“Sure. The only thing I don’t like on pizza is pineapple.”
“Oh, so you’re one ofthosepeople. Personally, I love a good Hawaiian-style pizza.”
“Weirdo. Putting fruit on your pizza is abnormal. When’s the last time you heard about anyone adding watermelon to it? Or strawberries?”
He gave a rueful shake of his head. “You’re the one that’s missing out.”
She expected him to join her at the table, but he went to stand behind her. She peeked at him over her shoulder. “Aren’t you going to sit with me? You’ve been working as hard as I have.”
“I’ve been sitting for over an hour. You look like you’re carrying a lot of tension in your shoulders. How about a little massage?”
A massage? Rosie’s face heated up, as did the rest of her body. This was a bad idea. Very, very bad.
Don’t overreact. It’s not sexual. It’s something he’s been trained to do.
“Um…okay. Let me take off my blazer.” She shrugged it off and set it on the chair beside her. Under it, she’d only been wearing a sleeveless, silken shell so she wouldn’t get overheated. But when Drew’s hands touched her shoulders, both her pulse and her temperature spiked. Forget hot chocolate. What she needed was a big glass of ice water.
“You’re so tight,” he murmured as his hands kneaded her shoulders. “All that stress can’t be good for you.”
“It…it’s not. But so much was riding on today. It’s been a lot to deal with.” Her voice wobbled. “I…I just can’t thank you enough. For everything. Coming with me to my parents’ Sunday dinners. Getting your sister to donate loads of craft supplies. Being a kick-ass Santa. All I’m doing is attending a wedding. It’s hardly fair.”
“You’re wrong. Every time you show up at the gym and act like my girlfriend, it gives me a huge boost of confidence. Hannah and her friends love teasing me about you, and the other trainers aren’t treating me like I’m a wounded puppy.”
A powerful ache tugged at her heart. She was glad to be helping him. But another part of her wished it wasn’t a ruse. Which was foolish because she had too much on her plate to deal with a romantic relationship. And Drew had already warned her he couldn’t handle one, either.
“I’m glad I could help,” she said.
As he dug in deeper, massaging stiff muscles, she let out a groan. Closing her eyes, she surrendered to the power of his hands. If he was this good at giving a massage, what was he like in the bedroom? Tender? Teasing? Did he like giving as much as receiving?
Stop. She could not be thinking about sex with Drew, not when all he was doing was giving her a massage.
When he was done, he patted her on the shoulder and sat across from her. “The other thing I wanted to say? Spending time with you isn’t a hardship. I enjoy it.”
She gazed into his expressive brown eyes, wanting so badly to tell him everything—that she’d had a crush on him since last year, that she secretly dreamed of him at night, and that her physical desires went further than just a friendly massage.
“What is it?” he said. “You’re giving me that look again.”
Shit.She needed to get her emotions under control. “What look?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I dunno…kind of a yearning look? Like maybe you’ve been reading some of those Santa romances that Selena mentioned. Is it because I’m dressed in a Santa suit?”
Too flustered to deflect his question, she blurted out an honest response. “Yes. I mean…I…never had any Santa fantasies before, but now I sort of do?”
She covered her face with her hands. Why was she admitting this? Clearly, the massage had weakened her self-control.
“All Santas? Like Tim Allen fromThe Santa Clause? Or the old guy fromElf? Or just me?”
“Just you.” The words slipped out before she could stop them.
He stared at her for a long beat. “Really? What do you fantasize about?”
“Um…sitting on your lap?” She stopped before she added the part about being naked.
“Then let’s make it happen.” He stood and pointed to his throne, still sitting in the corner. “Come on.”
What had she done? And why was he playing along?
As if propelled by an unseen force, she followed him over to the throne. He sat on it and pulled her onto his lap. She caught a whiff of his scent, sweat mingled with a woodsy aftershave. Her heart was beating so loudly she was sure he could hear it.
