Page 6 of Holiday Hookup

“What brought you out tonight?” I can guess the answer, but I don’t want to stop talking to her.

“My best friend, the one that left me alone to get laid, she thought I needed a night to forget my responsibilities.”

“And how did that work out for you?”

“Well, she ended up going home with a hot guy and is probably getting laid as we speak, and I ended up with a dead phone and no way of getting home.”

“You’re telling me I’m not a hot guy?” My hand going over my heart as if I’m terribly offended and when she graces me with that laugh once more, I feel the warmth wash over me. “’Cause I’m pretty sure you’re going home with me.” I wink when she looks over and just shrugs. “You know, feigning indifference isn’t the way into my pants,” I tease, loving the blush that continues to grace her gorgeous face.

“Who says I want into your pants?” The glint in her eyes tells me otherwise as my mind wanders back to the way her lips felt, and how much I want to taste them again.

I’m in so much trouble.

Chapter 5

Why can’t I stop thinking about his lips? Or the way his hands felt pulling me closer and closer to his chest. It’s not like I’ve never had sex before, it’s just been a while… okay, maybe long enough that I wonder if my vagina still works.

“So was the night a success?” Dane asks as we approach the hotel, stopping as his eyes track down my body, the heat from his gaze lets me know he remembers exactly what’s under this coat.

“I’ll let you know?” I question, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth and before I can blink, his thumb traces the edge, releasing my lip as his head dips, and just like that, his lips are on mine once more and all rational thought leaves my brain.

“Come upstairs with me,” he whispers against the shell of my ear and as if a cold bucket of water falls over my body, I lock up. “Nellie?” he questions, his palm finding the side of my cheek and pulling my eyes back to his.

“I…” I start but words fail. Kissing him is one thing, feeling his hands grab my ass is another, but going up to his room knowing full well nothing can happen between us is the dose of reality I desperately needed. “I can’t.” I sigh, hating the look of disappointment that crosses his face.

“I thought…” he says but I stop him with my finger on his lips.

“I know. It’s just… my life is not ready for someone like you.”

His eyes narrow and for a second I think he’s pissed but then it passes.

“As much as I would love—and I mean love—to go upstairs and find out what this” —I point between us— “can lead to, I think I should go home.”

The solemn nod tells me all I need to know, and as he opens the front door to the hotel, I can’t help but wonder if I’m doing the right thing.

“Nellie?” he calls as the warmth of the lobby washes over both of us. “Can I call you sometime?” Before I think better of it, I walk to the front desk, ask for a scrap piece of paper and a pen, writing down my name and number.

“You know, usually you do this before you kiss a girl.” Am I flirting? Have I ever flirted in my entire life? By the heat in Dane’s eyes, I’d say whatever I’m doing is working.

“Well, to be fair, you shouldn’t look like you do and expect me to keep my hands to myself.” His voice drops, causing goose bumps to cover every exposed inch of my skin. He’s making it really hard not to take him up on his offer.

My gaze drops to his lips, trying so hard not to cave in to my desire to feel them against mine once more. You can’t go sleeping with random guys no matter how hot they look, especially in a leather jacket. I shake myself out of my delirium and hand him the piece of paper.

“It was nice meeting you, Dane,” I say, leaning in, placing a kiss on his cheek.

“It was nice meeting you too, sweetheart.” His voice follows as I walk toward the front desk and further away from where he stands. Am I doing the right thing? My brain says yes, but my body says hell no.

“How many times has that man texted you?” Wendy asks as I sit at my desk looking at my phone as if it’s an ancient torture device.

“A few times,” I admit as she eyes my phone once more, rolling her eyes.

“Girl, I’ve heard that thing vibrate at least five times since you walked through those doors. Aren’t you going to put the man out of his misery?”

I take a deep breath, looking at all the texts Dane has sent over the past few days. I’ve answered none of them. Why? Because I’m a coward.

“Your loss, hun,” she mutters as she leaves my desk and walks back to her own.

As I look around the room, I watch as a bunch of overdressed men put up a Christmas tree, struggling to get it to stay straight. Every woman in this office is watching, and if I’m honest, if I hadn’t been daydreaming about a certain man for the past few days, I’d be doing the same thing because dress pants are not meant for that amount of bending.

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