After the Christmas Party...

by Janice Lynn

  Did he?

  “I want you to be an open-minded girl who answers questions based on more than her preconceived notion that she doesn’t like Christmas and wants no part of any celebration of it.”

  “You’re missing the point completely.”

  He leaned against the desktop and stared down at her. “Which is?”

  “That I really don’t like Christmas so why would I purposely choose to celebrate it?”

  Had a more stubborn woman ever walked the face of the earth?

  “Okay, fine.” He sighed. “We won’t go to my boss’s Christmas party that he invited me to and mentioned bringing you with me.” Was it wrong that he was laying on the guilt as thick as could be? “What would you prefer to do tomorrow night?”

  “Just because I don’t want to go, it doesn’t mean you can’t go, Riley. You go ahead and have enough fun for both of us.”

  Ouch. “You want me to go to a party without you?”

  “If it’s a Christmas party? Yes.” She put a lot of emphasis on the word. “I do.”

  What woman wanted her man to go to a party without her? Or maybe she didn’t think of him as her man? He’d purposely fought to keep the physical side of their relationship at bay because she was so obstinate she’d be likely to use them having sex against him. If he went to a party without her, she’d likely do the same.

  He shook his head. “What if I’d rather be with you?”

  “Then maybe we could go for a walk on the beach,” she surprised him by suggesting. He’d expected her to insist on him going, on her insisting she had other plans. She rarely said yes without him having to sweet-talk her. He didn’t like it and kept waiting for her to quit playing such games. Maybe she finally had.

  “To be so close to the Gulf,” she continued. “I’ve barely been there.”

  “My place okay?”

  Without looking at him, she nodded. “Yes.” She put great emphasis on the word. “That would be fine.”

  Wow. Maybe they really had reached a turning point. Good, because keeping his hands to himself was growing more and more difficult. He wanted her.

  “You want me to grill some salmon fillets? We could walk on the beach afterwards then sit on my deck and enjoy a glass of wine?”

  Make love under the stars, in his bed, his shower especially, because ever since he’d mentioned her giving him a private viewing he hadn’t been able to get the image from his mind. Or maybe they’d just sit on his deck and talk. Just so long as she let her guard down long enough for them to enjoy the night, he’d be a happy camper, sex or not.

  “I don’t drink,” she said, but at least she hadn’t said no.

  “Cool. We’ll sip juice on my deck.” Other than the occasional glass of wine, he generally didn’t drink either, so wine or juice wasn’t a big deal to him. Plus, he wanted a completely clear mind if and when they touched. “I’ll pick up some fillets on my way home and let them marinate tonight. you want a spinach salad? Maybe some sautéed asparagus in butter sauce?”

  Trinity blinked up at him. “Are you for real? I just made you grilled cheese for your surprise dinner the other night.”

  “Pinch me and see.” He waggled his brows, feeling lighter than he had in days. He hadn’t realized just how frustrated he’d grown. “I’ll pick the spot.”

  Her lips twitched with a smile she couldn’t hold back and his entire insides warmed. Finally they were making real progress.

  “I should do just that. Only I’d have to pick the spot.”

  “I’m game. Anywhere in particular you’d prefer to start? I could offer a few suggestions. Maybe give you a few pointers on my preferences?”

  She looked up as if she was going to roll her eyes, but her smile was now full blown. “You really are crazy, you know?”

  He thought about reminding her of exactly what he was crazy about, but just grinned, happier than he should be that she’d agreed without him having to talk her into doing so.

  “I don’t want to keep you from your boss’s party, Riley,” she relented, but he could tell she wasn’t enthused at the prospect. “Not if it’s something you want to go to.”

  “Not a problem.” His insides felt light. “I like our plans better anyway.”

  Her smile made her eyes sparkle with the brilliance of twinkling green Christmas lights. “You’re sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “I feel guilty that you’re going to cook for me. Is there something I can do?”

  He nodded.

  She arched a brow.

  “Come with hunger in your belly and a smile in your heart.”

  She hesitated a moment then met his gaze head on, making his heart stutter a time or two.

  “That’s all you want me to bring?”

  A dozen different responses ran through his mind. An open mind. A spirit full of Christmas. Open arms to embrace him. A willing heart. He settled for something simple.

  “For now.”

  Okay, the man was really too good to be true. Because Riley had not only cooked for her, he’d lit candles.

  Candles.

  At no point in her life had a man given her a candlelit dinner. Actually, never had a man cooked for her either.

  Riley had done both and was merrily singing while he did so.

  What was this? A romantic seduction? Didn’t he know he could have had her at any point over the past week?

  She’d like to think not, but truly, had Riley pushed, she’d have invited him into her bed any of the nights that he’d seen her into her apartment then left with little more than a kiss.

  Not only were there candles on the dining table, but they were scattered around the room as well. Plus, his tree sparkled with the thousands of lights they’d strung around the branches. Garlands hung over the doorways. Gorgeous burgundy and gold ribbon bows accented the centers and twined outwards. A nativity scene was spread out over a coffee table. His sofa cushions had been replaced with ones with a smiling Santa on them.

