by Taryn Quinn
Stubble dotted his neck, swirling around his Adam’s apple. He swallowed hard as she dragged the pad of her thumb down the column, taking a precious breath that her lungs couldn’t possibly handle. He opened his eyes a fraction. The glittering heat in his deep-brown eyes trapped the rest of her breath in her lungs. She settled her hands on his shoulders, tracing her thumb over his fluttering pulse.
Reassured that she wasn’t alone, and more importantly that she wasn’t doing it wrong, she lightly trailed her fingers along the solid muscles between his neck and shoulder and up. He’d obviously shaved that morning, but his stubble was already there, pricking the pads of her fingers as she traced the strong line of his jaw. She followed the indent of his chin to the shadow under his lips. The patch of hair was slightly softer there. As if he hadn’t quite gotten all of it on his shave.
She touched his lower lip and he opened for her, tipping his chin down to take her fingertip between his teeth. His steady gaze was disarming. Patience was there, but it wasn’t the only thing. No, there was a wealth of heat too.
For her.
She couldn’t stop the curve of her own mouth. When had a man ever looked at her like that? The power of it ticked her heart rate up until her breath quickened. Wanting a taste, needing a taste of something that thrilling, she pressed her mouth to his. The tip of her tongue found his, but instead of falling into the kiss this time, she teased him.
Gaining confidence, she did the sucking this time, drawing him deeper into her mouth. Sliding against the side of his tongue, she was the explorer. Cinnamon burned her tongue the deeper she went. He’d been chewing gum recently. So ordinary, but the peppery bite kicked her into gear. She drove her fingers into his hair and sealed her mouth to his.
He slid his arm around her waist as the kiss went deeper, pulling her tighter to him. She’d never been kissed like this in her life. As if she were precious and delicious at the same time.
Her name buzzed from his throat before she felt it on her tongue. Deep and growling with an edge of something more. Something she’d never tasted. Men didn’t get riled up for her. She simply didn’t incite passion.
She pulled back.
But instead of letting her go, his even white teeth nipped at her chin as his fingers gripped her hair and dragged her back down. Slanting lips and clicking teeth replaced the first kiss. He pulled her into his lap until she straddled him and he cradled her against his chest.
Her palm slapped against the wall and the tree shuddered as her shoulder bumped a branch. Still he didn’t stop. And she was too far gone to care where they were. The kiss went from meadow-picnic sweet to black silk sheets and sweat within moments. The puzzle pieces had snapped together, flush and perfect. And it was amazing.
His grip was almost bruising, but it only pushed her harder. Made her want more. She could feel the press of his zipper against her slacks. The bulge of a man not the least bit unfazed by her kiss. No, there was clear want as her heart slammed against her chest. Was it just hers? The tumultuous beat couldn’t be just her.
The tablet at her hip beeped. She pulled back instantly.
“Don’t.” He sighed and tipped his head back when she unlocked it and flipped open the cover. She was officially off shift, but it was Miriam. She was coming up to check in with them.
“I’m sorry. It’s Miriam.”
He shimmied his hand up between them and cupped her face, pushing her back and yet holding her tighter at the same time. “Her timing blows.”
“I shouldn’t be making out in the corner like a teenager.”
He nuzzled along her neck. “Being bad feels good though.”
She closed her eyes. Gosh, did it ever. But this was her career on the line. “You make it a habit, Mr. Hartley?”
He leaned back, the cool white of the lights accentuating the shadows and angles of his face. He was incredibly good-looking. The kind of good-looking that made a woman feel as average as copy paper beside him. She tried to shimmy back a little but he held on tight. “I haven’t wanted to touch a woman for a few months until just now.”
She searched his eyes. The deep brown had little tiny flecks of gold in them. Almost imperceptible until she was—oh, say three inches away. “Bad breakup?”
“You could say that.”
“I…” She what? She couldn’t say she didn’t want him to kiss her again. That was a damn lie. “I liked this.”
“I think like is an understatement.” He shifted under her and her eyes widened. That quirk to his mouth was back. “Sorry.”
“Uh huh.”
He leaned up with a laugh and nipped her bottom lip. “I really do like kissing you, Miss Tucker.”
She couldn’t stop the smile. “Ditto.”
His fingers tightened along her hips, riding the curve of her backside. “I like it a little too much, but I’m not exactly for voyeurism.”
“Too bad.” Shocked that it came out of her mouth, she detangled herself. “I—”
He laughed. “Kinky manager. Oh darlin’, we’ll have some fun.”
She stopped. “We will?”
He paused, then nodded. “I think we both could use it.”
“Even if I hate Christmas?”
“I’ll change your mind.”
“You are one cocky man.”
“Just about making you have some fun. I’m good at it.”
Of that she had no doubt. “Work first.”
He curled an arm around her waist, brushing his fingertips along the curve of her rib cage. “Authoritative women are hot.”
She pushed him back, delight beating down the doubt. “Well, then you’ll love me.”
His smile slipped a bit. “Do you need to go talk to boss lady?”
“She’s going to come up and check on us in a few minutes.”
“Then let’s get to work. I have most of the lights set up on switches. Now we just have to follow the grid I made up.” He scooted back, grabbed a graph notebook and handed it to her.
She crisscrossed her legs, settling beside him again. The tree was to scale, and was damn close to a photograph representation. The man was talented. He had each bough sectioned off with a string of lights and labeled with letters. Along the side there was a paragraph of code that meant less than nothing to her. She turned the page and found scribbled notes and a rough sketch of the registers with more lights labeled. The fat retro ones were obvious and the tiny twinkle lights were so effortlessly weaved throughout she didn’t even know how to react.
Through Ben’s eyes, the store would be beautiful.
He was going to put her on the path of assistant manager. With Christmas.
The irony wasn’t lost on her.
She turned to him. “This is amazing.”
He took the notebook with a smile. “It’s going to be amazing when I get it set up.”
She brushed her hand over his shoulder. “Let me just brush a little of that confidence off you, Ben.”
He rolled onto his knees. “You want this store to be the best. I’m the best.”
“What did I say about that confidence?”
“I’ve been working on this for years. Now I get to implement it on a grand scale. I’m going to make this so good you’ll be able to feel Christmas right into your bones. And you’re going to love it.”
“It’s just lights.” But she wasn’t so certain anymore. The pure determination in his eyes was contagious. She straightened her shoulders, not willing to back down. “You’re going to make my career, Ben.”
A little of the cocky swagger faded as he changed course and slid out the back of the tree. “I hope I change your mind about Christmas at the same time.”
She followed him. The moment was lost. Because of her. But this was about business and she had to remember that. “What do I need to do?”
“I’ll head back up the ladder. Why don’t you work on the bottom branches? I’ve got it sectioned off into four.” He handed her the notebook and climbed the ladder with an armful of
the retro lights.
She’d been doing grids for displays for years. This would be easy. She hoped.
She pushed back her sleeves and wished for a t-shirt like Ben. Of course the entire store was clothes. It wouldn’t hurt her budget too much to buy a t-shirt. “Let me just run and get something I can move in.”
Hurrying through the store to the women’s department, she snagged a shirt and, on impulse, her favorite brand of jeans. She needed a new pair anyway. After checking out and a quick change she headed back to the front end. Jaime met her at the jewelry counter.
“Look at you. All sexy and sassy.”
Darcy frowned. “Jeans and a t-shirt is sexy and sassy?”
“They are when you have legs like that. How is it that you have legs up to your ears anyway?”
“Don’t pout, you get to be tiny and dainty. I’m the Amazon.”
“Yeah, well Wonder Woman was an amazon and that worked out for her.”
She pulled her ponytail over her shoulder and smoothed the pin-straight strands. “Yeah, that’s me.” Nine hours of work left her hair limp and lifeless. No matter what product she put in it, it still ended up lying like a limp dishrag by the end of her shift. And she still had another six to eight hours to go.
“You are, mija. It’s going to be a long day. Are you sure you’re going to be okay with him after closing. All alone?”
“Yes. I’m not worried about that.”
Jaime’s eyebrow lifted. “Oh?”
“He’s perfectly safe.”
“Safe enough for stubble burn and lips that look like they were chewed on?”
“Jaime,” she said with a groan.
“What? I know the look of a woman well loved. Just be careful, love. That boy has the kind of grin that will make a woman forget how to keep her panties on.”
“I thought you wanted me to live a little? Didn’t you just tell me to enjoy him a few hours ago?”
“I did. I’m sort of shocked that you actually took my advice.”
She was too. But nothing about the last day and a half had been normal. Ben was right, it felt good to be a little bad. When had she ever kissed a man impulsively? Heck, she usually had to go out with someone at least a few times before she even entertained the idea of a kiss, let alone crawled in a man’s lap.
“I’ve been with men like him. Fun is what you need.”
Darcy could feel her face flaming. “I’m not going to do anything stupid.”
“I want you to do something stupid. Something fun and stupid with lots of orgasms,” Jaime said on a whisper. “But I also know how overwhelming a sexy guy can be. My Michael got me into tons of trouble.”
“Ben’s…” Well, she had certainly taken a chance kissing the stuffing out of him under the tree, but that was it. She wouldn’t be careless. She didn’t know how to be careless. “Ben’s here to do a job.”
“He’s going to do a job on you. Enjoy it and I want details.”
Darcy sighed. “I’ve got to get back.”
“Go.”
She quickened her step, faltering when she caught sight of him on the ladder, his upper half buried in the tree. She could do this. He was just a guy. Even if he was a guy who loved Christmas.
Chapter Six
They worked together well. Darcy took direction and had an innate ability to find the most efficient way to do things. He could see why she’d been promoted through the ranks. By the time the store was preparing for closing they had the tree wired up and he had a tentative circuit to try out.
Next to her boss, Darcy seemed positively friendly and warm. When Miriam had come out to check on them the laughing Darcy had disappeared. Within two minutes she was back to the remote woman he was used to. The woman he hoped to banish again before the night was over.
The chattering Tiffany tried to stay after her shift, but the nighttime supervisor for the cashiers put the kibosh on that. Fortunately the girl left before he could use a string of garland to strangle himself. He was used to dealing with people in his line of work, but a tat took three hours to do at most. Seven hours of Tiffany was too much for any man to take.
And the fact that Darcy took a little too much joy in the torture left him eager to work some payback into their evening. The store emptied out and they were more than halfway finished with the swags of decorations for the registers before the last employee left. These would be on a separate channel to play on a loop from one register to the next as programmed songs came through the sound system.
He was anxious to try it out. Now if only Darcy didn’t fill out a damn pair of jeans as if they’d been made for her he’d be further along with the register setups. She slid behind him, her chest brushing against his back as she reached for the edge of a wreath.
“Sorry, can’t quite…”
He turned into her, making sure his chest slid across hers as he reached for it. He unhooked it from the plastic L-bracket. “Is this what you need?”
The soft skin of her underarm brushed against his. She was so pale, dusted with toffee-colored freckles on every inch. Every inch that he was more than willing to explore. A night of counting her freckles would be a welcome project. Instead of backing off, she moved into him, her thigh sliding between his so denim whispered against denim. He rather liked having a woman line up with him. There was something to be said for a tiny woman to make a man feel big and powerful, but this way? This woman with her surprising curves?
In dress clothes she looked tall and professional, even a little untouchable. In a pair of jeans she was miles of curves and mouthwatering temptation. He groaned as she lifted her knee and bumped his balls lightly.
“You’re not playing fair.” He glanced up to the black orbs in the ceiling that probably had video cameras going at timed intervals. He’d like nothing more than to boost her onto the counter and find out whether she was a pretty bra type or she had a no-nonsense kind that would hold up to a day’s work.
He didn’t know which one would turn him on more.
And there lay madness.
She wasn’t his usual type of woman. She was softer in some ways, but still there was something about how she held herself away from people that made her even more intriguing. She was stiff and formal with her employees. She seemed to relax only around Jaime. She watched everything. He wasn’t sure if she was taking it all in or cataloging it for dissection and an efficiency overhaul.
And she liked to watch him.
He’d felt her gaze on him all night.
And he’d been half hard since they’d been locked under the tree together.
She batted long, light lashes at him. “Were there rules? I wasn’t aware of any.”
He growled, hovering an inch from her mouth. Her makeup had faded away long ago and he found that he liked her fresh face. More freckles had bloomed along the ridge of her nose and cheeks. Hell, they were all over her. Even on her lips.
Yeah, he wanted to count them, wanted to paint her entire body with his tongue to see just which ones would line up with spots that made her sigh or moan. His buttoned-up and remote landlady was missing again. In her place was a woman he wanted to get to know in every way possible.
“Maybe there should be,” she said softly. “Maybe I’m not ready for someone like you.”
He searched her face. The tension that had bowed tight between them snapped like a frayed rubber band. “Someone like me?”
“I can count the number of men I’ve been with on one hand.”
He arched a brow. “What makes you think I can’t do the same thing?”
She leaned against the cubicle-like structure that walled in the registers and folded her arms. Arctic Darcy was back.
“Okay, so maybe I’ve had a few more relationships than that. But whatever this is, it’s just us. It’s different than any other thing between anyone else we’ve been with because it’s us.”
She relaxed, letting her arms drop before taking his hand. “I didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just… Well,
it’s been a while. I work a lot and I don’t like to mix work with…” She trailed off. “I’m not saying any of this right.” She stepped into him, again her knee nestled between his. “I like this feeling. I want more of it. Does it have to be complicated?”
He shook his head. It didn’t have to be. He’d hit the mother lode with this woman. Incredibly sexy and she wanted to just see where it went. No pressure. He brushed her cheek with his, the corners of their mouths touching briefly. “Let’s get this done and I’ll show you just how uncomplicated and fun I can be.”
She drew in a shuddering breath. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
Unfortunately the close quarters made for creative ways for each of them to torture the other. And he found that he liked tacking up lights for the camera and behind the counter he found ways to brush against her, smooth his palm along her ass, tangle up their legs until she was giggling around him.
He liked her laugh.
Wanted more of it.
Wanted to taste it even more.
By the time they finished the registers he was so wound up he was ready to drag her off to a corner and kiss her until breathing was optional. They agreed to take a break since he had to test the circuits he’d created and he needed to connect the control pad to the program he wrote. She brought him back to the furniture section and he spread out on one of the coffee tables.
Hip-deep in code, he didn’t realize how long she’d been gone until the quick shock of cold on his neck made him flinch. She held out a bottle of soda with a knowing grin. “How’s it going, genius?”
“Almost got it.”
“Good, because you’ve been poring over this for an hour.”
“Oh shit. Really?”
She nodded and covered her mouth as a huge yawn overtook her. “Definitely. It’s after midnight.”
He stretched his arms out and gathered everything. “I think we’re good to give it a try.”
She took his mini-laptop and left him with the circuit boards. “Let’s get going.”