Page 108 of The Christmas Fix
He was so fucking cute in his jeans and leather boots. The neat knot of his tie visible over his sweater. His glasses were askew, which meant he’d been rubbing his eyes. Noah’s dark hair was mussed, and Cat smothered the urge to further muss it. Because she knew once she got started on him, she wouldn’t be able to stop. Even after having him inside her groaning out her name as they came together on the cold leather of his backseat less than twelve hours ago, she was primed for another go.
“I don’t see why I can’t work in here while the roof is redone,” he said, frown lines appearing between his eyes as he packed his laptop and folders into his messenger bag. He was loosening up, marginally, but Cat was starting to find Noah’s natural resistance to change a little adorable. It was as if he thought he actually had a choice.
“Noah,” Cat said, stepping into the room. The closer she got to him, the brighter the electricity between them sparked. He closed the flap on his bag and took the long way around his desk, keeping the furniture between them. “It’s going to be dirty and loud and very, very messy.”
He tripped on a lump in the carpet, and Cat smiled, showing her teeth. Carolanne was long gone for the day. It was just the two of them. And if the tension in the room was any indication, they were both thinking about last night.
“Still. I could just move into an office downstairs.”
Cat shook her head. “The whole building is being checked over by an architectural engineer to make sure there aren’t bigger problems than your Swiss cheese roof. It’s easier if the building is empty. You’ll be back to your musty, moldy cell in no time.”
Noah skirted around her. “It’s not that bad,” he said. A floorboard groaned out its protest under his foot.
“This place is a fire trap,” Cat insisted.
“Hey, I don’t go around dissing your office, do I?”
“My office is the dining table in an RV.”
“Well, you don’t see me pointing out its many flaws.”
“Like the fact that it’s missing a leg because you fucked me too hard on it?” Cat shot back. He blushed. An honest-to-goodness blush.
“Jesus, Cat!”
“Awh, loosen up, cutie.” Cat slapped him on the ass and had the satisfaction of watching him jump away from her hand.
“Catalina,” he said, his tone full of warning. “If I didn’t have a meeting in five minutes, you’d be in big trouble.”
She laughed and pushed him toward the stairs. “Naked and bent over your desk trouble?” she whispered in his ear as they descended.
His sharp intake of breath was reward enough.
“You’re evil. Pure evil,” he muttered under his breath.
“You love it. Now give me your key and have a good meeting.” She paused to tuck his office key into her pocket and then sneaked a quick peck on his cheek. “Bye, Noah.”
“We’ll revisit this desk thing,” he promised on his way down.
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She was feeling playful, Cat thought as she steered her pick-up off the highway in the direction of the rental house her parents were sharing with Gannon and Paige. Being sneaky had that effect on her. Poor Noah. He had no idea she’d been lying her ass off to him. And wouldn’t he be surprised? Hopefully he’d take the gift as it was meant. As a thank you for their time together. He’d been more special to her than anyone outside her own immediate family.
It was bittersweet. Knowing that the end was looming. That in just a matter of days she’d be packing her bag and driving away from him.
The thought, the visualization of the actual moment, had Cat slamming on the brakes and swinging off the road onto the snowy shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat. What the hell was that? That white-hot blast of… pain? Fear? Regret?
It was temporary.She knew that, had preferred that, had made it abundantly clear.
“What the hell is wrong with me?” Cat muttered. She flipped the visor down and studied her reflection. Her mother could always tell when something wasn’t quite right, and if Cat didn’t want to face an Angela King inquisition, she’d better get some color back in her cheeks.
Consciously, she relaxed her face, draining the tension out of the muscles. She smiled with forced cheer. She’d been smiling on command for nearly five years now and had mastered faux sincerity.
She took another deep breath to slow her heart rate.
“I’ve just been working too much. I’ll take a few weeks off in January, get my head on straight, and—” And what? Move across the country? Away from her family? Her home? Noah?
“Sweet baby Jesus, woman. Get it together,” Cat told her reflection. She slammed the visor up and pulled back onto the road. “Everything is fine. I’m happy. I’m excited. I’m just fine.”