  He even wore a “Kiss Santa” apron tied around his waist.

  Leaning against the deck railing, she shook her head. “I do have to wonder how old you are sometimes.”

  A breeze ruffling his hair, he glanced up from where he stood at the grill. “A person is only as old as they feel so I’m about…thirteen.”

  Smiling, she glanced through the glass windows making up the back of his house and door leading into his open living and dining area again. Her eyes caught on the toy train set on the floor beneath the Christmas tree. Her lips twitched. “Gee, I was thinking more along the lines of six. Maybe seven.”

  “Nah.” He shook his head, moved away from the grill long enough to plop a kiss on her lips. “Six-and seven-year-old boys couldn’t care less about girls and I definitely am into girls. Specifically, I’m into you.”

  Trinity’s belly did a few somersaults. “Point taken, and I’m glad.”

  Because as scared as she was of getting hurt, she was honest enough to admit that she wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on being the center of his attention. For however long it lasted, Riley was into her and that was a glorious thing. Her defenses might warn she should run while she still could but another part of her admitted that it was already too late.

  Perhaps it had been too late from the moment at the Christmas party when she’d looked into those devilish blue eyes and he’d assured her he was a man who aimed to please. No one had ever made her feel the way he did. Worthwhile. Wanted.

  “You look beautiful, by the way.”

  Point in case. Trinity’s cheeks burned. He was always complimenting her, making her look in the mirror and wonder what he saw that she didn’t. That no one other than him had ever seen. Because despite their nine-month relationship, Chase had never called her beautiful. Neither had he ever made her feel as if she was.

  Why had she fancied herself in love with him?

  Because she hadn’t known any better? Hadn’t known what a good man was really like and she’d been settling
for what had been right in front of her rather than looking for something more? Something real?

  Something like Riley.

  No, she wasn’t in love with him, although it would be so easy to fall in love with him. The man was a phenom. She didn’t know how any woman could spend any amount of time with him and not fancy herself in love with him. He was that kind, that considerate, that witty, that sexy, that everything.

  “I hope you’re hungry, princess.” He lifted a tin-foil-wrapped salmon fillet off the grill.

  “Starved.”

  Starved for food, but maybe for much more than she’d bargained for. Nothing in her life had prepared her for Riley. She was supposed to be taking charge of her life, learning to deal with her Christmas aversion. She was not supposed to be becoming so entangled with a man she’d have a difficult time ever letting go of, and yet she didn’t regret being here with him. She cherished every precious second of his company, of his attention.

  She’d given up pretending otherwise.

  “Starved?” He grinned. “That’s my girl.”

  His girl. He didn’t care who knew, who saw them together, or who saw him brushing his knuckles across her cheek or just giving her hand a quick squeeze. If anything, he acted possessive, as if he wanted everyone who saw them to know they were together. As if he was proud she was with him.

  It had been months before Chase had wanted anyone at the hospital to be aware that they were dating and then he’d acted more embarrassed than proud.

  “Why are you so nice to me?” she mused out loud.

  “Huh?” Obviously, he had no clue what she meant. Which made her happy inside. He wasn’t putting on airs or trying to impress her, just being himself.

  “I’m just curious why you’re so nice to me.”

  “I already told you the answer to that, princess. More than once.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I like you.” He smiled and she deep-down knew he believed what he said. He liked her. “A lot.”

  “This is good,” Trinity praised twenty minutes later, the lemony grilled salmon practically melting in her mouth. “Much better than my grilled cheese the other night. I think you missed your calling.”

  “I happened to like your grilled cheese the other night, although perhaps not the butt-kicking at chess that followed.” He grinned. “You really think I should give up cardiology and cook for a living?”

  She snorted. “When you word it that way, probably not, but you are a very talented man and I am well aware that I barely won that chess game.”

  “Glad you noticed and appreciate my efforts.”

  “Oh, I notice.” Every detail about him. She took another bite. “You have a beautiful place, Riley.”

  “I like it. When I was looking to buy, I knew I’d make an offer on this one the moment I stepped inside, even though it’s a little further from the hospital than I’d intended. It felt like I was coming home.”

  She glanced out the windows towards the sea. “Great view.”

  “It’s better tonight than usual.”

  But when she turned to him, he wasn’t looking at the gulf. He was looking at her.

  Heat infused her entire body. “You don’t have to say things like that, you know.”

  “I know. I want to.”

  “Why?”

  “Why?” He sounded confused. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I don’t know. You’re just always complimenting me and I don’t want you to feel it’s necessary.”

  “But complimenting you is necessary. Very necessary.”

  She wanted to ask why again, but didn’t want to sound like a broken record. So she smiled. With Riley, when in doubt about what to do, smiling seemed to work best. “This house suits you. Functional, beautiful—”

  “Christmasy?” he interjected, grinning.

  “Christmasy,” she agreed, unable to deny his claim. He was everything Christmas should be. Everything that Christmas had never been. Not for her. But everything he did made a long-suppressed part of her memory pull forward.

  Enough so that she experienced a twinge of panic, but the evening was too nice to let doubt ruin it.

