Christmas with the Billionaire (Holiday Encounters Book 1) (3 page)

I pressed my lips together. Did she mean she thought I’d crash and burn? “Why would you dress me up and drag me out if you didn’t think I could pull this off, Paige?” I couldn’t help the hurt that crept into my voice.

“No,” Paige rushed in to assure me, “I don’t believe for a minute that you can’t pull this off. Honestly, I think if you gave yourself even a tiny bit of credit, you could pull this off in your sleep. You’d have guys lining up with a twitch of your little finger.”

I snorted. “Okay, let’s not get crazy. I get it. You’re still thinking we should stick with Plan A.”

She nodded and smiled. “Well, Plan A with a modification. Just maybe move it to a new location. Somewhere not so special to you.”

I closed my eyes tight and felt a warm glow grow in my chest. My friend loved me. I was standing in one of my favorite places in the world with one of my favorite people. It didn’t get much better. I opened my eyes and leaned over to give Paige a squeeze. “I think this is the perfect place. I’d feel uncomfortable anywhere else. At least here I’m not intimidated by the surroundings.”

She looked at me hard for a long moment before nodding decisively. “Good point.” She swung around only to sling an arm across my shoulders. “Where can we get a drink in this place?”

I laughed and slid away, grabbing her hand to tug her behind me, stopping just long enough to check our coats. As we stripped off our jackets and piled them on the counter, I remembered what we were doing here. I zoned out for a second, staring into space.

“Um, something wrong, Emma?”

Yes, of course there was something wrong. I’d gotten so caught up in being in the staged winter wonderland that I totally forgot to be scared out of my mind about our purpose here. Hell, I’d even convinced Paige we should stay when she tried to give me an out.

I raised a hand and rubbed the bridge of my nose with two fingers. What was wrong with me?

“Emma?” Paige asked again.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, turning to face the lobby so she wouldn’t be able to see I felt anything but fine.

As I attempted to keep my mind off the reason for our trip to the hotel, my gaze caught on a figure stepping off the elevator in the corner opposite us.

Everything in the room went still, as if I actually stood in the middle of the silent winter forest the hotel tried so hard to create. The only two creatures who existed in my forest were me and the man striding in my direction. 

I couldn’t pull my gaze from him--his chiseled jaw, the dark brown hair that just touched his forehead, the mouth turned down in a grim line. His dark suit jacket and gray shirt looked like they were made for him, fitted perfectly to his broad shoulders and trim waist. Though it wouldn’t have seemed out of place for him to wear a suit of armor or some sort of medieval ensemble considering the secluded, wintry landscape my imagination built for the two of us.

I couldn’t get enough air to fill my lungs, and my skin tingled as an odd tension coiled in my belly. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him as he continued on his path headed straight to me.

But as my gaze tracked him, he suddenly veered off, moving toward the doors that led to the street. My heart plummeted and the reality of the Hotel Wynter lobby snapped back into place. The sights and sounds left me breathless as they rushed back to me.

As I waited for him to push through the revolving doors and out onto the busy city street, a fist gripped my chest, squeezing tightly. The thought of him walking out the door and disappearing forever left me bizarrely bereft.

But he didn’t leave. Instead he raced forward and snatched the tiny hand of a toddler who was about to step into one of the sections of the revolving door.

The little girl looked up at him, obviously startled, her lower lip quivering. But before she could scream or cry, the man crouched to her level and pulled a phone out of his pocket. He slid a finger over it a few times and then turned it toward the child. A smile bloomed on the tiny toddler’s face.

I think I felt my ovaries throb. Something was definitely tingling in that vicinity. Seeing his classically handsome face with his lips tipped into an almost smile, next to her smaller face with her big eyes and pursed lips, did something strange to my insides.

My eyes stayed riveted to the scene while Paige dealt with the coat check guy. As I watched, the girl’s mother bustled up to the pair, thanking the man profusely. His mouth flattened to a hard line as he stood and waved to the little girl before turning and walking toward us again.

I held my breath, hoping the same indefinable something that held me spellbound pushed him in my direction. But disappointment curled through me as he moved right past us and through the entryway of the hotel bar, never catching my eye.

