Page 36 of Mistletoe Face Off

“No, I meant it seemed to me he enjoyed our banter.”

Selena's eyes get huge. “Are you saying the Blizzard defenseman flirted with you?”

Our staged argument felt different from our first, and not just because it was fake. The first time was fuelled by my mortification that I’d told him I'd had a crush on him back inhigh school before I knew I was admitting it to the very person I had the crush on. This time, there was nothing fuelling the argument other than doing the job we’d agreed to do, and I'll admit, as ridiculous as an argument over the best way to unwrap a Christmas gift is, it was kinda fun. Fun and sexy.

The image of him in his suit and tie looking all buttoned up and formal but still with his undeniably masculine aura flashes before my eyes. He’s this big guy, gazing down at me with those intense green eyes of his, his bulk filling the space, his lips quirking with every line I spat at him. It was obvious to me that he was enjoying our banter, and I'd be lying to myself if I hadn’t enjoyed it, as well.

Yup. Definitely sexy.

But I've got no interest in flirting with an NHL player, because as nice as Harrison seems, and as easy as he is to get along with, I've been down that road before, and just look at how well that turned out.

I scrunch up my face. “I think Harry did flirt. At least a little. You know how these players are.”

“Wait. You call him Harry now?” she asks, and I pull my lips into a line and nod. “Why do you look like you've got a bad taste in your mouth from sucking on a lemon? This isHarrison Clarkewe're talking about, aka super famous hockey player, adored by women right across the city, a guy who is hotter than Arizona in summer, and you don't look happy about it? What the heck is wrong with you, girl? Do you know how many women would kill to be in your position right now?”

I twist my mouth as I toy with my cup. “I don't know,” I mumble despite the fact I know very well why it bothers me.

My ex-husband.

Selena, good friend that she is, tags on quick. “It's that no good ex of yours, isn't it? That man ruined you for all other men, hockey players in particular.”

“He showed me you can't trust pro athletes, that’s all. It’s a good lesson to learn. Too bad I learned it the hard way. These hockey players get women throwing themselves at them all day long. They even have a name for them: Puck Bunnies. It's only a matter of time before they give in to temptation, which is what my ex did, and what I bet most of them would do.”

“Talk about tarring all hockey pros with the same brush. You have a grim view on humanity.”

“It’s facts, Selena.”

“Tell me if I've got this wrong but all it is right now is a little flirting and some hot banter. He hasn't proposed to you. He hasn't asked you out. He hasn't even kissed you.”

I laugh. “I think I would have led with a proposal if that had happened, don’t you?”

And the thought of kissing Harrison Clarke does things to my belly I don’t want to think about.

“Then I say enjoy it. Flirt with the guy. Have some fun. We all know you need it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You work hard, you're a single mom, and your ex doesn’t even live here anymore. You don't get a lot of chances to have a whole lot of fun, and bantering with Harrison Clarke definitely seems like fun.”

“But—” I begin.

Selena cuts me off. “No buts, Holly. Well, other than Harrison Clarke’s that is. His butt is fiiiine.” She waggles her brows at me and I choke out a laugh.

“You're not wrong there.”

Immediately, my mind turns to the photo I snapped of Harrison wearing his Santa pants and not a lot else. Of course I didn't know it was him at the time. All I knew was this was a taut, muscular guy with broad shoulders and an impressive six-packwho had somehow been roped into dressing up as Santa for the kids.

But the thing is, when you've seen something like that, you can’t un-see it.

She shakes her head. “You’re totally overthinking this.”

“You're right. I am overthinking it,” I reply. “If he so happens to flirt with me when I see him next, I might flirt back. Just for the heck of it.”

“Just for the sheer fun of it.” She clinks her coffee cup against mine. “Here's to hot hockey gods and flirty Christmas feuds.”

We both take a sip of our coffee. Mine is the same coffee I have at this time of year every year. A gingerbread latte. It never fails to put me in the Christmas spirit, which is decidedly lacking in our office environment.

“When are you seeing him again?” Selena asks.

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