“All right,” she said before she really thought it through. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t already had the same idea. In a breathless, conspiratorial tone she asked, “What do you want to do?”
Chapter Six
Cynthia’s Matchmaking Services:
Step Two: Make sure there’s a second date. Pull whatever favors you need in to make this happen. Possibly have one of the hotel staff slip in a comment about the most romantic activities available at the hotel. A little prodding never hurt anyone.
Note: Sam reported in on the all-important first date. He didn’t have details (I refuse to think what sorts of details that man had in mind) but admitted the hotel staff had seen them arrive hours after dinner. I consider that a very good sign.
They left their phones at the front desk. Laura had wanted to run back up to her room and change into something a little more appropriate for an adventurous day of playing hooky, and definitely warmer, but Tyler merely shook his head and tugged her along.
“One stop leads to changing then leads to a quick stop in the office,” he pointed out as he led her through the lobby. “And then it’s just one phone call and just one returned e-mail. It never ends. Nope!” He grinned. “Not today.”
Thin rays of sun light barely shone through the thickening cloud cover, and Laura turned her face up to it. More snow was predicted for later tonight, just an inch or so, and she looked forward to the fresh powder. When was the last time she’d played hooky?
“I can’t remember,” she admitted. When Tyler looked at her, his eyes laughing, she clarified, “I can’t remember the last time I played hooky.” She shook her head. “I don’t play hooky!”
Then, because she couldn’t help herself, she added with a saucy grin that was so far over her personal boundaries she wasn’t certain where it came from, “I’m one of those good executives.”
“Then give me one day to corrupt that good executive,” Tyler said with a wicked smile that did all sorts of very unprofessional things to her insides.
For a heartbeat Laura stood there, shocked, but then he laughed and she felt all her resistance melt. Tyler grabbed her hand and she forgot all her concerns. Oh boy was she in trouble. Where did this woman come from?
She felt so different today than she had yesterday. Careful, Laura; know your limits. I’m not sure you’ll fit there properly. Screw that. She was redefining her limits. She was creating new limits. She was limitless now!
Take that, stupid voice in my head.
Hand in hand, they walked along the same path she’d taken earlier to the parade warehouse. Now, they took their time to wander the hotel grounds. She felt odd, lighter now—maybe it was a byproduct of playing hooky. After all, she also felt a little naughty.
The lake had a thin layer of ice over it, and several birds Laura couldn’t name pecked in the snow.
Tyler led her somewhere, but Laura was happy to be surprised. He was so attentive, Laura found herself self-conscious, gauging her answers and her questions as if she was planning a board presentation. But he listened to her and didn’t judge; he laughed in all the right places and never made her feel as if it was forced.
Laura should probably ask herself why, but she didn’t. She simply enjoyed him.
They chatted about songs and Christmas movies as they walked and compared their favorites. She insisted White Christmas was the best feel-good movie. He insisted it was Home Alone. That was it, the end of their budding relationship.
“Forget it,” Laura laughed with such obvious pleasure even that treacherous voice in her head had nothing to say. “We’ll have to break up over irreconcilable Christmas movie differences.”
Tyler stopped and turned to her. His eyes danced and his lips curled up in a smile. Her heart skipped a beat at his look, and when he lowered his head to hers, Laura forgot how to breathe. The kiss was short, over too quick. She wanted to go on kissing him, nibble that full lower lip.
What had she said? Whatever it was, Laura wanted to go on if it meant more kisses from him. Oh…break up. Implying they were in a relationship. Still, if that was his reaction, she hadn’t raced ahead and made a fool of herself.
Stepping back, she took his hand again and they continued to walk. It was nice, she decided, very nice to talk with someone who shared her love of Christmas. She’d confessed most of her friends considered her enjoyment of the holiday a little too childish.
“I never understood that,” she admitted as the sleigh ride cottage came into view. “How can enjoying Christmas be too childish?”
