Holiday Spice & Everything Nice

by Conn, Claudy

  “I only wanted him to kiss me. One stupid kiss—okay, maybe several. Instead, I end up thinking about Scott, and before I knew it, I could barely breathe. I let the memories get to me. I ran.”

  “You wanted to kiss Brad?” Amy’s voice was loaded with surprise.

  “Not Brad.” True inched her fingers across her lips, trying to recall the feel of his kiss. “Oh God, it’s so inappropriate, but I wanted to kiss Mr. Ca—I mean, Nick. He said I should call him Nick.”

  “Nick? As in your ex-lover and boss Nick?”

  “Yes.”

  “I told you he was hot for you.”

  Instead of laughing, which was the reaction she assumed Amy was going for, True sobbed. “I’m so embarrassed. I had a panic attack right in front of him. I don’t think I can look him in the face again, much less work with the man.”

  “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. I bet my next paycheck he didn’t even notice. You’re good at covering up the panic.”

  “I’m not so sure. I should’ve just given him the courier receipt and left. Instead, I stood there, gawking at him. I don’t understand why I’m afraid of pretty much every man on earth except him. What’s the deal with that? Why can’t I want someone else? Someone I don’t work for? Someone who likes me? Someone who hasn’t already dumped me once before?”

  “Ahh! You do still have a thing for him! I knew it.”

  That did put a smile on True’s face. “Maybe a tiny thing.” She pinched two fingers together. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t go back in time. Not to mention, I made a fool of myself.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Have you ever seen the women he’s dated? They are beautiful and confident. They don’t have panic attacks.”

  “You’re dealing with the anxiety. It will get better. And do you have any idea how stunning you are, True? He was an idiot to ever let you go in the first place.”

  “You have to say that; you’re my best friend.” She rubbed her hands together. “I am doing better with the panic. I just hated for him to see it.”

  “Nonsense. You should be proud of yourself. Now, go rinse your face and plant your ass at your desk. Put a smile on and act like nothing happened. I promise you, Nick Cantrell is not going to mention the way you got rattled. I doubt he even noticed how freaked out you were starting to get.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  Chapter Four

  Could he have fucked things up with True any worse? He’d almost made a move on her. In his office, of all places. Totally inappropriate. Yep, Nick, you sure know how to screw things up.

  He should’ve stuck to his no-touch-deny-his-attraction plan. The idea of her and Easley together had burned his ass and he’d charged around his desk like a crazy man, ready to stake his claim. No wonder she’d looked terrified. And when he’d touched her, she’d fallen apart more. Thank God he only had two more days until the holiday break and a shot at putting his attraction to True behind him.

  And that was total bullshit. They’d be working together again as soon as the holidays were over. It didn’t matter how many women he took to bed, True would still be the one he wanted.

  He’d messed up by letting jealousy rule his mind. They were getting along. True seemed pleased at his new attitude. Her smile was genuine. Then boom! She’d frozen up like an unmovable glacier. Her face had turned a rainbow of colors, and, for a moment, he’d damned near thought her eyeballs were going to pop out of their sockets. He’d tried to back-peddle and get her to talk to him. Instead, she’d taken off. Damn, the woman was killing him.

  That’d been two hours ago, and, like a fool, he was still holed up in his office, rehashing what had happened. A thought occurred to him. What if he’d driven her so far this time, she’d quit? Maybe that was why it was so quiet outside his door.

  “Oh hell no.” He hustled his ass to the door to take a look. Before he got his hand on the knob, it opened and Adam walked in. Nick went to the wet bar and grabbed two beers. He passed one to Adam.

  “Was True was at her desk?”

  “She was leaving as I came in.” Adam circled his fingers around the bottle top. “So tell me, buddy, what did you do now?”

  “Why do you think I did something?”

  “True’s been crying and you enjoy treating her like crap. It’s the logical conclusion. I’d love for you to tell me I’m wrong.”

  “I’m a bastard. That’s all I’m saying.” The thought of True crying was like a dagger in his heart. He’d warned Easley that very morning not to hurt her. He should’ve taken his own advice. “I know it’s my fault, but I swear I have no clue what I did wrong.”

  “Seriously? Do you think yelling and pulling your alpha shit on her is pleasant? She’s probably had enough.”

  It was going to suck, but he needed to say it. “I wanted to kiss her.” He held out a hand. “But I stopped myself, and when she got upset and took off, I swear I hadn’t made a move on her. I was being extremely nice at the time.” He downed half of his beer.

  “How upset?” Adam rolled his bottle between his palms.

  “Her face turned white as paste and she started breathing funny, like she couldn’t get enough air. Her eyes had a deer-in-headlight thing going on.” Her mind and body had seemed to shut down and there hadn’t been a damned thing he could do.

  “You didn’t throw yourself at her?” Adam took a few pulls from his bottle.

  “No, I did not. I touched her shoulder, though.” Nick sure as hell wanted to do more, but he didn’t.

  “I’d keep my distance if I were you until she has time to adjust to the new you. The nice you. It may take a while for her to believe it.”

  “Fuck, Adam. You expect me to hide?” He downed the rest of his beer.

