“I can tell. And honestly, Holden, Quest Lodge and the restaurant are beautiful. I’ve toured the property a little since I arrived, and I think once the lodge opens it’s going to be a very popular attraction for ski enthusiasts from around the world.” She scrubbed a spot only her trained eye could notice on her clean counter. “I am happy to be here. You’ve built something truly special.”
“Paying me compliments now? I like it.” I quirked a brow.
She stopped me with a hand in the air.
“Don’t go getting your ego wrapped up in what I just said. Take the compliment and move on,” she chortled.
“Move on, sure. Speaking of, what should we do with ourselves the rest of the night?” I placed one hand on thecounter she just wiped, the other in my pocket, casually drifting closer to her.
Shorter than me, her head dipped back to peer up. The light caught her pretty eyes and twisted my gut. I knew exactly what I’d like to do with her—carry her off to bed, show her a good time.
Now that she seemed to warm up to me, nothing wrong with a casual affair for Christmas. We were both adults who could work professionally and not make it awkward. Besides, after the holidays she’d probably be too busy to come out of her kitchen to see me, anyway. Unless we didn’t stop, and made this a rather convenient arrangement well into the New Year? My mind raced with possibilities.
“I-I have more work to do. Did you say you’d set up cots? And do you know where to find them—in the basement storage room? And grab pillows, sheets, and several blankets, too,” she ordered.
“You’re pretty bossy, Frosty, you know that?” I nearly hovered over her now, our bodies close, eyes laser-focused on her rosy lips.
“How do you expect me to command a kitchen if I purred like a kitten?” She fluttered her lashes a few times and then dashed away out of arms’ reach.
Fuck me. Now I could add the image of her purring and stretching her body out in my bed to my list of fantasies. We would be sleeping in the same room tonight? Good luck trying to rest knowing she would be but a few feet away from me.
10
PLAYING SAFE
LILAH
I’d spentyears telling myself one story about my ruined wedding day: Brad was a cheating bastard, Holden was his smooth accomplice, and I played the fool in white.
Now I knew—Brad was still a cheating bastard.
But Holden might not have been the villain I’d made him out to be. Which was frankly very inconvenient, being stuck here in a storm with the gorgeous snowboarding-playboy-turned-mountain-man-lodge-owner today.
I labored busily through my frustrations. I wiped down the prep counters for the third time, even though they already gleamed. The smells of dinner and pies still hung in the air—as did Holden’s cologne. I turned the fans on to blow it all out, as if that’d prevent me from thinking about him.
I’d cooled the soup. Wrapped the bread. Labeled everything. Checked the walk-in cooler temp. Double-checked the freezers. Triple-prayed the generator would hold steady overnight. My eyes toured the kitchen, running out of excuses to hide here.
I put the votives back into a drawer, dwelling on the way Holden’s eyes had gone earnest when he explained everything. He’d appeared genuinely wrecked when he wished he’d donebetter by me. Which made him either a good actor or… But I chose to believe him.
I braced my palms on the counter. For so long, it’d been simpler to tuck him into the same mental box as Brad, labeled Men Who Betray. I closed the lid on that chapter of my life, locked it tight. Done.
But tonight, hearing Holden admit how he’d ripped into Brad after I ran away, and how he’d cut his friend out of his life—it tore that box wide open faster than a preschooler with a Christmas present. I’d been wrong about Holden all along.
My fingertips pressed my lips where I could still feel the ghost of his almost-kiss. My body tingled where his shoulder had brushed mine while we washed dishes side by side. My breath had caught. So had his. He’d leaned in, had done all the right things to kick-start my heart, and then I’d bolted like a coward when his phone rang.
Always playing it safe, that was me.
The clock on the wall chimed midnight. No longer Christmas Eve. But Christmas. I chuckled. Maybe Santa brought me gifts tonight after all, like the chance to lay a piece of my past to rest, and the chance to sleep in the same room with Holden. Maybe more than sleep?
I snorted. “Right. Because sex with my boss is exactly what I need.” I yanked off my apron and tossed it into the hamper, ignoring the part of my body that screamedYou do need sex, honey. Lighten up and live a little.
I finally forced myself out of my sanctuary and crept past the lobby to the library. When I pushed open the door, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but heat wrapped around me like a hug, inviting me inside.
Holden had built a Christmas cocoon, complete with twinkle lights across the ceiling, and a small tree I recognized as one from the dining room. The cozy atmosphere was unexpected,like I had walked into a secret cave of warmth in the middle of a frozen mountain.
The fireplace crackled gently, flames licking at logs that glowed orange and gold. Two cots sat near the hearth, about five feet apart, each layered like miniature hotel beds with cushioned bases, crisp sheets, fluffy pillows, and duvets.
He occupied one cot, sleeping. On the empty cot for me, extra blankets lay folded neatly at the foot, along with a pair of plush hotel slippers and a thick robe, waiting for me to jump into this Christmas fantasy world he’d built.
