mental image was funny."

She didn't look sorry, and he was about to point that fact out when the song ended. Jonah had been so distracted that he hadn't noticed. But he quickly got with the program, taking her hand in his and leading her off the floor. As much as he wanted to dance another dance with her, he didn't want to push it. She allowed him to lead her but withdrew her hand as soon as they maneuvered through the last dancing couple.

"Thanks for the dance," he told her.

A tentative smile crossed her lips but she only nodded. Trying to give off the appearance of feeling normal—instead of dancing in exhilaration or jumping up and down like he actually felt—he turned slightly, watching out of the corner of his eye as she walked to the refreshment table.

That had gone a lot better than he thought.

Sinead released a deep breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

Her hand was steady as she took a glass from a staff member though and she silently applauded herself. No matter that on the inside, she was still reeling from the dance.

It's just nerves. You haven't danced in a while. It has nothing to do with him.

Mumbling her thanks to the waiter, she turned around, only to come face to face with Nellie.

"Hey Sinead, how is it going? Enjoying the party so far?" she asked, her eyebrows quirked and a gleam in her eye that Sinead ignored.

"Sure. Amy and I just got here a few minutes ago though."

"Still, it looks like you've already jumped right in."

"I guess." Sinead glanced over Nellie's shoulder, trying to find an excuse to escape.

"I thought I spotted a laugh too. What was that all about? Jonah tell you a joke?"

Annoyance flared in her but she attempted to shove it down, knowing that the older girl would only misread it. "No," she said tightly. "He didn't. Now if you'll excuse me..."

She tried to slip past but Nellie's words halted her. "It's not wrong to have feelings for someone you know. He's a good guy."

Feeling her chest constrict, she glanced back at Nellie, her temper barely in check. "It's none of your business Nellie. And I don't have feelings for him."

Doubt flickered over the other girl's face but Sinead didn't stick around to hear any more. She was over this party already.

But as she walked away, one thing Nellie had said nagged at her, and that was because it was probably true.

Jonah did seem like a good guy. She hadn't expected the dance to go so well. He had been respectful (even though that one time he had run his hand over her waist a little too much) and the conversation had actually been interesting. And they had both shared something personal with one another; something that could be used as blackmail. Only Jonah hadn't come across as the type to do that.

Great. Now you're being all soft. He's still arrogant. Don't forget that moment in the Holt's kitchen a couple of months ago.

Sinead replayed the scene to get it back in her head before she refocused on the present moment. She would take her drink and sit in the corner all night with Amy. There would be no more dances and absolutely no more interaction with a certain Janus.

You're not being fair about this, or to him, the thought whispered in her head. But what else could she do? Being around him left her feeling unsettled, vulnerable even. And she'd had her share of being open with people in her life, enough to learn a valuable fact.

Vulnerability only made one more likely to get hurt.

Four hours later, Sinead found herself changing out of her dress only to change back into casual clothes to go hang out in. It had been Dan's idea to stay up and eat dessert after all of the party guests had left (and after hearing that the Kabras had a full ice cream bar in one of their many kitchens.) and everyone else had readily agreed. Sinead wanted to point out that it was almost midnight and that in order to stay healthy, they probably needed sleep instead of ice cream but she held back, especially when her brothers jumped at the idea.

Now, after a quick glance in the mirror to make sure that her khakis were crisp and her plaid shirt was wrinkle-free, she slowly made her way downstairs, telling herself that after she made an appearance she would come back upstairs and be alone.

It wasn't like she didn't like her cousins but Jonah's presence was slightly unnerving. She should never have agreed to dance with him. Only minutes after she had escaped to the sidelines, she had spotted him dancing with one of Natalie's friends—a pretty blonde. It shouldn't have bothered her that the girl kept trying to rub her body all over the rappers but it did all the same. She hated herself for caring but also told herself that if that was the type of girl he wanted, it wasn't any of her business. The logical side of her brain reminded Sinead that Jonah hadn't seemed comfortable with the attention and kept backing up from the girl, but she pushed it away. He loved attention, so she probably was reading that wrong.

