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And he was succeeding. Not even the wine and duck with truffles could wash the kiss they’d shared off her lips. James kissed like a man in charge. She might have met him halfway, but there was no doubt who dominated whom once the kiss began, and frankly, so caught up was she in the moment, that she didn’t care. She liked being overwhelmed.
Right now, however, she didn’t like him distracting her.
“Why are you so quick to paint yourself negatively?” she asked, getting back on track. “Last time I checked, a person could be rich and seductive and a sentimental romantic. This restaurant is only one example. The entire day...”
“Again rich and...”
“Trying to seduce me. I know,” she replied.
James reached for the bottled water to pour himself a glass. “So far, I’ve got to say that your argument isn’t too compelling.”
“I have other examples.”
“Such as?”
“You were tapping your toe during the show.”
“It was a catchy tune!”
And the enthusiastic smile he wore at the end of the performance? He’d probably say he was rewarding a job well done. “What made you pick that particular show in the first place, huh? Why not that hot hip-hop musical everyone’s gushing about, if you were simply out to impress me? Don’t tell me you couldn’t have scored tickets to that if you’d wanted them. Instead, you picked a Christmas show, and not just any show. The Christmas Spectacular. Heck, even your choice of restaurant,” she said, gesturing at the winter wonderland around them, “is Christmassy.”
“I didn’t exactly pluck the theme out of thin air. Since I arrived in Fryberg, you’ve made your attachment to Christmas quite clear. For crying out loud, your in-laws celebrate Christmas year-round.”
“All the more reason for a person who hates holidays to show me something different,” she replied. “But you didn’t. You went full-on Christmas. What’s more, you enjoyed everything as much as I did. And not—” she wagged her finger “—not simply because I was having fun.”
James raised his glass to his lips. “How could I not have a good time with such amazing company?”
Noelle blushed at the compliment. There was more though. She’d stolen enough looks during the day when he thought she wasn’t looking. Saw the enjoyment on his face. Their adventure today had touched something inside him. The same sensitive part that was inspired to rent out the dining room.
She still couldn’t believe he’d rented an entire rooftop for her. Talk about intimidating. She’d never been the focus of attention before, not by herself. Not without a Fryberg attached. The notion unsettled her.
Her thoughts were getting off track. “You’re trying to distract me with compliments,” she said, shaking her index finger. “No fair.”
“Au contraire. I’m pretty sure all’s fair,” he replied.
“This isn’t love or war.”
“Yet.”
He was joking. It was one date and, possibly, a few hours of intimacy. Neither of them expected anything more. Nevertheless, her stomach fluttered anyway. She reached for her wine, changed her mind, picked up her water and took a long drink to drown the sensation.
“Do you have any good memories of Christmas?” she asked, changing the subject.
He made a noise in his throat that sounded like an unformed groan. “We’re back to talking about Christmas, are we?”
“We never left,” she said. In spite of his efforts to dissuade her. “Surely, you must have some decent memories before your parents’ marriage went sour.” She was curious. There was a different James Hammond behind the cynicism, one that believed in moonlight dinners and making a woman feel like a princess, not for seduction purposes, but because he thought that’s what a woman deserved. She wanted to get to know that James.
If she could coax him to talk.
He sat back and let out a long breath. “Easier asking for the Holy Grail. My parents never got along. Even before they separated, as soon as they spent extended time together, they would end up screaming and tossing dishes.”
“Glass tumblers.” She remembered.
“Exactly. Honestly, it’s amazing they managed to have two kids.” Frowning, he pushed his plate toward the center of the table. “There was this one Christmas. I was four. Maybe five. Hammond’s was having some kind of event, for charity I think—I’m not sure. All I know is Santa was supposed to be there so my parents took Justin and me into Boston to see him. We had these matching wool coats and hats with flaps on them.”
