Page 33 of Only for Christmas

‘No gratitude for rescuing you?’

She let out an exasperated sigh. ‘Thanks, I guess.’

‘Heartfelt.’ Grinning, he wiped his feet on the grass to remove the loose mud. ‘You know what this means?’

‘Enlighten me?’

‘We need to get back together.’

She closed her eyes. ‘Oh, God.’

‘Do you have to look so horrified?’

She opened her eyes. ‘Sorry, it’s just that I’ve spent the morning trying to convince my team there’s nothing going on between us. A rumour that isn’t going away if anyone saw you lifting me out of a window.’

‘I appreciate it’s not nice being gossiped about, but which is easier to deal with, Stephen coming on to you… or your team teasing you about me?’

‘The latter,’ she admitted, feeling disgruntled.

‘Then it’s official.’ He hit her with a big smile. ‘We’re dating.’

‘Fake dating,’ she corrected.

‘Not much difference, just less of the good stuff.’

‘None of the good stuff.’ She stepped away; there was only so much Lucas Moore she could take. He was interfering with her equilibrium. ‘This is not a real relationship.’

‘You want to be convincing, don’t you?’

‘Fine, but there are boundaries.’ She brushed grit away from her sore knees. ‘Especially at work.’

‘Is hand-holding okay?’

‘No.’

‘The occasional touching?’ He gently brushed her fringe away from her eyes.

She batted his hand away. ‘Far too intimate.’

‘So, that’s a no to hair-touching.’ His smile told her that far from being offended, he was enjoying toying with her. ‘How about lingering glances?’ His eyes locked on hers, and for a moment it was liked she’d been stunned into stillness. There was a weight to his gaze that made her a little dizzy. This man was highly dangerous.

It was also extremely hard to look away. It had been a very long time since a man had looked at her with such wanting. Ever, in fact. But then she remembered he was play-acting. She blinked to break the spell. ‘I’m head of HR, remember?’

‘Kissing?’ He was definitely teasing her now.

‘Definitely not kissing.’ She placed her hands on his chest to keep him at arm’s length. ‘Just stick to the basics. That’s more than enough.’

He laughed. ‘Fair enough. What about meeting up for coffee? That’s safe?’

‘Let me check my diary and I’ll get back to you.’

He rested his hands over hers. ‘Your hands are freezing… and we need to go for coffee now.’

‘I can’t go now. I’m supposed to be working,’ she said, letting his warm hands alleviate the chill. She’d remove them soon. When they were warmer. There was no rush. ‘I’ve barely been here half an hour; I need to get back to my team.’

‘Stephen will only track you down and demand to know how you liked the flowers. He needs to see you with me so that he gets the message you’re not available.’

‘Available? I’m not a taxicab.’

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