“What?” He turned his face to hers. “Why are you staring at me?”
“Thank you,” she replied, the words bubbling out of her. “For today.”
“You haven’t seen anything worth thanking me for yet.”
Was he kidding? They were passing the biggest Christmas billboard she’d ever seen that very minute. “I don’t have to see anything,” she told him. “Being here is already amazing.”
His eyes really did turn into sparkling hazel diamonds when he smiled. “You ain’t seen nothing yet. You, Noelle Fryberg, are going to get the full New York Christmas experience.”
“I can’t wait.”
It wasn’t until she felt his squeeze that she realized they were still holding hands. Their fingers were entwined like puzzle pieces. Yet again they fit together with unnerving perfection.
* * *
James instructed the driver to pull over at the corner of Fifth and West Thirty-Third. Looking at the block of office buildings, Noelle frowned. “I might be a New York City virgin, but even I know this isn’t Radio City Music Hall.”
“There’s no moss growing on you, is there?” James replied. Opening the door, he stepped outside and offered her a hand. “Since we have time before the show, I figured you’d enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the city. Watch your step.”
A blast of cold east coast air struck Noelle as she stepped onto the sidewalk. If not for James’s warm hand holding hers, she might have shivered. His grip, however, left her impervious to the wind. “Bird’s-eye view?” she said. “I don’t under... Ohhhh!” Spying the crowd ahead, it clicked where they were. The Empire State Building.
“Precisely. Best view in the city, if you don’t mind getting cold.”
What a silly comment. “I’m from the Midwest, remember?” she replied. “We invented cold. Or have you already forgotten what it was like walking around yesterday?”
Despite James’s warnings of cold, the outside observation deck was lined with tourists. The two of them had to wait before finding a space near the rail. When they finally made their way to a viewing spot, Noelle leaned as close to the barricade as possible. Below, the city spread for miles. She squinted past the rooftops and spotted Lady Liberty. From up there, the majestic statue looked no bigger than an action figure. “It’s like standing at the top of the world,” she said, only to cringe a little afterward. “Not that I’m being clichéd or anything.”
“Hey, phrases become cliché for a reason.” A pair of arms came around to grip the rail on either side of her, blocking the wind and securing her in a cashmere cocoon.
Noelle’s fingers tightened their grip. She could feel the buttons on his coat pressing through hers, letting her know how close he was. So close that she need only relax her spine to find herself propped against his body. Did she dare? If she did, would he wrap his arms tighter? Her stomach quivered at the thought.
“I wonder if you can see the Christmas tree from the other side,” she said.
“The one at Rockefeller Center? I haven’t a clue.”
Turned out she didn’t need to slouch, because James stepped in closer. “Want to know a secret?” he whispered in her ear. His breath was extra warm against her cold skin. “I’ve been to Manhattan dozens of times over the years and this is my first visit to the top of the Empire State Building.”
“Really?” The sheepish nod she caught over her shoulder made her smile. “You’re a virgin too?”
Several heads turned in their direction, earning her a playful shoulder nudge. “Say it a little louder,” James replied. “There are a couple of people below that didn’t hear you.”
“Okay. James Hammond is a—”
The rest of her sentence died in a giggle as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him. Her head leaned back against his collarbone. “I’m glad we could experience this together,” she told him.
For a second there was silence, then his voice was back at her ear. “Me too,” he murmured. Noelle swore he brushed the shell of her ear with his lips.
Like a kiss.
They took their time on the deck, making sure they saw all four views. Each was spectacular in its own right, and Noelle decided that if her tour ended then and there, it would still be an unforgettable day. “You really need to stop thanking me,” James said as they left the observation deck. “I’m feeling self-conscious.”
“Then you shouldn’t have sprung for such a marvelous day,” she told him. “Isn’t the whole point of a day like today to make a woman feel grateful?”
She meant it as a tease, but he took her seriously, looking down at her with eyes filled with sincerity. “Not this time,” he said. “Not you.”
If they weren’t trapped in a line of tourists, Noelle would have kissed him then and there.
The crowd herded itself downstairs and into the gift shop. “I see they’ve got the traffic flow issue managed,” she remarked, hoping shop talk would distract the fluttering in her stomach. It didn’t help that James’s hair was windblown. The bonded strands around his stitches stuck out at an angle. “Considering all their years of practice, I’d be disappointed if they didn’t,” he replied.
Noelle only half listened. She was too distracted by those errant strands. Her fingers itched to run through them. Because those mussed-up strands looked all wrong, she argued. If she were him, she’d want someone to adjust his appearance, right?
“Hold on a second.” Grabbing his arm, she stopped him from heading toward the doorway. “Let me...” As gently as possible, she combed his hair smooth, making sure her fingers barely grazed the bump on the back of his head. “Much better.”
Did she just purr? Wouldn’t surprise her. Stroking his hair was nearly as soothing as being petted herself.
“You realize the wind is going to mess up my hair again the second we step outside.”
