Page 42 of A Billionaire for Christmas
Levi watched, mesmerised as Molly improvised, flitting around the small space, deftly stirring, poking, toasting, and as the smells increased in intensity, she heard his stomach growl.
‘You take the chair this time,’ said Molly as they walked back to the fireplace. She sat cross-legged in front of him and watched as he took his first bite of the toastie. When his eyes lit up, she ate her own.
‘That was fantastic. They do say the way to a man’s heart is—’ Levi stopped talking and reached for his wine, taking a huge slug.
Her skin prickled. She had caused this with her relentless pursuit of him. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Sorry for what?’
‘Sorry I came on to you so strong. Sorry I made such a fool of myself. Sorry you have to watch everything you do and say around me. The list is endless.’
‘Don’t apologise.’ His eyes were twinkling with mischief. ‘I got used to it with alarming speed.’
Molly laughed.
‘But if it’s any consolation, you have been the hardest to resist.’
Molly blinked slowly at him. ‘And if I wasn’t technically your employee?’
He stalled before answering her. ‘But you are. Case closed.’
* * *
After they had cleared the plates, there was the awkward issue of the bed to consider. ‘You take it,’ said Levi. ‘I insist.’
‘No. I insist. It’s your hut. Your bed.’ Molly was scoring a silent point for when he had called her beautiful, quaint restaurant afood hut. She felt inwardly smug.
‘That’s very kind but it’s a hunting lodge not ahut, and I’m giving you the bed for the night. I’ll sleep here in the chair. That’s final.’
‘You’re too big for the chair. You take the bed. I’ll be fine here.’
‘Christ. Are you always this stubborn?’
‘Yes. Are you?’
Levi stopped unpacking blankets from a drawer in the bedroom. ‘This is silly. I’m sure we can spend one night in the bed together and keep our hands to ourselves.’
Molly held her hands up. ‘Mine want nothing to do with you, so you’re quite safe.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely. You’ve rejected me three times now. I’m not going in for a fourth.’
‘I wouldn’t call it rejection. That was me being a good boss and not letting things go too far.’
Too far?Molly had a searing flashback to Levi’s tongue flicking her nipples while overwhelming desire ripped through her entire body. ‘Yeah. Whatever.’
Levi turned down the many covers on the bed. ‘We’ll sleep with our clothes on. I’ll make a wall with these.’
Molly watched him roll up quilts and blankets and line them up down the middle of the mattress. Her soul drooped. He really didn’t want to run the risk of her accidently touching him during the night.
‘I have spare toothbrushes in the bathroom. And T-shirts if you get hot in that sweater.’
Spare toothbrushes? How many visitors did he entertain here?
Molly fought off a pang of jealousy. ‘That’s very kind.’
They climbed into bed, each trying not to touch the other as they politely swapped pillows and shuffled under the numerous plush quilts. They were warm and cosy, the sheets silky as butter and freshly laundered, smelling of lavender. Molly lay facing him once he’d switched off the remaining lamp. In the moonlight, his eyes were tipsy and inviting.
