Page 9 of The Santa Swap

“I’m sure you can. Why did you lie to me?” Olivia stared up at him, wishing she could see into his mind. How could she believe anything he said?

“Well, it’s complicated.”

“Lying usually is.”

He walked to the other side of the desk and sat down. “Do you want to hear my side of the story or not?”

“Not really.” Olivia’s stomach was churning so loudly, she wondered if he could hear it from across the desk. She needed to be out of the room before she said was actually sick. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my tour.”

She was halfway across the room when Luke jumped up. “Please let me explain.” His voice was soft. Luke slid his hand up her arm to rest beneath the crook of her elbow, a trail of heat following his touch.

Olivia leaned her head against the door, willing her pulse to slow down.

Luke turned her around so his face was inches from hers. His Monet eyes were more gray than blue today, with dark circles under them, like he had missed out on a good night’s sleep. Maybe he had tossed and turned all night thinking about her. From this position, his lips were entirely too close for comfort. Olivia side-stepped around him and headed back to her chair. It was difficult to stay focused when his touch sent sparks of longing through her body.

“Okay. You have two minutes. Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”

Luke slid into his chair and folded his hands in front of him. “Jake is the name of my best friend.”

“And?”

Luke took a deep breath, looking around the room as if he was hoping something would magically appear from the walls to make the conversation more comfortable. “Look, Olivia. I had no idea who you were when we met.”

“You still don’t really have any idea who I am.”

“True. What I meant was that when I first met you, you were just some random woman with a bunch of building blocks spilled across the sidewalk. I didn’t think you’d give me the time of day.”

The memory of Luke kneeling in the snow with his business suit on helping to gather bricks brought a faint smile to Olivia’s lips. He had been kind when they met, which was why she agreed to go out to dinner with him in the first place. “I get that, except that you waited to tell me your name until we were on our way to the diner. Or rather, Jake’s name. It wasn’t like it was the first thing that popped out of your mouth when you saw me.”

Luke squirmed in his chair. He ran a hand through his wavy, dark hair and Olivia had to remind herself why they were fighting.

“You deserve an explanation, but I don’t know that I can give you the one you want. At least not yet. All I can say is that I had a very good reason for it.”

He was trying to say all the right things, but Olivia knew when it was time to walk away. If he couldn’t explain even the most basic of lies, what did a future with him look like? Olivia slid the door closed on her heart. He was going to become one of those stories she talked about with her girlfriends after work. Hot guy, fun date, swoon worthy kiss, and that was it.

“It’s okay. The point of the matter is that I have a job I’m training for, and any way you look at it, I’m your employee now. I’m not the kind of girl who dates her boss.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Luke’s mouth, pulling his lips into a crooked grin. “Who said anything about dating?”

Heat flared through Olivia’s face, reaching to the tips of her ears. “Okay. Not dating. But I’m also not the kind of girl who kisses her boss.”

His smile was growing larger. “Even better. Did I say anything about kissing?”

“As I recall, you had no problem kissing me last night.”

“And yet, I wasn’t the one who initiated that kiss.” Luke’s eyes were crinkling in the corners. Olivia needed to reign the conversation in if she was going to get any control of the situation. Then she decided that, for just one moment, she wasn’t going to overthink things.

“Well, maybe you should have.” Olivia winked and pushed the chair back. She was almost to the door when Luke’s arms pulled her back. He spun her around, his face inches from hers before he lowered his chin.

“Well, maybe I will.” He held her gaze, giving her plenty of time to react.

Olivia didn’t move. Before she could form the reason why he should stop, his lips were dancing over hers, the kiss a hungry reminder of the night before. Olivia closed her eyes, sinking into the moment.

Voices in the back of her mind shouting at her that what she was doing wasn’t wise, but her resistance was crumbling. She placed one hand on Luke’s chest, and brought the other one up to wrap her fingers in the back of his hair.

Luke’s ragged breathing matched her own when he broke the kiss. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and then stepped back.

Olivia’s pulse was racing while she searched for words. “What was that for?” she asked.

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