His sexy dimple practically gleams. “Sleep okay?”
“Fine,” I say, trying not to remember how his mouth felt on mine.
“Liar.” His grin widens, teasing.
“Rude,” I mutter and take a gulp of coffee.
He saunters across the floor, stopping a hairsbreadth away. I peer over my cup, eyes flicking from his broad chest to the dark mischief playing in his eyes.
“Didn’t sleep a wink,” he says, fingers sliding into my hair. His lips brush my temple. “You’re all I could think about.”
Heat floods my chest, short-circuiting my brain. But before I can say a word, Aspen pulls into the drive, followed by the Garland brothers, and a few more volunteers—just in time to save me from melting into a puddle of molten lava.
We dive straight into decorating. Aspen sets up a Bluetooth speaker with Christmas music and declares herselfHead of Sparkle Operations. Oren sorts extension cords while Tannon pokes at him about OSHA violations.
“You and Beau,” Aspen directs, pointing overhead. “We need greenery on those beams, crisscrossing the room.”
“Think you can handle that without all the shenanigans this time?” Tannon smirks.
“Savin’ mischief for after hours,” Beau winks at me as he sturdies the ladder.
I shake my head, feeling a tinge of heat rising to my cheeks. “Careful, cowboy. Don’t get cocky.”
He leans closer, voice barely a whisper. “Hard to help it around you.”
And the flame inside me grows hotter.
We work side by side, pretending everything is perfectly innocent. But it isn’t. Every brush of his arm, every time our fingers graze each other’s hand, every shared grin—it’s electric. The air between us so charged, we could power the whole town.
By the time the sun dips low, the barn looks magical. Strings of lights drape from the rafters, soft gold spills across the hay strewn floor. Holly opens a box of cookies and declares us done for the day.
“Looks incredible,” Oren says, clapping Beau on the shoulder. “We make a good team.”
“We sure do.” Beau’s gaze finds mine across the room. He winks, and my stomach flips.
“Only thing we’re missing is a tree.” Holly taps a finger on her cheek as she eyes the room. “A tall one in that corner.” Aspen agrees.
“Leave that to Coco and me,” Beau says, pushing off a bale of hay.
My heart trips again, remembering what happened last night when the crew left. Holly catches my eye and grins.
“Don’t work too hard, you two,” Holly calls as they head out.
My cheeks flush hot.
When the last taillights fade down the drive, quiet settles over the barn with just the soft buzz of lights and Duke shifting in his stall.
“Where exactly are we getting a tree tonight?”
“Not just a tree.” Beau shakes his head as he saunters toward me. “A proper one. Fresh from the land.” He reaches me and the space between us hums like a live wire. “I know a spot.”
“I bet you do,” I grin. My belly’s full of floating butterflies, but I’m already inching closer to him. The man’s hard to resist.
“Trust me?”
The words hang between us, dangerous to my heart. The last time he said those words, I ended up breathless in his arms. But I took the risk and didn’t die.
“You’re enjoying this too much.” I roll my eyes.
