Page 67

Her gaze didn’t leave his. “I believe I just did.”

Beneath his chest, his heart thumped like he’d given it a major workout. This was not what his friend had in mind when he’d written the game in the advent. Yet he couldn’t pull his eyes from hers. Couldn’t stop the truth from leaving his lips. “Yes, I want to have sex with you.”

“Ask me the same question,” she whispered, then shook her head. “Don’t bother, I’ll answer it anyway. Yes, I want have sex with you.”

His dick was primed and ready, the rest of his body right behind it. But the tiny part of his mind not full of Anna, was waving big red flags. “And how good are you at having sex without letting emotions get in the way?” He asked bluntly. “Because we know I can do it, but can you?”

His question had the desired aim because her gaze left his.

Slowly he rose to his feet and picked up her blouse. With hands that were far from steady, he held it out for her to slip into.

“You’ve had too much to drink,” he told her quietly as he drew the blouse around her, hiding the very assets he was desperate to see more of. To hold and fondle. “We both have. Goodnight, Anna.”

Heart in his mouth, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Then left before he changed his mind.

December 18th

Anna hadn’t expected to see Luke the following morning, so when she found the predictable note on the kitchen table telling her he’d gone for a run, she breathed a sigh of relief.

They both needed space from each other after yesterday.

When she drank too much, she made bad decisions. Last night had been an epic example. Put aside her barely okay dare asking him to take off his shirt, and the fact she hadn’t shied away from taking off her own, she’d actually asked him if he wanted to have sex with her. Then told him, quite blatantly that she wanted to have sex with him.

She groaned and put her head in her hands.

Way to make the next few days awkward as hell, girl.

But he had to share some of the blame. The man had told her the dance routine was the sexiest thing he’d seen. How was she supposed to ignore that, ignore him, when his admiration had been even more intoxicating than the vat of mimosa she’d drunk? It was no wonder she’d pushed, wanting to see if she could get even more of a reaction from him.

And she had. Now she didn’t know what to do with this ache, this craving that thickened her blood and excited all the butterflies in her belly.

Giving her tangled thoughts a determined shove, she opened the advent window with a high degree of trepidation.

Watch Christmas movies.

That was . . . okay, wasn’t it? They’d watched TV together before.

A knock sounded on her front door. Not the intercom, so it had to be someone inside the building. Had Luke forgotten his keys?

Her pulse galloped as she went to open it, only to settle when she saw Pearl. Then pick up speed again when she saw what her neighbor was holding.

“Morning, Pearl. Why have you brought me some mistletoe?”

She winked. “You never know when it might come in handy.”

Coming after last night, the comment felt too close to reality for comfort. “That’s not a great idea.”

Pearl made a dismissive sound. “Mistletoe is always a good idea, honey. Now where’s that man of yours to hang it up?”

“Luke isn’t my man.” Thank God he wasn’t here. “He’s Colin’s friend. Was Colin’s friend.” She was horrified to realize that over the last week, she’d spent less time thinking of her brother and more time thinking of his friend.

“Well, whatever he is, he’s tall enough he can hang this somewhere suitable.” Pearl dropped the mistletoe, tied with a red ribbon, into Anna’s hands. “Sadly it’s no use to me.”

The door to the elevator opened and Luke strode out. She wasn’t sure which version of Luke she had a crush on most, but wearing-shorts-and-sweaty-from-exercise Luke, was hard to beat.

“Morning.” His gaze flicked between the pair of them. When it dipped down to the mistletoe, his big body stilled. “What’s that?”