Lucky me, I won the prize of spending an entire evening with this man.
He takes both my hands. “You’re beautiful, Everly. I’m a lucky guy.”
Our thoughts are syncing.
“Black is amazing on you. And all the Christmas cheer you need is right there.” He taps the red, green, and clear crystal necklace I added for color. The pad of his finger teases my collarbone.
Who would have thought calloused hands could be so appealing?
“You clean up pretty nice yourself.” Suits aren’t always the best on big guys, but Knox wears his delightfully. His active job serves him well.
He spreads his arms in take-a-gander fashion, then tweaks the bottom of his tie. It’s red and green plaid and sports a dancing Santa. “What do you think?”
“Hmm. Festive.”
“Too cheesy?” He thumbs over his shoulder. “I’ve got another one if you want me to change.”
Never.“Nope. This one’s just right for a Christmas party.”
He adjusts the knot. “Good, because the other one is boring, business-y blue. And we can’t have that.” His dimples pop, sending waves of swoon all the way to my toes. “Besides, this is my favorite. My grandfather used to wear it every Christmas. Now, I bring it out for special occasions.”
I blink. “A work party with a woman you just met and a bunch of strangers is a special occasion?”
He pats the silky tie. “Yep…but it isn’t the strangers that make tonight special.”
The fiery sparkle in his lowered gaze dazzles the butterflies in my stomach.
Truly, everything about my date for the night could defrost the contents of a walk-in freezer in five minutes flat. Knox is way more than I expected to find while languishing in Chandor for the holidays. If things maintain their present course, I’m going to wind up owing Uncle Charlie instead of the other way around.
Knox step-hops around me, takes my fingers lightly, and opens the driver’s door. “Your carriage, milady.”
After closing me inside, he removes his suit coat and lays it neatly across the backseat. Our elbows collide on the armrest as he fits himself into the passenger compartment. Spicy colognefurther discombobulates my already racing thoughts. Taking a deep, collecting breath, I press the engine start button.
Knox frowns. “That didn’t sound right.”
“Yeah, it’s made that sound a couple times this week, but then it’s fine.”
“Cold weather’s hard on batteries.”
“I’ll check into it on Monday.”
As we merge with freeway traffic, Knox grips the strap over the door. I think the posture is more about running out of space than it is an issue with my driving. No wonder he drives a truck.
My palms are sweaty on the leather wheel. “So. What did you do today?”
“Worked.”
I whip around. “Another Saturday?”
“Oh yeah—and pretty much every day until this job is done. Trying to make up for time the weather’s cost us. LHS has sent down a second crew to work at night.”
“Oh joy.”
He grins, but the stress of the week shows.
“I feel awful taking you away from work.”
He snort-chuckles. “You kidding? I owe you bigtime.”
