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I debate ignoring her and going back inside to clear my head of these strange and uncomfortable thoughts, but she’ll probably kill herself. That would really put a damper on my day.
I bite out a curse as I grab my coat and boots and head outside after Avery, my curvy Christmas angel.
THREE
Avery
I smileas Pax trudges across the snow after me.
I’m not sure if I was more shocked by my fall or the fact that Pax isn’t an eighty-year-old Ebeneezer Scrooge. Well, he may be a bit Scrooge-like, but damn, the man is so freaking handsome, I couldn’t stop smiling at him like a giddy girl with a crush.
He’s massive. A foot taller than me, twice as wide, and rippling with muscles. Then there’s his hair. Thick, black locks, slightly messy, but it works with his whole lumberjack vibe. With shoulders and arms the size of his, I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually was a lumberjack.
As if all that weren’t enough, his ice-blue eyes cut right through me, showing me more of his vulnerable heart than I think he intended. I have a feeling no one has seen a softer side to him in a while.
I’m halfway up the ladder before Pax reaches me and I see him frown up at me out of the corner of my eye. His light blue eyes turn stormy and his dark eyebrows scrunch up as he watches me climb higher.
“Maybe I should be the one going up there,” he suggests but I wave him off.
“I’ll be fine,” I promise him.
“Yeah, I saw how good you are with hanging lights already,” he grumbles and I just laugh.
He’s so grumpy, like a big bear with a thorn stuck in his paw. It’s probably meant to be intimidating but I find it endearing. I wonder if that’s why no one in the neighborhood knows much about him. My heart thumps unevenly in my chest, aching for the lonely man currently scowling at me. If anyone needs some Christmas cheer, it’s Paxton.
“How long have you lived here?” I ask him as I grab the string of lights and the little plastic clips out of my pocket and start hanging them.
“I really think I should be the one up there instead,” he says, ignoring my question.
“I’m fine. If I fall, you can catch me,” I add when he starts to grumble.
He gives me a dry look, not seeming to like that suggestion, and I smile to myself as I carefully work my way along the edge of the roof.
“A few years.”
“Hmm?” I ask, frowning down at him.
“I’ve lived here for a few years now. You just moved in, right?”
“Yeah, I just moved to Sequoia actually. My sister, Gwen, is going to Sequoia University and I moved to be closer to her.”
He just grunts at that and I stand, stretching out my shoulders as I grab some more clips from my jacket pocket.
“What do you do for a living? Do you work from home?” I ask.Maybe that’s why I haven’t seen him coming or going.“I do and it can get lonely sometimes,” I say, kneeling back down and plugging in the next string of lights.
“I’m retired.”
“Really? That’s amazing! You’re so young though,” I exclaim, earning me a shrug from him. Pax looks away for a second, like he’s uncomfortable with my praise. He’s really freaking cute.
“Yeah, I made enough money and decided to relax for the rest of my life,” he says. Pax doesn’t sound very happy about all of his free time now, however.I wonder if he’s as lonely as I am.
“That’s so cool! What did you used to do?” I ask, trying to keep the conversation going. I’m addicted to his deep voice. I like learning more about him. I want to pry out every detail of this man’s life while sitting on his lap and listening to the rumble of his voice.
“I worked in Silicon Valley. I created a few apps for public transportation, universities, and events, and some software for the government.”
I whistle but I don’t know what else to say to that. I know nothing about technology or coding and he doesn’t sound like he really wants to talk about what he used to do.
“What about you?” Pax asks after a minute.
