Page 4 of Holiday Interference
The rookie has a dry sense of humor buried under a solid wall of nope.
I shouldn’t like that. I’m not even sure Ido. But something low in my stomach tightens anyway.
“Come on, Reid. You give me thirty seconds, and I’ll make sure no one drags you into a cookie-decorating station.”
“Is that a real threat?”
“Only if you keep hiding in the corner like a surly Christmas statue.”
He pushes off the wall, slow and loose, like he’s not in a hurry to be anywhere. I don’t move, don’t step back. His body heat brushes mine on the way past, warm and solid and unbothered by the air between us.
For a rookie, he carries himself like he’s already lived through a few battles.
I follow him toward the sponsor photo area, adjusting the fall of garland as we go. He stops where I point, turns to facethe camera, and gives the most half-hearted, camera-unfriendly expression I’ve ever seen outside of a DMV.
“I saidnotmurder,” I mutter.
“I’m trying.” He doesn’t move, but there’s the barest trace of amusement under his voice.
I step closer, adjust his lapel, and feel his breath when he exhales—slow and warm against my knuckles.
His eyes hold mine when I look up.
Just for a second.
But it’s enough to make my brain fuzz and my pulse flicker, fast and low.
I step back. Quickly.
“Don’t move,” I say. “You almost look like a person.”
“Careful,” he says, deadpan. “That almost sounded like a compliment.”
“I’ll schedule you one for next year.”
He holds still while the photographer snaps three frames, then turns to me like we’ve just completed a secret mission.
“Was that so hard?” I ask.
“I’ve had worse.”
He pauses, then adds, “At least there were no cookies.”
I blink.
And then I laugh. For real this time.
It’s quick, and stupid, and warm in a way I didn’t expect. But I feel it right down to my spine. And from the look in his eyes, he felt it too.
Just a flicker.
Just enough to mean something I don’t have time to deal with.
CHAPTER TWO
Noelle
I losesight of Cal before I can say something stupid—like thank you.
