Deck the Halls Read online

  “That’s not very impressive,” Holly protested.

  “But easy.” Laurel’s sultry laugh sounded in Holly’s ear. “You don’t plan to spend all your time cooking, do you?”

  Holly swallowed, her mouth dry. This dinner was going to get her into trouble. On the other hand, how threatening could steak and potatoes be?

  Two and a half hours later, Holly rode the plush elevator up to the penthouse, pleased at having made up some lost time.

  At least she was pleased until the doors whispered open.

  “Hey, babe!” Gus’s jaunty smile was strained around the edges.

  “What is this?” Holly stared in disbelief at the remnants of the once-elegant room, too stunned to realize immediately what was going on.

  Gus turned his back to her and brazened it out. “Don’t worry, you won’t bother me.” He waved negligently. “I won’t need the kitchen.”

  Holly climbed over the back of an armchair, which was jammed into the foyer, along with most of the living-room furniture.

  Gus, visibly nervous, watched her progress. “Look out for the cords.”

  “Relax, Gus. They’re too heavy to use for strangling you.” Holly’s foot caught on a tripod supporting an umbrella reflector. It teetered and Gus leapt to steady it. Then Holly saw the rest of the room. Mounds of feathers and filmy lingerie were heaped on the white silk sofa. Holly peered into a cardboard box. “What is this stuff?” She grabbed a handful of minuscule scraps of fabric and some leather . . . things, momentarily diverted. “How do you wear this?” she wondered aloud.

  “Which one?”

  Holly’s head jerked up and she dropped her handful. “Bianca!”

  “Who?” Gus croaked nervously, prudently remaining out of reach.

  “My bear rug. She’s wearing glasses and has an apple in her mouth.” Holly glared at Gus accusingly.

  He shrugged. “Back to school.”

  Holly repeated the words silently. She bent down and picked up an Easter basket, a couple of American flags and a stray shamrock. “You . . . you took all the snowflakes off my tree!”

  “Just borrowed ’em.” Gus gestured toward Holly’s tree. “I’ve been putting ’em back.”

  Holly followed the trail. She found a bow and arrow with a heart at its tip. “Too bad August doesn’t have a major holiday, Gus.” She rescued a pilgrim hat from the corner.

  “Oooh! These feathers tickle!” A bright giggle preceded the entrance of a flaming redhead. “Hi, honey,” she warbled as she passed Holly. “Oh, good. You found the hat. Just put it on the bear, will ya? Oops!” She giggled again and grabbed a slipping turkey-feather boa. “Gus, I don’t know if these pins will hold.”

  “Get out!” Holly’s eyes blazed furiously. “Now!” She threw her armload in the general direction of the cardboard box.

  “M-my stuff.” Sweat beaded on Gus’s forehead.

  “Here!” Holly picked up the entire box and heaved it toward him. Gus lunged for it and the umbrella reflector crashed to the floor.

  “I should have known you were up to something scummy!” Holly snatched up a handful of white netting from the sofa. The tiara attached to it provided a nice weight and the whole thing arced like a comet as it went zinging through the air.

  “Hey—that’s rented!”

  Holly vented her fury by throwing the rest of the lingerie. The flimsy fabric couldn’t hurt anything. She wasn’t so angry she didn’t consider that.

  “Holly—babe—I’ve never seen you like this.” Gus swatted at the sheer materials.

  “And you, too, turkey.” Holly threw a handful the redhead’s way.

  “Now wait a minute, honey. We haven’t done November yet and I went to a lot of trouble to fix this cute feather bikini.”

  “Holly! Have you gone completely insane?” Laurel shouted from the elevator.

  “You!” Holly gulped air and glared at her sister.

  Laurel tossed her mane of streaked hair. “Come into the kitchen and we’ll discuss this.”

  “There’s nothing to discuss.” Holly took one more deep breath and then bent to gather some of the littered props. “Do you realize that Adam could be here any minute?”

  “Nonsense,” Laurel said, briskly carrying a grocery sack into the kitchen. “It’s only four-thirty.”

