Kristen’s eyes grew wide, a smile stretching across her face. “How romantic!” Her head tilted as she considered me with a sparkle in her espresso depths. “It was really sweet of you to go along with it.”
I neglected to mention that I did it grudgingly, not wanting to be a part of anything festive. “They are actually using it again this year. It’s become kind of a tradition for them. You should come with me and we’ll take a ride”—the double entendre wasn’t intended, but the idea took root. Yeah, she’d be riding more than my sleigh tonight, I vowed—"before we drop it off.” A thought suddenly crossed my mind, immediately irritating me. “Unless you have plans. With your family or a boyfriend?” If she said yes to having a man in her life, I was likely to lose my shit. I wouldn’t put it past myself to tie her to my bed and tell the fucker to get lost because she was mine now.
Mine? I’d met her only a few minutes ago but as the word rolled around in my head, I knew it was true.
Chapter Two
Kristen
It was hard to think with Grant glaring at me like I’d just kicked his puppy or something, especially since I was distracted by the magnetic pull of my attraction to him. He wasn’t anything like I expected when my boss assigned me the task of doing our due diligence into SWS for a possible acquisition. As the team member who was most familiar with the chain of Holiday Cheer stores SWS owned, I was the logical choice. After working there for a few years, everyone at Denning & Co knew how obsessed I was with Christmas. I’d shopped at Holiday Cheer stores ever since I was a little girl, and I kind of expected the owner to be more...Santa-esque. Older. Less physically fit. Definitely not able to melt my panties right off my body with one smoldering look from his dark eyes.
Shaking my head in an attempt to clear the sensual fog hanging over it, I asked, “Are they borrowing it tonight?”
He nodded and growled, “Yes.”
“Nope. No plans.” My answer made me a little sad because I wasn’t used to being away from my family over the holidays, but it wiped the scowl from Grant’s face.
A lock of dark hair fell onto his forehead when he leaned back. The change in position made the material of his button-down shirt stretch over his broad shoulders and chest, and his biceps flexed as he gripped the arms of his chair. “Did I ruin your plans by requesting we meet today? Working in retail, it’s hard to remember that everybody else isn’t necessarily used to seeing Christmas Eve as a regular business day.”
I shrugged, trying to play it off so he wouldn’t feel guilty. “My mom, dad, sister, and her family all live in Seattle. I usually fly out there for the holidays, but it’s not possible this year because of…well, you.” Well, that didn’t work once I opened my big mouth. He flashed me an apologetic smile, and I hurried to explain, “I didn’t mean that quite the way it sounded. It’s just that my boss made it clear to me that since the holidays are understandably your busiest season, I should expect to be busy with this project at least until the start of the new year. So no big trips for me to see my family until next year.”
His dark eyes narrowed. “What about your boyfriend? Is he busy tonight?”
“Boyfriend?” I echoed, shaking my head. “I don’t have one.”
His lips kicked up at the edges in a pleased grin. “Good.”
“Good?” I was a people person and rarely found myself tongue-tied, but I couldn’t seem to stop repeating what Grant has said. How was I supposed to represent Denning & Co when I sounded like a freaking parrot around him?
His smile widened. “Better than good because it means there’s nothing to stop you from coming with me tonight.”
I squirmed a bit in my chair at the thought of spending time with him outside of the office. “Except for, um, the fact that my boss would probably not be happy about me spending the holiday with you while I’m the one responsible for completing our due diligence before Denning & Co makes a formal offer to purchase Santa’s Workshop.” I grinned at the adorable name.
He stood and pressed his hands against the top of his desk. My eyes ate up the six feet plus inches of his lean muscular frame as he growled, “Leave your boss to me, kitten.” I melted a little at the cute nickname.
“Leave my boss to you?” What did that even mean? And why was I repeating what he’d said yet again?
“Getting on my wrong side is no way to start the negotiations between our companies”—he rounded his desk to stand in front of me with his strong arms crossed over his chest—“and I’m more than willing to make it clear to your boss just how much interfering in my personal business would piss me off.”
Wow. Talk about ramping up the panty-melting factor by about a thousand degrees. I shifted in my seat, my legs rubbing together and drawing his attention to where my dress hit mid-thigh. His dark eyes heated as they trailed down to the knee-high, black leather boots I’d picked out this morning because they helped keep my legs warm since it was so cold outside. Seeing the masculine approval on his handsome face, I was doubly glad to be wearing them.
A part of me loved the idea of Grant Calvin knocking my boss down a peg or two, but this was the first time I was the lead on a project this size and I didn’t want to mess it up. “Or we could just not mention it to him.”
“Is that a yes?” I nodded and he held a hand out to me. “Then that’s what we’ll do...for now.”
I was too distracted by the feeling of our palms sliding against each other to question what he meant by the implied time limit at the end of his statement. He helped me up and tucked my hand in the crook of his arm before leading me over to the small table on the other side of his office. After he got me settled on one of the two chairs, he stalked back over to his desk and stabbed a finger at his phone. “You can bring in the food now, Grace.”
“I have it right here,” she called out, pushing open the door and rolling in a vintage, red serving cart with two silver dome covered plates on the top shelf, a pitcher of drinks and glasses on the second, and a tray of Christmas cookies on the bottom.
“Thanks, I’ve got it from here,” Grant said as he went over to her and took control of the cart. He smiled sweetly at her and kissed her cheek, making me even more gooey inside.
“Enjoy!” She winked at me and backed out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
Grant moved everything from the cart to the table and took the seat across from me. When he lifted the domes and set them on the cart, I gasped in surprise at the tenderloin medallions, green beans, and au gratin potatoes on my plate. “Wow. When you said food, I was thinking a sandwich and chips or something like that.”
He grinned at me and explained, “I wish I could take credit for wining and dining you in style, but we do a big spread for all the employees every Christmas Eve. It’s a tradition my dad started years ago, and Grace has taken care of all of the details for me ever since I took over the business.”
The light in his dark eyes dimmed, and I reached out to wrap my hand around his. “I heard about what happened to your parents. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.” He flipped his hand over and laced his fingers through mine. “I still miss them, but enough time has passed that it doesn’t hurt quite as much anymore.” He lifted my hand and brushed a kiss over my knuckles. “And I have a feeling that for the first time since I lost them, I’m actually going to enjoy the holidays this year.”
My cheeks filled with heat that had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything to do with the need coursing through my veins at the brief touch of his lips against my skin. I’d come to SWS for a business appointment, but it had turned into something that felt like a date instead, and I didn’t regret it. Not even a tiny bit.
We spent the next hour eating and sharing stories about our lives. By the time he led me to his car so we could go to their flagship store to do a walk-through together, I felt like I’d known Grant for weeks and I was looking forward to my assignment—and my first Christmas away from my family—more than I ever expected. r />
Chapter Three
Grant
My gaze lingered on Kristen’s legs when her skirt rode a little higher as I helped her into my SUV. When I dragged my eyes up, they locked with hers. The brown irises had darkened to espresso, and I licked my lips at the desire swirling in them.
Fuck, I wanted her. Knowing she was attracted to me as I was to her was like an aphrodisiac. I’d practically dragged her out of my office because it had been all I could do to keep myself from throwing her down on the table and eating her for dessert.
Taking a deep breath, I winked at her and closed the door. Then I loped around to my side and climbed into the driver’s seat. Tiny white flecks began to land on the windshield as I pulled out of the parking lot.