He burst out laughing, lightness in his face that hadn’t been there since she’d met him. “I know, can you believe it?”
“I can.” Alice skipped around to the other side of the table and slipped her arms around his waist. Laying her cheek on his back, she hugged him. “Need some help?”
“I could use some more candy cups. I ran out. I needed to keep going since the chocolate is stiffening up.”
“Ninety-six doesn’t a hundred make.” She stood on her toes and brushed her lips against his jaw before she ran to the pantry. Head in the clouds, she placed the cups next to him. Unable to resist, she slid her hand down his arm, aching to touch him.
“Those damn round numbers get you every time. Thanks for helping. I wanted to get ahead for the rest of the week. Christmas is a big deal with my family and I don’t want to worry about the day after, especially if your predictions come true.” He dipped a caramel square in the remaining chocolate and knocked the excess off his fork.
The pressure from the show off her shoulders, she was ecstatic. Tomorrow, she’d spend the entire day with Niko. An entire day.
And tonight. All night
She leaned her back against the table and studied his face, drinking in his strong nose and rugged jaw. From the record number of likes he’d gotten, many other women agreed with her assessment. Those other women weren’t in the kitchen with him, getting ready to seduce the subject of their fantasy. “Some of them already have. I received over fifty emails from people in the industry that are interested in having you on their show, or developing a pilot with you. I forwarded them to the CG email address. I wasn’t sure how often you checked it.”
“Hallie more than me.” He finished the last candy before he darted his hand out and rubbed a dollop of chocolate on her bottom lip. Grinning, he dipped his head and licked the milk chocolate off her mouth. She caught his lips with her own, her tongue breaching the warmth of his mouth. He tasted of sin and chocolate, the road to temptation she wanted to walk down forever.
But there were roadblocks she couldn’t overcome.
His timer went off and he broke the kiss, his forehead resting against hers for a brief second. “Hold that thought.”
He dropped the dirty chocolate bowl into the sink and opened the freezer. Removing a white container, he slid it into the refrigerator. “Fifty emails, really?”
Alice covered the sheet pans with plastic wrap. While she worked, she licked the rest of the chocolate off, wishing to taste more of him and the candy. Two of her greatest weaknesses. She slid the pans into the sheetpan rack, the action second nature of late. “With that many people competing, you could name your own terms. If you’re interested, of course. You have a following on the social media page we linked to our website. Three times larger than Diana’s. Not surprising, Beau doesn’t seem to be a hit.”
“You know how crazy my life is. I haven’t given much thought to anything but the immediate future.” He finished rinsing out the bowl and put it into the dishwasher. Stretching his neck, he released his hair from its restraint. The coffee brown strands brushed his broad shoulders, shoulders wide enough to carry the burden of his family.
Niko was a definite keeper and if she weren’t perpetrating a fraud, she’d stay in Seattle for the rest of her life. For now, she’d stay for the next two weeks. She’d come to the decision while talking to Mitchell. Why not? The show was on hiatus until mid-January and she wasn’t needed anywhere else. Even contemplating the choice had brought waves of guilt. When it came to Niko, she proved to be shameless.
“It’s a tough business. Very lucrative if you get the right deal. I’ll let you know when that happens,” she said.
“I thought you were a success. Isn’t yours the top show on EN?” He sidled up behind her and brought her back into his body. Large hands cupped the weight of her breasts while he tongued her earlobe.
She closed her eyes, her skin tingling from head to toe. The tang of chocolate clung to him and she’d never be able to look at the candy the same. “It is and yes, I’ve done well but we haven’t won any of the big awards. Maybe this Christmas show will do the trick since the sexy winner is trending on social media.”
“Trending, am I?” His rumbling laughter reverberated against her back. “I thought you took those pics down.”
She turned in his arms and slipped her hands under the hem of his T-shirt. “I tried but they’re in cyber world. You should read some of the comments. One of my favorites was “Did he just come off the burner? Because he’s sizzling.””
His grin widened, the dimple expanding as a flush stained his cheeks. “You’re making that up.”
“I wish I was.” Giggling, she grabbed the hem of his shirt and drew it over his shoulders, exposing his broad chest for greedy exploration. His body was perfect, solid muscle and sinew under unblemished skin. She skimmed her mouth across his abdomen, tracing the tattoo on his side. “Where did you get the tattoo?”
“In Ireland after my first big purse.” He massaged her scalp, his husky reply sending chords of desire into her already heightened body.
“I’ve never been. Is this a cocoa branch in the claws?” The dragon was green with the scales shaded from pale gold to red. She charted the curving lines with tiny kisses while she unbuttoned his pants. Within the walls of CG, she’d lower the limits she’d put on her wild side and indulge her inner beast. She followed the lines of his torso, discovering her way across his defined belly.
“Yes,” he said, his voice gravely and raw.
“And this scar? Did you get it in a fight?” Alice licked the ragged scar that disappeared into the waistband of his jeans. She pulled his zipper down, the denim falling open while she continued to follow the path with her tongue. Until she left Seattle, he was all hers, a special Christmas present for her alone to unwrap.
“No. When I was thirteen, I jumped my bike off a rail and landed on a broken bottle, not my finest moment.”
“Ouch, that must have hurt. I’d better kiss it and make it better.” She glided her fingers under the band of his underwear and caressed his cock. He rubbed the back of her head with his thumb while she took him into her mouth, sliding her tongue along the broad head. He dropped his neck back, throat working. With each stroke of her mouth, his thighs tensed. His rising passion incited her own desires. How different things might have been if she’d never received the application from CG. She tucked her regrets deep inside. Tonight was her time to let go of the past and forget the future.
“Yes, please do.” He tightened his grip on her neck, bringing her upright. Liquid grey eyes met hers before his mouth captured hers in a soul-searing kiss that weakened her knees. The connection between them defied logic but she didn’t want to be logical. She yearned to feel and not think.
When Niko lifted her onto the desktop, he broke their heated kiss. His panting breath matching her own, he nudged her legs apart and fitted his hips between them.