“Then I’ll simply have to fix it again.” She smoothed a patch around his ear, which was really an excuse to continue touching him.
Her reward was a smile, and a brush of his fingers against her temple. “Well, if that isn’t incentive to spend the day stepping in and out of the wind, I don’t know what is. Now, what do you say? Should we continue exploring?”
Noelle shivered. Explore could mean so many things. Whatever the meaning, she had the same answer. “Absolutely,” she said. “Lead the way.”
* * *
They were walking out of Radio City Music Hall when James’s phone buzzed. “Maybe you should answer,” Noelle said. “That’s what? The fourth call today?”
While she was flattered he considered her to be the higher priority, she knew from experience that not all calls could be ignored. “Generally speaking, people only bother the boss on weekends if there’s an emergency.”
“And what makes you so sure these calls are from the office?” he asked. “How do you know I don’t have an expansive social life?”
Like a girlfriend back in Boston? The thought passed as quickly as it popped into her head. James wasn’t the type to play around. He was, however, the type to work all hours. “Okay, Mr. Social Life,” she challenged, “what would you be doing right now if you hadn’t been stuck with me all weekend?”
“A person can be dedicated to his job and have a social life, I’ll have you know. And I’m not stuck with you.”
Still, her point had been made and he pulled out his phone. “I was right. Nothing that can’t wait,” he said. He rejected the call. Not, however, before Noelle caught the name on the call screen—Jackson Hammond—and the frown that accompanied it.
Curiosity got the best of her. “You don’t want to talk to your father?”
“Not particularly,” he replied. “I’m sure all he’s looking for is a trip update. I can fill him in when I get home.”
Ignoring the unexpected pang that accompanied
the words get home, Noelle instead focused on the rest of his comment. “I’m sure he wants to hear how you’re feeling as much as he cares about the trip.”
The sideways glance he sent her said otherwise. She thought about what he said yesterday, about his father and he doing their own thing. “He does know about your accident, doesn’t he?” she asked.
James shrugged. “Word’s gotten to him by now, I’m sure. I left a message with his ‘protégé’ that I was detained by a drone attack. She makes sure he’s kept abreast of things.”
“So you haven’t spoken to him at all since your accident?”
“No.” He stepped aside to let her exit the building first. “I told you,” he continued, once he joined her, “my father and I aren’t close. We don’t do the family thing. In fact, I think I’ve made it pretty clear that the Hammonds are the anti-Frybergs.”
Selling the world a clichéd myth. So he’d told her. Ad nauseum. “Still, your father is trying to reach you. You don’t know it’s all about business.”
“I know my father, Noelle. When I was a kid and broke my leg, he didn’t come home for two days because he was in Los Angeles meeting with a distributor.”
Poor James. “How old were you?” Not that it mattered. A child would feel second best at any age.
“Twelve and a half.”
Right after his mother left. A time when he needed to feel wanted and special. Her heart clenched on preteen James’s behalf. Being abandoned by her parents sucked. Still, James had something she didn’t, and she needed to point that out. “He came eventually. I know it doesn’t sound like much,” she said when he snorted, “but I would have killed for even that much parental attention.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you got the better end of the deal. At least you knew where you stood from the start.”
“More like where I didn’t stand. My parents were out of my life from day one. So long as your father is around, you still have hope for a relationship.”
Up until then, the two of them had been strolling the sidewalk. Now James stopped to look at her and for a moment, Noelle saw the twelve-year-old boy who’d been struggling to keep his hurt at bay. “Why hope for something that won’t happen?”
And yet he did hope. She saw how his eyes flashed when she’d suggested his father might be worried.
“Never say never,” she replied. “You can call me naive, but there’s always hope. Look at me. For years, I burnt my Christmas wish on wanting a family, and then the Frybergs came into my life and poof! My wish came true.”
“What do you wish for now?”
“I—” She resumed walking. “We’re talking about you, remember?”
“We’re also talking about hopes and dreams. You said you used to wish for a family. Since your wish was granted, you must hope for something else. What is it?”
“Peace on earth.”
“I’m serious,” he said.
“So am I.” Every year, she, like every Fryberg’s employee, filled out her Christmas wish list, and asked for large, conceptual things like peace or good health for all. There was no need for her to hope for anything personal. After all, hadn’t she’d gotten everything she wanted when she’d become Noelle Fryberg? What more could she want?
James took her hand.
“This conversation is getting way too serious,” he said. “Today is supposed to be about you getting the New York Christmas Experience. What did you think of the show?”
Noelle shook off her somberness with a laugh. “I loved it.” She loved how he described the day with capital letters more. “If I were six inches taller, I’d start practicing my high kicks so I could audition.”
“That’s something I’d pay to see—you kicking your leg past your ears. I had no idea you were that limber,” he added, leaning in to her ear.
Noelle’s knees nearly buckled. It wasn’t fair, the way he could lower his voice to the exact timbre to zap her insides. “Who said anything about ears? Waist-high is more like it.
