Naughty Nicks (7 page)

Blake was quietly pleased when Kim said nothing, only laughed. She could have been jumping around like the rest of the women here, but instead she remained pressed to him. The floral scent of her shampoo was making it difficult for him to concentrate on anything else. The strands of hair that caressed his skin were soft, tempting him to touch, to press his nose into the mass of curls and breathe deep.

He was an idiot if he thought he could resist her. She’d practically come out and told him she was interested. Even if this was only about sex, it was time Blake manned up and moved on with his life. Megs wasn’t the one holding him back any longer—no, the fault for his current misery landed squarely on his shoulders.

Time to see what we can do.

He lifted his arm and leaned against the doorframe, which caused his hips to jut forward. The new angle increased the pressure against Kim, doing absolutely nothing to hide his erection. She looked up at him, her big brown eyes as wide as he’d ever remembered seeing.

“Enjoying the show?” There was a breathy quality to her voice that even the cat calls couldn’t mask.

“There’s a show?”

His chest tightened as he looked down at her. The difference in their heights made him feel powerful, as though she were the most precious of things and it was his duty to protect her. She’d no doubt kick his ass for even thinking that, but it was true regardless. The urge to strip her naked, to run his hands up and down her body, worshiping the inked lines and feminine curves, was one he hadn’t experienced since his first year of marriage.

“Blake?”

At some point, he’d lowered his head to close the distance between them. Fuck, he was about to kiss her again, right here in the living room of a stranger’s house while another man stripped naked for a group of women. They weren’t ready for public displays of affection. Not yet at least.

Instead of doing what he wanted, he reached over with his free hand and tucked her curls behind her ear. His fingers grazed her cheek and the line of her jaw as he moved, finally telling him what he’d wanted to know about the softness of her skin.

Saliva had built up in his mouth, forcing him to swallow hard. “I think he’s about to dance with someone on the table.”

Kim blinked several times before she turned back to Greg’s escapades. “Oh, that’s my friend Sarah. She’s the hostess.”

He was only vaguely aware of the blatant bump and grind show currently underway. All his attention was locked on Kim, while his mind turned over the idea of where things might be able to go between them.

Was it even possible? Or would he be setting himself up for yet more heartbreak when she realized he wasn’t the right man for her? Sure, she wasn’t the type of person to cheat or lie, but that wasn’t a guarantee that things would work out between them either.

But who was to say they couldn’t do this? Day in and day out they proved they got along. Kim enjoyed his teasing, willing to throw it back his way without missing a beat. Even when they hadn’t seen each other for months, they’d fall back into that easy routine within seconds. She did his heart good.

The last thing he wanted was to ruin what they had.

“I should go.” He whispered the words against her ear. “I still have work—”

Kim reached back and grabbed him by the belt loop. “Not an inch. You stay put.”

They stayed locked together that way throughout the end of the performance. The women applauded like mad, and several asked to touch Greg’s abs.

“I’d die if Jason looked like this.”

“Jason wouldn’t know what a gym was if you led him there.”

“Neither would Bret.”

“Everyone, I have snacks in the kitchen. Let’s fill up our Santa with milk and cookies before he has to head out on his way.”

Eventually the group around Greg made their way toward what Blake assumed was the kitchen. Kim still hadn’t released his belt loop, nor did she make any move to follow the others. When they were the only two who remained, she turned around and shoved him against the doorjamb.

“How dare you?”

Whoa.
He’d seem Kim’s many moods over the years, but pissed off certainly wasn’t one of them. “What’s the matter?”

“I was going to ask you that.” She pressed her open hand into his chest. There was no way she was a physical match for him, but it didn’t matter. Blake didn’t have the strength to break the contact between them. “I don’t get you anymore.”

“What’s to get? I’m still me.”
No
,
dude
,
you’re a lying liar who lies.

“Bullshit and you know it. You’re different this year. One minute you’re kissing me outside the bathroom and the next you’re turning tail and running away. If you want to have sex, get things out of your system, you know I’m up for that. I’ve always been up for that.”

