Page 6 of Warming Up Coco (Santa Daddy)

“What?” I croaked, dropping the menu to meet his jade-green eyes.

“What are you think about?” he repeated patiently. I swallowed.

There was no way I could admit I’d just been thinking about him brushing up against me in a crowded elevator or how much I wished he would have sat next to me instead of in front of me. Or how I’d been in love with him, but he couldn’t seem to breathe the same air when we were in the office.

“Coco, are you okay?” He frowned.

“What are you ordering?” I asked in a high-pitched tone. “I was thinking about what I should order,” I lied, wincing at how stupid I sounded.

He stared at me for a beat. I wasn’t sure if he believed me, but he didn’t question it if he didn’t.

“I was thinking about the egg white omelet. You?”

“Umm, I’m not really sure.” My eyes skimmed the menu, but nothing made sense.

“You haven’t had breakfast,” he noted quietly. “They serve it all day here.” I glanced down at the breakfast side of the menu. Sure enough, he was right.Wait, how does he know I haven’t eaten yet?I was about to ask that when he kept talking.

“We could order some of those famous chocolate chip cookies to share.”

“You? You like cookies?” I teased, because no matter how shocked I was with the way he’d been acting, I was still me.

“Who doesn’t like cookies?”

“I’m pretty sure before this, I would have said you were the only person on earth.”

“Why?” His lips twitched. Stupid me, I wanted to make my bosshole smile.

“I’ve never seen you eat anything sweet.” His gaze changed. His light green eyes seemed to darken as something between us changed.

“Maybe”—he leaned in closer, his big hands covering mine, and my eyes widened— “maybe I wait for the right time to indulge.” His eyes dipped from mine down to my mouth. His smoldering gaze felt like a caress, and I shivered. “To indulge fully in something sweet.” His voice sounded scratchy, yet I was the one who cleared her throat.

“Oh…”Oh?I sounded like an idiot. A breathy, almost panting idiot. “So… you like cookies?”

“Yeah.” My eyes were on his mouth. I was fully captivated by the way his tongue sneaked out and slid across his perfect white teeth. “Cookies always hit the spot.”

There was something in the way he was looking at me, the way his green gaze darkened that told me he wasn’t exactly talking about the holiday treat. Lucas leaned in closer, causing my breathing to turn shallow. His thumbs stroked the top of my knuckles, leaving little trails of fire on my skin.

I wanted his touch all over me.

Oh yeah, he was talking more about the chocolate chip cookies advertised on the billboard.

“Well…” I forced myself to tear my hands away from his hold, and I hated how disappointed I felt when he let me go. “What are you going to eat?” I asked and felt my face heat up when he looked at me in a certain kind of way.Certain kind of way? Stop being a hopeless romantic, Coco! He hates you. He can’t stand you! Whatever you’re seeing is due to sleep depravation!

“Did you forget already?” His brow rose. “Egg white omelet,” he reminded me, and I nodded, trying my best to conjure up some kind of sassiness or attitude.

“Shocking,” I smarted off, but it fell flat. “I mean, you always go with the healthy stuff.”

“And you think I should indulge on this trip?” He shifted in his seat across from me. Nothing but natural light streamed through the huge window next to us. It made my fingers itch to snap a picture of him.

I wanted to remember him like that forever.

Relaxed and calm.

Almost like he was having a good time.

“What’s that?”

“What?”

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