Page 23 of Holiday Hoax

“Okay, Tarzan, put me down so I can open my door.” She rolls her eyes but laughs as I make quiet gorilla noises and set her down.

Before she’s even set foot in her apartment, her phone starts ringing with a FaceTime call from Nico. She goes to reject it, but her thumb slips and hits accept. I don’t have time to move out of the frame before Nico and Stella’s faces fill the screen.

We all stare at each other in shock.

CHAPTER 8

MIA

“Mia.”Nico finally gathers his wits. “Charles just told me you were injured and that some man was carrying you into the building.”

“Jesus, Nico. Do you have him spying on me?”

“No. He’s just watching out for you when I’m not in town.”

“Ian,” Stella interrupts. “Why are you with Mia?”

“She’s helping me choose art pieces for the penthouse,” he answers smoothly, regaining his composure much quicker than I do.

Not that we’re doing anything wrong. There’s no need to lose composure, but if I’m being honest, his over-the-top theatrics of carrying me into my apartment made butterflies fill my belly. I’d never admit it, though.

“Why were you carrying her?” Nico asks with an uncharacteristic edge to his voice. His protective big brother edge. “Did you do something to her?”

“Nico.” Stella smacks his shoulder and rolls her eyes. “Of course he didn’t.”

“Her shoes did, actually.” Ian takes the phone from my hand and straightens his back. “Don’t worry, the offending pair has been sent to the dump. Stella, send me a list of your favorite black pumps, and I’ll replace hers with those.”

“I can do that,” Stella sounds amused.

“I can buy my own shoes.” I take the phone back. “Ignore him. I just hadn’t broken mine in yet.”

Her blue eyes take us in curiously, moving back and forth between the two of us. “I’ll send the list anyway. He won’t take no for an answer.”

Nico scoffs and mumbles something under his breath which makes her smile.

“Didn’t the gallery close hours ago?” Nico asks. “Why are you just now getting home?”

“We went out to dinner afterward.”

“That’s nice,” Stella says. “We’ll let you go now that we know you’re okay.”

“Wait,” Nico says, but she ends the call before he can say anything else.

I stare down at the blank screen for a minute before turning back to Ian. “Sorry about that. I had no idea he was using the doorman to spy on me.”

“Just big brother things.” Ian shrugs. “I actually feel better knowing people are looking after you.”

“I’m fully capable of looking after myself.”

“I know.” He takes a step toward me and cups my cheek the same way he did when he kissed me. He tilts my head back and looks down into my eyes, searching for something within their depths. His thumb runs along my cheek bone as he lowers his lips to my forehead. “Goodnight, Mia.”

Warmth explodes in my chest. “Thanks for dinner.”

“My pleasure,” he says with a wink. “Lock the door behind me.”

I roll my eyes, as if I’d forget to lock my own front door. I hear him chuckle as he walks down the hall toward the elevator. “I hope you get stuck with the slow one,” I call down to him.

Once the deadbolt slides closed, I turn and slump against the door. What even was tonight? The kiss. The foot rub. The carrying me upstairs.

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