Accidentally Under Your Tree (Grand Ridge Christmas #1)

2. Will

two

Will

Seven nights before Christmas

I waited for her grip to loosen on my shoulder. I'd let go as soon as she did. Her profile lit in the dimness; the very tips of her eyelashes captured the light like fairy dust. But I couldn't see her eyes, just the soft parting of her lips. The startled rise and fall of her chest. She was close enough to identify the citrus scent I'd caught traces of all night.

Her ribs expanded into my palm.

She tightened her grip, and mine flexed in response—sinking into the soft flesh of her waist.

"The backup lights will kick on," I said. They should have turned on already. "It'll be okay."

She nodded in jerky movements. "Right."

Turning her neck, she faced me. The light drawing new lines—the curve of her cheek, wisps of hair that had escaped her ponytail.

Emergency lights illuminated at the bottom of every exit sign. I could make out her wide eyes were some shade of brown. It was only fair that I note her eyes, when I'd already taken in the way her thighs filled out her professional looking pants… And the way she filled out the cardigan sweater thing she was wearing. When she'd glared back at me a few minutes before, it'd almost been a relief. Rose would kill me if I were caught flirting with some stranger at a hotel bar—it was a nice hotel, but just the phrase was seedy enough.

Not that people usually recognized me outside of a home improvement store.

She and I had an agreement. It wouldn't be long before we could go back to normal.

The stranger tore her hand away as if she'd been holding a venomous snake and not my shoulder.

"S-s-sorry," she stammered. "So sorry."

I lowered my arm to rest on my thigh, flexing my hand between my knees. "No problem. Are you okay—"

"I'm fine," she cut me off.

"Okay."

She lowered back to her stool as if sinking into unchartered territory, her shoulders tight and lifted toward her ears. To our left, the bartender frantically wrote down room numbers from diners demanding to leave.

"Should I go up to my room?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I was wondering the same thing."

Somehow, she drew even tighter. "I know I said that out loud, but I wasn't actually asking you."

Holding up my hand in unspoken apology, I said, "Understood."

Over the chaos swirling around us, she let out a slow exhale between her pursed lips. Her hands folded on her lap. She held so still she could have been the sculpture of an unsure woman in the 21st century.

I could practically hear Rose snickering in my head, "Billiam, you are a damn fool."

Imaginary Rose made a brilliant point. This strange woman had only given me signals to leave her alone, and I would, but goddamn if it didn't make her sexier.

"You like them so prickly, you're gonna fall in love with a cactus."

I rolled my eyes, even if I was actually irritated with myself and not imaginary Rose.

"So, what are you going to do?" the hot cactus lady asked.

Folding my arms on the bar top, I settled in. "I'm gonna sit here for a while." I jerked my head toward the people lined up to talk to the bartender. "Let that mess calm down."

Meeting the woman's eyes straight on, I continued, "I'm sure the stairway is even worse with people coming down, people going up. I have ten flights to climb, and I'm not looking forward to it."

"That's a lot of stairs."

"It is. So, I'll wait right here. Maybe the power will come on and stay on for a little while and I can take the elevator."

"That's not a bad plan." She nodded, looking straight ahead before her eyes widened. "Our room keys. Will our room keys even work?"

She paused opening the browser app on her phone, when I answered, "Hotel locks are on a battery powered system. Your key should work fine."

Blinking, she locked her phone screen and put her full, surly focus on me. "How do you know that?"

"I'm a general contractor. I've done some hotel work."

"I guess I'll trust you then."

"You can look it up. I don't mind."

"You have calloused hands."

I coughed a laugh, and my jaw tightened. I'd been reduced to "working class" before. It was true, but it still felt condescending. With a bit more bite in my tone than I expected, I replied, "Must have missed my manicure this week."

"I didn't mean to insult you."

"You know, not everyone with calloused hands could answer that question."

"I do. I…I just noticed, and so when you said what you do, it was evidence that you're telling the truth."

"Are you a lawyer?"

A crease formed between her light brown eyebrows. "No, I'm a consultant."

"What kind of consultant?"

"Management. I assess systems and make them more efficient to increase productivity and profit."

"So, you're perceptive?"

The whisper of a smile tugged at one corner of her mouth, hinting at a dimple. "Yeah." Twirling her stud earring, she chewed on her lip. "How recently have you held sandpaper?"

This time my laugh wasn't sardonic. "Uh…it wasn't for work, but…Tuesday or Wednesday."

The blood pumped a little hotter through my veins at her pleased little grin.

"I knew it." Her voice was buttery, smooth.

A smile spread across my face. I didn't know what she meant, but it was safe to assume she'd noticed me, too.

"I'm Will."

"Lizzy."