Page 13 of Single Dad Christmas

“Can you?”

She nodded once, lost in the mesmeric quality of his gaze. Her whole skin seemed to be lifting with goosebumps.

“I passed a street back that way that looked to have a heap of places.”

She nodded slowly, finding it hard to shake the fog that had settled around them. “I know the one.”

Still, neither of them moved.

“It’s such a warm night,” she said, after a beat, partly to fill the silence and partly because she felt as though she were burning up.

“This time of year is, yeah.” He skimmed her face with his eyes. “Too hot to walk?”

“No, I like it. I was just…”

“Making conversation?” he prompted, and again, there was that lift of his lips, and her heart twisted.

“Yes,” she shrugged though, and it seemed to break her spell, at least for the moment. She reached around for her handbag and slung it across her body. “Ready?” she asked, turning to face him, then wishing she hadn’t when their eyes met and she felt the magnetic pull of her attraction to him.

It was far from ideal, but impossible to ignore.

“Let’s go.”

Outside,it was properly dark now, but the moon was full and the street lighting sufficient to provide a lovely glow as they walked, slowly, the few blocks to the dining precinct in this fashionable, old part of Sydney.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, glancing up at him.

He slid her a look. “Not yet. I’m actually having a nice time, which I hadn’t expected at all.”

One of Louisa’s brows shot up. “Gosh, how flattering.”

His laugh was a gruff rumble, and he held up a placating hand. “I mean because of the mood I got in after fighting with my daughter. Nothing to do with you.”

She nudged him with her shoulder, in a teasing way, and it was at that moment that she realized two things: her protocol training had not completely rewired her instincts, because no way could Future Queen Louisa have done something so silly and flippant. And she was definitely ready to throw caution to the wind, at least for tonight, and have some fun with Noah Fox.Your client, the sensible part of her brain tried to remind her. She knew that, but at the same time, there was something about Noah that made it easy to separate their working relationship and whatever this was.

Or maybe it was just that her ego was so badly battered, her heart so bruised, after everything she’d been through in the last few months, that the prospect of spending a few nice hours with a very good-looking man, who obviously thought she was at least passably attractive, was helping wash away that hurt and discombobulation.

“You didn’t answer my question before.”

“No?” The moon made his features all the more compelling and angular. She found it hard to look away, and thereforealmost walked into a child on a scooter, riding ahead of his parents. She might have done so, if Noah hadn’t reacted quickly, reaching out and putting a hand around her waist, pulling her towards him.

Into him.

Against him.

So their bodies were melded and she barely heard a woman’s voice shouting, “Andrew, you have to watch out for people!” Then, “Sorry,” as she fast-walked by them.

Noah mumbled something, but Louisa didn’t hear it. How could she? Her head was filled with fuzzing and popping and static electricity like the whole world had ceased to make any kind of sense. She was only aware of how close they were, how warm he was, how strong and muscular and lean, how safe she felt with his arm wrapped around her, how her pulse was rushing and her heart thumping, and could he feel that through their clothes?

“Louisa—,” her name was almost a plea on his lips, a growl and a wish.

She stared up at him and felt the slowing down of time. The needs and wants of the entire world seemed to have pooled inside Louisa in that moment, so she lifted a hand to his chest, wanting to pull him lower, wanting to drag his lips to hers. Those lips she’d been fantasizing about and needed to know how they felt.

“You’re okay?” he asked, his voice still low.

She nodded slowly.

“Good.”

---