to juggle someone else?” Hannah sat on the corduroy sofa and tapped her stylus to her phone until December’s calendar came up.
“Do you always dress like this when you’re home alone? You are alone, right?” Hannah searched his face, grinning at her own power. She made him nervous. Maybe she shouldn’t have put on the robe. She could probably have him begging right now.
“This is how I dress for bed.” Her voice came out lower than usual, slower. She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed again. Given the current state of his pants, Hannah felt pretty confident she could have him naked and in her bed in less than sixty seconds if she played her cards right. But she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be in the game just yet.
She looked down at her calendar. Next month was far better than November, she had three days off. “In December I’ve got the second, twenty-fifth and thirty-first off.” Her birthday, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
“Right, the schedule.” Mason bent down and rifled through his duffle and pulled out a printed sheet of paper and a pen. He stepped closer to the couch but hesitated before sitting down.
“Relax, Mason, I won’t bite.” She patted the couch next to her, squeezing her thighs together in anticipation. She’d already sensed the smell of soap and aftershave and man that she’d memorized just last night.
“It’s not you I’m worried about,” he said under his breath as he sat. He circled her days off on his calendar. “I actually have all of those. Okay, what else?”
Looking up, he met her gaze and her breath caught. His eyes were so blue it almost hurt to look at them. “That’s it. I warned you the holidays were crazy. But if you stick it out they give you a week off in February.” She smiled and searched the schedule for any days when she could get off early and not be in until closing the next day.
“Did you take New Year’s Eve off for Gabe’s wedding?”
She shook her head. “I actually paid a thousand bucks for it last January in a United Way fundraiser.”
He smiled, his straight teeth gleaming. “Will you come with me to the wedding?”
New Year’s was still a long way off. “If you’re still speaking to me, absolutely.”
“I’ll make you a deal. You always answer the door dressed like this and I will until the day I die.”
She laughed louder than she would’ve liked. “If you like the robe you should have seen what I had on when you knocked.” His pupils dilated, his irises darkening at her taunt. She played with fire here. She looked away and studied the schedule once more. “I could do dinner on December eighth or nineteenth if you want.”
He bowed his head again. “I work on the eighth, but I’m in for the nineteenth. You probably have family stuff on Christmas, so what about the second? Do you ski?”
“Yes, I ski, but I can’t that day. It’s my birthday and my folks are flying in. We do our family thing then so my sisters can be with their in-laws for Christmas.”
“Birthday?” He grinned and that charming dimple appeared.
She wanted to ignore her thirtieth birthday all together. “Did you get next Thursday off?”
“I think so. I have to trade some December days, but I wanted to check with you first.”
“Good answer,” she smiled, setting her phone on the coffee table.
“I read that book.” Mason said, setting down his calendar. He’d circled her days off and noted her birthday.
“What book?” she wondered, looking up at him.
“ Just One Night. ” He scooted closer until their bodies touched from hip to knee. Even his body temperature was hot.
“The romance novel? The one I was reading when we met?”
“Oh, yeah.” His voice dropped an octave as he twirled his fingers in a lock of her hair.
Just like in the book. Every nerve in her body came alive. “Oh my God. You’re thinking about when they…”
“Oh, yes” He leaned toward her, breathing in the smell of her hair. Just like
“Do you always dress like this when you’re home alone? You are alone, right?” Hannah searched his face, grinning at her own power. She made him nervous. Maybe she shouldn’t have put on the robe. She could probably have him begging right now.
“This is how I dress for bed.” Her voice came out lower than usual, slower. She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed again. Given the current state of his pants, Hannah felt pretty confident she could have him naked and in her bed in less than sixty seconds if she played her cards right. But she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be in the game just yet.
She looked down at her calendar. Next month was far better than November, she had three days off. “In December I’ve got the second, twenty-fifth and thirty-first off.” Her birthday, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
“Right, the schedule.” Mason bent down and rifled through his duffle and pulled out a printed sheet of paper and a pen. He stepped closer to the couch but hesitated before sitting down.
“Relax, Mason, I won’t bite.” She patted the couch next to her, squeezing her thighs together in anticipation. She’d already sensed the smell of soap and aftershave and man that she’d memorized just last night.
“It’s not you I’m worried about,” he said under his breath as he sat. He circled her days off on his calendar. “I actually have all of those. Okay, what else?”
Looking up, he met her gaze and her breath caught. His eyes were so blue it almost hurt to look at them. “That’s it. I warned you the holidays were crazy. But if you stick it out they give you a week off in February.” She smiled and searched the schedule for any days when she could get off early and not be in until closing the next day.
“Did you take New Year’s Eve off for Gabe’s wedding?”
She shook her head. “I actually paid a thousand bucks for it last January in a United Way fundraiser.”
He smiled, his straight teeth gleaming. “Will you come with me to the wedding?”
New Year’s was still a long way off. “If you’re still speaking to me, absolutely.”
“I’ll make you a deal. You always answer the door dressed like this and I will until the day I die.”
She laughed louder than she would’ve liked. “If you like the robe you should have seen what I had on when you knocked.” His pupils dilated, his irises darkening at her taunt. She played with fire here. She looked away and studied the schedule once more. “I could do dinner on December eighth or nineteenth if you want.”
He bowed his head again. “I work on the eighth, but I’m in for the nineteenth. You probably have family stuff on Christmas, so what about the second? Do you ski?”
“Yes, I ski, but I can’t that day. It’s my birthday and my folks are flying in. We do our family thing then so my sisters can be with their in-laws for Christmas.”
“Birthday?” He grinned and that charming dimple appeared.
She wanted to ignore her thirtieth birthday all together. “Did you get next Thursday off?”
“I think so. I have to trade some December days, but I wanted to check with you first.”
“Good answer,” she smiled, setting her phone on the coffee table.
“I read that book.” Mason said, setting down his calendar. He’d circled her days off and noted her birthday.
“What book?” she wondered, looking up at him.
“ Just One Night. ” He scooted closer until their bodies touched from hip to knee. Even his body temperature was hot.
“The romance novel? The one I was reading when we met?”
“Oh, yeah.” His voice dropped an octave as he twirled his fingers in a lock of her hair.
Just like in the book. Every nerve in her body came alive. “Oh my God. You’re thinking about when they…”
“Oh, yes” He leaned toward her, breathing in the smell of her hair. Just like
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