  “I’d call it giving her some space.” Adam finished his drink and set the empty bottle on the bar on his way to the door. He looked out. “She’s gone, and I’m out of here.”

  Nick packed his briefcase after Adam left. He was beyond ready for this day to end. He walked through the door and came to an abrupt stop.

  True was at her desk.

  His heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. Damn, he wished he could take back everything that had happened since she came to work for him. He’d love to go all the way back to that day seven years ago when he’d told her he needed some time to do his own thing and they parted ways. “Adam said you’d left for the day.”

  “I had to grab some copies from the printer in the other room. I’m leaving now.” She avoided his eyes as she stood. “Is there something else you need before I go?”

  “Not really. Listen, True. About what happened… I was out of line and I hope you’ll accept my apology. I guess my abrupt behavior has made you afraid of me.” He’d hit an all-time record of two apologies in one day. “I really just wanted to be friends again.”

  “It’s okay.” Her voice was a whisper.

  “I’m glad you understand. I guess I made a mistake. It happens.”

  Damn if she didn’t look like he’d just slapped her. What the fuck had he done now?

  “It’s good to know being my friend is a mistake.” She yanked her coat on, tossed her purse over her shoulder, then stormed out.

  He’d meant the part about storming around his desk like a caveman ready to pounce. Maybe he should’ve explained it better. Maybe mistake hadn’t been the best choice of words.

  Nick called wanting to be her friend a mistake? It didn’t feel like a mistake. If she hadn’t freaked out, she might have kissed him. Now that would’ve been a mistake. Still, the hunger was there, written on his face. It was time to get away from Nick and look for a new job. She’d had enough. She’d start sending out résumés during the holiday break.

  True made it to the garage foyer of the building only to run into Brad. She wanted to turn the other direction and hide, but it was too late. And she’d thought the day couldn’t get any worse.

  “Fancy seeing you here.”

 
; “It’s past quitting time, Brad. Why wouldn’t I be leaving?” She strongly doubted it was a coincidence.

  “Whoa, True. What’s up with the cry-baby eyes?” He touched her and she flinched. For the most part, she tolerated Brad, but not enough to let him touch her. “Bad day?”

  “Nothing to concern yourself with.” She hugged her purse in front of herself. Between Nick thinking she was a mistake and the slut note, her day had been more than bad.

  “I don’t like to see you upset.”

  “That makes two of us.” Now she sounded flat-out hateful. Like Nick. “Sorry, I don’t mean to snap at you. It’s been a very long day and I want to get home.”

  “Let me drive you.”

  “I’ve got my own car, Brad, but thanks anyway.” She looked past him, making sure the path was clear in case she needed to get away quickly.

  “How about grabbing some dinner before you head home?”

  “You are so hard-headed sometimes.” They’d had this discussion before.

  “I prefer to think of it as persistent.” He winked. “You have to eat sometime.”

  She was going to need a good reference for her résumé, and, after being Nick’s mistake, she could really use the ego boost right now. But it wasn’t going to happen. Not with Brad or any other man.

  “You’re over-thinking this. It’s dinner, not a marriage proposal.”

  “Sorry. I can’t.”

  “May I at least walk with you to the parking deck?”

  “I guess.” She couldn’t exactly stop Brad from leaving the building.

  They were parked on the same level. “My car is over there.” True pointed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “I take it I’m not walking you to it?”

  “I’m good.” She dug out her keys.

  He took her hand. “We might make pretty good friends if you’d give it a chance.”

  She let him hold her hand until her throat grew tight, then she pulled it back. He’d touched her and she’d kept her shit together—sort of—for almost twenty seconds. It gave her hope she might really have a chance at healing. At being normal again. But for now, she had to get away from him. “I have to go.”

  “Okay. See you.” He waved.

  She watched Brad disappear into the sea of cars and blew out the deep breath she’d been holding. “Time to stop patting myself on the back and get to my car.”

  She turned around and walked straight into human road block.

  Nick had grabbed some dinner and was pulling into his parking slot when he noticed True and Easley exit the elevator and stroll across the parking garage.

  He wasn’t about to interrupt whatever their business was, so he slumped against his seat to wait out their goodbyes. There was always the possibility they’d being going home together, and he sure as hell didn’t want them to know he’d seen them. He contemplated how juvenile hiding in his car was, and decided to suck it up and go inside. Besides, there was a good chance he could slip past them unnoticed.

  He opened his car door and stood. He’d been debating the best route to get to the door without being seen when Easley had taken True’s hand. Anger boiled through him. He wanted to rip the man’s hand off of True. Until she’d come back into his life, jealousy was an unfamiliar emotion for him, but son-of-a-bitch, every time he found her and Easley together, he saw red.

  If he ground his teeth together any harder, they were going to crumble. He’d removed his tie and tossed it inside his car before closing the door. After releasing the top two buttons on his shirt, he’d drawn several calming breaths and rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants.

  Before he’d taken his first step, True had pulled her hand from Easley’s grip and the guy had walked away. True watched him go. What kind of man left a woman alone at night in a parking garage? It didn’t matter that Nick’s properties were well-protected, he didn’t like the idea of her alone.