  They finished eating and together cleared away the dishes, stacking them in the sink. Trinity tried to load them into the dishwasher, but he shook his head.

  “Not now. Let’s go for that walk on the beach. I’ve been looking forward to it since you first mentioned doing so earlier.”

  “Okay.” She set her plate down on the marble countertop and picked up the jacket he’d set out earlier for their walk as the wind was brisk. “You talked me into it.”

  Putting on his own lightweight jacket, he laughed. “That’s my girl.”

  As much as she kept telling herself that she wasn’t in love with this man, that she wouldn’t fall in love with him, she couldn’t argue with his statement.

  She was his girl.

  Indisputably.

  Hand in hand, Riley and Trinity walked along the beach. Ignoring how much he wanted Trinity was getting more and more difficult. He didn’t want to rush her, didn’t want to make wild assumptions, but from the moment she’d arrived all he’d wanted to do was pull her into his arms.

  Her mind stimulated him.

  Her quick wit stimulated him.

  Her curvy little body stimulated him.

  It was the latter that was currently tearing his resolve into bits. He felt as if he was in a constant state of stimulation.

  He couldn’t recall ever feeling this way. Not even when he’d been a randy teenager.

  Letting go of his hand, she’d ran ahead of him, laughing as the waves lapped at her bare feet. She turned to beckon him to join her. Wind whipped at her hair.

  Temptation whipped at his soul.

  What he wanted was to push her down in the surf, rip her clothes off and make love to her right then and there, with the waves crashing around their naked bodies.

  He swallowed, watched her dance around in the white foam.

  “Riley, hurry,” she called. The water crashed around her ankles and she laughed, looking and sounding freer than he recalled ever seeing her.

  Like a child set loose to play.

  Like the most tantalizing woman to ever tempt man.

  “I ate too much to hurry,” he called, enjoying watching her play too much to rush.

  “Right.” She laughed then plopped down just beyond the water’s reach, her toes stretched out towards the sea, tempting the water to move closer and closer.

  “You know you’re going to get wet, right? Then you’ll be cold.”

  She shrugged. “At the moment I don’t care. This is wonderful.”

  He glanced out to sea then back at the smiling woman leaning back as if offering herself to the moon shining above them.

  If so, he was jealous of the moon.

  Because he wanted her to offer herself to him that way.

  Every way.

  He wanted her to come to him, for her to initiate their lovemaking, for her to have no regrets and for him to have no worries that he’d talked her into something she hadn’t really wanted.

  He’d thought himself a patient man, but looking at her body stretched out under the bright moonlight, the surf nipping at her toes, he had none.

  “Besides, if I get cold, you’ll warm me up, right?”

  He hadn’t realized she was watching him. He gulped back the knot her words caused to form in his throat and willed the one forming in his pants to go away.

  “Riley?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Are you afraid to join me?”

  Terrified. Because getting close to her might mean losing control and seducing her right out of her panties. What would his neighbors think? Although, honestly, he wasn’t sure how many were even home at this time of year. A lot of the houses along this stretch were owned by wealthy snowbirds looking for an escape.

  “Scared you’ll get wet?” she teased, digging her fingers into the sand beside her.

&nbs
p; “Nope.” To prove his point, he sat down next to her on the sand. “But I should warn you that I’m very turned on and perhaps you should get up and run while you can because what I really want to do would get me arrested.”

  Arrested? Trinity blinked, wondering if she’d misheard him over the waves. “Do what?”

  “You heard me. Just what I said. You’re beautiful and totally do it for me. I look at you and I want you. I have wanted you from the first moment I set eyes on you propped up against that hotel ballroom wall. Tonight, here on the beach, I want you so badly I may explode from it. I feel weak. If I did with you what I want to do with you, I’d be arrested.”

  He wanted her. Really wanted her. A heady sensation, but the other thing he’d said played in her mind.

  “I make you weak?” She didn’t want to make him or any man weak. Especially not when he made her feel strong, stronger than she recalled ever feeling.

  He picked up her hand, pressed it to where his heart beat. “Does that feel as if you make me weak?”

  His heart pounded beneath her fingertips. She shook her head.

  “My resolve is what’s weak. You make me feel alive,” he clarified. “As if everything I do is bigger, brighter, more than anything I’ve ever done.”

  That she understood because it’s how he made her feel. It amazed her that he could possibly feel the same. How could he when that seemed so unlikely? “I do?”

  He nodded.

  “I want you, Trinity, but I didn’t mean to tell you like this.”

  She glanced around at the beach. Although there were other houses along the stretch of beach, they were essentially alone. The moon shone bright above them. The sea crashed foamy white waves that played a perfect love song. He’d just cooked her a delicious dinner and he’d lit candles. She couldn’t imagine anything more romantic, more seductive.

  “What’s wrong with this? With this very moment?”

  “Earlier I thought…” he shook his head. “It’s too soon.”

  He was probably right. Less than two weeks was too soon. Still, they’d been together every night and if you put that on regular dating terms of weekend dates, they’d been seeing each other for months. Or was she just reaching?

  Probably.