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And she watched, trying not to let him see her staring at his bare torso. He looked even better than she’d imagined.
How could anyone imagine how perfect he would be under that shirt? She bet the rest of him was just as amazing.
He caught her looking at him,again, and she swallowed hard. It was so unfair of him to do this to her, despite it being her own fault. Somehow she had to get even.
Stripping off her sweater and bra wouldnotbe getting even, but it would sure feel good.
This time with Ace was a kind of torture she hadn’t expected. She could always give in and see where it went with Ace…
“Our days have involved four meals and three games, of which we have played multiple rounds.” She tried to keep her voice bright. “We need to come up with something for tomorrow.”
“I can think of a few things.” He winked at her.
“Let’s brainstorm.” Ignoring his teasing was the best option. “We can play more games, or see what else we can come up with.”
“Why don’t we brainstorm while enjoying some bourbon and eggnog after we decorate the tree?” He poked one of the steaks with a fork. “I think the steaks are ready, along with everything else.”
She blinked. “Already?”
He laughed. “While you’ve been staring at me, I’ve managed to get the entire dinner prepared.”
Charlee looked away, face flaming as usual when it came to Ace and his bare skin. “I’ll set the table.”
She put placemats, silverware, and plates on the table. Ace set out a platter with the sirloins, followed by a large bowl filled with salad, and added a baked potato wrapped in foil to each of their plates.
“Everything smells incredible.” She drew in a deep breath. “I’m hungrier than ever.”
He settled in his chair.
Still with no shirt.
“Please put on your shirt.” She speared a steak and put it on her plate. “You’re distracting me, and this dinner is filled with important stuff I need to concentrate on.”
Ace gave a low laugh and took the shirt from over his shoulder and slid it on. “Is that better?”
She let out a breath of relief. “Yes. Thank you.”
He gave her a wicked smile. “So you find me distracting, huh?”
The best thing to do with this man was to ignore him.
After dinner,they cleaned up and headed to the living room. Charlee’s heart felt so light it amazed her. She didn’t remember having a Christmas as fun as this one had been so far. Ace retrieved the tree from the laundry room and carried it into the living room, where they got it set up with the tree stand that had a base for water to keep the tree from drying out too quickly.
Ossie curled up nearby. They’d given her bites of steak in addition to what Ace had cooked up for the dog.
They laughed as they untangled a set of LED Christmas lights then proceeded to wrap the string of them around the tree. Charlee had several sets of lights and they put on as many as they could find.
“Now this is a sparkly tree.” She arranged the end of the last set of lights. “Perfect.”
Ace stood close to her and she breathed in his clean, masculine scent. “Ornaments next.” The low timbre of his voice made her shiver.
“How about some popcorn while we decorate?” She stepped away from him, the space allowing her to breathe again.
“Sure.” He moved closer to her and she practically fled. His voice followed behind her. “I’ll help.”
Damn.She needed space, at least for a few moments.
But it wasn’t so bad as he helped her. The house smelled wonderful as he carried the big polished wooden bowl of popcorn to the living room.
