Page 45 of A Snowy Escape

“Here you go, pretty girl.” I hand her one of the silver ornaments.

“Thanks.”

She leans over, hanging it on the garland.

“Careful.” My heart rate picks up as I slide up behind her, planting my hands on her hips. “It’s better to be safe than sorry. We need to move the step stool after this. I don’t want to risk you falling off.”

“I am clumsy by nature.” She laughs. “Thanks, Bryant.”

“No problem.” I lift her, stepping back to allow for space to put her on her feet.

She squeaks, grabbing my hands. “Holy shit.” As soon as she’s on the floor, she spins in my hold. “That was like something straight out of a Christmas movie.”

My hands stay resting on her hips, and my head tilts. “Are you a romantic?”

Jesus.

There it is again.

Raspberry and lemon with hints of something shocking and stormy underneath.

The edges of her lips pull up, and every cell in my body screams to kiss her. She has a soft chin and full cheeks that fit her face to perfection. Not to mention those puffy pink lips.

She’s so fucking pretty.

“You know, maybe I am.” She stretches up onto her tiptoes, kissing the edge of my mouth. She lingers a second longer than would indicate she’s just being friendly and keeps eye contact as she lowers to her heels.

My hands tighten on her hips, and I grin. That’s a good sign, and it’s all I need to not feel like a creep about pursuing her.

It’s on now.

“So, you like Christmas movies,” I say conversationally. “How do you feel about the full princess treatment?”

A sly smile crosses her face as her fingers dig into my chest. “I think all omegas are coded to crave being taken care of, but I’m not afraid to work and chip in. I love being helpful.” She steps back, and I force myself to release my hold on her, even though it’s the last thing I want to do. “Okay, now we have to figure out how to put the fake tree together.” She claps, glancing around like she’s trying to determine where we should put it. “This is going to be so much fun.”

With her around?

Yes, it is.

If she hadn’t popped up in town, I likely wouldn’t have even bothered decorating, but I’m not above orchestrating excuses to spend time together. Especially not when I know she’s interested in us too.

* * *

Lawson stops by a while later.

I’m not shocked. He mentioned wanting to install another lock on the apartment door today. He’s also been working with Echo to build her confidence, whatever that means.

Okay, maybe I’m a dick.

He said that once a dog is confident, it naturally starts to trust its assessment of dangerous situations. Basically, I think Law is training her to fuck someone up if they went into the apartment without being invited.

And I was worried about being too pushy?

Ha.

I let Lawson into my office, and he hits his knees, nuzzling his face to Echo’s.

“Hey, pretty lady,” Law says, chuckling. “I missed you.”