Tyler shook his head. “They just don’t understand. It’s not about the presents, it’s about the season. The songs and the movies and the decorations.” He kicked a pile of snow. “And the snow, of course. There’s a brightness to the holiday that’s missing in January when it’s just cold.”
“Yes,” Laura admitted with a grin she couldn’t stop and didn’t bother trying. “Exactly.”
“So,” he said and gestured to the sleigh ride sign, “want to go for a ride?”
Laura laughed. “I doubt there’s one free. They’re one of our most popular attractions.”
“I know,” Tyler said but tugged her along the path to the smiling woman at the booth. “Hi, Kelly,” he said to her, no doubt reading her name tag. “Do you have anything available?”
Kelly looked at her clipboard for less than a beat before grinning up at him. “Of course, Mr. Kamari.”
Laura blinked, stunned. They’d added the sleigh ride because of the romanticism of the whole thing, and when Sam had reported the interest to her, Laura hadn’t been surprised. To have one conveniently open now shocked her.
She gave him a sideways glance. What magic had he conjured to make a sleigh mysteriously open up? But then they were climbing in and the driver tipped his hat at them, and they were off.
“How many hours did we spend on this trail alone?” Laura asked, somewhat rhetorically. “The lake and sculptures, along the trail between the evergreens.”
“Not to mention the turns and loops,” Tyler added as they took one such curve now, through the narrow path in the woods.
“I’ve never taken this ride before,” Laura admitted. “I can’t wait to see the hotel.”
With the wind through her hair and the clip-clop of the horses, Laura laughed and adjusted the blanket more securely over her legs. She hesitated only a moment before resting her head against Tyler’s arm.
Too presumptuous? She didn’t know, but she also didn’t miss when Tyler took her hand again under the traditional plaid wool blanket.
After the sleigh ride, they continued their walk along the hotel’s paths before one of the hotel cars took them back into town. Leaving the car at the far end of the main street, they walked down the antique pavers once more.
This morning the shops were open and Laura dragged him into a seasonal store with handmade items. The next shop was a candy store, and Tyler’s eyes lit up with such delight, Laura forgot all about her inhibitions and let him pull her inside.
Colorful and bright, with garland around the top of the walls, it boasted every candy imaginable. And then some. She laughed again and truly felt like a kid in a candy shop.
“What do you recommend?” Tyler asked the pretty brunette behind the counter, then stopped her. The other woman politely waited as he added with that charming wink he’d given Laura the first time they’d met, “Not your most popular, your favorite.”
The woman, a tall, slim blonde with dark brown eyes, looked him up and down and grinned.
Before Laura knew it, the two of them were seated at one of the back booths surrounded by candy, including candied applies of various descriptions, those chocolate bombs with mystery fillings, and hard candy that may or may not have a chewy center.
For possibly the first time in her life, Laura indulged in all the sweets she wanted. She didn’t think about Tyler’s reaction or the fact that she was already a size 16, bordering a size 18, or that whatever vague holiday diet she’
d planned had just gone right out the window.
“Ugh, that was awful!” She took one of the many napkins piled beside them and spat the chocolate into it. “Coconut, blech.”
Tyler laughed and picked up the identical chocolate next to it. “I love coconut,” he said and popped the morsel into his mouth.
Laura shook her head and wiped her mouth. “That’s it,” she said, deadpan, doing her best to keep the laughter from her voice. “The relationship is definitely over this time.”
He grinned and sipped from his glass of water. “I’ll give up coconut just for you.”
He leaned across the table, a proper booth table and not the intimate one from breakfast, and kissed her. It was a quick, almost chaste, kiss, a press of his lips, but Laura felt it clear to her toes.
“Well,” she said breathlessly. “If you’re going to give up coconut for me, I guess that’s a big enough sacrifice.”
Laughing with her, Tyler chose another chocolate that looked like a caramel and offered it to her. Laura accepted it and nibbled on the outside. Sure enough, caramel.
