“Did you ever use them?”
“No.”
Pepper nodded, though she didn’t quite understand. “Can I help you?”
“If you want.”
Together, they went through the boxes until they uncovered two boxes of assorted ornaments. They carried them to the living room, where Pepper turned on some Christmas carols.
The longer they worked, the more he loosened up. The more he let down his guard, the more she remembered what drew her to him in the beginning—his deep, warm laughter that filled her with joy, his big smile that filled her with warmth—
“Pepper?” His voice startled her from her thoughts.
She lifted her gaze to meet his. “What did you say?”
He smiled, sending her heart tumbling in her chest. “Something on your mind?”
“No.” Heat rushed to her cheeks. Did he know where her thoughts had strayed? Of course not. “What do you need?”
“Some more silver balls. I think I saw some in the box. Never mind, I’ll get them.” He climbed off the ladder next to the tree.
“I’ve got it.” Pepper rushed to the box.
There were a lot of decorations in it. It’d be nice to find a place for all of them. After all, this penthouse was huge. Plenty of room to use all the decorations.
She reached in the box, moving items around. She didn’t see any silver ornaments. She placed items outside the box as she sorted them.
“Found them,” she said gleefully.
“I found something too.” He held up a ball of greenery with red berries and a gold bow.
“It’s pretty. What is it?”
His eyes twinkled with mischief. He raised his arm, dangling the ball over her head. Suddenly she knew it was a mistletoe kissing ball. Her heart raced.
Her gaze moved to Simon. He wasn’t going to...
Simon leaned toward her, pressing a kiss to her lips. His mouth was warm and oh-so-tempting. It was as though time stopped. And she didn’t want it to start again.
So many nights she’d dreamed about this moment, longed for this moment. And now it was so hard to believe that it was happening—that Simon’s mouth was moving over hers.
Was it wrong to give in to the moment? To let herself savor this moment? Her heart and mind were at odds.
Something that felt this good couldn’t possibly be wrong. She leaned into him. Her hands landed on his chest—his very firm, very muscular chest. She stifled a moan as common sense got lost in a haze of desire.
Her mouth moved beneath his. A soft moan of pure pleasure formed at the base of her throat. Simon’s tongue delved into her mouth. He tasted sweet, like the peppermint candy he’d enjoyed earlier.
Buzz. Buzz.
The sound of the phone brought her feet back to earth. She pulled away from him and pressed her fingers to her sensitive lips.
She backed away from him. Moving out of his gravitational pull, she felt her common sense start to return. She walked to the big window overlooking the city. The millions of lights sparkled like diamonds.
Simon stepped up behind her. “Pepper, I’m sorry. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“It’s okay.” Her insides shivered with a rush of emotions. She wasn’t okay. Far from it.
“Pepper—”