Page 52 of The Naughty List Agreement

“That’s it?”

“I like your ass in those jeans,” she admitted.

“Everything you like about me is physical?” he teased as he stepped closer to her.

“Seems to be.”

She leaned toward him.

That peppermint and vanilla scent that he now associated with Cora wrapped around him, inviting him closer to her warmth. For a split second he almost kissed her, almost pulled her into his arms and plunged his tongue deep in her mouth but they were standing in front of the Winter Wonderland gates. He heard the sounds of people coming up the path so instead he took a deep breath and groaned internally as her scent filled his nostrils.

The struggle to keep his eyes on her face and not on those fantastic legs of hers, showcased by the thigh-high boots she wore, that struggle was real. Her red velvet miniskirt trimmed in white faux fur ended a good two inches above the boots and it was driving him crazy.

“You’re dangerous.”

His eyes widened. “Me?”

No one had ever described him as dangerous before. He wasn’t sure he liked it.

“You make me believe in things I know don’t exist.”

Ah, that kind of dangerous.

“Belief is very powerful,” he said.

“So is delusion, and they seem to me like close cousins,” she said, then glanced over his shoulder and waved to someone. “It’s almost showtime.”

He didn’t want to let the conversation drop because it finally felt like he was getting somewhere, but he had no choice. Fliss arrived, along with a few members of the board that Nick had met when he’d presented the WonderHaus to them.

Cora grabbed her assistant and pulled her to the side, excusing herself from the group. Nick found himself with some board members—Jeremy, Alison, and Darren. They all were on the Nice List, though Darren had moments when he slipped but he always corrected himself quickly.

“The tree looks really great this year. Cora keeps smashing it out of the park,” Alison said. “My niece and nephew are so excited to visit. Of course, your WonderHaus is at the top of their wish lists.”

“What elements of the design are they most excited about?” he asked.

“The integration and making a smart house. My sister won’t let them use their devices for more than an hour a day. I suspect they’re going to use the house as an excuse to try to get more time.”

Nick hadn’t thought of that angle. “There’s a lot that can be done without a device.”

“Which is good because my sister will not be allowing more screen time.”

Nick spotted Cora moving toward the risers to the left of the tree and went to join her. “Everything okay?”

There were tiny wrinkles on her brow.

“The band we booked canceled last minute. There’s not enough time to find a replacement. People are already arriving. They’ll know that things aren’t as advertised.”

Nick put his hand on her shoulder as much for comfort as to assuage that need he had to touch her. “It’ll all be fine. Why don’t you ask if there are any choir members in the audience and invite them up?”

“We still don’t have a band.”

“I’ll lead them. I’ve got a pretty good singing voice.” He’d grown up surrounded by singing—in his family, and among the elves who preferred to create their own music as they worked.

“It’s a good suggestion but…”

“What? Are you afraid it won’t be slick enough? Christmas is part spectacle, but it’s all heart and connection. This will work, trust me.”

Trust wasn’t easy for her and that doubt was written all over her face.