Page 44 of All I Want For Christmas

“I don’t even know what to say to that,” Christian said. “You’re handling it much better than I would. I think I would vomit if my dad married someone younger than me.”

Blue kicked off her shoes and sat on the edge of the bed, wiggling her toes. “Yeah, well, I saw it coming. Over the years as his hair got thinner, his girlfriends got younger. My parents split when I was two, so it’s not like I knew anything different. Seeing him with girlfriends was no big deal. But I have to admit, I had a cringe moment when he actually went and married this one and had a baby. But Sarah is a pudgy cutie and it’s not her fault her parents’ marriage is doomed to failure any more than it was mine.”

His eyebrow arched. “Cynical?”

“Who, me? Never.” Blue peeled off her coat. “My God, it’s like a thousand degrees in here. Where’s the thermostat?”

“Too cold . . . too hot... there’s just no pleasing some people.” He grinned when she threw her scarf at him, even as he was already readjusting the thermostat. “Ready for a margarita, Scrooge?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” She stood up and emptied the plastic bags of their dubious spoils. “Is it gross to eat Doritos with margaritas?”

“Yes. But that’s not going to stop us, is it?”

Blue ripped open the bag and popped one in her mouth. “Hell, no.”

She turned to hold the bag out to him and almost bumped into him. He was right behind her and he had peeled off his sweatshirt, leaving him only in a T-shirt. Yep. Those arms had some serious muscles. “Oh! Sorry,” she said, immediately wanting to kick herself for sounding so stupid and flustered.

But damn it, she was flustered. He was close. Cute. Sexy. Generally speaking, she dated men who were skinnier than she was, and the way he sort of towered over her, his chest like twice the width of hers, was . . . hot.

Christian didn’t back up. He just stuck his hand in the bag and grabbed a handful of chips. “You’re right, it’s burning up in here. I wish I had shorts.” And with that, he tossed the chips in his mouth then stripped off his T-shirt, revealing a chest worthy of a skin calendar.

Drool pooled in Blue’s mouth. Holy crap, she was as vulnerable to a pair of biceps as the next woman and had never known it.

“It is hot in here.” Stupid, lame ass thing to say. Turning back to the table, annoyed with herself, she twisted the cap on the tequila bottle hard. “But unlike you, poor sap, I have a whole suitcase full of summer clothes. Maybe I’ll just put on a sundress and make you jealous.”

“I’ve never once wanted to wear a sundress.”

“Ha ha.”

“Do you have a bikini in there?” He reached around her, his bare arm brushing hers as he popped the lids off of the travel mugs.

“Yes.”

“Black?”

“How did you know?” she smirked, dumping a boatload of tequila into both cups.

“Lucky guess.” He picked up the bottle of mixer, his eyes challenging her. “If you put on the bikini I’ll really be jealous.”

“Is that right? Are you sure this isn’t just some kind of guy trick to get me almost naked?” One she didn’t really mind. The particular warm and increasingly wet sensation between her thighs had nothing to do with the overactive furnace and everything to do with wanting him on her, in her. All of the above.

“It totally is,” he admitted. “But if we grab a towel from the bathroom it has the added benefit of making you feel like you’re on vacation.”

She snorted. “Yeah, right. This is so far from my idea of a Caribbean cruise it’s not even funny. But if I put on a bikini I get to take off these stupid antlers.”

“Hey, don’t hate on the antlers. They’re cute and festive. Roy said so. But yes, you can take off the antlers.”

“Where did yours go, by the way?” She crossed her arms and glared at him. Somehow he’d managed to ditch his tree hat without her noticing.

“I couldn’t get my sweatshirt off with it still on.”

“Uh-huh. Likely excuse.” But nonetheless, Blue backed up, taking in the sight of him in his jeans and socks and nothing else. After a second of digging around in her suitcase, she found her bikini and her travel bag. Time to brush her teeth, while she was at it. Dorito breath was not hot.

“But when I come back out here, I think you need to be my pool boy.” She snapped her fingers and pointed. “A drink, please.”

Christian’s eyes lifted from the bikini in her hand to meet her stare. “Yes, ma’am.”

Blue strolled into the bathroom, making sure she put a little roll into her gait since she knew he was checking out her butt. Once the door was closed, she did a little victory dance. So no cruise for her, but she was going to have sex, and sometimes that was better than a vacation. Sex and a vacation would be ideal, but she was going to take what she could get, and if Christian’s biceps were any indication, the getting would be good.

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