“Kim...” He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the wall. “We probably should be discussing this in private.”

“Yes we should. But every time I think you’re going to man up and have a conversation about this...” she curled her fingers into his shirt, pulling more than a few chest hairs, “...thing between us, you run. So we’re going to do it here. What is wrong with you? Are you mad at me?”

“What? No.”

“Then why aren’t you talking to me? Do you regret the kiss? Do you regret sleeping with me? Hiring me?”

God, that look of hurt didn’t belong on her face. He reached up and covered her hand with his. “Not even for a second.”

“Then what’s wrong? I like you. I proved that the night we met. I know I work for you and you might have some weird sexual harassment worries, but I promise you I won’t mind you doing some harassing. A lot of harassing, in fact. I’ll even harass you back.”

“Kim...” He growled and closed his eyes for a moment. “Look, I’m attracted to you, but I’m not sure I’m the best man for—”

“Mistletoe!”

Blake looked over and saw that their brief moment of solitude was officially gone. Kim’s hold on his chest hadn’t relaxed any. If anything, it was tighter. She was trembling.

“Sarah, what are you—”

The other woman pointed and grinned like a fool. “Look up, you two.”

It would have worked perfectly in some sort of twisted holiday movie. Blake and Kim did as ordered, their gazes landing on the bunch of plastic mistletoe before dropping to meet each other’s.

“Hey everyone! Kim’s been caught under the mistletoe.”

“Shit,” she said and then licked her lips.

“Shit indeed.” If there’d been a chance for them to make a break for it, Blake would have gone. But almost as soon as the word
mistletoe
was uttered, the women reappeared in the room.

“Kiss, kiss, kiss,” Sarah began to chant, which was quickly picked up by the rest of the group.

Blake looked over in time to see Greg joining in, clapping and grinning along with everyone else. With a waggle of his finger, Greg looped his arms around the two women closest to him. “I see someone has been naughty and now needs to pay the price.”

I’m so going to dock his pay for this.
Turning his attention back to Kim, he couldn’t help but love the sense of freedom that came with what they now had to do. It was a matter of tradition. No one would think it was anything more than that. There wouldn’t be any pressure for them to take things too far, and yet, it was an opportunity for him to make up for running away after their first kiss.

If Kim decided that she didn’t want things to continue on, then she could easily laugh it off and Blake would know exactly where things stood between them.

If she liked it, if she wanted to feel her mouth against his once again—that was a bridge they could decide to cross when they were alone once more.

He gave her hand still holding his shirt a pat, forcing her to relax her death grip. “We’re not getting out of this until we give the crowd what they want.”

Her mouth fell open, drawing his attention to those lush lips of hers. Blake took that as the barest of permissions to continue. Pushing away from the wall, he wrapped one hand around her waist to pull her tight against him, and the other he shoved into her hair.

Fuck, it really was as soft as he remembered.

The encouraging sounds from the women watching dissipated, until the only thing Blake could hear was their ragged breathing. The spectators no longer mattered to him. As far as he was concerned, they were all alone.

“Merry Christmas, little elf.”

He held his eyes open until it was painful, wanting to burn the sight of Kim’s lust-soaked face into his memory. The first brush of his lips against hers was tentative, a soft barely there caress that sent a shudder through him nearly as strong as the first time they’d done this. One of her hands found its way around his neck, her nails digging into the skin, while the other held on tight to his biceps. She took a deep breath, the rush of air against his mouth heightening his anticipation. When she brushed her tongue across his lips, what little resolve he still had, snapped.

Blake opened his mouth, the need to taste her all consuming. An explosion of eggnog and rum, mixed with the taste of woman, made his senses drunk. He would have known this was Kim from the smell and feel of her beneath him, even without seeing her. The press of her breasts against him wasn’t enough, his need to feel more rising with each moment their kiss continued. It would have taken no time to strip her of her shirt and free those perfect globes from their restraining bra. His fingers would tease her nipples until she begged him to fuck her.