Without a conscious decision to do it, I turned and followed him. In a daze, I stepped through the doorway, moving my gaze over the room, waiting for another glimpse of him.

Chapter Three

Two things happened at once to pull me from my daze. Paige called my name and something cold and soft touched my cheek. Startled, I shivered and looked around. A sense of unreality overtook me. It was like a dream within a dream—following a stranger who captivated me with his mere presence and then stepping from one winter wonderland into another.

And to top it all off, it was snowing.

I raised my face. Sure enough, several more flakes landed on my cheeks and eyelashes.
Snow
.

“This is incredible.” Paige’s breathless voice pierced my shroud of wonder.

“It’s beyond incredible.” I tried to take it all in, gaping at all of it. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“And I thought the lobby was magical. For this, I have no words.”

I nodded as I tried to take it all in.

The Hotel Wynter had somehow made it snow indoors. Light, fluffy flakes fell from behind white drapes hung around the perimeter of the room’s ceiling. The snow only fell along the sides of the room, leaving small drifts around the edges of the lounge.

Adding to the magic, midnight blue fabric draped the walls with white trees cut from wood lining the walls in front of it. White, gauzy cloth covered the windows and tables, pooling onto the floors like drifts of snow. Strings of tiny white lights hung from the ceiling, reinforcing the feeling of standing in the middle of a snowfall at midnight. A cozy fire in a big stone fireplace and candlelight from tall pillar candles illuminated the room.

I moved my hand backward, grasping for Paige. Her hand met mine and we stood together in wonder, taking in every detail of the incredible scene in front of us.

It was only when my gaze moved over the bar that I remembered what pulled me into the room in the first place.

A pair of extraordinary, fathomless eyes pinned me to my spot, unwavering in their intensity. His eyes.

I barely managed to tear my gaze from his to turn to Paige. “Is this real?”

Paige looked around the room and I knew exactly the moment she saw him. I glanced back over my shoulder for a quick glimpse only to find his piercing stare still fixed in our direction.

“Damn,” Paige said.

I twisted my head back around to face her. “What?”

“I don’t think you need to go looking for adventure,” she said, her lips twisting into a smirk. “I think it found you.”

“What are you talking about?”

She grabbed my elbow and tugged me out of the way of a couple coming through the door. I gave an absent-minded smile when they paused and had the same reaction we had just moments ago, gaping in awe at the winter scene.

“The man. The one at the bar who can’t take his eyes off you. That’s what I’m talking about.”

Should I play dumb? I ventured another peek over my shoulder, biting my lip. I was presented with his profile as he handed some cash across the bar to the bartender. Something about the set of his jaw held my gaze. I had an overwhelming urge to trace the strong line with my finger. When he turned and his eyes met mine again, I whipped around with a gasp, squeezing my eyes shut. Suddenly, I was back in middle school, afraid of getting caught staring at the cute boy I had a crush on.

Only the current subject of my fascination was no boy.

When I peeled my eyes open, Paige stood with a too-pleased grin, arms folded over her chest. “Don’t even try to tell me you didn’t see him.”

I huffed out a breath and gritted my teeth. “Fine. I saw him.”

“Oh, I know you did. And even better, he saw you.” Her grin grew wider as she peered over my shoulder. “And judging by the look he’s giving you, I’d say he’s quite pleased with what he sees.”

“Give me a break, Paige.”

Her smile fell and her gaze moved back to me. “Seriously, Em, he can’t take his eyes off you. And it’s no wonder—you’re gorgeous. You seem to be the only one who can’t see it.”

I shook my head. It wasn’t that I was ugly. Contrary to what Paige’s constant reminders might suggest, I did own a mirror that I looked into daily. Nobody was about to run screaming in horror at the sight of me.

But I definitely wasn’t gorgeous. I’d go so far as to say I was pretty. Just in an entirely forgettable sort of way. Nothing exceptional to hold someone’s attention.

Stealing one more quick look at the man at the bar, I might have to admit to being wrong. There was no doubt I held his attention.

