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“I miss my cousins, and the idea of spending time with them, especially around the holidays, is appealing but…”
“It feels off to you.”
“Why would you say that?”
“According to you, they haven’t really bothered with you since your grandmother died.”
“No, they haven’t.” The separation they put between us wasn’t something I liked to think about, but if given the chance, I could put all of that behind me. I wished the chance didn’t hinge on me selling my house. “The timing is off.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think you know.” I avoided the conversation of my house with Huxley at all costs because I wanted to believe the time we spent together was because we were forming a connection. I didn’t want it to be about business.
“Because they want to work with me and they see you as an opportunity to make that happen.”
“That could be it.” Or it could be something completely different. I just wasn’t ready to discuss that with him. “What does your family think about our age difference?”
“I haven’t mentioned it to them.” He twirled his finger around my hair. Does he know how his touch calms me? “Would it make you feel better if I did?”
“It might not be a problem for me or you, but it could be for others.”
“In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I don’t care what other people think.” He gently kissed me. “But full disclosure, I do have two nieces that are a few years younger than you.”
“Spoken like a true lawyer.” I bit my lip. “Sitting across from them at a holiday table could be awkward for all of us.” Who would have thought him wanting to buy my house would be the least of our problems? “I don’t want to ruin anyone’s holiday.”
“The only way you could ruin my holiday is by you not being there.”
Why am I so unsure of myself when it comes to him?
“I don’t want you to go to Hawaii, but I’ll accept whatever you decide.” He caressed my cheek. “I wanted you to know, you are welcome to spend Christmas with me.”
“Thank you.” As tempting as his offer was, I couldn’t answer him now. “Can I think about it?”
“I’ve given you plenty to think about, haven’t I?” He smirked. “I can be overwhelming for some.”
“Not overwhelming, just intense and a bit of a mystery, but I’m trying to figure you out.”
“You know more about me than most.” He extended his legs in front of him. “You might not believe that, but I promise it’s true. I’m not sure how that happened, but here we are.”
“What should we do about that?”
“Just go with it.” When his phone buzzed, he picked it up off the coffee table and frowned after glancing at the screen. “I have to take this.”
“Sure.” I hopped off the couch. “I’m going to put on something more comfortable.”
“Okay.” He smiled. “We’ll order dinner when I’m done.”
“See you soon.” I leaned down and kissed his cheek before heading upstairs. Did he really mean it when he said I knew more about him than most? Why is our attraction to one another so powerful? Why am I afraid of it?
Maybe I should just go with it.
I entered his massive walk-in closet in his bedroom and gazed around, taking in all the suits, ties, and shoes. As I made my way to my bag in the corner, I spied his red suit. It stuck out in the hordes of black, gray, and blues. I ran my hand along the sleeve, thinking about the night this suit drew me to him.
Sexy Santa.
I stripped off my clothes but I couldn’t stop thinking about the red jacket. What it would feel like against my skin. I licked my lips when I reached for it, no longer able to ignore the pulses between my legs.
I carefully removed it from the padded hanger and poked my arms through the sleeves that were too big for me. I glanced at myself in the full-sized mirror on the opposite wall, admiring the soft fabric as it drowned my body.
