Page 24 of A Sip of Sherry

“I don’t believe in fairytales.”

“Maybe I’ll turn you into a believer.”

I glanced at him, his eyes locking on mine, and I knew the fairytales he was referring to did not include a Yeti.

I cut my gaze and continued walking.

“Wait!”His arm jutted out in front of me, my torso slamming into his strength as he held me in place.A car buzzed by as my mind processed.

Ben’s other arm strained with the weight of the box of wine, but he didn’t remove his arm from in front of me.

“Thank you,” I said.“It would have ruined the event if I was taken out by a Prius.”

He chuckled, low and warm, the sound curling around something deep inside me.“I would agree a flattened event planner would not set the right mood.”

I nodded, trying to ignore how close he was, how despite the box of wine in his one arm, the other still lingered like a shield I didn’t ask for but didn’t hate.

“I would have seen the car… eventually.”

“Nah.”That damn smirk lit his face.“You were too blinded by my sexiness.”

My eyes rolled on their own accord.“You just had to ruin it, didn’t you?”I hurried across the street to the sidewalk, the warmth from his arm clinging to my stomach.

“Ruined what?”he called after me as he took long strides to catch up to me with minimal effort.Being the shortest of seven, I was used to my lack of height, leaving me at a disadvantage.

I sighed and spun back to him.“We were having a nice conversation, and you had to go and be you.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

I crossed my arms, tilting my head.“It is when you come with an inflated ego and a smirk that thinks it’s God’s gift to the world.”

That damn lip quirked.Yet he looked completely unbothered.The exact opposite of how my insides felt.“You like my smile?”

“You’re impossible.”

“And you love it.”

“What I would love is to do my job and get this event ready without—”

He stepped closer to me, and if the box wasn’t in his hand, I imagined he’d be a breath away from our mouths touching, locking, moving as one.Jesus.I needed to get a grip.

His eyes sparkled with a confidence I would never know.“Me and my smirk distracting you?”

“You really think that highly of yourself.”

“A man knows when he’s the full package.”

“And yet, you’re still single.Shocker.”

“Only because I found the girl of my dreams, and I’m holding out.”

“Holding out for what?”

“Until you realize your rule of dating a coworker is stupid.”His smirk shifted, turning more soft… genuine.“Go out with me.One date.”

“I can’t.”

I turned to the museum door and pulled it open, refusing to justify the standards I had set for myself, even if the blunt rejection didn’t sit right in my gut.He fell into step behind me.I would have told him to give me the wine and carried the case myself, but that box was heavy, and I didn’t trust myself.

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