“This ticket,” he says, glancing at it, “says I’ve attempted to bribe an ‘officer of the spirit.’ With my dick.”
He gives me a long pause after he says that. I blink at him. Yes, exactly. It was clearly a bribe to get out of decorating. But I wasn’t going to let that pass. What about that doesn’t he understand?
“Maggie,” he says, slowly, like I might not get it if he speaks too fast. “Last night wasn’t a bribe.”
“Of course it was,” I say. “You saw an ‘adorable’ girl, ready to fall for your seductive city boy spell, and you knew that was your ticket out of decorating. Well, joke’s on you. I’m adorable and smart.”
He stares at me for a moment, and then he’s laughing. Laughing and running a hand through his unkempt hair and making me want to straddle him again.
“Maggie, just come over when you’re done working, okay?”
The way he says my name, softly, pausing to really look at me when he speaks, well, it does things to me. Like I’m special. Like he means it. It shouldn’t be this easy to win me over, but it is. And even if this is a trick, I can’t resist him. I’m like a kid alone in the living room with no one to stop me from shaking my present under the tree.
I’m completely and totally tempted.
“Okay,” I say, and then I sit up. “To check your violations, right?”
He just laughs again and, Santa help me, winks.
“See you later, Christmas cop.”
Chapter Ten
I don’t go straight to Ryan’s house after work. I am not some desperate elf, grateful for any sliver of attention this man is willing to give me. No, I’m a grown woman, a woman who knows her worth.
So I take detours. I go by Sutton’s and say hello to the goats. I call my mom and listen to her complain about how they’re opening up a nude beach near her condo and how she doesn’t approve. I grab a sandwich at Gingersnap’s that I don’t even remember eating because I’m so damn distracted.
Why, why does he want me to come by his house?
And why can’t I just stay away from him? He’s all wrong for me, even if I want him. Even if we have chemistry. Even if the chemistry resulted in the best night of my life, sexually speaking.
He’s good at what he does, okay? But the point is, this is a recipe for heartbreak. I never should have left that last violation. I thought it would be a cheeky way to take back the power after slipping up and falling into bed with him, but all it’s done is given me another chance to fall.
And I don’t just mean into his bed.
“Shake it off, Maggie,” I tell myself, even as I get into my Jeep and head for Ryan’s house. I think about calling in Lexi for backup, but that just makes me feel like a coward. No, this is a solo mission. One I can handle. One I have to handle.
However, as I approach Ryan’s house, I realize something is off. Something’s different. As soon as I turn onto Candy Cane Lane I know it’s not as I left it, but what—
Is that—
The Trio of Hotness all working together to decorate Old Joe’s house?
I pull into the drive and park, unable to hide my grin. I spot Ryan on a ladder hanging lights, his dark hair looking messy, a dark green thermal shirt hugging his back.
“Christmas cop!” Ryan yells down at me. “Fancy seeing you here!”
I can barely formulate a response as I take in what they’ve already done to the house. Lights around each of the windows. Icicles hanging over the door. A full Christmas tree inside, visible in the giant picture window, and a Christmas tree in the front yard, fully decorated with lights. Red twinkling bulbs in the hedges. An animatronic Santa by the door.
Holy Christmas cookies, Batman, they’ve really taken this to the next level.
“It’s a Christmas miracle,” I announce. “The Three Wise Men have finally decided to comply with town code! What made you change your mind?”
“I can’t afford the tickets.” Ryan grins.
“Yeah, our boy here was really strapped for cash after you got through with him,” Jake adds with a laugh.
“I think we deviated a little from the blueprint,” a third insanely handsome man, who must be Carter, adds, giving me a megawatt grin.
“That’s okay,” I assure him, unable to keep the grin off my face. “The blueprint is really just a plan. You guys did great. It’s really impressive.”
Ryan climbs down the ladder, giving me a nice shot of his ass. As he lands near me, I shiver all over.
How does he do that with just proximity? It should be illegal. A violation of hotness.
Ryan swipes a hand over his forehead, surveying the house. “How did Uncle Joe do all this by himself?”