Deepening the kiss, he explored her mouth, running his tongue across hers for a moment, before pulling back to suck on her bottom lip. Kim moaned, her nails digging further into his skin, even as she pressed her body harder against him.

It wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t be enough.

While his body screamed for more, his brain reminded him that they had an audience.

Shit, they had an
audience.

He broke the kiss with regret, lifting his head to see if she was as affected as he was. Her glazed expression told him everything he needed to know. This meant Blake had a decision to make.

As if on cue, they both turned to look at the crowd at the same time. The women exploded into another deafening roar of cheers as he stepped away from Kim. Not that they mattered. His gaze returned to her, gauging her reactions. Her lustful expression morphed into shock and embarrassment far faster than he would have liked. Kim might be a ball of energy and no stranger to garnering attention from others, but he knew she was uncomfortable.

If only he could take her back to his place and continue what they’d started. He could tell she felt the same current he had run between them. It was something better suited to a private exploration.

Blake held her gaze for a moment longer, before turning his attention back to the group. “Santa, your ride is about to depart.”

“Ladies, it’s been wonderful. I must now get back to my workshop to discipline one of my elves.”

“Was she naughty, Santa? Will you spank her?”

“
He
was very naughty. He took Santa’s sleigh out for a spin when he wasn’t supposed to. And yes, there will definitely be a spanking.” Greg winked and waved at the group before scurrying off to get dressed.

Blake rolled his eyes and stepped out into the foyer. Kim didn’t move, her body frozen in place in the middle of the doorway. He should leave well enough alone, at least until he had a chance to work things out in his own mind. He respected and liked her too much to lead her on when he wasn’t able to do anything about...whatever the hell this was turning into.

Still, he couldn’t leave things like that. With his hand on the doorknob, he looked back. “Kim?”

She half turned toward him. “Yeah?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow’s Saturday. We’re not open.”

“Tomorrow.”

When he stepped out into the cold night air, he realized the temperature didn’t bother him as much as it had earlier. No, tonight he’d go home and mull over the mess that his life had become. Tomorrow, he had to make his mind up one way or the other about the tiny elf that had worked her way into his life, once and for all.

* * *

“I’ve seen a lot of people kiss in my time, but that was the fucking hottest thing ever, boss.”

Blake tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “It was just tradition. It didn’t mean anything.”

“You are so full of shit.”

“You can walk home, you know.”

Greg chuckled. “I could, but then you’d have guilt for leaving me out on the street half naked. Besides, you know I’m right.”

Blake had thought the brief kiss they’d shared back at Nicks had been a
proper
one. He must have been really fucking rusty, because he’d more than proven himself wrong tonight.

Greg turned in his seat, pulling the seatbelt tight across his coat. “So?”

“So what?”

“So, what are you going to do about it? I heard what you said to her. About seeing her tomorrow.”

“I’m not going to do anything. I’ll go over and we’ll talk.”

Greg hummed and started tapping on the side of the door. “You know what I think?”

“Not really.”

“I think you need to make a statement.”

“I don’t generally make statements.”

“I think you should let me teach you a few moves and you should put on a show for her.”

Blake nearly slammed on the breaks. “
What?
”

“Come on. It would be a blast. Me and one of the boys would get to tease you, teach you a few things, and Kim would understand exactly what you wanted from her.”

The thought of him stripping was beyond ludicrous. “You’re insane.”

“No, I’m brilliant. You can’t deny you don’t want to get together with her. Not after what I saw tonight. Kim is also brilliant. She’s going to be expecting you to come over and have the chat. But talking doesn’t always get you where you want to go. You need to show her.”

“There’s no way on Earth I’m going to strip for Kim. So drop it.”

Because it was a stupid idea.

Idiotic.

It wasn’t as though he could dance. Or had the body for it. Even if Kim seemed more than a little interested in looking at him. And kissing him.