  Holly hesitated, glaring at Gus. “Get out.” Her voice trembled with anger. “You, too.” She pointed at Miss November and followed Laurel. “Did it occur to you that Adam might take off early to be with me?”

  “No,” Laurel said, unconcerned. “If Adam takes off early, it will be to buy you flowers, or a bottle of the perfect wine. That man knows how to make the most of an opportunity and he’s been holding back too long.”

  Holly blinked. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”

  “As much as you did.” Laurel began unloading the sack. “I did not know Gus was taking sleazy pictures of some turkey.”

  The corner of Holly’s eye caught a flash. “I suppose he’s doing November now.”

  “He might as well finish.”

  “Adam’s been really great to us. He trusted us. Me. And how does he get repaid?”

  “A fabulous steak dinner. That is, if you ever cook it.”

  “Gus shouldn’t have been here alone,” Holly protested.

  “He wasn’t. The redhead works as a receptionist for Adam’s firm. Gus met her when he sold them the other pictures.”

  Holly moaned.

  “You are just determined to be unpleasant about this whole thing, aren’t you?” Laurel slammed a jar of cinnamon on the counter. “After shopping for your groceries, I got here and checked the cabinets to see if you needed spices or anything. You didn’t have any flour.”

  “So?”

  “You can’t make an apple pie without it.”

  “Is that dessert?”

  Laurel smiled slyly. “If you’ve got time. I got a couple of pastries as backups in case you get distracted and the pie burns. I thought they could double as breakfast, if dinner drags on later than you planned.”

  “This is not a seduction,” Holly said firmly.

  “It should be,” Laurel retorted as she drifted out of the kitchen.

  Holly sank onto the stool by the telephone and stared into the narrow kitchen. How could she tell Adam any of this? It made them all look like opportunistic users. And maybe Gus was like that, but she and Laurel weren’t, not deep down.

  Adam had been so . . . Sweet was the word that popped into her mind, but that didn’t describe Adam. He’d been tolerant of them, so far. Holly knew it was because he was attracted to her. She slowly emptied the plastic sack of Granny Smith apples and began to peel them. Adam had allowed her to set the terms of their relationship. She winced, uncomfortable that everything so far had gone her way.

  Holly heard Gus and Laurel leave and went out to inspect the living area. It wasn’t too bad. She spent a few minutes straightening and putting knickknacks back as she remembered. The tree was a mess, of course. Holly shrugged and returned to the kitchen to roll out pie dough.

  Twenty minutes later, she grudgingly admitted that Laurel’s instincts hadn’t failed her. The penthouse kitchen was tiny and not intended for elaborate meal preparation. The pie made a big mess, but the rest of the meal would be simple to prepare. Holly’s breath caught at the price of the steaks. Did Laurel have to be so extravagant?

  Wasn’t Adam worth it? countered an inner voice as she slapped the meat on the fancy countertop grill. The potatoes baked with the pie and Laurel had included a slice of pâté, crackers, but no wine.

  Holly had just carried the pâté out to the living area when she heard the elevator. Adam was later than she’d expected and she was glad she’d had the extra time to compose herself. She stood in the foyer, feeling
slightly awkward.

  Adam’s face lit up when he saw her. He was worth it. Surprising herself, Holly reached for him. “Hello.” Her voice was low and husky.

  It barely registered that his arms were full of elongated brown sacks and a bouquet of flowers. He quickly set them on the floor in time to wrap his arms around her.

  Holly wasn’t sure what she’d originally intended, but it hadn’t included fusing herself to him. She wasn’t ready for the incredible melting sensation, or the excitement that seemed to sparkle through her whole body. Amazed at her response, Holly shakily attempted to disengage herself.

  “Don’t stop now.” Adam lightly brushed her lips with his.

  “I think I’d better.” She laid a trembling hand on his shoulder.

  “Not yet.” He spoke quietly, all the while inching his lips closer and closer to hers.

  Holly’s first thought was to resist; then she remembered the explosive sparkles of a moment before.

