Page 26 of Big Mistletoe

I open the door to the house and take her straight upstairs. I’ll worry about tomorrow later. Tonight I’m going to enjoy having Joy in my bed.

10

JOY

I’m ridiculously happy. Like so happy I’m not sure what to do with myself. Somehow, in the span of a few weeks, my apartment flooded, I moved in with a man I barely knew, started sleeping in his bed, and ended up with an office at Winters Construction. I don’t need the office, but Nick insisted.

He said since I’m here so much anyway, it makes sense for me to have somewhere to work before I head out to jobs. I’m pretty sure he just likes having me close.

I’m sitting behind the desk with my laptop open, trying to finish an invoice before I leave for the day when Nick walks in.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

I try to focus on the invoice in front of me. “Working. What are you doing?”

He comes over and sits on the edge of my desk. “Taking a break.”

I laugh and shake my head. “You are Nicholas Winters. You don’t take breaks.”

He laughs. “It seems since you’ve come into my life, I have started taking more.”

He leans down and brushes his lips against mine, and I smile up at him. “This is very unprofessional, Mr. Winters.”

He kisses me again and then leans back and wiggles his eyebrows at me. “You make me want to be unprofessional.”

I laugh, but then his hand slides around the back of my neck, and he kisses me for real. I grab the front of his shirt and lean into him. Every time he kisses me, I forget what I was supposed to be doing. His mouth moves along my cheek, and I let out a breath. “Nick.”

“Hmm?”

I moan as he nibbles on my ear and struggle to get the words out. “We’re supposed to be working.”

I feel his tongue on my neck, and he huskily answers, “I am working.”

I tremble and push against his chest. “No, you’re distracting me.”

He finally lifts his head and groans. “Fine.” He stands up and adjusts himself, then points at me. “Five o’clock, you’re mine.”

I point to the door. “Go work.”

He puts a hand over his heart. “If it wasn’t for the fact that you were screaming my name this morning, I would be offended, sweet Joy.”

I feel myself starting to blush. “Nick.”

He backs toward the door. “Lunch?”

I want to say yes, but I know my schedule won’t allow it. “I have two jobs this afternoon.”

He nods. “Dinner?”

I shake my head and laugh. “You do know I live with you, right?”

He shrugs and asks, “So dinner?”

I nod and point at the door. “Yes, I’ll see you at dinner.”

He leaves, and I sit back down, smiling like an idiot. I stare at my laptop for a second before opening it again. Nick makes me feel things I’ve never felt before, and I want nothing more than to spend the day with him, but I’m doing my best to keep at least a little guard on my heart. I push the thoughts away and finish my invoices.

A few minutes later, I grab my purse and tote bag and head toward the lobby.