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“Oh, how romantic,” Macy said with a droll eye roll. However, how often did a woman have an opportunity to kiss her celebrity crush?
“I just want to be around you.” He kissed her again; this time, he trailed his lips along her chin and down her throat to the crook of her neck. The backs of her knees began to sweat.
“Yet you keep kissing me.”
He pulled away with a tight smile and pointed his finger upward. “Then you might want to stop standing underneath the mistletoe.”
Chapter 4
For once, outing Santa had worked in Duke’s favor. After coming home from Pablo’s party, Duke had found college kids toilet-papering his front lawn. The two guys sang like canaries, confessing they sought revenge for their boss, Macy Cuomo, who’d come into work pissed off about him exposing Santa as a fraud on televis
ion. Instead of calling the cops, Duke had used the situation to work in his favor and bought the frat boys off, sending them down to Miami on an all-expenses-paid football vacation. And he wasn’t the slightest bit sorry.
Duke rapped his knuckles against the bright red door of the Winter Paradise office and leaned in close to try to hear Macy coming down the stairs. How was it possible his knuckles ached? Who knew manning a staple gun required such a steady hand? A day hanging up Christmas lights beat a two-week training session at a top-notch gym. His thighs burned from climbing up and down Macy’s narrow red twenty-four-foot ladder.
“Good morning,” Macy sang, yanking the door open and closing it quickly behind her. The naughty Santa behind her called out his usual ho-ho-ho greeting.
Because she closed the door so quickly, Duke did not get the chance to step backward, so Macy stood pressed between him and the door. He contemplated pinning her against the door and showing her what a good morning it already was.
“Good morning,” he finally breathed, taking a moment to appreciate her exposed legs in a pair of tiny shorts. Her smooth stems spilled into a pair of low-top pink canvas shoes, and her hair was pulled high in a ponytail on top of her head. The white shirt she wore reminded Duke of one of his old baseball tees, with pink for the sleeves and rim of the collar. His heart slammed against his rib cage and his palms began to sweat. Maybe it’s the heat, he thought. Yesterday the weather started off cool, and by midmorning, the skies had turned very summery. Getting used to the Thanksgiving holiday being so warm was going to take some time, but the sight of Macy in a pair of shorts, tennis shoes and thin top was something to help ease his mind.
Macy hiked her purse onto her shoulder and worked her way around him and down the steps. Turning her face up toward his, she smiled and blinked, fluttering her long lashes. “Are you ready?”
The porch light highlighted her face. Duke enjoyed a woman who didn’t cake makeup on with a shovel. High-definition television drove a lot of women to all sorts of crazy facial antics. When his television-personality ex, Kristina Barclay, traveled, she carried her own luggage filled with makeup. As a television personality, Duke occasionally endured a powder puff here and there, usually after fighting the artists tooth and nail. Macy just wore some mascara and lip gloss. Her long lashes framed her light brown eyes. Her lips were tempting enough to kiss again as he had yesterday, but the last thing he wanted to do was scare her off. After his blatant confession about his infertility hadn’t scared her off, he thought he might actually have a chance.
Duke did not like the idea of comparing Kristina and Macy. He and Kristina meshed because they both wanted the same thing out of life—success. While his father was the most influential man in his life, Duke never wanted to travel the same farmer’s path. He knew his family had sacrificed quite a few luxury items such as braces, dresses—even getting the family car fixed—in order to send him to baseball camp, which was what kept Duke striving harder to succeed. He owed it to his family.
Making good on his debt hadn’t been hard for Duke. He’d been enamored by the rich lifestyle of the scouts who came over to watch him play ball. He wanted the fancy car and a passport stamped from countries around the world. Being able to come and go without any romantic responsibility in life dazzled him. He’d seen his college teammates settle down with a family before graduation, limiting their dreams, and Duke did not want the same. He liked his fast cars and to come and go whenever he wanted. Kristina had never expected anything more from Duke. She found his inability to have children a blessing. Before Kristina, the women Duke dated hinted that they wanted a family. Some even tried to trap him by claiming to be pregnant. Knowing he would not have children of his own had never bothered him until now.
Being around Macy gave him a glimpse of what life would be like if he slowed down. He felt nothing but good vibes looking at the family photos and school projects hanging on the walls and refrigerator of Macy’s business kitchen. Growing up in Mao, his mother had decorated her refrigerator with his accolades. Meanwhile, the subzero fridge in his condo in DC remained bare. In fact, the factory seal might still be on it, which reminded Duke something was missing in his life. But until he figured it out, slowing down had never felt good.
Last night probably had to have been the highlight of his time in Tallahassee—maybe the highlight all year. There was no need for a fancy restaurant; Macy’s meal in Tupperware dishes she’d set aside for her two workers was superb. When they’d finished with the last house, Macy invited Duke in to share a small meal and watch some television. She said it was somewhat of a tradition with her employees.
He looked down at the woman in front of him and had to grin. He thought of all the women he’d known in his life, and by far none of them had impressed him like Macy Cuomo.
“Not that I’m complaining about looking at your gorgeous legs, but aren’t you a bit underdressed for climbing rooftops?” His head turned in typical male fashion and smiled appreciatively at her backside as she waltzed down her brick walkway. Her shorts hugged the curves of her hips. Duke followed her to the side of the house where she kept her Jeep.
“We’re not doing any decorating just yet,” she called over her shoulder, opening a door. “We’re doing a little shopping.”
She cast an innocent smile. Her doe eyes fluttered at him. Duke had done enough Black Friday segments that he knew there was nothing “little” about shopping today. He stood his ground and waited for the engine of the automatic garage door to quiet down after opening up. “You know, studies have shown that the best day to get deals is actually Christmas Eve.”
“What?”
“I’m just saying, you’re not going to find the best deals today. Don’t you want to relax?”
With her hand on the door of her red pickup Jeep, Macy shook her head and laughed at him. “If you can’t hang, you are more than welcome to go back inside. I have a hideaway key underneath the Christmas deer’s hoof by the front door. I’ll let you know when I’m pulling up and you can help me with my bags.” Before she got in the truck, Duke swore he saw her smiling. He liked it.
Duke cast a glance back at the Christmas-decorated lawn. Unlike the other lawns they’d worked on, hers was subtle. A few lighted deer casually grazed on the grass. Simple white lights trimmed the roof of the house, as well as the picket fence. He shook his head and grinned as she backed her vehicle into the driveway and rolled down the window. Duke came over and leaned against the driver’s-side window. “So you just want to use me for my muscle, eh?” To add to the joke, he flexed his biceps.
Macy shook her head and laughed. “Let’s see if we can get those twigs built up before the holiday season is over.”
For the most part, Macy presented herself as all work and no play. All day yesterday, he thought the kiss between them must have been a mere fluke, but just now when she bit the corner of her bottom lip and batted her lashes, he knew better.
Duke opened the door on his side and hopped in. “Let’s hit the roads. Today is one of the busiest shopping days of the year.”
“Don’t worry,” she said with a wink, “I’ve earned myself a place at the front of all the lines.”
He half laughed. “That’s funny, because with my puny arms I seem to get to the front of all the lines, too.”