  An instant later, Adam’s lips touched hers. He gradually, but deliberately, increased the pressure, unhurriedly moving his lips against hers until he felt the last of her resistance melt.

  Holly felt it, too. Her will drained out of her, leaving her insides shaking so much, she knew Adam had to be aware of it.

  They broke the kiss simultaneously, each breathing in quick shallow breaths.

  “I, I—” Holly stammered, not having any idea what to say next. “I had no idea you could kiss like that!” she blurted.

  Adam threw her a sexy half smile. “I know.”

  In a daze, Holly found that, yes, her legs still worked, and led Adam toward the pâté.

  She sank, wordlessly, onto the white sofa. Adam retrieved the paper bags and the flowers. “These are for you.”

  “Thank you.” Her voice was a whisper.

  Adam smiled perceptively. “I’ll put them in water.”

  “That’s my line.” She managed a short laugh.

  Working at Exemplary Temporaries wasn’t so bad, she began to rationalize as Adam walked toward the kitchen. And maybe the business boom they’d been expecting wouldn’t materialize anyway. Then she’d have time—

  What was she thinking? She gave herself a mental shake. She wasn’t about to let a few kisses jeopardize Deck the Halls. In spite of her recent actions, Adam had better realize that.

  “I saw the steaks and smelled the pie. Dinner’s going to be great.” Adam poured her a glass of wine, then sat beside her, casually stretching his arm along the back of the sofa.

  This was going to be harder than she’d thought. Adam’s hand on her shoulder gently urged her to relax against him. She did, enjoying the warmth of his body next to hers. The fire Gus had built flickered gently, reducing itself to a bed of glowing embers.

  “I . . . didn’t mean to get quite so carried away earlier.” She spoke slowly and quietly, easing her words into the companionable silence.

  Adam rested his head against hers and she could hear the steady beating of his heart. “There’s no going back, Holly.”

  Holly felt a choking lump in her throat. She nodded, unable to speak.

  “I’m willing to be patient—not forgotten.”

  Holly smiled sadly. Adam might think he could be patient, but she knew better. He’d interfere, resent her work and become more and more demanding. Then they’d have a big fight and that would be the end of it.

  The timer on the stove went off. “I’ll bet that’s the pie.” Adam planted a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll go change while you take it out of the oven.”

  Holly sat up, then turned and gave Adam a fierce hug. Please wait for me, she pleaded silently, because if he wouldn’t and she had to choose, Holly wasn’t so certain that Deck the Halls would win.

  The aroma of warm apple pie surrounded her as she tore lettuce for their salad. She concentrated fiercely on her task and avoided thinking about the man changing his clothes. She succeeded so well that she didn’t hear Adam’s approach. She had only a momentary warning as gentle fingers pushed aside the curls at the nape of her neck and soft lips kissed it.

  Holly reacted immediately. Her stomach contracted, pulsing with each of the butterflylike kisses Adam placed on her neck.

  “Adam.” She sighed his name.

  Hands on her shoulders, Adam slowly turned her to face him.

  What had happened in the minutes since he left her? She thought they understood one another, that they’d agreed their relationship would have to wait until . . . until what?

  “Adam,” Holly whispered again. He wore the blue cashmere sweater and she couldn’t resist sliding her fingers over the inviting softness covering his chest, up to the firm muscles of his shoulders and neck.

  Their lips met as Holly’s fingers entangled themselves in the blue-black hair curling behind Adam’s neck.

  All her ideas about controlling their relationship were swept away. She pressed closer to Adam and found herself held in a bone-crushing embrace.

  It was Adam who parted her lips and Adam’s tongue that met hers in a slow leisurely dance. It was Adam, in fact, who was very much in control and Holly who was fast losing it.

  At the precise moment when Holly felt she would faint if the two of them didn’t throw themselves onto the kitchen floor, he set her from him.

  Smiling tenderly, he gently caressed her cheek, then reached around her and shut off the grill where the sizzling steaks hissed and popped. Only then did Holly notice the slightly charred smell.

