“No need to explain. I wasn’t offended,” she lied. “And you can decorate the tree however you like. It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. You did me a great favor a few days ago, and I wanted to find a way to show my appreciation beyond the…um…cookies.”
“I do appreciate the tree, Kyla, and the cookies,” he said, but his expression — it was almost a leer — had her stomach dropping. “Both things are really sweet. Now let me repay the kindness. I ordered pizza right before I jumped into the shower, so join me and we’ll throw on a few decorations.”
She found that she actually wanted to help him. She really wanted to keep looking at his indecently clad body.
“Well, I guess I could help,” she muttered as her eyes drifted to his chest again. It should be illegal to have a body that chiseled. If all of Seattle could see him, the man would prove lethal to half the people there — maybe a bit more than half.
“Thanks,” he said, then walked over to his fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. She didn’t know her wine, but it didn’t look like a cheap grocery store brand.
“Don’t you think you should get dressed first?” she croaked out as she stepped up to the counter. She would never be able to stay here in his apartment with him looking like this. Not without succumbing to every temptation known to man or woman, anyway.
“I just got out of the shower. Sorry,” he said blithely, and he took a sip of his wine. He didn’t appear to be the least bit apologetic.
“I shouldn’t have just barged in. I’ll go ahead and wait while you dress.” Please, go dress, she thought.
With a shockingly smug smile, Tanner passed by her, far too close for comfort. The fragrance of his body wash hit her point-blank, making her inhale extra deeply. She really wanted to run her fingers down his perfect chest — just once, she thought. But she somehow managed to keep her hands to herself, though her eyes devoured him as he disappeared into his bedroom.
He left that door open, damn him, and it took all her willpower not to stretch her neck. The thought that he’d be standing in there completely na**d for a few moments was making her pant like a… She stopped that thought and turned away from the door to face his empty kitchen counters.
“I don’t have any ornaments, so what are we going to use?”
Kyla jumped when Tanner spoke right into her ear from only a couple of inches away. She’d have been quite the happy girl if he’d decided to just slip his hands around her and pull her back against his chest.
Spinning, she angled around him, cursing her traitorous body. No, she wouldn’t allow this stranger to make her lose her mind.
It might be too late, her body taunted.
“We’ll do popcorn strands,” she said desperately.
Tanner gave her with a blank look. “Popcorn?”
“Haven’t you ever made popcorn strands?” she asked, and he shook his head. “Gee, Tanner. Not even in elementary school?”
“Nope,” he replied, refilling her glass.
Kyla was shocked. She’d somehow drained the first glass of wine in no time flat.
“Well, then, you’re in for an experience. I’ll be right back. I have some things we’ll need in my apartment.”
She rushed from his place back to hers and gathered up all the supplies not only for popcorn strands but for some other homemade ornaments as well. Cheap decorating was simple if you had an ounce of knowledge and a desire to do arts and crafts. As she took a minute to control her breathing, she looked at the things she’d amassed with a bit of sadness.
Making popcorn strands for the trees outside had been a tradition in her family. Her dad loved feeding the birds and squirrels, and they’d all had so much fun threading mountains of popcorn and berries. Of course, her family had eaten as much in goodies as they’d put on the strings, and always did so to the sounds of the Rat Pack singing Christmas songs.
Kyla didn’t know what had possessed her to buy those things this morning. One minute she’d been doing a little grocery shopping, and the next she’d been checking out with popcorn and cranberries in her cart. That was before she’d even ended up at the Christmas tree lot. There weren’t even any trees outside the apartment building. The act had been completely senseless. Well, it had been until now.
Maybe her mom had been there with her, and she’d put the items in the cart. The thought made Kyla’s eyes sting — but she was finished feeling sad and refused to shed more tears. It was time to embrace some happiness.
When she came back into Tanner’s apartment, she found him nailing a couple of boards onto the bottom of the tree, and she watched as the muscles in his shoulders flexed with the swinging of the hammer before he stood and propped the tree up on its makeshift stand.
“I didn’t take you for the kind of man who could handle a hammer and nails,” she told him. She set down the tree stand she’d grabbed — too late! — and then placed her packages on the kitchen counter. Next, she found a frying pan, put it on the heat, and poured in two tablespoons of oil to it with one kernel. When the kernel popped, she added half a cup of popcorn and waited for the party in the pan to happen. “Hey, Tanner, can you grab a big bowl?”
He went over to the cupboard and took down the bowl. “I prefer not to be categorized. There are a lot of things I can do that would shock you.” His wink had her blood stirring.
“I’ll just bet there are,” she said. She certainly couldn’t compete with his level of flirting, but she wasn’t going to just stand there in shock all night, either.
“I’d be glad to show you,” he offered. And once again, he was suddenly far too close.
“Why don’t I take the lead and show you how to make popcorn strands?” She gave a nervous laugh and pushed him back, her hand nearly sizzling when it made contact with his rock-hard chest.
“I have much better ideas on what would be fun,” he said, boxing her in against the counter.
Tempted.
But her reasonable side kicked in before she could do something rash, and she brushed past him. Tearing open the bag of cranberries, she put them in a bowl, then grabbed the bag with string and large sewing needles in it.
“Make yourself useful and thread a couple of needles,” she said before moving back to the counter and picking up her glass of wine. It really was good, and right now, she needed it.
The sound of the corn popping served as a distraction, and once the large bowl was filled with the puffed kernels, the two of them moved into his living room and began making decorations from opposite sides of his couch.