Page 40 of Don't Bait Me (Nora Jacobs 3)

Rook chuckles and shoots me a playful smile. “I haven’t done that in decades.”

“Decades?”I buckle my seat belt and shake my head. “That kind of makes you a pervert, old man.”

Rook throws his head back and laughs loudly. He flashes me a wicked grin after buckling his own seat belt. “I’ll gladly rob your cradle anytime.”

We laugh again, and when it dies down, I ask, “So what do you want to do?”

All I get is a smile.

. . . . .

Giddy excitement takes over my body, forcing me to bounce in my seat like a little kid when Rook pulls into the Christmas tree lot. “Really?” I’m embarrassed to admit that the word comes out as a squeak.

Rook can’t hold a straight face. “It’s Christmastime, isn’t it?” he asks with a laugh.

“Yeah, but Christmas is like Thanksgiving. I’ve never really had a real one. I haven’t even had any tree at all since I aged out of the system.”

“Well, then you can pick the tree.”

I grin so hard my cheeks cramp, and then I drag Rook into the tree lot. The man at the entrance hands us each candy canes. I waste no time unwrapping mine and sticking the end in my mouth. Rook chuckles and slides his arm around my waist. I snuggle up next to him, and we head off into the tree lot at a leisurely stroll.

Rook and I wander the lot slowly, almost without purpose. It’s a beautiful day to pick out a tree. The cloud-covered sky is a dull white, matching the snow on the ground and making the afternoon bright despite the lack of sun. The wind has died down, so it’s not quite as cold, either. Or maybe it’s just the man next to me that’s keeping me warm. With the chill on my cheeks, the fresh smell of pine flooding my senses, the sweet peppermint candy in my mouth, and the sexy man holding me close to him, the moment is perfect. My chest constricts as I take it all in.

“So, what kind of tree are we looking for?” Rook asks.

I can’t answer him. My emotions are clogging up my throat. Rook takes one look at my face and stops walking. “What’s wrong?”

I shake my head and smile. “Nothing’s wrong.”

Rook grips my arms. “Lie,” he says. “You’re about to cry.”

It’s true. There’s a tickle in my nose, and my eyes are stinging. “I’ve just never had this before.”

“Had what?” Rook glances around, as if the trees surrounding us hold the answer to his question.

I try very hard to find a word for what I’m feeling. “Peace, I guess. The chance to spend the day with a man and not be scared.” I swallow thickly. “For the first time in my life, I have people I care about, and I’m…happy.”

Rook’s face softens into a loving smile. “I’m happy, too, Nora,” he murmurs. “I haven’t felt this way about someone since my mate died. I didn’t think I’d ever feel like this again.” He brushes my hair off my face and tilts my chin up. I get lost in his blue eyes as they stare deeply into mine. “I’m falling for you, Nora.”

Butterflies explode in my stomach, and my chest feels as if it will burst at any moment. Rook’s declaration is sincere. He may have been drawn to me and let his guard down at first because of my allure, but he’s not under my spell. I can tell the difference. His regard is genuine. I want to return the favor, to tell him how I feel. The truth is easy to admit. “I’m falling for you, too.”

Rook sucks in a sharp breath, surprise evident on his face. His lips curve into a soft smile, and he lowers his mouth to mine. The kiss is slow. It’s both sweet and sensual. I twine my arms around his neck, and he wraps his around my waist, lifting me up onto my toes. “Mmm,” he says as his tongue darts out to taste my lips. “Peppermint. You taste like Christmas.”

I laugh, and he lets me go, settling for holding my hand as we start looking at the trees around us. It takes us half an hour, but we find the perfect tree and get it tied down in the bed of Rook’s truck. Then, we go shopping for Christmas decorations and get takeout on the way back home.

After we eat, we turn on some Christmas music and set to work decorating the tree. The one we picked is ten feet tall and fat enough around that we can’t see each other when standing on either side of it. It’s massive and takes a team effort to get the lights on it. We each stand on one side and hand the strand of lights back and forth to each other as we wrap the tree. “What’s your favorite Christmas movie?” I ask as we start at the bottom of the tree and work our way up.

Rook doesn’t even think about it.“Home Alone.”

The suggestion surprises me. “Really?” I poke my head around the tree and hand him the lights. “I’d have pegged you as more of aNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacationguy.”

Rook takes the lights from me with a grin. “That’s a classic, for sure, but Kevin McCallister is one badass eight-year-old.”

I laugh. Loudly.

“What about you?” Rook asks, handing the lights back. “What’s your favorite?”

“Any Hallmark or Netflix Christmas movie,” I answer. “The cheesier the better.”

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