“And had a bit of a suitcase mix up,” I added.
Holly’s cheeks turned red. A deep, dark shade that came very close to matching the fabric on my Santa suit.
“That was your suitcase?” she asked.
“Affirmative.”
“It’s so nice the two of you met on the plane.” Avalon looked over Holly’s shoulder. “If you’ll excuse us, we should circulate a little before we get started.”
“Of course.” Holly smiled while the two of them walked away. Then she turned toward me, her eyes narrowed. “You didn’t tell me you were the one who had my suitcase.”
“You didn’t ask. I can’t believe you didn’t try one of those cookies, though. You missed out on gingerbread perfection.”
She cupped her cheeks with her palms. “I’ve got to get out of here. It’s too hot. I need air.”
“Come with me.” I took her hand and tugged her toward a side door that led out to the patio. Though the temperature was mild compared to upstate New York where I lived the other fifty-one weeks of the year, it was too cold for the locals to take advantage of the outdoor space.
As soon as we cleared the doorway, she pulled her hand away. “Why didn’t you tell me you were the one who had my suitcase?”
“Why does it matter?”
Her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. It was fun seeing her all worked up. After striking out in spectacular fashion on the plane, I wasn’t sure it was possible to get her riled.
“All the stuff for Avalon’s bachelorette party was in there.” Her palms came up to cup her cheeks.
“And here I thought you were just amassing the world’s largest collection of vibrators.” I chuckled at the way her jaw dropped a few inches. “I wish I’d known that before I unzipped it in front of my mom and younger brothers.”
“You didn’t?” She started to pace. “I can’t face those people at the wedding tomorrow.”
“It’s fine. Trust me, Mama Mae’s seen much worse over the years. She’s had dozens of boys stay with her, some of them in pretty bad shape. I doubt you’d be able to do much to surprise her. Besides, you got to see everything in my bag, too.”
“What, like your tidy whites?” She rolled her eyes.
“What’s wrong with tidy whites?”
“Nothing. They’re fine. It doesn’t matter to me what kind of underwear you prefer.” She shook her head. “I’d better get back in there before Avalon notices I’m gone.”
Though I should have been offended, thinking about her thinking about my underwear sparked a low burn in my belly. “Seriously, what’s wrong with a basic white brief? They’re functional. Classic. Tried and tested.”
“We’re really doing this now?” She flashed a glance my way and her jaw tightened even further. “You just admitted what’s wrong with basic white briefs. They’re basic. There’s nothing sexy about them.”
“I didn’t realize you’d been giving my underwear so much thought.” Seeing her blush provided me with too much pleasure. It felt a little wrong to get such a kick out of her discomfort. Though not wrong enough to stop giving her shit.
“I haven’t been.” She turned her back to me and headed toward the door leading back into the restaurant.
“What kind of underwear do you have on, then?” I was desperate to find out. In the short time since we’d met each other, this woman had gotten under my skin. If I had any say in it, we’d be spending quite a bit of time together over the next few days. I couldn’t wait to get to know her better.
Her hair flipped over her shoulder as she tossed a look back at me. “Who says I’m wearing any at all?”
5
HOLLY
Ididn’t like surprises. Finding out Zander was the one who had my bag when it got swapped threw me. Especially when I thought about the raunchy, tasteless, obscene things I’d shoved into my suitcase. Avalon and her friends had fun with them at the bachelorette party last night. I’d been in a piss-poor mood since I still hadn’t had a chance to talk to my dad. He’d brought Avalon’s mom along with him when he met me for coffee.
She hated listening to us talk about business, so I was forced to make polite conversation instead of making a case for why he should give me a chance at bringing on a new portfolio of properties.
A waiter passed, carrying a tray of tequila shots. I reached out and took one, then slammed it before I changed my mind. My eyes watered. I shouldn’t have done that. Then I looked up and saw Zander heading my way.