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It was signed, ‘Love, Your Secretly Admiring Santa’. I frowned at the gift and cautiously removed the tissue paper from the top. A small tin sat at the bottom, and I pulled it out with a little gasp. The ornate silver and purple scrolling pattern had a subtle shine to it.Calming Loose-Leaf Blendwas etched across the front in an old-fashioned script font.
Biting my lip, I glanced down at the basic green tea with honey that was occupying three-fourths of my cup still. I lifted the lid on the tin and was immediately greeted with a rich bouquet of lemon, lavender and subtle notes of something else I couldn’t quite place, but it was more than enough to urge me to discard the brown liquid and brew a fresh one.
As I clicked on the electric kettle, I tried to figure out who could have possibly sent the clearly high-end present. I tapped my slipper-clad toe on the tile of the kitchen floor and leaned against the counter.
Without a doubt it couldn’t have been my college best friend. Melissa was kind and thoughtful, but she most certainly would have signed her name—or at the very least had a much more sarcastic tone to the attached note.
My parents were backpacking through various parts of Australia and barely had a signal on the best of days to send a text, so for them to have ordered this last minute would have been nearly impossible. And since we had already exchanged gifts prior to them leaving, it wouldn’t have been on their radar to have gotten me more.
For the briefest second I wondered if it were at all possible that Brendan could have been the mystery man behind the delivery but dismissed it nearly as fast as it popped up. The man had gotten me, of all people, in the Secret Santa gift exchange at work and at our party the week prior he’d given me…socks—not even expensive designer ones, just fuzzy socks with the grips on the bottom.
Sure, the spending limit was twenty-five dollars, but certainly the man could have done better.
I shook my head as I poured the scalding water over my favorite heart-shaped tea infuser. There wasn’t a chance that Brendan could be behind this, and the odd, unwelcomed pull I was beginning to feel for him was not only one-sided but also very, very foolish.
Aaron’s face flashed before my mind’s eye, something I wished I could erase from my memory bank. He was even less likely of a suspect than Brendan. At least Brendan noticed my tea addiction and even teased me for it. Aaron was too self-absorbed to really pay attention and had more than once ordered coffee for me when we’d gone out, even though I detested the bitter bean drink.
I clicked off the television and carried my steaming mug up the stairs to bed with me. The amount of happily ever after was overwhelming to my new, less-than-merry outlook on life in general and the holidays in particular. Snuggling between the covers with the delicious blend of tea leaves and spices as well as the latest psychological thriller from a bestselling author sounded far better than any mistletoe-laden impetuous kiss.
Taking a long draw from my barely-cool-enough-to-drink brew, I sighed. Maybe I’d have to give the holiday season back one of the millions of points I’d taken away. This was one damn good gift.
* * * *
Brendan offered a warm, almost-appreciative grin as I walked into our shared space the following morning, and I cursed the flip of excitement my stomach offered in response. “You look pretty chipper this morning. You must’ve had a really good night.”
Until his comment, I hadn’t even realized I was smiling, and even though I tried to school my features into something a bit more serious as I took my seat across from him, my lips refused to budge from their upturned position. The surprise delivery had affected me a bit more than I wanted to admit. “Went to bed with a book and a cup of tea. I am way too much of a party animal for you to handle.”
Something flashed in his eyes, and they darkened until I was almost certain they were brown. I thought absently how I should make a chart of what color went with what mood. “I think you underestimate my handling abilities.” His voice was husky as he spoke, and it finally dawned on me exactly how my sarcastic little quip had sounded.
My body burned with a mixture of embarrassment and curiosity. I wanted to both take back every word and also see just how far I could push the attraction that had been simmering under the surface for weeks and now coated the air around us with thick lust.
Oh hell no, this was not how I was going to make my return to the dating world—not with the man who would one day hold my career in the palm of his hand.Nope. I’d worked too damn hard and for too damn long.
I swallowed, hoping to extinguish the rapidly burning desire. “You’re here early. Did you manage to have any breakthroughs to solve the Bryce-created disaster?” I was proud I’d managed to make my tone completely flat and disinterested. Flirting with the son of the CEO and founder of Lanza Broadcasting was one thing, but taking it too far would redefine reckless behavior.
He knitted his brows together and his expression fell for the briefest of moments before he rallied and twisted his lips into an ironic smile. “Not exactly. I called in a few favors with some NFL players I know to do a guest appearance.”
The comment sparked an idea that quickly took off in my brain. “What are the chances you can actually get them to commit?”
“Pretty decent,” he answered slowly, tilting his head to one side and staring at me suspiciously. “Why?”
I popped my brows twice and grinned. “I’m getting an idea. Try to keep up there, Golden Boy.”
He rolled his eyes. “Golden Boy? Really?”
“Would you rather I call you ‘Lanza the Great’?” I gave him the best innocent, doe-eyed expression I could muster.
Brendan groaned. “You must be in a good mood if you’re giving me this much shit.”
Opening a new spreadsheet on my laptop, I began to flesh out the growing plan. “Hey, you want to be respected and feared and worshiped as the ruler of the empire, don’t you?”
I barely registered his movements as he stood and rounded the joined desks, but when he lowered his head to be parallel with mine, his lips close enough to my ear I could feel the warmth from his breath, I couldn’t ignore his presence—or his undeniable effect on me as my internal temperature shot up ten degrees.
“Trust me, Leah. I want much,muchmore than that.”
Then the bastard just walked away, leaving me flushed and burning with a need for more than could ever actually happen.
Chapter Four
