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“That would definitely kill your Christmas spirit.” Among other things. “Maybe you should hold on in case you get jostled again.”
Noelle stared at the arm he was holding out for a moment, then wrapped a hand around his biceps. The curve of his muscles was evident even through the coat, reminding her that his vulnerability over the past few days was an exception. All of a sudden she felt decidedly dainty and very female. Her insides quivered. To steady herself, she gripped his arm tighter.
“Hey? Everything all right?”
He was looking down at her with concern, his eyes again bending the light like a pair of brown-and-green prisms.
“F-f-fine,” she replied, blinking the vision away.
“You sure? You seemed a little unsteady for a moment.”
“Must be your imagination. I’m steady as can be,” she told him. Or would be, so long as she didn’t meet his gaze.
She met his gaze.
“Are you sure? Because we could...”
It had to be a trick of the light because his pupils looked very large all of a sudden.
“Could what?” she managed to ask.
“Go...” His gaze dropped to her lips.
Noelle’s mouth ran dry.
CHAPTER SIX
“GO,” JAMES REPEATED. “I mean... Back to the sidewalk. Where it’s not as crowded.” He shook the cotton from his brain. Was that what he meant? He’d lost his train of thought when she looked up at him, distracted by the sheen left by the snow on her dampened skin. Satiny smooth, it put tempting ideas in his head.
Like kissing her.
“Don’t be silly,” she replied. For a second, James thought she’d read his mind and meant the kiss, especially after she pulled her arm free from his. “It’s a few inches of snow, not the frozen tundra. I think I can handle walking, crowd or no crowd. Now, I don’t know about you, but I want my hot cocoa.”
She marched toward the end of the aisle, the pom-pom on her hat bobbing in time with her steps. James stood and watched until the crowd threatened to swallow her up before following.
What the hell was wrong with him? Since when did he think about kissing the people he did business with? Worse, Noelle was an employee. Granted, a very attractive, enticing one, but there were a lot of beautiful women working in the Boston office and never once had he contemplated pulling one of them against him and kissing her senseless.
Then again, none of them ever challenged him either. Nor did they walk like the majorette in a fairy band.
It had to be the drone. He’d read that concussions could cause personality changes. Lord knows, he’d been acting out of character for days now, starting with agreeing to stay for Thanksgiving.
It certainly explained why he was standing in the middle of this oversize flea market when he could—should—be working. Honestly, did the people in this town ever do anything at a normal scale? Everywhere he looked, someone was pushing Christmas. Holiday sweaters. Gingerbread cookies. One vendor was literally making hand-blown Christmas ornaments on the spot. Further proof he wasn’t himself, James almost paused because there was one particularly incandescent blue ornament that was a similar shade to Noelle’s eyes.
The lady herself had stopped at a booth selling scented lotions and soaps wrapped in green-and-gold cellophane. “Smell this,” she said, when he caught up with her. She held an open bottle of skin cream under his nose, and he caught the sweet smell of vanilla.
“It’s supposed to smell like a Christmas cookie,” she said. “What do you think?”
“I like the way your skin smells better.” He spoke automatically. It wasn’t until her eyes looked down and away that he realized how his answer sounded.
“I’m not a huge fan of vanilla,” he quickly amended. “I prefer citrus smells.”
“We have a holly berry scent which is fruity,” the vendor said, reaching for a different sample. “Maybe you’ll like this one better.”
“I don’t think...” Before Noelle could finish, the saleswoman grabbed her hand and squirted a circle of pale pink cream on her exposed wrist. “Scents smell different on than they do in the bottle,” she said as she massaged the lotion into Noelle’s skin. “That’s why it’s always best to try the sample out before you buy. What do you think? Fruity, eh?”
She started to lift Noelle’s wrist, but James intercepted. Keeping his eyes on hers, he raised her wrist to his nose and inhaled. Traces of berry mingled with the orange blossom. “Better,” he said.
Noelle was staring at him, her lower lip caught between her teeth, and he instantly thought about nibbling her lip himself. “But you don’t need it,” he finished. The scent and/or the nibbling.
