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The doorbell rang, dragging a squeal from Sarah who raced to the door to peek through the window. “That’s him!” She hugged Kim once again. “Can you let him in while I get everyone into the living room super quick? I want to make sure they are all in good spots for the show.”
Sarah was getting more hyper as time went on. Maybe her and Clark wouldn’t be such a good idea after all. “Sure, sweetie.”
Her friend bounded off to herd their friends into the other room, leaving Kim to answer the door. She waited long enough for Greg to ring a second time, and for Sarah to give her the thumbs up.
Show time.
Opening the door revealed Greg standing there wearing a very un-jolly expression on his face, his Santa hat crushed in his hand. “My boyfriend is an asshole.”
“Of course he is.” Kim leaned up and gave him a hug. “He fucked with your schedule, didn’t he? Unexpected sex again?”
Greg’s cheeks took on a warm glow. “I wish. He took our car without seeing if I needed it. And then I couldn’t get a cab that would get me here in time. It was like every taxi in the city had to be anywhere but available to come get me. I was almost to the point where I was considering the subway and walking.”
Kim stepped back from the door to let him in. “How did you get here then?”
It was then she saw Blake standing in the middle of the walkway. He said nothing, simply held up his hand and gave her a little wave. Snow was falling in large, white flakes. They clung to his hair and stayed on his shoulders, highlighting his broad frame. For a moment, he looked sad, lonely and she wanted nothing more than to run out and throw her arms around him.
“I called the office hoping that I’d find you working late, but the boss-man answered instead. He picked me up so I wouldn’t have to go out in public dressed like this.” Greg shrugged off his parka, put on his Santa hat and boots and lowered his pants so they hugged his hips. “I oiled up at home, so I’m good to go.”
Sarah peeked around the corner, looked between Kim and Greg and gave a squeal. “Ladies, I think Santa has come with some presents!”
Kim saw Greg tense and his gaze flicked around the small hallway. The last thing she wanted was for him to have a panic attack on her. Taking him by the shoulders, she gave him a squeeze before looking him straight in the eyes.
“You’re one of our best Nicks. Take a deep breath and smile. You’ll be able to punish your man when you get home.” Kim waited until she was certain he’d relaxed enough to do them all proud, then gave Greg a shove toward the living room. “Go get ’em, tiger.”
She didn’t even see Greg go past her, as her attention was no longer focused on the party. He’s still out there. Blake hadn’t turned tail and left the moment she’d spotted him. That was progress over the strange dance they’d been engaged in since their kiss.
A kiss so amazing it had made her heart ache, even though it had happened in front of the bathroom. That brief moment of contact that had sent her heart galloping so hard, had distracted her so much, she’d been unable to follow him when he ran. She thought he’d simply needed some time to wrap his head around what had happened. What she hadn’t expected was for him to disappear on her for two days.
In that time apart, he’d consistently haunted her dreams, making it next to impossible to concentrate on anything else except for the idea of kissing him again. He’d gone into hiding, only to reappear and act as though nothing had happened at all.
To make matters worse, he took great pains to ensure they were never alone together. He wasn’t exactly avoiding her, but if she’d been a less confident woman, Kim would have thought she’d developed an odd rash, a smell, something he didn’t want to get too close to. She still didn’t know exactly what had happened between them—they’d kissed, which was amazing, but something had changed in how they dealt with one another. She wasn’t certain it was a good change.
Though something that clearly hadn’t changed was Blake’s tendency to be a workaholic. She couldn’t imagine what he was doing at th
e office on a Friday evening, two weeks before Christmas. He worked too much and spent too little time with friends—a toxic combination. Even if there wasn’t going to be a repeat performance of the kiss, she didn’t like to see him so lonely. No one deserved that, especially this time of year.
She’d never admit it to him directly, but Kim was worried. Normally, Blake would be shoving work aside and starting to enjoy the spirit of the season by now. They’d tease each other whenever he was at Naughty Nicks, but he’d always be heading out with his friends, going down to the pub. He hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort this year. He bounced between his two offices and home, nothing more. All work and no play.
Except for him kissing you.
Ignoring the sudden blast of dance music and the whoops from the girls inside, Kim grabbed her coat off the hook, toed on her shoes and stepped out onto the concrete porch. There were two ways she could play this—ignore the elephant between them for a bit longer and focus on him, or throw her hands around his neck and kiss him the way she wanted. Best to play things safe.
“So you’re doubling as a taxi now?” The wind blew at her coat, sending it swirling around her legs. She shoved her hands deep into the pockets, just to ensure she wouldn’t do anything stupid.
“Good thing I was, or else I would have been the one playing Naughty Nick tonight.”
Kim swallowed hard at the immediate image that particular suggestion brought to mind. Blake dressed in nothing but a hat and those too-baggy pants. They’d slip down across his hips, revealing the swell of his firm ass and the treasure trail of hair leading down to what she knew to be a perfect cock.
Not too small. Not too big. Just right for her to lick from root to tip.
Focus, you idiot. “Why were you at work?”
He shrugged, taking a small step closer. “The boss does the work when it needs to get done. The hours don’t really matter.”
Cocking her head to the side, she looked at him hard. There was something different about him this year. Something calmer and yet, he was on edge. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it...
“You need to get laid.” Yes, sex was the solution to cure all ills, or it had been in the past. And the lack of it would certainly explain his unusual behavior. Even if she wasn’t the one reaping the benefits, one of them needed to get their shit together before the business imploded. “It’s nearly Christmas and you’ve been single for too long. Come with me and I’ll introduce you around. There are some awesome girls inside and most of them are looking for a date. I know how much it helped you before.”