“’S’all a moot point anyway,” she added. “With my size, I’d be more likely to get cast as one of the elves.”
“And a right adorable one at that.”
Noelle tried to shove him with her shoulder. Unfortunately, the impact had no effect. Instead, she found herself trapped against his side when he snaked his hand around her waist. The position left her arm no choice but to respond in kind and slip her arm around his waist, as well.
“I mean it,” he said, adding a side hug for good measure. “First thing I thought when I saw you was that you were Belinda’s attack elf. So much feistiness in such a tiny package.”
“I’m not sure if I should be flattered or actually try to attack you,” she replied. With her luck, she’d end up wrapped in both his arms.
“Definitely flattered,” he told her. “My second thought was I didn’t know elves could be so beautiful. Are your knees all right?”
They wouldn’t be if he kept purring compliments in her ear. “Careful,” she purred back. “Keep up the sweet talk, and I’ll get a big head.”
“You deserve one. I’ve never met a woman like you, Noelle.”
“You must not get out much.”
Once more, he stopped, this time to wrap a second arm around her. Noelle found herself in his embrace. Heavy-lidded heat warmed her face as his eyes travelled to her mouth. “I’m not joking,” he said. “You’re an original.”
If this were Fryberg, his features would have been hidden by the early darkness, but being the city that never slept, she could see his dilating pupils beneath his lashes. Their blackness sucked the breath from her lungs. She parted her lips, but couldn’t take more than a shallow breath. Her racing heart blocked the air from going farther.
“I want to kiss you,” she heard him say. “Right here, on this sidewalk. I don’t care if people stare or make rude comments. I need to kiss you. I’ve wanted to since I—”
“Shut up, James.” She didn’t need to hear any more.
Standing on tiptoes, she met him halfway.
* * *
Kissing was something James thought he had a handle on. He’d kissed dozens of women in his lifetime, so why would kissing Noelle be any different?
Only it was different. With other women, his kisses had stemmed from attraction. He’d kissed them to stoke his sexual desire—and theirs. But he’d never needed to kiss a woman. Never had a bone-deep ache to feel their mouths on his.
The second his lips met Noelle’s, a feeling he’d never felt before ballooned in his chest. Need times ten. It was the blasted hug all over again. Talking about his father and hope, she’d ripped open a hole inside him and now he couldn’t get enough, couldn’t get close enough.
Which was why he surprised himself by breaking the kiss first. Resting his head against her forehead, he cradled her face in his hands as they came down to earth.
“Wow,” Noelle whispered.
Wow indeed. Wow didn’t come close. “I think...” He inhaled deeply, to catch his breath. “I think we should get some dinner.”
Noelle looked up her lashes. Her brilliant blue eyes were blown black with desire. “Is that what you want?” she asked. “Dinner?”
No.
And yes.
Some things were meant to simmer. “We’ve got all night,” he said, fanning her cheek with his thumbs. The way her lips parted, he almost changed his mind, but inner strength prevailed. “Dinner first,” he said with a smile. “Then dessert.”
She nodded. Slowly. “All right. Dinner first.”
“Wow. That might be one of the first times this weekend that you haven’t disagreed with one of my suggestions.” Maybe miracles could happen.
“What can I say?” she replied. “I’m hungry. Although...” The smile on her face turned cheeky as s
he backed out of his embrace. “Since you decided to postpone dessert, I’m going to make you work for it.”
Her words went straight below his belt. Snagging a finger in the gap between her coat buttons, he tugged her back into his orbit. He leaned in, feeling incredibly wolfish as he growled in her ear. “Challenge accepted.”
* * *
As seemed to be the theme of the past few days, James was completely wrong about the restaurant. He made their reservation based on an internet article about New York’s top holiday-themed restaurants and wrote off the writer’s ebullience over the decor as a marketing spin. For once, though, spin matched reality.
“Oh. My.” Noelle gave a small gasp as they stepped inside. The place was completely done in white and gold to resemble an enchanted winter forest. Birch branches trimmed with tiny white lights formed a wall around the central dining room, making it look as though the tables were set up on the forest floor. There were Christmas ornaments and stockings strung about, as well as fluffy cottony-white snow on the window edges.
“Talk about a winter wonderland,” Noelle said.
Indeed. Silly as it was, he actually felt the need to hold her hand tighter, in case some woodland creature tried to whisk her away. This was what she’d call magical. “I’m glad you like it,” he said.
“Like it? It’s unreal.” She had her phone out and was snapping away at the various objects. Suddenly, she paused. “I’m not embarrassing you, am I?”
“Not at all.” She was enchanting. “Take as many photos as you want. We’ll be eating in a different room.”
She frowned, and James almost felt bad for disappointing her. Almost. “You mean we’re not eating in the forest?”
“Mr. Hammond requested a table on our crystal terrace,” the maître d’ informed her. He gestured to the elevator on the other side of the birch barricade. “Upstairs.”
Christmas with Her Millionaire Boss Page 11
