I bit my cheek hard before I gave myself away. “I thought you had. Your previous experience is going to help you shine today.”
“So what am I wearing? Is it a laid-back leather jacket in front of a roaring fireplace? Will there be an adoring golden retriever and a green screen?”
Valerie was my hero. She couldn’t have prepped him better.
“No dog, I’m afraid, but there will be plenty of green.” I picked up the elf costume in one hand, then grabbed the black ankle boots with curled toes in the other.
Leo’s features froze in horror. “I’m not wearing that.”
“You are, and you better hurry. The kids are getting anxious.” I shook the costume and gestured with the boots toward the changing screen.
The glee fell from my lips as Leo’s eyes darkened; the brown molasses of his iris’ turning to coal.
He stepped closer, his shoulders bunching beneath the cable-knit sweater. Each thud of his boots echoed in my ears, warning me to toss the costume and make a run for it.
Thud… This was a mistake!
Thud… He was joking about the candy cane shivs, right?
Thud…Honestly? Leo in villain mode was kind of hot.
I held my ground. Forget burnout. I needed a top ten list of ways to stop lusting after the man who wanted to wring my neck.
Cue mindful breathing…or any breathing at all.
My heart tripped over itself as his mouth dropped to my ear. A sizzling moment passed where neither of us moved. His fingers closed over mine, taking the hanger from my hand at the same time his warm breath brushed my cheek.
“Well played, Bennett. I hope you’re keeping score.”
I exhaled a shuddery breath when he moved past me and disappeared behind the dressing screen.Sweet snowballs that was intense.Revenge might be exquisite, but it had a mean sucker-punch. It also strangely smelled like pine. Had Leo changed his aftershave?
“You forgot the shoes,” I mumbled, still dazed enough to step behind the screen.
Leo had removed his sweater, and I got an eyeful of toned shoulders, corded arms, and abs that had no right hiding beneath wool—or any type of fiber for that matter. Fool that I was, I stared. For way longer than I should.
Worth it.Do what brings you joy.
Of course, he caught me.You tend to notice when you’re half-naked and someone is standing next to you holding a ridiculous pair of elf shoes.
He took the shoes—completely shameless—a knowing gleam radiating in his eyes. “Thanks. I think there’s a hat, too.”
“Right, the hat.” I stumbled away from the screen, pressing my fingers into the bridge of my nose. What was wrong with me? I acted like I’d never seen a man’s chest before or hadn’t been the driving force in creating last year’s Flame and Frost calendar. Twelve months of seasonal wonders, all in the name of raising money for a local fire station. Talk about a fundraiser. I still had mine hanging by the closet.
“You’re supposed to be a professional,” I grumbled under my breath. “Stop imagining Leo as Mr.December and act like one.”
Valerie knocked and poked her head through the door. “How is everything going in here?”
I grabbed the hat and glanced over at the dressing screen. “We’re both still alive, though barely. He’ll be ready in a minute.”
Valerie crooked her finger and coaxed me closer. “We have a problem.”
“What’s the matter? Are people leaving?”
“No, nothing like that. The other elf never showed, and well, Santa needs two.” She slipped another hanger holding a costume through the gap in the door.
Alarm slithered up my spine. “No, he doesn’t. You’re making that up.”
“Sorry. It’s in his contract. I would fill in. I really would. But I have to prepare for the thing we talked about.” Her eyebrows wriggled with conspiratorial delight. “So you’re up. Both of you are on in five,” she said, shutting the door in my face.
