Read Online Naughty Nicks by Christine d'Abo - Free Book Online Page A

Blake standing in the middle of the walkway. He said nothing, simply held up his hand and gave her a little wave. Snow was falling in large, white flakes. They clung to his hair and stayed on his shoulders, highlighting his broad frame. For a moment, he looked sad, lonely and she wanted nothing more than to run out and throw her arms around him.
    “I called the office hoping that I’d find you working late, but the boss-man answered instead. He picked me up so I wouldn’t have to go out in public dressed like this.” Greg shrugged off his parka, put on his Santa hat and boots and lowered his pants so they hugged his hips. “I oiled up at home, so I’m good to go.”
    Sarah peeked around the corner, looked between Kim and Greg and gave a squeal. “Ladies, I think Santa has come with some presents!”
    Kim saw Greg tense and his gaze flicked around the small hallway. The last thing she wanted was for him to have a panic attack on her. Taking him by the shoulders, she gave him a squeeze before looking him straight in the eyes.
    “You’re one of our best Nicks. Take a deep breath and smile. You’ll be able to punish your man when you get home.” Kim waited until she was certain he’d relaxed enough to do them all proud, then gave Greg a shove toward the living room. “Go get ’em, tiger.”
    She didn’t even see Greg go past her, as her attention was no longer focused on the party. He’s still out there. Blake hadn’t turned tail and left the moment she’d spotted him. That was progress over the strange dance they’d been engaged in since their kiss.
    A kiss so amazing it had made her heart ache, even though it had happened in front of the bathroom. That brief moment of contact that had sent her heart galloping so hard, had distracted her so much, she’d been unable to follow him when he ran. She thought he’d simply needed some time to wrap his head around what had happened. What she hadn’t expected was for him to disappear on her for two days.
    In that time apart, he’d consistently haunted her dreams, making it next to impossible to concentrate on anything else except for the idea of kissing him again. He’d gone into hiding, only to reappear and act as though nothing had happened at all.
    To make matters worse, he took great pains to ensure they were never alone together. He wasn’t exactly avoiding her, but if she’d been a less confident woman, Kim would have thought she’d developed an odd rash, a smell, something he didn’t want to get too close to. She still didn’t know exactly what had happened between them—they’d kissed, which was amazing, but something had changed in how they dealt with one another. She wasn’t certain it was a good change.
    Though something that clearly hadn’t changed was Blake’s tendency to be a workaholic. She couldn’t imagine what he was doing at the office on a Friday evening, two weeks before Christmas. He worked too much and spent too little time with friends—a toxic combination. Even if there wasn’t going to be a repeat performance of the kiss, she didn’t like to see him so lonely. No one deserved that, especially this time of year.
    She’d never admit it to him directly, but Kim was worried. Normally, Blake would be shoving work aside and starting to enjoy the spirit of the season by now. They’d tease each other whenever he was at Naughty Nicks, but he’d always be heading out with his friends, going down to the pub. He hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort this year. He bounced between his two offices and home, nothing more. All work and no play.
    Except for him kissing you.
    Ignoring the sudden blast of dance music and the whoops from the girls inside, Kim grabbed her coat off the hook, toed on her shoes and stepped out onto the concrete porch. There were two ways she could play this—ignore the elephant between them for a bit longer and focus on him, or throw her hands around his neck and kiss him the way she wanted. Best to play things