Holly’s eyes widened. “Oh, I don’t think so.”
“It’s too late to back out. Kids are counting on you.” I picked out the smallest Santa suit and handed it to Holly. “It can get pretty hot under all that fake fur. You’ll need to decide whether you want to sweat in your street clothes or do what us regulars do and wear nothing at all.”
“There’s no way I’m going naked under there.” Her brows drew down.
“Okay. Then there’s no need to give you privacy while you get dressed.” I slipped the pants off the hanger and passed them to her.
“I’ll leave the two of you to figure this out,” Gus said. “Let me know if you need any help loading your truck.”
Holly hadn’t moved.
“Trust me, you’re going to want to do this. Everyone should be Santa at least once in their life.”
She studied me through long, dark lashes, then fluttered them against her ivory skin. “If I put on the Santa suit, will you kiss me again?”
“I’ll kiss you before you put on the suit, as long as you promise you’ll do it.” I didn’t need an excuse to kiss her again. The first time we’d done it, the energy between us had scrambled my brain. I’d been surprised to find out I could still function after we’d broken apart.
The lines creasing her brow disappeared as she pulled the red pants on over her black leggings. She was going to make the cutest fucking Santa. Without saying a word, I handed her the jacket. She shrugged it on over her shoulders and buttoned it up the middle.
I passed her the beard and hat.
She sighed but hooked the beard over her ears and set the hat on top of her long, dark hair.
“We’ve got to pull your hair back, so it doesn’t show. Do you mind if I braid it?” I’d been itching to get my hands on her hair from the moment we met. It hung in long waves and reached halfway down her back. I could only imagine how it would fall around my face while she hovered over me. If all went well tonight, I’d find out.
“You know how to braid hair?”
I shrugged. “I grew up with horses. Can’t be that different from braiding a horse’s mane.”
“Now you’re comparing me to a horse?” Her hip cocked, and she clamped a hand to her waist.
“My favorite horse,” I said.
The edges of her lips tipped up in a grin, and she spun around.
I combed my fingers through her hair before I separated it into sections. It was thick and full, and my fingers glided through with no resistance.
“That feels good.” She moaned a little, making me wonder what she’d sound like when I’d lower myself into her. I didn’t feel like I was getting ahead of myself. In my mind, the outcome of our evening together was pre-destined. This woman was made for me, and we belonged together. I just had to prove it to her.
Her chin dropped, and I rubbed my fingers against her scalp. There was a tightness in her shoulders I wanted to drive away. All in good time.
I braided her hair until it hung in a thick plait down the middle of her back. There wasn’t anything to secure it with, so I pulled the leather bracelet from my wrist and fashioned it into a makeshift tie.
“There you go. Now let’s get going so we can get to the next step.”
“The next step in your teach-Holly-how-to-love-Christmas plan,” she said.
“That’s right.” With her hair out of the way, I helped her get the hat settled and combed through the curly white beard. “I never thought I’d be attracted to someone with a beard.”
“Have you ever kissed someone with a beard?” Her eyes sparkled with a bit of mischief.
“There’s a first time for everything.” I leaned forward, sliding my hand behind her neck to cup the back of her head. Then I dipped down and tried to capture her mouth with mine. She laughed, and the sound went straight to my heart. The carefree giggles coming from her cause my heart to double in size.
She reached up and slid the fake beard down, so nothing remained between us.
Then I held her gaze as I slanted my mouth over hers. Kissing Holly was rapidly becoming my new favorite thing to do. She was like my own personal source of joy. Every time I touched her, every time she looked my way, a spark of heat lit me up inside. It went beyond physical attraction. She was stunning, no doubt about that. But her beauty came from a place deep down inside. A place she’d walled in to protect herself.
“If y’all are going, you’d better get.” Gus poked his head through the doorway.