‘I’m saying no and I’m not going to regret it.’ Against his will, his eyes dropped to her mouth and his entire body throbbed with sexual tension. ‘It’s a wild, crazy idea.’
‘You’re just hesitating because of this whole stupid chemistry thing. But you don’t need to worry. It’s the perfect solution, Christian. I’m on the early sh
ift right up until Christmas so I can pick up the girls from school and take them home.’
‘They’re on holiday for the four days before Christmas.’ What was he saying? What did it matter when they were on holiday? He should have been saying no and pushing her out of the door.
She shrugged. ‘We can mix and match our days off.’
There was a long, pulsating silence and he stared down at her. ‘Why would you make that offer?’ He was experienced enough with women to be wary.
‘Honestly? Company.’ She hesitated and then gave a twisted little smile. ‘This is going to be the first year ever that my family won’t be together at Christmas and I’m staying in London. Pathetic, isn’t it? I’m twenty-five and I’m really sad that I’m not going home for Christmas.’
‘You obviously have a close family.’ Which made her lucky, not pathetic.
‘Yes. Well, if I moved in with you, I could still have a family Christmas.’
He felt himself wavering and tried to talk some sense into himself. It was a ridiculous suggestion. ‘Apart from the trip to the grotto, I haven’t thought about Christmas.’
‘Aggie’s thinking about it. She gave Santa a very long list. Someone needs to start shopping and unpacking boxes.’
‘I know.’ Christian ran a hand over his face, feeling trapped. ‘It’s a generous offer but…no. I have to say no, Lara.’
She studied him for a moment. ‘I’m going to be frank here. You don’t want a relationship, neither do I. Just in case you don’t believe me and you’re worried that I might be difficult to shift, you ought to know that my flight to Sydney is on the 15th of January, and that isn’t changing.’
‘You’re going to Sydney?’
‘Yes. I’m visiting my brother and his girlfriend in Australia. And I’ll probably do a bit of travelling. So, you see, there isn’t a problem because I’m leaving the country. How much safer do you need to feel? Christian, I can help you, I know I can. I can unpack the boxes in the house, I can put up Christmas decorations, I can organise you a big, happy family Christmas. And as for the chemistry…’ She waved a hand dismissively. ‘We’ll ignore it.’
Was that possible?
‘You’ve resigned from your job?’
‘Yes.’
Why did he care? ‘You seriously expect me to believe that you want to move in with two demanding children, a grouchy guy who hasn’t even had time to unpack the boxes from his house move and cook Christmas dinner?’ His voice was rougher than he’d intended. ‘It’s most women’s idea of hell.’ It had certainly been his wife’s idea of hell.
‘Not mine.’She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. ‘Look, London is horrifically expensive for a nurse and my flat is tiny. On Christmas Day, it’s going to be me or the turkey. There’s certainly not room for both of us.’ The laughter brimming in her eyes brought a smile to his lips.
‘You wouldn’t bother cooking a turkey for one.’
‘You’re right. So lunch would probably be a cranberry omelette. Which makes my Christmas all the more pitiful. Take pity on me and give me the run of your beautiful kitchen. I could do amazingly creative things with your range cooker.’
‘It’s not your cooking that worries me.’
‘What, then?’
‘The children could get attached to you.’
‘Not in the space of a few weeks. We’ll just have some fun. I’m sure it will be fine if we’re just honest with them. We’ll just tell the girls right from the start that it’s only temporary. I’m leaving in less than a month from now so they can’t get too attached. I mean, they haven’t exactly mourned any of their nannies, have they? I’m just the woman who collects them from school, helps them with homework and cooks their tea. It will be too short term for them to grow too fond of me. I’m just here to make Christmas easier. It’s always a busy time of year. If you haven’t had time to unpack boxes, when are you going to find time to shop for the girls and decorate a tree?’
It was a completely ridiculous offer. He was experienced enough with women to know that the chemistry between them was astonishingly powerful.
Was it really something that they’d be able to ignore?
‘It’s Christmas,’ Lara said, her tone persuasive. ‘You’re not going to find anyone else that you can trust. The girls and I will have fun together and, when you’re at home, I’ll just hide in my room with my books on the Great Barrier Reef. I won’t intrude on your family, I promise.’
Christian looked at her, struggling against a powerful impulse to follow her suggestion, clamp his mouth down on hers and kiss her until she no longer had the breath to speak. She had an incredibly kissable mouth. ‘My girls are very demanding. They’re lively and noisy and frequently disruptive. And they’re untidy.’