  She hadn’t seemed to hear him approach, and he was within inches of her when she spun around and ran into him.

  True’s face went milk-white a second before she screamed.

  Chapter Five

  “Dammit, True. I didn’t mean to scare you. You were so busy watching lover-boy fade into the sunset, you didn’t hear me approach.”

  “Lover-boy?” True fanned her face. Her cheeks heated and she didn’t need a mirror to know she was an embarrassing shade of red. Seconds ago, she’d probably been glow-in-the-dark pale.

  “Easley. I saw you two huddled together as I was getting out of my car.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “That explains your reaction this afternoon when I touched you. Feeling a little guilty wanting to make out with another man behind your boyfriend’s back?”

  “Brad isn’t my boyfriend.” She straightened to her full height. “And I didn’t want to make out with you.”

  “I saw the look on your face and I remember it well. You wanted me.”

  Had her desire for him been that transparent?

  “Are you and Easley just fuck-buddies?”

  She slapped Nick without thinking twice. The palm of her hand stung where it had connected with his cheek. “I don’t care if you’re my boss. You have no right to speak to me like that. I can certainly understand why your last assistant quit and filed charges against you.”

  “My last assistant thought she could blackmail me into letting her run my London office. Let me warn you ahead of time; it didn’t work out quite the way Katherine planned.”

  “Blackmail? You expect me to believe that? Surely a man as smart as you can come up with a more believable story.” A tree stump could do better.

  “It’s the best I’ve got because it’s the truth.”

  Blood beaded near the corner of his mouth where her ring had scratched him. She’d never been one to handle guilt well and he’d deserved the slap, but a sliver of remorse crossed her mind. True refused to break eye contact first. She was finished letting men treat her anyway they wanted. It was time to stand up for herself. She was no man’s mistake. Or slut.

  “It must’ve cost you a small fortune to pay her off.” She pulled her purse against her chest.

  “Katherine didn’t get a penny. Adam and his legal department are good at their jobs. It’s why I pay them the big bucks.” He wiped the dribble of blood away with his bare hand. “You’ve got a good swing.”

  “That’s right.” She hoped she didn’t have to use it again.

  He tipped her chin up and looked her in the eye. “I strongly advise you never try that again.”

  His gaze sucked the fight right out of her. The night’s temperature had dropped into the low teens, but the heat from his touch set a fire blazing inside her. One she couldn’t control. How could she be so angry at the man, yet, at the same time, want to make love to him until she became a part of him?

  She’d missed him so much and wanted nothing more than to kiss him right now and show him how wrong he was to have left her.

  To prove her point, she stood on her toes, pushed his fingers from her chin, and kissed him. Definitely not the most rational move she’d ever made, but it was as if she’d suddenly taken back her life—as if the last six months had never happened—and the last seven years slipped away. Her mouth against his felt so familiar, so right.

  He gripped her by the shoulders. “A few hours ago you wanted nothing to do with me.”

  “A few hours ago, you said I was a mistake.”

  “I’m sorry. The words didn’t come out right.”

  “I’m not a mistake and I’m not a slut.”

  “Whoa, there. Who said anything about you being a slut?”

  “Never mind. I’m just me.”

  “Exactly what kind of woman is that?” His voice went low, and goose bumps coated her skin.

  “One who’s never forgotten you. One who wants you.” She tightened her arms around his neck, reveling in her new bravery.

  Her lips took his again. Soon, he took the lead and devoured every inch of her mouth. Nick be
came her main focus. His tongue danced with hers and her nipples drew into hard peaks. He pulled her to him and back-walked her to the concrete wall.

  Panting, she tore his shirt open and explored every inch of his chest. Hard and muscled, and every perfect inch at her fingertips. She hadn’t noticed he’d undone her coat until his hands had slipped inside her shirt and palmed her breasts.

  “God, True. You feel so fucking good. Let’s take this inside to my penthouse.” He nibbled a path down her throat, over one nipple, then blew on it. Even through her shirt, the warmth of his breath spread like a wildfire, sending heat to her core and leaving her shivering his wake.

  “Too much? Should I back off?” Nick mumbled against her breast. “Tell me what you want.”

  “Don’t stop.” She grasped his belt, and drew a deep breath before continuing. “Did you say penthouse? You live in the building?”

  “Top floor. Comes in handy during snow storms or late nights at the office.” His chest heaved against hers and the hard length of him pressed against her belly. Instead of sending her running like she thought would happen, it excited her to know she’d done that to him. He was hard for her.

  “Yes.” She needed him and all that he had to offer.

  “I want you up there and in my bed. I’m going to peel every layer of your clothing away one piece at a time and run my hands and mouth all over you.”

  If Nick hadn’t been holding her, she would’ve melted at his feet.

  “Then I’m going to sink inside you, one slow inch at a time, until you scream my name.” He kissed her long and hard. “You ready for me, True?”

  “Yes.” God, was she ready. His words alone were about to bring her to orgasm.

  “This way.” He was leading her across the parking deck when the heel of her shoe twisted, and she stumbled. Nick caught her elbow and steadied her. “You okay?”

  “A little clumsy is all—”