She continued to the kitchen only to halt right outside of it, where Amy, Ian, and Natalie were standing in the small sitting area.

"Hey guys," she greeted them.

"Sinead I'm surprised to see that you're still up," Natalie commented.

A voice from the hall countered, "I'm actually surprised that you're still up. Don't you have beauty sleep to get?"

Dan's face came into view following his half-insult, a smirk on his face.

"Some of us don't need as much to stay beautiful Daniel," Natalie said sweetly. "But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Psh I don't care about beauty. It's a total waste. Now where is the ice cream?"

The British girl, to Sinead's surprise, suddenly moved right in Dan's path, blocking him from entering the kitchen. "How dare you insult me and then ask to eat my ice cream?!"

"Whoa, chill out princess—"

"And how dare you call me that!"

The shrillness of Natalie's voice made Sinead wince, and she was about to intervene when she was surprised once again. Instead of continuing the fight, Dan's face transformed, an apologetic look crossing it. "I'm sorry Natalie. May I please have some ice cream?"

She stared at him in astonishment and Dan used the opportunity to slide past, calling out a cheery "thanks!" over his shoulder. Sinead now wanted to chuckle at the brilliance of his plan but stopped once she caught Natalie's stormy gaze. Muttering something about a "fatuous imbecile", the Lucian flew through the kitchen door, probably to chew Dan out some more.

"Well, that was entertaining," Ian drawled. Turning to Amy he said, "I do hope your brother's insurance is up to date."

Amy only rolled her eyes. "They're on their own. I'm hungry. Your party food wasn't exactly the most filling thing."

Ian let out a long-suffering sigh and gave Amy a sympathetic look. "Amy, love, allow me to explain…"

"No thank you."

Sinead watched as her cousin turned and followed the other two, Ian close on her heels, ignoring her words and trying to explain 'high society' functions to her. The Ekat was just about to join them when a voice stopped her.

"Sinead!"

Great. She could be rude and ignore him, or she could talk to him briefly and try to keep it short. Sinead was about to go with the first one when his voice sounded again, this time right behind her.

"Hey, wait a second, I wanna talk to you about something."

"What is it Jonah?" she asked tightly, turning to face him.

He frowned in confusion, probably at her tone but she didn't care. He could go call up blondie if he wanted someone that would fall all over him.

"Uh, I was just going to show you my schedule so we can compare. I meant it earlier when I said I wanted to see you race."

Sinead held back her cringe, her thoughts going back to their dance. It had been nice at that moment but she knew that she couldn't allow any of this to continue. "I don't know when I'll race next. I have tons of school assignments to get done. My 4.0 GPA won't stay that way if I don't stay on top of it."

"Whoa, that's your grade?" Jonah sounded impressed. "Cool. But don't you get breaks?"

"Not that many," she lied, not meeting his gaze directly. "Some of us value education."

Sinead caught him stiffen, even though she was trying not to look at him.

"What's that supposed to mean? And why are you acting like this? I thought earlier—"

"You thought wrong." She finally directed her gaze at him. Instead of hurt like she expected or a pout, he was staring at her almost like he was trying to look through her. Immediately on the defense, she snapped. "Look, I don't know what your game is here but I'm not playing it. Quit trying to act like you're interested in my life."

Most people would have retreated at that but Jonah's eyes grew amused, replacing the intense look. "If you like me, just admit it."

"W-what?" she barely managed, thrown-off by the abrupt topic change.

"C'mon I know you enjoyed our dance earlier, so you don't have to pretend that you hate me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said stiffly. Then, to distract herself and to cover how flustered she suddenly felt, she headed for the kitchen door, not wanting to stay another second than she had to.

