by Ali Parker
“Ready to head up?” Chase asked.
“I am,” I said, getting to my feet and feeling the buzz of the champagne.
We walked side by side, occasionally bumping into one another. He reached out and pushed the button for the elevator. He nudged my shoulder and pointed up. I looked at what he was pointing at and noticed garland draping over the area. In front of each elevator, there was a sprig of mistletoe hanging.
Before I knew what he was going to do, he put his hands on my cheeks and held my head. His lips came down over mine. I immediately leaned into him, appreciating the feel of his lips on mine. It was a sweet, tender kiss. It took me back to a time when we were young and carefree. The kiss deepened as the old feelings took hold. Damn, he was an amazing kisser.
Chapter 12
Chase
The feel of her body pressed against mine and the scent of her filling my senses catapulted me into a place I had not been in a long time. It was a place reserved for just the two of us. Our personal heaven, exclusive to us.
It felt good to kiss her. It felt like going home after a long year away. The kiss heated up. Old memories and feelings came rushing back. I was overwhelmed by the sensation of her in my arms. Her curves pressed against me. I heard a soft, little moan and felt an immediate tug in my crotch. I wanted her. I needed to be closer to her. I stepped closer to her, pushing her back. The contact wasn’t enough. I needed more.
Something stopped us. Something hard and unyielding. The wall. Reality slapped me as hard as being hit with a wooden plank. I was standing in a very public place with my tongue halfway down her throat and my dick hard as hell. I was damn near climbing on her. I had her pushed against the wall, ready to thrust inside her with no regard to the public setting.
I pulled away, clearing my throat and doing my best to casually adjust my pants. “Elevator is here,” I managed to get out. My voice was raspy, like I’d just been in a smoke-filled room.
She blinked, looking up at me with confusion. “Oh,” she whispered, putting her fingertips to her lips. Her eyes widened. “Oh!”
I put my arm around her and pulled her into the elevator. When the doors slid closed, I reached for her to continue the kiss. I wanted more. I wanted to really show her what she was missing. What I was missing.
She pulled away, moving to stand against the wall. “We need to keep this professional. We’re working together. We have a Christmas miracle to perform and I’m not a big believer in magic. We need to stay focused. No distractions. We aren’t that. Not anymore.”
Her sentences were choppy and disjointed, telling me she was just as shaken by the kiss as I had been. That was a good sign. A positive sign. A little glimmer of hope that I had a chance.
But that chance could not be right now. I hated it, but she was right. “Okay. I’m sorry. I got caught up. I didn’t mean to offend you or push myself on you.”
“It’s fine,” she whispered. “We can’t let that happen again. It confuses things.”
I nodded. “I know. You’re right. I’m sorry.”
It sucked but she was right. I hated it. I wanted her, but I couldn’t afford to have her walk out on me. I needed to keep it in my pants. She was going to be the difference between me being a raging success or a devastating failure. I could rein in my appetite for her. I had to. There was too much riding on us working together.
I took a deep breath, pushing away the lust, and concentrated on being cool and casual. I said nothing more as the elevator moved up to the top floor. We walked to the room in silence, keeping a wide berth from each other.
“Do you want a drink?” I asked, wanting to fill the quiet. I needed a stiff drink after that.
“No thanks. I’ve had plenty. I’m going to bed. Do you need anything out of here?”
It was over. The fun we’d had was done. It was back to reality. Back to her not wanting to be anywhere near me. Instead of letting her see my disappointment, I smiled. “No, I’m good. Good night.”
“Night,” she murmured and walked into the bedroom before closing the door behind her.
I thought I heard the lock click. She wasn’t taking any chances. That was a little disappointing. I was certain any progress I made getting her to like me again had just been undone. It had been rash to kiss her. I should have gone slowly. Technically, that had been my intention. I planned a flirty kiss under the mistletoe, no harm, no foul. It was the chemistry between us that changed that. I was helpless to resist.
I stripped off my pants and pulled off my shirt before plopping onto the couch. I stretched my legs out, pulling the blanket over me. I stared up at the ceiling, a little disgusted by my situation. There was a beautiful woman twenty feet away from me and I was on the couch alone. I was a chump.
The kiss still lingered on my lips, mingling with the taste of champagne. It had been such a perfect kiss. It was delicate and sweet and very much like her. I would have loved for the kiss to go on and on. I craved a good make-out session with her, much like the ones we used to have back in high school. I remembered being left breathless, panting with need. She always laughed and told me she had to get to class or get home or something. She always left me hard and aching for her.
Thinking about those days brought back memories I had not allowed myself to visit in a long time. It wasn’t because the memories were bad. Quite the opposite. I avoided the memories because they were reminders of what I had lost. Of what I gave up.
I had been such a fool to let her go. I remembered one particular night. It was the one memory I knew I would never forget for as long as I lived.
The night I knew I was in love with her played through my mind. I found myself smiling as I drifted back into the memory.
