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CHAPTER 2
***
Hailey
The boxes of beautiful cupcakes crumple into my chest. I lose one, then two to gravity. I brace myself for impact, closing my eyes and holding on for dear life to what’s left of the last box. A broad palm slips around my waist, turning me so my face bears the brunt of the cold wind, and wince as I free-fall toward the pavement.
I land with a thud, face down with my sticky, frosting-covered chest cemented against the grumpiest man in all of Tinsel Towers. My neighbor, Adrian Clausen. The man I’ve daydreamed about having full frontal, between-the-sheets contact with spread out on the pavement, covered in frosting.Okay, the frosting part might be kind of fun.
He takes the brunt of the fall for both of us, landing on his back and saving me from the cold, hard pavement. A cool breeze wafts up my skirt, and I hope to heaven my candy cane-covered ass isn't sticking up in the air like a beacon in the snow.
I wiggle, trying to disentangle my legs from his while ensuring my tush is covered. A firm hand smacks my ass, subduing me from further movement. The sting reverberates through me, tickling and tingling its way to my body’s core.
“Hold still,” Adrian growls a warning.
I’m undecided about what stuns me more, his hand clutching my ass, the hiss of his pained breath, or how my body reacts, suddenly flushing with heat that has nothing to do with layers of clothing. Either way, taking orders from bossy men has never been my thing, especially not now. I flatten my hand on his shoulder and push myself upward to survey the damage. Is something broken? Is he bleeding? Did I knee him in the groin?
Wrinkles skitter across Adrian’s forehead, pinching at the patch between his eyes. I don’t see blood, but I do see red. Red frosting smudged across the cardboard box that lies across his chest. Red cupcake crumbs dotting the snow. A thick layer of red, white, and chocolate frosting marbled across the front of my elf costume. And the red in his gaze when he finally opens one eye.
“Are you okay? Can you move?” I shift my weight as I study his face. It’s a handsome face, the kind coy women flirt with across a dimly lit bar, hoping he’ll make a move before closing time. He’s perfect, except for the pain currently lacing across his brow. “I thought you saw me and were letting me in. My bad.”
I manage to get to my feet and offer Adrian a helping hand. He shakes his head as he rolls to his side. I survey the sidewalk, waiting for more than a grunt to come out of his mouth.
“I’m fine, but you look like you took out an entire bakery with a cannon.” He winces as he gets to his feet and steadies himself.
I look down at the front of my outfit and must concur. My poor, pathetic, wasted cupcakes. I pout inwardly but feel awful about the condition of my neighbor. He’ll be grumpier than ever after this and in no mood to put up with my attempts at flirtation. Not a great way to kick off today’s party or get Adrian to finally notice me.
“They were for the holiday shindig.” I peel what’s left of one of the boxes from my clothing. It’s covered in frosting and smooshed cake on one side and perfectly clean on the other. “I’ve been talking up Noelle’s cupcakes for weeks. Everyone will be so disappointed.”
“Ah, it’s not that bad.” His eyes rake over my frosting-covered body, and a ripple of heat tickles my tummy. “There’s a bakery at the end of the block. We’ll replace these, and no one will be the wiser.”
I gawk at him, returning his gaze. The man’s barely rumpled, except for a few wet patches on his jeans where he lay on the snowy cement. Other than that, the man’s clothes are pristine, not a crumb or speck of frosting on his otherwise perfectly clad body. A few smudges of frosting stick to his hand where he braced his hand on the pavement, but nothing to the extent of what I’m wearing.
“I’m covered in frosting, and you’re...you’re perfect.” Everything about him is perfect. He’s doing a fine job of setting aside his Grinchiness at the moment. I might go so far as to say he’s being generous. He did say ‘we’when he mentioned replacing the cupcakes. “Well, not so spotless. You have a little something here.”
I tap my cheek, and he mirrors my action, wiping at his cheek with his fingertips. A swath of frosting smears across the path. I giggle at the trickery, hoping he has a little bit of humor buried beneath the surface.
“Now we’re both sullied. We can be friends.”
He smirks at my remark, and the cutest, boyish dimple appears beside his smile.
“I’m Hailey. I live next door to you.”
“I know who you are, Hailey Jones. You’re hard to ignore with the jingling bells and all.”
His eyes flit down my disastrous outfit, causing my tummy to bubble with giddy, girlish excitement. If he offered, I’d let him lick every last bit of frosting from my body. That’s saying something because I don’t usually share my dessert.