"Hey, I know it's intimidating since I'm this huge celebrity and pretty attractive on top of that, but I'm not really that—"

"I can't believe you!" she said right as she opened the door.

Everyone was sitting around the table, eating ice cream when the two entered. They stopped to stare at them but Sinead ignored them, Jonah's prior comment still being her main focus.

"You are so freaking arrogant!" she snapped at him now, turning and halting on her way to the fridge. "Doesn't it ever get annoying?"

"I'm arrogant? Isn't that a little hypocritical of you? I mean, you were the one just bragging—" His tone was nonchalant, and that coupled with his words made her blood boil.

"Hypocritical? You did not just say that to me!" Sinead said, and she would have gone on, only snickers from the table behind them made her pause.

"What's so funny?" She turned her anger on the group there, who were all exchanging glances and grins.

"Look up!" The laughter rang in Madison's voice, making it barely legible.

Heart sinking and a bad feeling taking over her, Sinead slowly lifted her eyes.

Sure enough. Mistletoe.

Snapping her eyes back to Jonah—who was now sending her a lazy smirk, his eyes alight with laughter—she gritted out, "There is no way in heck we're kissing."

"It's tradition!" Nellie sang out. "So pucker up you two. Wait, let me get my camera."

Sinead's face drained as everyone surrounding them started laughing.

Backing up slowly, she said in a low voice, "Well I'm not a 'traditional' girl."

She looked back at Jonah and added, "Besides, I would much rather gouge my own eyes out than kiss you."

"That's cause you've never kissed me."

Gaping at him, all she could do was sputter.

"See, you're already speechless."

"That's not why—"

"Not that anyone would blame you for liking it or anything. I'm a pro at kissing," he said easily like it was common knowledge.

"Actually, studies reveal that in order for someone to enjoy a kiss they have to be attracted to the other person. Which means that in this case, I would just be tolerating it. Sorry to burst your little bubble."

Jonah just grinned. "So if you do enjoy kissing me that means you have feelings for me? Challenge accepted."

Her heart felt like it stopped, and she heard her own voice say weakly, "Wait, that's not—"

But she was cut off by him stepping closer and saying, "Wanna know what I think? I think you're scared you might actually like it."

"Now why would I be scared of that? Like kissing you is something—"

She stopped when he drew closer, halting within inches from her. Suddenly aware of the heat coming off his body, she wondered what she was getting herself into.

"Something?" he prompted.

Sinead cleared her throat, hating how his eyes—light chocolate yet somehow intense—were boring into hers. She had never noticed now alive they were.

"Something special," she finished, taking another step backward.

But she hit the wall and knew that she was trapped. Glancing behind him (partly to get away from his gaze) she noticed that her brothers and cousins were looking on curiously and knew that they would be no help.

Thinking fast, she blurted out, "Besides, we aren't even under the mistletoe anymore. So kissing is pointless."

The celebrity grinned again. "Oh, this has turned into more than simply a tradition."

She watched him place one of his hands on the wall beside her waist, almost but not quite touching her. Looking up quickly she saw his other hand moving towards her. Not sure what to do, she held her breath as he lightly brushed her hair from her face.

"And does everything have to be logical and scientific in your mind? Why not just go with the flow?"

Before she could protest that he had no right to touch her without her consent or to judge her when he knew nothing about her, he leaned in.

Sinead stiffened but he paused right before his lips touched hers, both hands moving to skim her face as he studied her.

"Logic is overrated," he muttered, and then she felt his lips against hers.

Closing her eyes out of reflex, her brain screamed at her to not enjoy it. If she could just stand there until he was done...but it was hard when his kiss was so sweet.

Sinead hadn't been expecting that; hadn't expected him to keep his hands cupped on her cheeks as he brushed his lips over hers again and again, almost like he was coaxing her to enjoy it, to kiss him back. But that's what she was doing. She was enjoying it.

The thought came to her mind that she shouldn't be and it caused her to whisper at the first chance she got, "That's it? Well, I'm not impressed."