“Go over there and get a drink,” Paige ordered. She guided me around with a hand on my arm. She took a few steps with me before moving her hand to the small of my back and giving me a gentle shove. “I’m going to get a table. You go talk to him.”

Given the choice between falling flat on my face or using the momentum of Paige’s push to move me toward the bar, I chose movement. Though for a second there, falling flat on my face sounded really appealing. Maybe I could stay down there and peer up at the snow and pretend I was anywhere but here.

Wishing the walk took hours rather than the mere seconds that passed, I slid onto the barstool next to him. I couldn’t quite work up the nerve yet to look over at him. At the same time, I was hyperaware of him.

Less than half a foot separated our bodies. His heat touched my side, as blatantly as if he pressed up against me. A hint of a warm, woodsy cologne I didn’t recognize teased my senses. I pulled in his scent with every breath. I didn’t need to look at him. I could feel him surrounding me.

My mind picked up and discarded a million and one different ways I could initiate a conversation. Saying hello seemed lame, especially as each second ticked past. All the cheesy pick-up lines my friends and I had laughed about over the years drifted through my thoughts. I’d even written a Brandi column about them.

Brandi
. That was the plan for the night, wasn’t it? To become Brandi. From here on out, when in doubt I’d think WWBD—What Would Brandi Do?

I pulled in a deep breath and allowed my alter ego take over. I imagined the article I’d write—“Ten Tips to Get Him to Make the First Move.”

Okay. I could work with this.

How would Brandi get him to make the first move? And then it came to me. As naturally as breathing, I sat up straight, letting my ass come up off the stool slightly, and leaned forward, looking past him, down to the bartender on the other end of the bar. This move had two benefits. It caused my back to arch a bit, pushing my breasts out just enough to put my dress to the test. And it allowed me to catch a glimpse of him in my peripheral vision without actually making eye contact.

I raised a hand briefly when the bartender looked my way, and had to admit to a slight feeling of gratification when the bartender’s eyes dipped down to my cleavage and then he grinned and hurried over to me. I sat back on the stool, but kept my spine straight.

“What can I get you?” The bartender offered me a bright white, toothpaste commercial smile.

A quick glance from the corner of my eye told me that while I might have captured the bartender’s attention, the man beside me seemed to have lost interest. His back was now turned toward me slightly, his attention somewhere else.

Great
. I held back a sigh and smiled weakly at the bartender. “Tequila and ginger ale with lime, please.”

“Rocks?”

I nodded. “Lots of it.”

Since the man who snagged my attention and set parts of me to tingling with just a look from across the room was no longer interested, maybe I could work off some sexual tension by chomping ice.

The extra ice had the added benefit of watering down my drink. If the man at my elbow was rejecting me, I didn’t need to lose my head completely. God only knew who I would walk out with in that case.

I heaved a big sigh and let my breath out slowly as I gave the hot guy another sidelong glance. Who was I kidding? I wasn’t on board with the whole sex with a stranger thing to begin with. If I couldn’t even talk to the first guy to catch my interest in forever, chances of me leaving here with anyone were slim to none.

The bartender placed a glass of icy amber liquid in front of me.

“Thanks.” I reached for the clutch I’d left on the bar.

“I’ve got this.”

I whipped my head around to see him placing cash on the bar. My gaze froze on the money for a few moments before sliding up to his face.

Mistake. Big mistake.

While he spoke to the bartender, his eyes remained on me. They were the most compelling eyes I’d ever seen. A darker amber than the drink just set in front of me with a bit of green around the center. The unique color and the way he fixated on me gave him the air of a predator.

I swallowed hard. Any idea of channeling my inner Brandi flew right out of my head. Apparently it took my ability to speak as well. I parted my lips, wanting to thank him or protest his paying for my drink or…something. But nothing came out.

As I stared at him, an emotion I couldn’t name crossed his face, his strange eyes danced with it. But as quick as it came, it was gone.

I sank my teeth into my bottom lip, my eyes wide and my gaze stuck on him. I was literally waiting with bated breath for whatever he chose to do or say.

“Come here often?”