Page 42 of His Christmas Wife

Not only did Evan Frost—Master Evan Frost—dominate her waking hours, he now filled all the rest of them.

Would they even be able to work together going forward?

As he held her gaze, she mentally shook herself. Sharing the same office space would be impossible if she continued to recall their interchange at the Quarter. And now his ring lay heavy on her finger.

Fire flared in his deep, dark-blue eyes. Once again, she was pulled into the tractor beam of his devastating masculinity.

She knew as well as he did that his suggestion to tour his house was nothing more than a pretext. After all, he could simply describe it to her or email some pictures. So his request to go home with him was about something else entirely. “I have an early morning. My boss demands I show up at work at seven a.m.”

“He sounds like a tyrant.”

“He has his moments.” In the past, she might have seized on that to drive home her point about how difficult he was to work with. But since last night, she’d seen him in a different light. He’d gotten into his role as Santa and been patient with all the ladies who had fawned over him, and he’d been more than courteous with her.

Today she found out a little bit about his background and heard the raw note of hurt in his voice as he talked about his mother’s untimely death. Heaven help her, his expression softened each time he mentioned his grandmother.

The flowers he’d shown up with this morning had been beautiful, and Mr. Jennings seemed to respect Frost. As for Isabelle, Kaylee doubted that the store owner would have opened her shop on a Sunday for just anyone. And the woman seemed to have a genuine fondness for him.

Seeing a different side of him—a more human one—complicated Kaylee’s life. Disliking him, thinking of him as an asshole was easier…and a whole lot safer emotionally.

The same hunger that existed between them last night now hung in the air, hot and heavy, fed by his kiss and the glint of her ring.

Not pressing, he continued to regard her. Maybe if he had pushed, it would have been easier to refuse him. But he waited, allowing her inner turmoil to feed itself.

If she went back to her apartment now, she would be restless and needy.

“I’ll ensure that you arrive home early,” he promised.

Knowing that he didn’t expect her to spend the night was the safety net she needed.

Silencing the whispered warnings of her mind, she slowly nodded.

“Is that a yes?”

Of course he would push for verbal consent. “Yes.” Her heart hammered the same way it had last night, with thunderous anticipation.

“Your chariot awaits.”

Belatedly she realized Jennings was waiting for them, and a twinge of guilt assailed her. “Sorry to inconvenience you,” she told him as she slid into the vehicle’s warm interior.

“Not a problem, ma’am.” He cleared his throat. “Miss Kaylee.”

Jennings wended through the traffic of revelers and shoppers and tourists trying to orient their paper maps.

Finally they entered the parking garage at the city’s newest, swankiest building. She’d watched it being built and had seen all the advertising. Commercial space, including a coffee shop, bar, restaurant, fitness center, and high-end shops occupied the first few floors. The next couple offered offices and coworking space, and the upper levels were luxury condominiums.

How he afforded his lifestyle after his father supposedly lost the family business was something that intrigued her.

Jennings pulled to a stop near an elevator and then hustled around to open their door.

After grabbing her leftovers, Frost exited, then offered his hand to Kaylee.

She appreciated his warm, steady grip as well as his gentlemanly consideration. No other man had treated her like this, and she realized it was time to raise the bar in her life. Now that she knew this was possible, she wanted it all the time.

“Go ahead and take the rest of the day off,” Frost told the driver.

“Sir?”

“I’ll take Ms. Robbins home later.”

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