“This movie is so old,” she groaned. “The worst special effects.”
“We’re not going to actually watch the movie,” I teased. “I don’t even know what it’s about.”
“Oh, what did you think we were going to do?”
“I plan on making out with you until my lips are numb,” I answered honestly.
She softly giggled. “I think I would like to see that.”
“You will. I can’t wait to get you into that dark theater. We’ll sit in the back row.”
“You’re crazy,” she said.
“Crazy for you. You are so beautiful. Is that a new dress?”
She looked down at the pretty blue summer dress she’d paired with a white shawl. “It is.”
“I love it. I want you to wear it all the time.”
“It would get old then.”
“Not on you.”
I took her hand and held it close. I wasn’t lying. I couldn’t wait to get her into the theater. I paid for the discount tickets. We made our way to our seats. I followed through with my plan to sit in the back row, farthest away from the door. I kissed her once, making sure she was okay with the make-out session I had planned. She was. We kissed through the whole movie. When it was time to leave, both our lips were red and swollen. I had fulfilled my goal of kissing her until my lips were numb.
We walked out into the beautiful moonlight, sucking in deep breaths. We were both in need of some fresh air after sharing the same breath for over an hour. Her auburn hair looked golden in the light, her fair skin practically glowing. I was so in love with her. I was surprised that it just kind of hit me all of a sudden. I knew I cared about her but now I knew I loved her. Every cell in my body told me she was the one for me.
She turned to me and smiled. “What are you looking at?” she asked.
“You. Always you.”
Her bright smile lit up the night far more than the moon and the stars combined. She was my angel sent from heaven. I knew I was forever lost. I would never want another woman like I wanted her. My heart felt full to bursting with the love I felt for her. People would say it wasn’t real. They would call it puppy love. I knew otherwise. I knew she was permanently imprinted on my soul. She was my first love and I knew she would be my only love.
; I opened my eyes and let out a long sigh as reality came creeping back in. That night had been so good. Back then, I was confident nothing would ever get in our way. Together, we were this strong powerhouse. We loved each other and fit so perfectly together.
I missed her. I never got over her. She was always my one true love. I thought I could forget about her by finding a new girlfriend. That had been my mission for years. I ran through women like a person ran through socks.
I kept looking for someone that was just like her. I wanted to find someone else with that silky, auburn hair and those stunning green eyes. I wanted someone to chide me when I did something silly and kiss me when I did something good. I dated, and I dated, and then I dated some more. No woman could ever compare to her. Some had one or two of her qualities, but none had them all. None of the women I passed my time with had all of her qualities.
I was certain I would never find true love and gave up. I decided to enjoy my life without looking for love. I knew I would never find it. Some of the women had a quality or two I did like. I figured I would settle down with one of them one of these days but not anytime soon. I wasn’t quite ready to settle.
Now she was back in my life. I wanted her back for good. I didn’t quite know how to go about getting her to accept me again. She was holding back, keeping me at arm’s length. She put up a wall around herself and I had only myself to blame for that. I hurt her. That night would forever haunt me. Our prom was supposed to be so perfect and I made it perfectly horrible. She hadn’t forgiven me. That much was clear.
But tonight, I felt her guard slip just a little. There was no way she could feel nothing for me. I felt it in the kiss. I saw it when she looked at me a certain way. There was a sliver of hope. A very small, slim sliver, but it was there. I needed to find a way to grow that sliver into the real thing. I doubted I would ever get this chance again. I lost her for ten years, I didn’t want to wait another ten years to get her back.
I wouldn’t push hard. If I came on too strong, she would run. I needed to ease myself back into her life. I was going to treat her like an animal trainer taming a wild animal. I needed to bring her in slow. She was right about keeping things professional for now. I had a lot riding on the opening. I was confident she would make the grand opening a real success.
I would be professional, but through every look, every word, and every action, I was going to show her how much I cared. I would show her I could be good to her. This was my second chance and I was not going to squander it. I had to prove to her I wasn’t that same dipshit kid from ten years ago. I had my priorities straight and I knew what I wanted.
I wanted her.
Chapter 13
Harper
I placed one of the pieces of poster board onto the floor and stepped back to look at it. I rubbed my jaw and nodded. My mind was working. My creative juices flowed as I stared down at the mockups and then looked at the space, imagining them in real life.
“It will work,” I said after several minutes of internal debate. “Do you have that tape measure?”
Cori stepped forward and handed it to me. “I will never understand how your mind works. How can you look at that black and white sketch and see anything?”
Parker laughed. “You have to blur your vision and let yourself imagine. Don’t look at it as a sketch. Suspend reality.”
“She’s making it sound easier than it is,” I said. “I get these wild ideas about what I want to happen and then Parker comes along and adds the sprinkles on top, so to speak.”
“You two work really well together. I bet Chase is very happy the two of you decided to come on board.”
