“Um, Mason… About your offer to get hot chocolate together…”
He looked away, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. “I understand if you don’t want to. No prob—”
Gabriela settled her hand upon his chest. “No! No, no. That’s not what I was going to say. I want to. I really, really want to. I was worried you might’ve thought I was just making an excuse to run off and get out of it yesterday, and I wanted to just reassure you that I wasn’t. I want to go out with you, Mason. In fact, I’d love to. It’s just…it might need to wait until after Christmas break since Ana’s home, and I’m sure you’d rather not have a kid tagging—”
The words died on her lips when she realized that Mason was staring down at her hand—her hand that was currently flat against his strong, solid, warm chest. His pulse accelerated beneath her palm.
He lowered his arm slowly, moving like a man in a daze, his expression uncertain.
Annnnd just like that, Gabby, you screwed it up.
Her fingers tensed, and she withdrew her hand—or at least tried to. Before it had moved even an inch, Mason covered it with his own, pressing it back into place.
“She like hot chocolate?” he asked, finally returning his gaze to hers.
Gabriela stared up at him, stunned. “She…she loves hot chocolate.”
“So she can come, too. Right?”
“Really? You want Ana to join us?”
Mason tilted his head aside slightly, his eyebrows falling. “Don’t you?”
“No. I mean, yes. I do. It’s just that…some men would rather not have a kid around on a date, you know? This…is a date, right?”
“Yes.”
Gabriela smiled. “And you want Ana to come with us?”
His hand tightened over hers just a bit. “Yes. She is your kit.”
Her smile slowly widened, and her fingers curled against his chest. He wasn’t bothered that she was a single mom, that she had a nearly ten-year-old daughter. And something about that made this man impossibly sexier.
He wants me and Ana.
“Then it’s a date. Tomorrow?” she asked.
Mason held her gaze as he lifted his hand away from hers and reached forward. The tip of his finger brushed over the dimple at the side of her mouth with surprising gentleness, but she felt something more—a feather-light scrape on her cheek.
One corner of his mouth rose in a smile that was at once warm and enticingly devilish. “Tomorrow.”
“Mooooooooom! Hurry up,” Ana called. “Oh. Hi, Mr. Lee.”
Gabriela started, pulling away from Mason, and turned to see her daughter standing at the open front door, waving at him with a smile.
Mason waved back with a hand that had only an instant before been tenderly touching Gabby’s face. “Hi, Ana.”
“We’re coming in now,” Gabriela said. “Go hide again.”
“You sure?” Ana asked.
Gabriela laughed. “Yes. I’ve been forcing Mason to stand here holding the bags long enough.”
“Hurry! I want to make cookies.” Ana disappeared into the house again.
“You sure you want her to tag along?” Gabriela asked Mason with a smirk.
“Feels like you’re warning me. Am I putting myself in danger?”
“The only danger you’ll be in is getting your ears talked off.”
Mason’s eyes dipped, sweeping over Gabriela down to her feet before swinging back up. “I’m willing to risk it.” He raised the bags slightly, gesturing toward the house. “After you.”
Heat flooded her body, suffusing her cheeks. Did he…did he just check her out without even trying to hide it? She ducked her head, unable to suppress her smile as she led him toward her front door. She felt his gaze on her, caressing her as though it were a physical thing, every step of the way.
As she walked into her home, she was met with the spicy-sweet fragrance of apple cinnamon. “You can just set those on the island counter in the kitchen. I just need to run these bags to my room. I’ll be right back.”
Gabriela glanced to the right, making sure Ana’s bedroom door was closed, before heading to her own room, which was on the opposite side of the split-bedroom home. She took the bags to her closet and hid them under a spare comforter.
When Gabriela stepped out of her room, Mason was standing in the living room, looking at the Christmas tree and the framed pictures on the small table beside it. There were several photos of Gabriela and Ana, a few with Gabriela’s parents, and even one that had her parents, grandparents, and Gabby with little baby Ana together when they’d taken a trip to her grandparents’ hometown in Colombia.
For a few moments, she simply took him in. Though the living room and kitchen were a big, open space, Broxen seemed to fill it completely. He was tall enough that she doubted he’d even need to fully extend his arm to touch the ceiling. She’d need a stepladder and a jump to manage that.
Though Gabriela had been born and raised in these mountains, she’d never once considered taking up mountain climbing—but she’d gladly climb Mason Lee.
“Thank you for carrying the bags in for me,” she said.
He turned his attention to her and smiled. “Glad to help.”
“So, we’ll see you tomorrow morning. Shall we say…ten?”
Mason nodded. “I’ll try not to be late. Long commute to get here.”
Gabby laughed. “Sure is.”
His smile widened. He stood there, watching her for a few seconds, before seeming to jolt out of a daze. “Oh. Well, I’ll, uh”—his smile faded, and his brow furrowed as though he were trying to remember something—“get out of your hair.”
She chuckled and walked toward the front door. “You’re not a bother, Mason.” She looked back to find that he’d followed her. Her smile softened. “I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
“What are we doing tomorrow?” Ana asked from her bedroom doorway.
“Mason’s going to take us out for hot chocolate,” Gabriela said.
Ana turned her big, hopeful brown eyes toward Mason. “Really?”
“Really. As big as you want,” he replied, glancing at Gabriela. “Or, uh, big as your mother says is okay?”
Ana danced in place, her unicorn tail swaying. “This is going to be the best Christmas break ever! