Page 18 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

“Sorry. Forget I said anything. We’ll go in there and rock the plan as it is.”

“Yeah. That’s better.” Amelia straightened her back, peering around Josh again. “Okay, Colin and family are heading toward the front desk. Looks like we’ll have new friends while we’re in town.”

“Great.” Adrenaline and competition raced through him in equal measure as he started his brisk, confident pace toward Stan Lewis.

Just the juice he needed to make sure thathewas on the closing end of this deal, and not Colin.

10

AMELIA

Amelia and Josh wandered around the hotel property after their successful meeting with Stan discussing how they’d like to see some of the transformations Josh had suggested. One of Amelia’s favorite parts about working with Josh was watching his determination unfold, like an expertly arranged origami swan.

Whenever he talked to his father, his energy shifted and he seemed to turn into a carbon copy of Mitchell Denton Senior with his hyperfocus on profitability and the bottom line and limited regard for the very real people impacted by the decisions made. She was always there to remind him that it was possible to do both—be profitable and take the human element into consideration—and it seemed to be working here at the hotel. Stan had been pleased with Josh’s ideas for upgrades.

And whenever he was faced with direct competition, much like his father and brother, he became ruthless, determined to win. It was downright sexy to Amelia.

He was a masterpiece, truly. One that she never tired of looking at and absorbing.

In the afterglow of their successful meeting, Josh wanted to walk down memory lane in advance of dinner. As it was, they only had a few days left here, and Amelia was already feeling reluctant to part ways with Josh. Not just as his assistant, but as his fake fiancée.

It was nice waking up with him at her side. Catching glimpses of him lost in thought, half naked, or fussing with his hair. Sharing the same living space with him, even for a few days, was far more comfortable than it had been with her last serious boyfriend. And that was saying something.

Being with Josh felt natural.

She just wished they could get past what had them both running hot and cold with each other.

“It’s really snowing,” Josh remarked as they paused at a long line of windows in the sunroom. Couches faced the windows, and farther down guests lounged on the massive cushions. Josh glanced down the line, and then wrapped his arm around Amelia.

“Still pretending, huh?” she teased, but burrowed deeper into his embrace.

“I told you, a week.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Her heart raced as she contemplated saying the words bouncing around in her head. “If you aren’t careful, I’ll try to kiss you again.”

Josh lifted a brow. “I’d rather not be careful.”

“Right, because it’s important that we convince perfect strangers that we’re engaged,” she said, feeling dizzy. Josh was the only thing grounding her right now, the warm steel of his body against her, his fingers dipping into her natural waist. Josh turned her to face him, dragging his palms up her arms.

“Just admit that you want me to kiss you, Meelie,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips. He was probably still teasing; especially with his use of that horrible nickname. But something shivered between them, something heavy and real. Something way beyond the confines of this agreement they’d made for the week.

“Okay,” she said but couldn’t even force out any more words because Josh surged forward and captured her lips in a kiss. She made a small noise and clutched at his arms for support. In an instant, her hesitation dissolved and she was finally facing her base desires, all the heated lust that she’d been ignoring for the past days, weeks, months, and years. All the quiet pining and suppressed admiration. They consumed her, leaving her blind and grappling for the wall of man in front of her.

She kissed him like she wanted to. Like she’d dreamed of doing so many times late at night, with just her hand to console her. Her tongue surged forward to find his, starting a sloppy, desperate dance. Josh cupped her face, and they stumbled sideways from the intensity of it all, knocking against the windows.

Amelia snickered, and Josh glanced around making sure no one was watching. Nobody cared, but still, they needed one hundred percent more privacy for what she was desperate to do with this man.

“Let’s go over here,” Josh said, leading her by the hand to a small alcove with a fireplace. A curved loveseat faced the roaring fire, and Josh sank onto the couch, tugging her down beside him. Before she could say a thing, Josh had her face in his hands, lips drawing more kisses out of her. She sank back into the couch, relishing the heat of the fire mixed with the heat of Josh’s mouth. It stoked the fire inside her to dangerous levels. When they finally broke for air, Amelia’s chest was heaving.

“Jesus, Josh,” she panted.

He wet his bottom lip, his gaze still on her mouth. His hair was already tousled, shirt slightly askew. She had a fistful of his button-down in her right hand, just a breath away from ripping the thing off him.

“Actually,” he said, his voice husky, “I was wrong. Fuck this fireplace. Let’s go back to our room.”

His implicit suggestion thrilled her, and she was nodding before she could think better of it. Because what was a better suggestion thanthat?

Screw the consequences. Screw the fact that he was her boss and they were on a work vacation and every source of etiquette and conduct would tell hernotto do this.

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