“I hope so,” Parker said. “I need this job and I really need the good reference. Old Man Banner is not being kind about it. When I went to pick up my last check, I felt like I had been shunned. No one would talk to me. He told them I left him high and dry and gave no notice.”
“You gave him a day notice,” I reminded her.
“Well, he would have gotten a two-week notice if he would have given you a two-week notice he was going to fire you.”
“I don’t think it works like that,” I said with a laugh. “But I agree. An advance warning he was going to fire me would have been very nice.”
“I’m thrilled he fired you,” Cori said. “I had this great idea for a pop-up, but I honestly had no idea how much work went into it. I was really thinking I just did a pop-up and that was that. The placement and advertising and all the rest of it is so beyond anything I was prepared for.”
“It’s good experience for you,” I told her.
She waved a hand. “I don’t plan on doing this forever. I’m here to have some fun while I wait for my husband to come along.”
“Hold this,” I said, handing her the end of the measuring tape. I walked away, measuring the space we were planning to put the tree. It was going to be huge. It was going to dominate the space. It would be the first thing guests saw when they stepped through the doors.
I was adding numbers to the list of notes I was taking. I needed to get everything just right. I was so busy writing things down, I didn’t hear the man that was now standing a few feet from me. I looked up at him, like actually up. He was at least as tall as Chase, maybe taller. He was looking at Cori, who was looking back at him with a shocked expression.
“Um, hello,” I said, stepping forward to take charge of the situation.
The man turned warm brown eyes on me before looking back at Cori.
“What are you doing here?” Cori asked, sounding displeased to see the man.
“I’m here to talk to your brother.”
“Why?”
He smiled, a playful upturn of his lips. “We are going to talk business. Do you want to join us?”
“No,” she quickly answered.
“Where is he?”
“Office.”
He looked around before giving her another look. “Do you want to give me a little hint about where that might be?”
“Oh, uh, out those doors. Follow the path through the trees to the little chalet. He’s in there.”
He winked at her. “Thanks, Cori. What are you doing later?”
“Uh, I, um, I’m working.”
“Why don’t we have dinner and catch up?” he asked, ignoring her initial answer.
“I can’t. I’m busy.”
He smiled, not bothered by her rejection. “All right. I’ll see you around.”
He turned and walked toward the exit. The three of us stood silent, watching him go. He turned before pushing the door open. He caught the three of us staring at him. Then he smiled and winked before walking out the door.
“Oh my god!” Parker squealed. “Hello, handsome.”
“Who was that?” I asked, fanning my hand in front of my face.
Cori was bright red. “No one.”
“Uh, liar,” I said with a laugh.
“He’s Nick. Nick Stark. Chase’s best friend from college.”
“He’s hot,” Parker said.
He was attractive, but I thought Chase’s lighter coloring was more attractive. I might have been just a little biased. “Looks like he’s got a little thing for you,” I told her.
She turned a deeper shade of red. “No way. He’s not my future husband.”
“Because he’s your brother’s friend?” Parker asked.
“Yes and no. He’s always looking to make more money. He’s already ridiculously wealthy but he’s always trying to find the next fast-money scheme. Him and Chase worked together a few years ago and both of them made a lot of money. Nick is probably hoping for another chance to make a killing.”
“That’s not a terrible thing,” I told her.
“It is to me. I don’t want anything to do with that.”
“I’ll take him,” Parker said.
“He did seem to be very interested in you,” I told Cori.
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not interested.”
I didn’t
say it because I didn’t want to irritate her any further, but I was certain she was protesting a little too much. If she didn’t like him, she wouldn’t be so flustered by him. She was clearly attracted to him. I wondered if he’d broken her heart. I understood that all too well.
“All right, take that end that way.” I pointed. We had too much work to do to get caught up in lost loves.
“This big?” Cori asked with surprise.
“Yes,” I said, looking down at the tape measure and noting the number.
“Chase said to go big,” Parker reminded her.
“This is huge. Is this really going to be all tree?”
“Most of it will be tree. We’re going to have a train running around the base of the tree. That’s where we are going to put some of your merchandise. We are giving customers lots of ideas about how they can use the gifts. We need to keep the gifts front and center all the time. Subtle but direct.”
“You’re so smart,” Cori said. “I can see why he wanted you.”
“Parker, I need to know if you can make that gold tree skirt happen,” I said, completely focused on the task at hand. “It has to be gold and it has to be shiny. I don’t want sequins.”
“I’ll get it. I can sew it myself. I just need to order the fabric.”
“Okay, we need that immediately. The gift wrap needs to be a lighter tone of gold. I don’t want it to clash.”
“Wow, you are bossy,” Cori said with a laugh.
“This is nothing. You should see her in the day or two leading up to a display going up.”
“I think I’ll avoid that,” Cori replied.
“I’m not that bad,” I retorted.
“No one can be as bad as Chase,” Jake said, walking to where the three of us were standing.
“You are on my shit list,” Cori said, waggling her finger at him.
“Me? What did I do?”