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“Well, I do like to make an impression.” The situation isn’t ideal, but it’s definitely an icebreaker. “If the offer stands, I’ll take you up on the cupcake switcheroo. I’ll clean this mess up and run upstairs and change while you grab replacements?Ifyou’re not too busy to help a girl out?”
Adrian cocks an eyebrow. His steel blue eyes darken as he quietly stares at me. I’m pretty sure he will decline based on his grudge against Christmas and a busy schedule, but he surprises me with a yes. A sort of yes.
“I’ll get new cupcakes if you get this frosting off my cheek.” There isn’t a hint of playfulness in his tone, but his eyes glitter. “And no more trickery.”
“Well, that’s easy enough.”
I swipe a clean patch of snow from the ground and step toward him. I inspect the frosting, deciding it must be of the cream cheese flavor variety. Adrian’s jaw twitches as his eyes flit to the snow in my hand. I’m sure he’s worried I’ll clobber him with it, but it’s just a distraction. I didn’t agree to his no more trickery rule.
I lean in while he’s not paying attention and press my lips against his smooth cheek, daring the bad girl inside me to be spontaneous and flirty. His jaw clenches, but he doesn’t move. I swipe the tip of my tongue over the sugared smear. It is indeed cream cheese frosting, but it isn’t what suddenly ties my tummy in knots. I think I’ve developed an addiction to my sinfully sweet and sexy neighbor.
***
Adrian
Hailey’s been on my radar for a while now, but she’s more than I bargained for. Her holiday outfits fooled me into thinking she was sweet and innocent. But her sly distraction maneuver proves she’s nothing of the sort. She’s playful and not shy about getting what she wants.
“Four dozen is all we have. I could throw in a couple dozen cookies if you’d like.”
The bakery attendant slides a box of cupcakes across the counter. The cellophane window displays a ghastly array of white cupcakes sprinkled with red and green glitter. Nothing as colorful as what was in Hailey’s box.
I eye the display case. Sugar cookies cut into snowflakes the size of my hands line the shelves. They’re more inviting than the generic cupcakes, so I order four dozen. It won’t make up for the ruined cupcakes, but it’s the effort that counts. At least, I hope effort outweighs perfection.
I’m well aware of my substandard festive reputation among the tenants of Tinsel Towers. It’s earned and well deserved. Though sometimes I do feel like an outsider. In a way, I’ve alienated myself. When I first moved into the building, I wasn’t so gracious, keeping my opinions about the holiday to myself. But I’ve mellowed. I no longer feel the need to drone on about the pitfalls of the season. It isn’t my intention to ruin anyone’s fun.
As soon as everything’s boxed and secure, I hurry back to the building. Only a few remnants of frosting stain the sidewalk. Birds gather around the door, hopping from one speck to another, pecking at the remaining crumbs from our collision.
I take the elevator to the eighth floor to deliver the goods to Hailey. Hopefully, the neighbors won’t be too disappointed, and they’ll cut Hailey some slack. Minor mishaps happen all the time. It’s a shame about the cupcakes, but I’m not sorry about running into Hailey.
She’s sweet with a sense of humor that tugs at my softer side. But this whole holiday vibe she’s got going on and her girl next door cuteness is a visual warning I should heed. She’s too good for the likes of me. We’re polar opposites, and I’m far from perfect. If we got together, we’d end up like my parents, bickering and loathing each other.
I shake the runaway thoughts from my head and knock on Hailey’s door. When she opens the door wearing a figure-hugging little red dress, we almost have fiasco number two on our hands. My fingers tingle to the point I can’t feel the weight of the boxes in my hands. My throat closes, and my lungs collapse as my heartbeat thunders against my chest, roaring to life like a hungry lion.
I gawk like a young teenager getting his first eyeful of a real woman who isn’t a relative. She’s stunning. Knock your socks off and light them on fire kind of gorgeous.
“You look...amazing.” My brain decides to work, but I’m not sure if the rest of my body has gotten the message yet.
“Thank you.” She leans over the stack of boxes and peers at the bakery goodies. “Ooh, cookies, too. You are a sweetie.”
She leans closer and brushes the corner of my mouth with her cherry-red lips. Heat rises in my chest and spreads to my extremities. Her quick kiss paralyzes me, and I stand dumbstruck in her doorway.
“Would you mind zipping me up?” She pulls her long blonde locks aside and turns, revealing bare skin from the nape of her neck to the dimpled curve of her lower back.
I swallow the knot in my throat. Beads of sweat tickle at my nape, and I can’t believe my sudden run of dumb luck. Hailey’s either the greatest thing to come along in my life, or she’ll unravel me and lead me to ruin.