Her voice came out breathy which she hated and it was a total lie. But he didn't need to know that.

"That's cause I'm not done yet." Jonah's voice was as smooth as velvet, a perfect mix of innocence and seduction. And Sinead couldn't help but shut her mouth, especially as his lips lightly touched hers again. She couldn't help but let out a sigh too as he looped an arm around her neck and drew her closer to his body, a move that somehow made her feel so secure.

That, mixed with his scent, screamed masculinity and confidence and she liked it. She also liked the way he was kissing around her mouth now. It felt so intimate, almost like there were actual feelings involved. At the back of her mind, she knew that there weren't, but there suddenly wasn't any more time for thoughts like that because her focus shifted to what Jonah was currently doing.

One minute he was kissing her softly, the next she could feel his tongue grazing hers. Reflexively, she gasped, the move being unexpected. And it felt so good.

He's an amazing kisser. Wow.

That was the only thought she had and without even meaning to she could feel herself start to respond. Her hands moved to grasp his shoulders and he, in turn, tightened his grip around her.

Somehow still through it all, she could register voices and whistles in the room, but she couldn't bring herself to even care, especially as he kept exploring her mouth and she felt herself getting lost as the sensations took over her body.

He moved out suddenly and before she knew it she had let out a whimper at the lost contact.

"J-Jonah."

Was that her voice, all breathy and rough sounding?

"Hmm?" he whispered against her lips. "Did that feel good?"

He didn't give her a chance to answer, instead going back to kiss her like that.

Gripping his shoulders tighter to steady herself as she began to lose herself in the moment, she began responding back again, this time her reserve totally falling away.

All the while her mind was screaming at her to stop, to pull away, to protest, but she couldn't. It was like for once in her life, all logic had been pushed to a tiny corner of her mind, allowing her to actually feel.

Vaguely, she could hear the whistles and murmuring of voices fade but her main focus was on the sensations coursing through her—the sensations that Jonah was causing her to feel.

She didn't even care that he was gaining the upper-hand right now. She didn't care that he shouldn't be doing this, that she shouldn't be allowing this. She didn't even care that one of his hands was lightly skimming her waist, right at the hem of her shirt.

It wasn't until she felt his hands under her shirt, grazing her sides, that she stiffened, reality crashing down on her. Drawing back abruptly, she felt panic seize her.

My scars. He can't feel—

But it was too late.

He had. She felt his hand there, although only for a brief second. Gasping for air and tugging her shirt down, she ducked under him and darted for the door.

"Wait. Sinead—" she heard his voice behind her say but she shut it out, hitting the door and practically bursting through it.

Her brothers and cousins, all sitting and standing throughout the room, stopped and stared at her, open-mouthed.

Quickly composing her face, she headed for the door only yards away, her entire being focused on the freedom it would bring.

"Are you crying? What happened?" Ned demanded.

Was she crying? Now that her brother said something, she could feel her eyes sting, though thankfully the tears hadn't let out. Inhaling sharply she snapped, "No. And I don't want to talk about it. Ask him."

She finally reached the door, this time gently easing it open and shut it behind her. Then she breathed in the frosty night air and told herself to calm down. Surely Jonah wouldn't say anything, though he was probably thinking plenty.

Fighting against tears again, she lectured herself as she made her way blindly through the Kabra's estate, no particular destination in mind

And why do you care what he thinks about you? So what if he's totally turned-off now? Isn't that supposed to make you happy?

Only for some strange reason, it didn't make her happy at all.

Jonah stood there after Sinead left, trying to think. What had just happened?

Deep down he knew why she bolted. Obviously, it was over her scars, scars that he had felt with his own hands. Jonah knew that she had them on her arm—everyone knew that—but he had been a little stunned to discover that they were on her side too.