With a nod toward the counter where the woman stood watching them she added, “If it’s too much of a sacrifice, then I’m sure the candy lady likes coconut and would indulge you in all types of sweets.”
Clearly a sugar overload made her far bolder than normal, but Laura didn’t take it back. She found she didn’t want to, either. Tyler’s expression changed and she forgot about the caramels and the sugar and found herself drawn into his gaze.
He leaned over their booth, slowly, and she had the faint idea it was to give her the chance to object. Laura stayed perfectly still and waited for him. When his lips connected with hers, a soft kiss, just enough to show the woman who he was with, Laura fought for control.
It was too soon, far, far too soon, to indulge in this public display of kissing. Too soon to want to do so with him. This was, for all intents and purposes, only their second date. She was falling and fast. The world spun around her and when she returned the kiss, Laura didn’t want to stop.
“Were those types of kisses in the playing hooky manual?” she asked then cleared her throat. Was that her voice? That husky sound?
“No,” Tyler said, utterly sincere. “That was just for you.”
“I like your addition to the manual.”
Oh, she needed to stop her mouth. Laura wasn’t this witty conversationalist, this fun, flirty woman. Clearing her throat again, she downed her glass of water and wiped her mouth before scooting to the edge of the booth.
“Shall we see what other trouble we can get into?”
Tyler scooped their remaining candy into the bag and dropped a couple dollars onto the table in tip. He put the bag in his coat pocket and took her hand again as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do so.
“Yes,” he said as they exited the shop. “I’d like to see what other trouble I can get into with you.”
Caught off guard, Laura laughed. She didn’t know how to take that; the innuendo was clear, but on the other hand the sincerity of his words moved through her with a warmth she hadn’t expected.
Tyler caught her off guard at every turn, and Laura felt like a bumbling idiot around him.
They continued down the street, stopping back in By the Fire for hot chocolate. Laura had had enough sugar, though the éclairs tempted her. They always did. Chatting about the local artisans and the small business economy of the town, she and Tyler made their way back to the car. Once inside the toasty confines, they lapsed into silence as the driver took them back to the hotel.
“Lunch?” she asked, once more with a boldness that surprised her.
Sure, they’d discussed playing hooky all day, but now back at the hotel, she was at a loss. Excuses were so easy—she could give him a line about needing to meet with Sam or check her messages from Sabrina or any number of things she normally kept at the ready when a situation became too intense for her.
Whatever was between them hit her with an intensity that left her breathless. More than their two dates, it was the months they worked together, the late nights, the arguments over little things on the phone. Now, suddenly, there was…this. Whatever this was between them.
Instead, she asked if he wanted to go to lunch.
“Sounds great,” Tyler said. “How about Horatio’s?”
Laura blinked at him but nodded. Horatio’s, part of Horatio Price’s small culinary empire, was a small restaurant and consequently the hardest to get into. They didn’t have reservations and despite the fact that it was lunchtime, Laura thought she could still use her pull to get them in there.
She watched him walk off, admiring his backside as he did so. She couldn’t help it. Tyler Kamari was a very fit man, and she’d have to be dead not to realize that. What did he see in her?
Laura wanted to let go, wanted to embrace this fun holiday fling and have as much fun with Tyler as she could. No matter what they did together or how he made her laugh and forget her inhibitions and worries, something still held her back.
Not that she didn’t know exactly what that something was. About fifty pounds round her middle.
Sabrina had told her to just enjoy this. Laura had had this conversation already, but still all her worries and fears plagued her. Why question a man’s interest in her? To simply enjoy it. And when it ended, as it inevitably would, then it ended.
But it was a memory she could treasure. One that’d keep her warm during her long nights in the office.
Releasing a long sigh, and with it the last walls holding her back, Laura easily smiled up at Tyler as he waved her over. She smiled at him, a big smile that felt unbelievably free, and crossed the tiled lobby to meet him.
