Chasing Christmas Eve Read online

  lightly scraping her fingernails up into his hair, giving him goose bumps, among other things.

  “Can I use your gym shower?” she asked. “Or am I allowed in your personal space now that you’ve had your merry way with me? Many times over now . . .” She brushed her mouth across his earlobe, laughing softly in his ear when he tightened his grip on her hips.

  And then suddenly she had like eight hands and they were everywhere. “Colbie—”

  “Colbie,” she said, mimicking his lower tone. “You sound very serious now, Spence. Have I been bad? Am I in trouble?”

  Jesus. He nudged—maybe pushed—her into his bedroom.

  “Ooh, the man cave,” she purred.

  —And then into his bathroom. He gave her another nudge toward the shower and tried to step out.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “To order food.”

  “What kind of food?”

  “All the food,” he said. “Unless you have a preference. What are you hungry for?”

  She smiled a man-eating smile and he groaned.

  And got harder.

  He pointed at her. “Behave.” And then he left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He leaned back against it and swiped his forehead. “I’m fucked.”

  “Yes. I’m pretty sure that’s her plan.”

  Spence turned his head and found Caleb standing there, eating out of another Tupperware that Spence knew damn well had come from his fridge. “What the hell?”

  Caleb shoved in a bite of what looked like Trudy’s famous chicken enchiladas and groaned in pleasure. “Turns out that Colbie’s not the only one who’s hungry.”

  “How long have you been here?” Spence demanded.

  “Since before you. Neither of you even noticed me. And why are you standing here griping at me for eating your food instead of getting into the shower with the Stoned One? She’s hot.”

  Spence opened his front door and jerked his chin toward it.

  Caleb blew out a breath. “Fine. But I’m taking the enchiladas with me.” He turned back. “And you’re an idiot if you don’t go take what that woman is offering you.”

  Spence shut the door on Caleb’s nosy nose just as Colbie came out of his bathroom. She was wearing the bathrobe his mom had bought him a couple of Christmases ago that he’d never worn—and bright blue toenail polish. That was it. He watched with a mix of lust and wry amusement as she sauntered straight to his pantry and helped herself to not one but three bags of chips.

  She hopped up on the counter, opened all three bags, and began a smorgasbord, stuffing her face for a few solid minutes before going still, a handful of chips paused in the air halfway to her mouth. “I think I’m a little stoned.”

  He smiled. “You think?”

  “No, I mean . . .” She shook her head. “I was sure I wasn’t. I didn’t feel anything.”

  “Honey, you’re about as high as my drone can fly, which is nearly out of the stratosphere.”

  She ate a few more chips, closing her eyes and groaning. “Oh. My. God. Where have . . .?” She straightened out one of the bags and read the label. “Salt and vinegar. Where have salt and vinegar chips been hiding my whole life?”

  Spence took a bottle of water from the fridge, removed the top, and handed it over to her.

  She downed it and then went back to the chips. “You don’t by any chance have any dip, do you?”

  “No. But . . .” Spence pulled out a stack of takeout menus and handed them to her. “Take your pick and I’ll order.”

  She tossed the menus aside and grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him in close. “I want to order you. You smell so good, Spence. You always smell so good.”

  He planted a hand on either side of her hips to keep an arm’s length between them, but she had a good grip on his shirt with one hand, her other placed precariously low on his abs. Wrapping her legs around his waist to further trap him, she crossed her ankles at the small of his back.

  “Colbie.” He both laughed and groaned. “You said you’re hungry.”

  “Yes, but not for food.” She pressed her face against his throat and inhaled him like he was a ten-course meal.

  His entire body went on high alert, sensing action within its grasp. He slid his hands up her arms to take ahold of her wrists, bringing them down to her sides.

  “Mmmm,” she said, taking a lick of him as she wriggled. “I don’t remember feeling this . . . trembly with anyone else. You’d think I’d remember, right? I mean, sex is always nice and all, but this, with you, it feels a lot more than nice.” She lifted her head, her eyes guileless and a little worried. “Do you know what I mean?”

  He did, although he felt like he was eavesdropping on her personal thoughts, letting her tell him things like that when she was under the influence. “Colbie—”

  “Uh-oh,” she said. “You don’t know what I mean. Well, that’s embarrassing.” She tried to shift away but he caught her.

  “No, I do,” he said. He knew exactly. “But, Colbie—”

  She wriggled against him some more, during which time he kept a tight grip on her because if he let her go, he was afraid of what she’d convince him to do. “You’re not yourself,” he said. “I don’t want to take advantage, but I’m only human—” He broke off on a groan when she squirmed some more, humming when she came in contact with the proof of what she did to him, cradling him in the wedge between her thighs.

  God help him. She was sexy and cute and sweet all in one package, and she had some moves too. “Honey—” He broke off when his phone buzzed an incoming call.

  Colbie pulled back, eyes at half-mast as she smiled up at him. “You taste really good. You should answer your phone, Spence. Maybe your mom or grandpa needs you.”

  He didn’t bother to point out that his family wasn’t like hers. The Baldwins didn’t need each other. They worked very hard to be independent. Stupidly so. Plus they’d just seen his grandpa. The man was a menace but fine.

  “Seriously,” Colbie said, her eyes so deep and earnest that he did what he’d told himself not to do again—he pulled out his phone and answered without looking at the screen. “Baldwin.”

  “Spence,” a male voice said. “Don’t hang up.”

  Spence stilled at the sound of Brandon’s voice, then backed away from Colbie and turned from her.

  “We need to talk,” Brandon said.

  “Sure. When hell freezes over.”

  “Seriously, man. My boss wants a follow-up, and I know what you’re going to say but think about it. It could be really great for you too.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Spence said.

  Brandon dropped the charm. “Look, I did you a favor with that article. I put you on the map with all the exposure.”

  “We were friends. You knew I didn’t want any of it.”

  “If we’d been friends, I wouldn’t have had to beg for the article in the first place. Look, you were the golden boy. A’s in every class. All the teachers loved you, whatever. You were untouchable, man, never needing anyone or anything. So yeah, you threw me a bone and then gave me a boring interview that you could’ve given any Joe Blow, big fucking deal. The real sign of friendship would be you giving me a follow-up.”

  Spence actually laughed. “Do us both a favor, Brandon, and lose my number.” He disconnected the call and then, for shits and giggles, blocked Brandon’s number. When he shoved the phone away and turned back to Colbie, she was walking down the hall, clearly trying to give him privacy.

  Which at the moment was the last thing he needed.

  Chapter 19

  #SonOfASeacock

  Colbie walked into Spence’s bathroom. The brownies were starting to wear off, leaving her tired and feeling bad about Spence. She’d gotten accidentally high, and possibly a little obnoxiously sexually aggressive, and she’d forgotten their date.

  “Son of a seacock,” she said, disrobing and then bending to pick up the clothes she’d left on the floor. T