Your Christmas Love (The Bennett Family 10)

“Why not?”

My heart was pounding furiously. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I had a whole list of reasons.

But I just shook my head, smiling lightly. “I’ll go shower now. And if you insist on starting dinner, I won’t say no. I just wanted to help.”

“Go shower. I’ll take care of everything else.”

I couldn’t hide my smile, and when he winked at me, I grinned like a schoolgirl. This day was just full of surprises.

I was glad for the excuse of taking a shower, because I needed some time to think. Of course, thinking was impossible knowing that this sexy man was just a few feet away, cooking me dinner.

Those fuzzy feelings were still wrapped around me like a warm blanket. I just couldn’t shake this sense of joy, and why would I?

I liked being happy, and Winston decidedly knew how to make me smile. Scratch that. I was still grinning.

Who would have thought that the man I’d dubbed as grouchy was a skilled charmer?

To be fair, I had a lot of emails to prove my initial assumption, so I wasn’t feeling too guilty.

I dressed in jeans and one of my good tank tops. I wasn’t trying to impress. Okay, maybe I was. But the man had just seen me in stupid overalls the whole day. Before leaving the bathroom, I also splashed a little makeup on. Just some mascara and blush. It wasn’t obvious, just made me look fresh. I wanted to redeem my image of consummate professional somehow.

But I was afraid I’d completely messed that up when I’d let him kiss me. Hell, I hadn’t just let him. I’d practically jumped his bones.

I squared my shoulders. There was no point chastising myself over what happened.

I just had to do better from now on.

The minute I left the bathroom, I realized that I had no idea what doing better meant.

Winston had finished painting and was cooking in the small kitchen. He’d taken out a carton of eggs, vegetables, rice, and some condiments I hadn’t used in... forever. I hoped they hadn’t expired.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Fried rice with veggies.”

“Looks yummy.”

He made a come-here motion with a finger. My legs moved toward him of their own accord. Winston didn’t take his eyes off me. Before, he’d watched me as if I’d been wearing sexy lingerie. Now, he watched me as if I was naked.

At any rate, I felt naked.

As soon as I stepped next to him, all my doubts and questions faded. It was impossible to be near him and not be completely consumed by him.

He took a spoonful of rice, holding it in front of my mouth.

“Tell me if you want me to add anything else.”

“I trust you,” I said.

He cocked a brow. “You just made a big show of not trusting me.”

“I trust you when it comes to food.” I amended with a huge smile on my face.

“Taste it.” He sounded bossy, and I hoped it wasn’t too obvious just how much I liked it. This was different than at the office. Playful. And the kiss had changed things between us, I just wasn’t sure how.

“This is delicious. Wow. So that’s why everyone uses condiments. I just kind of forget about them. Except vanilla, rum, and cinnamon when I bake. I’ll make a salad—”

“No, you won’t. I’m cooking everything.”