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I’m halfway down the stairs when I hear a loud bang and I freeze, wondering where the hell the sound came from. There’s another bump and a grunt, and then a poof of black soot comes out of the fireplace.
I stare wide-eyed as the prettiest red-headed angel comes crawling out. My jaw drops as I take in every filthy, dirty inch of her.Goddamn, I’d like to give her a bath and then carry her off to bed.
“What the hell are you doing?” I shout, snapping out of my inappropriate thoughts. I rush over to help her, mentally kicking myself for being a creep instead of getting to her sooner.
She’s covered in soot, trying to wipe it off her face with her dirt-covered hands. While it’s oddly adorable, she’s not making much progress. I grab some tissues from a box on the nearby table and hand them to her.
“I was hanging up lights,” the angel answers, as if that should have been obvious. She blinks up at me, and for the first time, I notice her eyes. All different colors of green dance in her irises, making her look absolutely ethereal.
She coughs, taking the tissue from me, and I stare at her in bewilderment. Her puffy winter jacket must have broken her fall, but I’m still amazed she hardly has a scratch on her.
“Why?” I blurt out. I’m not sure if I’m asking why she was hanging up lights or why she’s so damn perfect.
“It’s Christmas,” she says with the sameduhtone and a shrug of her shoulders. I want to wrap my hands around her shoulders and shake a straight answer from her. I also want to hold her close and breathe her in. Covered in soot or not, I just know she smells sweet.
“Okay,” I grunt, clearing my throat. “But why did you come down my chimney? What were you thinking?”
As I get a clearer picture of what the Christmas angel was doing on my roof, the more upset and worried I become. She could have broken her neck! Or been roasted over an open fire! Plus, most chimneys these days narrow at the end. Mine is old, which is why she fell all the way down. If I had updated it, however, she’d be good and stuck halfway down the damn chute.
“What would you have done if I had a fire going?” I spit out. This woman is infuriating and sexy and confusing the fuck out of me.
“Um, screamed?” Her left eyebrow quirks up, giving me a hint of her sassy nature. Those damn eyes sparkle brighter than any Christmas tree.
Too bad this girl is absolutely crazy.
I huff out a laugh, dragging my hands down my face.
“What’s your name?” I ask, my voice coming out rough.
“Avery. I just moved in next door to you,” she says, pointing in the direction of the little shed next door.
An angel like her shouldn’t be living in such a dump, but I don’t say that.
“I’m Pax,” I say and she grins up at me. Holy hell, that smile. What is this pressure in my chest? Why can’t I breathe? This curvy little Christmas goddess is wrecking me with just one look.
“It’s nice to finally meet you.” Her voice is so genuine and sweet as it wraps itself around my heart.
Avery blinks up at me, her forest-green eyes meeting mine and casting a spell on me. That’s the only way I know how to describe it. One second, I want to get her out of my house as soon as humanly possible so I’m not liable for any accidents that she may have and the next I know I need to keep her close to me so I can keep her safe. What if she fell down someone else’s chimney, and she was with them right now instead of me? No, that won’t do. I saw her first. She’s mine.
“Right,” I grunt, clearing my throat. I have to push back the wave of possessiveness threatening to choke me up.
I grab some more tissues and help her wipe off the stray streaks on her face, adjusting her knit hat in the process. Her hair is a wild riot of red that can barely be contained. I wrap one curl around my finger, mesmerized by the texture.
Avery blinks and smiles at me, a pretty pink blush peeking through the soot on her cheeks. She barely comes up to the center of my chest. I’m tall at over six-foot-five and I’m used to people staring at me like I’m a freak but Avery hasn’t even seemed to notice the way I tower over her. She just keeps smiling at me like I’m the most adorable thing she’s ever seen.
I drop my hand from her face, letting go of her hair in the process. Emptiness sweeps through me, and I suddenly feel incomplete.
“Thanks,” she says with a grin. “I think I’m all set.” She walks toward the front door and I open it for her.
“Next time, use this entrance,” I say sarcastically and she grins at me more.
“In my defense, I tried. You didn’t answer.”
“So, you climbed up on my roof anyway,” I respond dryly. Truthfully, she’s cute as hell, and I’m only upset because she could have gotten seriously hurt.
“Yup! I better get back to it. I only have a few more hours of light left.”
I watch incredulously as she waves and heads back around the corner of my house to where I see a ladder resting. She can’t seriously be continuing this nonsense after her fall. I’m surprised she didn’t break anything.
