Page 22 of Christmas Treasures

She did not pull away.

“You okay?” His voice was low, rougher than he meant it to be.

“I’m fine.” Still, she made no effort to move. “Too much wine. Not enough coordination.”

He chuckled softly. “Well, for what it’s worth, you fall very gracefully.”

That earned him the tiniest smile. But she was still close. So close. He could smell the faint citrus of her perfume. And something shifted in the air between them.

He didn’t plan to kiss her.

He just…did.

And she kissed him back.

It was slow at first, tentative. Then deeper. Warmer. The kind of kiss that felt like a question and an answer all at once. He wasn’t sure who leaned in first, only that once it started, neither of them seemed to want to stop.

But it did stop.

Charlie pulled away first, blinking as if she’d just remembered where they were. Her cheeks flushed a deeper pink, and she stepped back, smoothing her sweater.

“That was…” She hesitated, staring at him.

Max ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah.”

“We probably shouldn’t?—”

“Definitely shouldn’t,” he agreed.

“It’s a terrible time for you to get involved.”

He nodded. “The worst. My whole life’s in turmoil.”

“And I’m not relationship material. That’s probably obvious to you.”

“Not really.”

“I’ve not dated much. I was always busy with work, and I never dared get involved with someone from my company.”

“Would you like to date someone? Get involved? Fall in love?” Max had to ask. He was a Hayes brother, after all. As much wanderlust as he’d enjoyed in his life, deep inside him he wanted what Nolan and Luke had. But now he was about to be a single father. Complicated.

“I get lonely, yeah,” Charlie said. “But I also like my life simple. It was too messy for too long.”

“What do you mean?”

“My exit from my company was chaotic. They basically pushed me out.”

“That must have broken your heart.”

“It did, yeah.” Charlie let out a sigh. “To answer yourquestion, if I met the right person, someone who loved me just as I am, I would like that very much. But I have to be careful. There are plenty of men who would love to get their hands on my money.”

The air went out of him. Her money. Why hadn’t he thought of that? No wonder she was so guarded. She had to consider people’s motives even more than most.

“Youshouldbe careful,” Max said. “While also trusting your instincts. You’ll know if someone’s genuine or not. But you have to let people in a little first, or you’ll never know.”

“I believe you’re right. But that doesn’t mean I can do it.”

“Understood.”

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