  Adam placed his hand on the small of her back and gently urged her through the door. Holly took a step and stumbled.

  “My knees,” she said with an apologetic laugh.

  “Ah, my cue,” Adam slipped an arm under her shoulders and lifted her against his chest. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” he said as he carried her into the bedroom. He stopped by the edge of the bed and looked down at her.

  “Now what?” Holly whispered.

  A muscle worked in Adam’s jaw. “In a move of exquisite finesse, I shall set you gently on the bed. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to go?”

  Uncertainty warred with passion. Holly’s teeth tugged at her lower lip. “Maybe not.”

  “Okay.” Adam tossed her unceremoniously onto the center of the bed.

  Caught off guard, Holly bounced a couple of times as Adam crawled toward her.

  “Why did you do that?” Her face was a portrait of confused sensuality.

  Adam propped himself on one elbow. “I don’t want to be predictable.”

  Holly pushed Adam squarely in the center of his chest and pinned his arms to the bed. “Neither do I.”

  She felt his muscles tense slightly just before he freed himself and pinned her in an identical position. “Yield?” Without waiting for an answer, Adam covered her mouth with his.

  It had been so long since a man had held her in his arms and kissed her. Had it ever felt like this? If so, how had she been able to numb her feelings?

  “Holly?” Adam nuzzled the side of her neck.

  “Hmm?”

  Adam raised his head so he could study her face. “What changed your mind?”

  “About what?” Puzzled, Holly shook her head. Adam smiled and reached toward the floor beside the bed, bringing up a handful of red chiffon.

  Holly blanched.

  “I got the message.” Adam held the nightie up by the straps. It was completely transparent, except for three strategically placed patches of black lace.

  It was hideous.

  And it meant she’d have to tell Adam about Gus’s latest project. Furthermore, she was not flattered to realize Adam thought she ordered her sleepwear from trashy catalogs.

  “Quite a departure from your usual look.”

  “Yes, uh, no. It’s . . . not mine.” She didn�
��t want to explain. She felt guilty and embarrassed by the whole episode.

  “You borrowed it?”

  “Kiss me, Adam.”

  Holly put everything she had into that kiss, determined to turn Adam’s brain into putty, or at the very least, make him forget about the garish nightie he’d discovered.

  He held back, not responding the way she’d hoped. His insides should be jelly by now.

  She’d show him. She reached under the softness of the cashmere and splayed her hands across his chest, feeling a tremor. Holly was so caught up in her determined seduction of Adam, she failed to realize that she was the one who was trembling. Her brain was putty; her insides were jelly.

  Adam felt the tremor, too. Enjoyable as the last few minutes had been, he wasn’t fooled. Holly was trying to convince herself that she was still entangled in a web of passion. But she wasn’t now. That vulgar scrap of material had changed everything, and Holly was obviously trying to overcome second thoughts.

  He couldn’t go through with it. Holly was much too special for him to indulge in a lusty fling. No, he was going to be noble. He’d wait just long enough to give her something to think about—and then he’d do the right thing. If he could.

  Holly eased the sweater off Adam’s shoulders and over his head in a quick movement that caught him by surprise.

  Adam’s heart thundered in his ears. Any minute now he’d be noble and stop this. He exhaled sharply as Holly moved against him, fitting herself against his length. Any minute now, he told himself as his arms pressed into her back, pulling her even closer. Any minute.

  Holly raised her lips to his once more and then, incredibly, Adam’s hands were on her shoulders, pushing her away.

  He breathed heavily, his eyes closed, as she watched in dazed puzzlement. With a sigh, he rested his forehead on hers.

  “Enough.”

  “It doesn’t have to be,” Holly whispered.

  Adam dropped a light kiss on her forehead and rolled to a sitting position on the bed. He drew one more deep breath, opened his eyes and smiled crookedly at her.

  Holly lay on the bed, her lips full and parted, her hair charmingly mussed.

  Adam reached for the discarded red nightie. Holly immediately bolted to a sitting position. “Adam,” she began determinedly, “I’d like to explain.”