Page 15 of Christmas Sunrise
"Grand, I'll go get that for you. Mulled wine, am I right?" After Jake gives a nod, Niall turns to go to the bar but then he pivots back. "And just so you know, handsome, it's my goal to get you out of that delectable red knitwear you're rocking tonight." He pauses and seems to relish everyone's eyes on him as he strokes his beard. "Only because it clashes so devastatingly with my colouring, and I simply cannot have that."
And then he walks away leaving Jake completely speechless, a Christmas miracle in itself.
Chapter Six
Jake
"No, we do not take naps in hotel rooms!" I protest, hopefully loudly enough for him to believe me.
"But you do other things in them, am I right?" Niall's eyebrows bob up and down and he must be one of only a very few men who look attractive doing so
"Are you an investigative journalist? I told you the company I work for!" I point a finger at him.
"And with that, you just answered my question." Niall's grin is all smugness and, luckily for him, a little sexiness too.
"I did not!"
"Well, my imagination is certainly filling in the blanks." He closes his eyes.
I study him for a moment, admiring the red glow of his beard and hair which he has styled back from his face. His skin is clear and has a natural pink blush that makes me feel warm just looking at it. We haven't discussed ages but I'm almost certain he's close in age to me; he's definitely not much younger, nor drastically older. As I look at him, I lean forward and inhale the spiced fragrance he's wearing. It's a little bit eye-level shelf for my liking, but it's not an unpleasant smell. It's certainly a scent I could put up with for a night or two. My gaze drops to take in his hands - they're big, veiny and covered in faint copper-tinged hairs - and then there are his jeans-covered thighs. They're long and thick and—
"Are you checking me out?"
My eyes snap up and the smugness in his grin has elevated to another level. I find this annoying enough that I have to make myself ignore the hot distaste that bubbles up inside me.
"You're the one who mentioned removing clothing within a minute of meeting me!" I protest.
"Thirty seconds, but who's counting?"
"I should hope you can count. A pretty face like yours can only go so far," I say and admit that it felt a bit forced, saying that, but I don't regret it, not when he reaches his arms up as if to celebrate and I see the full breadth of his chest, and a small patch of fiery hairs on his stomach where his shirt rides up. Yes, I have indeed put up with much worse than him for a night of fun.
"You're flirting with me!" he says triumphantly.
"That wasn't flirting. That was just warming up," I say with a pout.
Niall leans closer to me and the spice of his cologne is more overpowering, and not exactly in a good way. "I'll warm you up, Jake, just say the word."
I don't know why but it's in that moment that I feel Jenna's eyes on me. My own dart over to her and she is indeed staring at me, her mouth closed and almost neutral, but for the way her lips pull up on one side. It's like I can almost hear what she's thinking.Another hook-up? Two in one day? Is this really how you want to live your life?
Or maybe those are the questions I'm asking myself because honestly, it's not like my sister to judge and even though she has occasionally told me she'd like me to meet someone that I spend more than a night, or heck a few hours with, there's never been any pressure, or any shaming. Jenna would never judge me.
On the other hand, I am the world champion at judging myself and I can't help but ask myself these very questions.
Do I really want to sleep with Niall? Or am I just flattered by the attention? Am I maybe just feeling bruised by how Investment Banker didn't ask for my number, or even my name, for that matter, and is Niall like a balm to that bruise?
He's a very good-looking balm, it has to be said. While fair men aren't usually my cup of tea, there is something about the fire in his hair, the rust-coloured freckles above his beardand the pair of piercing blue eyes that fix on mine very eagerly. In fact, it's almost jarring how eager this man seems to be, contrasting so clumsily with the way I was dismissed earlier today. This realisation prompts me to try and enjoy this rare attention. It's not that I don't receiveanyattention from men, but it usually costs me considerable effort to garner the kind of attention I'm receiving now, which could be described as the very intense, very unnerving kind... if I was someone who didn't like attention being sent their way.
"You think I'm easy?" I ask him with a pout, referring to his blatant offer a moment ago.
"I'm hoping you're not, to be honest. I've always liked a chase."
I flutter my eyelashes at him as I bring my drink to my lips. After I take a sip, the words fall out of my mouth too easily. "And I like making good-looking men run up a sweat."
Niall's laughter is quite the cacophony of booms and I notice everyone else turn their heads to look at us. I know I have above-average wit, but I didn't realise I wasthatamusing.
"Compose yourself," I say, leaning over and placing a hand on his leg which feels appealingly warm and solid. "You're making people look at me and not because this jumper brings out the natural rouge of my cheeks."
"Oh, I'd like to know a lot more about the rouge in your cheeks," he says still chuckling heartily. While his comments aren't any more provocative than anything I've said, there's something in what he's saying that affronts me, giving me pause.
