His For Christmas by Kinsley Gibb Page A

contact.
    Hot brown eyes seared her while she jerked
her hands back. Unsure, she wiped her damp hands on her dress.
    Anabelle licked her lips and Derek followed
the wet trail with his eyes. “I’m sorry. Please, Derek, it’s my
fault. I was in the wrong, I interrupted your schedule and you were
kind to let me in. I don’t know why…”
    While she rambled, he finished the last
buttons. He studied her lips while silence roared between them.
Derek’s study moved from her lips to her nose, then to her eyes.
She hated his unhurried inspection and how vulnerable she felt.
    Breathing became difficult.
    Matt Kearney might have been crooning in the
background but mainly she heard a loud roar in her ears. It was too
much and she needed to escape. “I’ll go and let you get back to
what you were doing.”
    She shoved errant strands behind her ear and
turned towards the exit but strong hands grabbed her elbows from
behind. The heat of his palms tugged a response from her nipples as
if attached by live wires. The dress was a painful source of
friction. She hoped he wouldn’t notice the hard pebbles.
    “Hold on, Anabelle.” He slid a hand to her
wrist, his fingers brushed against her pulse point and she wondered
if he felt the rapid beat. “Don’t go.” His deep voice rolled over
her, made her shiver. His heat surrounded her while sweat gathered
between her breasts. “You’re welcome anytime Anabelle…always.”
    His eyes locked on hers. She felt a strong
pull that urged her to move closer, but she stood firm. A part of
her knew to do so would signal a start to something she couldn’t
control. Something unprofessional. Something she wasn’t sure she
was ready for.
    After a moment, Derek stepped back, released
her wrist and thrust a hand through his hair. As if the tension
were too much, he rubbed the back of his neck. When he looked up
again, the heated look in his gaze was gone and in its place was
his usual laid back grin. For a moment, she thought she’d imagined
his tension.
    “Come on. I’ve got something you might want
to see.”
    Him, naked with a bow on top?
    She didn’t think that was his plan but she
followed him anyway.
    “Where is everyone?” The normal buzz of
activity in the warehouse was missing.
    “Dani’s on an extended lunch, her Mac
crapped out on her over the weekend and she needed it for school so
she’s at the Apple Store at the mall and the boys are driving back
from Miami.”
    So they were alone.
    Wonderful .
    As if she needed more fodder for her
fantasies. Last week he’d had her on top of the console table.
They’d successfully tested the weight capacity of the table. Derek
may have thought she’d been in the midst of a hot flash because
she’d been red the entire visit.
    Poor guy .
    If he knew he was the star of her many
fantasies, he’d stop being so friendly to the dirty old lady she
was fast becoming. Because not only was Derek an outstanding custom
cabinetry maker, highly sought after sustainable furniture designer
and all around exemplary craftsman, he was also too young for her
and therefore off limits.
    He was in his late twenties or early
thirties, she wasn’t certain but she didn’t dare ask lest he assume
she was interested.
    She wasn’t.
    But maybe the overload of fantasies meant
she was ready to date again. It had been three years and as her
Aunt Martha mentioned during last week’s birthday lunch, Anabelle
wasn’t getting any younger and was on the verge of spinsterhood.
Although how that was possible since she’d been married was
questionable but Aunt Martha had no filter and felt compelled to
offer her opinion.
    Lucky Anabelle.
    The invitation in her purse reminded
Anabelle her younger cousin was all grown up and getting married.
Next month, the extended family would converge at Josie’s beach
wedding and before long, the sad state of Anabelle’s life would be
discussed. Somebody would inevitably bless Anabelle’s heart and
Anabelle would go insane.
    The