But still, why was it such a big deal? While the jagged, rough skin had thrown him off a little, it definitely wouldn't have made him pull away or anything. He had been enjoying kissing her way too much.

Jonah had kissed a lot of girls, so it was a little surprising that it felt so good to kiss Sinead. It wasn't supposed to be her getting the upper hand back there, but Jonah felt like if the kissing would have continued he would have ended up at her mercy. Her responsiveness had awakened something inside of him, and it wasn't just physical.

Groaning and pushing the thoughts away, he figured it was time to escape to his room. He wouldn't enjoy the rest of the evening now anyways and everyone was sure to wonder why Sinead had suddenly run out. He had heard her voice in the next room there for a second but she was probably gone by now.

Making his feet move, he forced a relaxed expression on his face as he exited the kitchen.

Ten pairs of eyes immediately zeroed in on him but he tried to ignore them. Maybe he could slide through quickly enough where no one would question him…

"What happened in there?" Ted asked. "And why did my sister look like she was about to cry?"

Dang it. She was crying?

Jonah felt guilty even though he knew it wasn't really his fault. Looking up at Ted, he said calmly, "I didn't do anything if that's what you're implying."

"Well, it must have been something with the way she ran out!" Ned jumped in, looking as ticked off as his brother. "Besides, she said to ask you right before she bolted."

Thanks a lot Sinead.

Out loud he said, "Hey we were just kissing, okay? I might have gotten a little too close to…" at their looks he hastily amended, "I mean, I thought they were just on her arm—"

"Wait, 'too close'? Her 'arm'?" Ned demanded, his face whitening as he stared at him. "Are you talking about…"

He exchanged a look with Ted, then spoke up. "Her scars? Is that what you're referring to?"

Jonah almost didn't want to confess, not sure if Sinead's brothers would want to beat him up or what but decided that being upfront was probably a good move. He had been really cool with Ned and Ted up to this point but knew that this was a different situation. "Uh yeah, I mean, I didn't know…"

"She told you though? She never talks about them, let alone allows anyone near them!" Ted stared at him incredulously.

"What are you guys talking about? We all know about her scars," Amy inserted, looking puzzled.

"Not those. The ones on her side," Ned bit out. "The ones that she gets defensive about if Ted or I even bring them up. The ones that neither of us have seen before."

"Look," Jonah said, not liking the way the two Starling boys were glaring at him. "I didn't see them."

"How did you know about them then?" Ted demanded.

"Um"—he swallowed, wondering briefly if he should go ahead and call his insurance—"I felt them. But just for a second before she bolted."

Everyone just stared at him. Some of the girls were smiling and Jonah was pretty sure Nellie was trying not to laugh but he ignored them, keeping his focus on Ted and Ned.

Taking a deep breath, he swallowed his pride and stated, "I had no idea it would upset her so bad or I wouldn't have touched her there. And I definitely wasn't trying to hurt her."

The seriousness of his tone must have worked because he noticed Ned relax a little and let out a breath.

Ted kept frowning though and looked him straight in the eye. "Do you like her Jonah? Or was all of that in the kitchen just a game to you?"

Wow. He just basically asked if I'm playing his sister; in front of everyone.

Jonah hated this position but didn't show it, holding Ted's gaze. "Your sister is amazing. But she probably hates me right now and wouldn't listen if I tried to talk to her. And that's all I'm telling you."

Changing his mind about his destination, he grabbed his rental car keys from the pocket of his jeans and headed for the door, not sure where he was going but knowing that he had to get away. "Later."

He heard one of the Starling's voices behind him but he had no idea what they said, nor did he care.

This night definitely hadn't been what he'd expected.

The end. For now. Bwahahahaha!

But really, the simple story I had in mind took this crazy turn and now I don't know really know how to resolve this...hmmmm… *wheels spinning*

Oh and I'm totally in the mood to write more Christmas stuff, so any ideas? I'm thinking of a Natan or a Jonah-centric...something funny...I dunno.