Playboy On Her Christmas List

‘You don’t mean that.’

‘I do,’ Daniel said, and he gave her a smile. ‘We’re polar opposites.’ And then he stared ahead at the road and it did not need stating—that opposites attracted.

Both already knew.

CHAPTER THREE (#u74d4cb8e-b5d3-55a3-9180-d5627dde3907)

SHE SHOULD HAVE said goodbye to him back at the pub.

Then there might have been a hope that, should they meet up in the future, all they would be were ex-colleagues who had flirted a little on occasion.

Back at the pub she could have wished him well for his trip and, yes, of course she could do the same when he pulled up at her flat.

Holly didn’t want to, though.

How did it even work? Holly thought. She was way too far out of her comfort zone. Did she offer him a drink, or did she leave it to him to suggest coming in?

And what about the morning?

Holly wished that she didn’t overthink things, she wished she could be more like Anna and just worry about the day, or rather the night, at hand.

She wanted the traffic lights to turn red, for a pause, to turn and tell him that the flirty version of Holly he had met at times wasn’t the real one. That the woman who had laughed at the suggestive tone in his voice when he’d told her she’d be in discreet hands, did not, prior to his arrival on her part of the planet, exist.

Yet the lights all stayed green and afforded swift passage.

And anyway, Daniel knew all that.

While he was driving he was trying to convince himself that this wasn’t any different from what he was used to and that Holly could more than handle a hook-up. And he was also trying to convince himself that he didn’t care in the way he actually did.

He couldn’t afford to care. It wasn’t an emotion he sought, and he was leaving after all.

His phone told him that the destination was on his left and he slid the car into a parking space outside her flat and his conscience won—Daniel didn’t want to risk hurting her.

‘You’d better go in,’ Daniel said.

And so this was it.

‘Thanks for the lift.’

‘No problem.’

‘It’s been nice working with you,’ Holly said. ‘I’m going to miss your sulking face.’

‘I’ll miss your smiling one.’

And this really was it.

There was a charge in the air that should signal thunder but instead Daniel turned and looked ahead.

Holly reached to open the door and he did nothing to halt her so she got out.

They were both congratulating themselves on how adult and sensible they had been.

Now she could breathe, except, despite the cool and the drizzle, the night felt as humid as if it was summer.

Holly looked at the path to her door and she was six, maybe seven steps away from saving herself from a rather big mistake, except she wanted so badly to turn around and to follow desire rather than walk away.

Just once.

It was her choice as to what happened next, Holly knew.

Could she keep it light, without revealing how deeply she felt?

Daniel was just about to hit ‘Home’ as his destination when she tapped on the window.

‘What?’ he asked as it slid down. His voice was surly. He didn’t want to do this a second time, especially as now that she was bending down there was the pearly white of her breasts at eye level.

And she looked at him and, no, she would not be so cheesy as to ask him in for a drink and then somehow, whoops, they’d up in bed.

She wanted a kiss, Daniel knew, but he was also rather certain she wanted a whole lot more than that. Not just sex, but the part of himself he refused to give.

‘What?’ he said again, and then his face broke into a smile, as, very unexpectedly, Holly, sweet Holly, showed another side of her.

‘Are you going to make me invite you in?’

‘Yes.’

‘You’re not even going to try and persuade me with a kiss?’ Holly checked.

‘You want me or you don’t.’ Daniel shrugged. ‘There’s no question that I want you. But, Holly, do you get that—?’

She knew what was coming and she didn’t need the warning—he had made his position perfectly clear—so she interrupted him. ‘I don’t need the speech.’

She just needed this.

Holly had thought his hand was moving to open the door but instead it came out of the window and to her head and pulled her face down to his.

He kissed her hard, even though she was the one standing. The stubble of his unshaven jaw was rough on her face and his tongue was straight in.

He pulled her in tight so that her upper abdomen hurt from the pressure of the open window and it was a warning, she knew, of the passion to come.

Even now she could pull back and straighten, say goodnight and walk off, but Holly was through with being cautious.

In a second she would be falling through the open window for all the neighbours to see and sucked into the dark vacuum of his car.

Holly simply didn’t care.

Her bag dropped to the pavement and he then released her.