She’d enjoy lunch with Tyler, Laura knew she would. After would take care of itself.
Laura found that once she let go and simply enjoyed, lunch was an even better meal than last night’s dinner had been. She didn’t care that people looked at them, didn’t blush when Tyler leaned across the small table and kissed her, or when she laughed so loud at one of his jokes she thought they’d hear her clear across the lobby.
After, full from delicious food and fantastic company, Tyler took her hand and they walked back to the lobby where soft music played and couples danced. She didn’t know if it was organized or impromptu, but suddenly Laura wanted to dance. Actually do it, not just fantasize about it or think about all the ways she could ask Tyler, but really do it.
“Tyler.” Laura turned to him, but the passionate look in his gaze had her question evaporating from the heat of it.
Oh. Laura swallowed and cleared her throat. His look enveloped her as if he’d actually touched her. It sparked through Laura in white hot heat, curling through her and robbing her of all thought save of this man.
“Tyler,” she whispered again, or thought she did.
And for the second time in her life, Laura threw caution to the wind. A day playing hooky was nothing compared to what she wanted with this man. What she wanted to do to him and with him. How she wanted to feel.
She’d spent the day enjoying him, their time together, laughing and feeling so unlike herself. Was this the next step? Forget steps. Laura didn’t need steps. Not anymore. What she wanted now was to kiss Tyler Kamari. Kiss him and forget all her reasons why doing so was a bad idea.
Without another thought to the matter, Laura was on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. Her hands flattened themselves on his chest, though she really wanted to touch his skin. To feel his skin beneath hers, to taste more than simply his mouth.
“Come upstairs with me,” she breathed against his lips.
Chapter Seven
Her feet moved, her hand slipped into his, and somehow she and Tyler made it to the elevator without any further kissing. Which was a pity, since she quite liked the kissing. Still, there’d be plenty of time for that. Wrapped in this almost too-perfect bubble, Laura didn’t ask questions. For once, the little voice in her head was blissfully silent.
Tyler’s hand was large and warm in hers, his long fingers curled around her smaller, chubbier fingers. That touch grounded her just as it made her want to jump in with both feet. And, oh, was that a heady feeling, to grasp onto this thing between them with both hands and pull.
Laura jumped. She didn’t think, analyze or dissect or hide behind work or walls or insidious little voices, any one of the myriad of other things she used to distance herself from relationships.
She leapt with both feet and didn’t care where she landed.
The second the elevator doors closed completely and they were on their way to her executive level suite, Laura turned back to Tyler and kissed him again. Oh, this jumping thing was fantastic. How had she never done this before? Was there a camera in the elevator?
Tyler’s mouth slid over hers and his hands tangled in her hair, and what did it matter if there was a camera in the elevator? Right then, with his tongue sweeping along hers, and his body pressing hers to the wall, all that mattered was this moment.
Deepening the kiss, she dug her fingers into his shoulders and tasted him back, the sweet iced tea he’d had for lunch and the deeper taste of him. With her nails scraping over his shaved head to cup the back of his neck, Laura was vaguely grateful she wore heeled boots and their heights were more evenly matched.
Because she didn’t want to stop touching him.
The elevator dinged and she blinked at the interruption. Dazed, she looked at the lighted number and into the hallway. Somehow, they’d made it to her floor without a stop. Whatever fates looked out for her, she silently thanked them and tugged him out of the car.
Tyler walked her backward toward her door, his hands cupping her face and his mouth slanted over hers. Hot, clawing desire pooled low in her belly, and with every step she felt it beat heavier through her. Inhibitions? What inhibitions?
“I’ve wished for this for a long time, Laura.” Tyler’s mouth trailed along her jaw and to the soft juncture below her ear. “And I’m lucky you finally said yes.”
Christmas Curvy: A Curvy Girl's Holiday Fling Page 5
