Page 38 of Naughty Heart

Malcolm nodded. “He is. But I can’t say my mom hated it. I think she purposely played her part well, because she loved when he did the things he did to make her happy.”

My heart melted. I could only hope to have a love like that one day. My last relationship left a lot to be desired.

With the scent of him continuing to surround me as his strong arms held me close to his solid body, something else took over.

“What about you?” I asked, feeling a bit bold.

“What about me?”

“Do you take after your mom or your dad?” I pressed.

Malcolm didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he studied me for a long time, only serving to make me grow more curious. He was such a compassionate man, but he had this edge of confidence that made me wonder if he had it in him to be a romantic guy.

“Well, I did ask you to dance with me, didn’t I?”

I rolled my eyes. “So, you’re a romantic, like your dad?”

“I honestly don’t know. I guess I’ll have to wait until I find the right woman to be able to answer that question. Then again, maybe that’s an answer in and of itself.”

This man just knew all the right things to say.

It was no secret Malcolm was handsome. His family members, with their signature thick, dark locks and brilliant blue eyes, were all attractive. When it came to Malcolm, I had to believe he had his fair share of women. And it wasn’t unreasonable to assume he’d had his pick of the litter.

But if I wasn’t mistaken, he’d just made it very clear he hadn’t found any woman yet who made him want to be romantic. Was the fact I was in his arms now an indication he wanted me to be that woman?

I couldn’t say I wouldn’t have loved it if that was the case, especially when I’d been on the verge of a breakdown only moments before, and Malcolm had managed to effortlessly put me right back into a good mood.

And the thought that I could be that woman for him was only solidified when the song ended, rolled into another one, and Malcolm didn’t let go.

* * *

MALCOLM

This had been the best day yet.

If someone had told me I’d wind up dancing with Evelyn in my office after catching her singing and dancing in here on her own, I might have laughed in their face.

And I would have been a fool.

I’d tried to hold myself back, but with each day I was around her, it was becoming more and more difficult to resist her.

Who could blame me? Especially when this gorgeous woman did all that she did to me.

When I stepped into my office after lunch this afternoon and heard her singing off key, I wondered if it was possible to fall in love with someone I hadn’t even managed to kiss. I didn’t actually believe that was happening, but I was curious about what was going on with me.

The moment she made mention of her singing voice, I had this immediate urge to protect her. I didn’t want her to feel bad, and the truth was, I could have listened to her singing Christmas songs all day long.

Maybe that’s what it was.

Maybe it was about me wanting to increase my chances of having something more with her. Telling her she was pitchy and off-key would do me no favors.

If I hadn’t been holding her in my arms while we danced to a second song, I might have laughed.

Because this wasn’t about me doing favors for myself. Not anymore.

I said what I did, because I wanted her to feel good. Because making her happy was, in some strange, unexplainable way, making me happy.

For the last minute or two, we hadn’t said anything to one another, but we were still communicating.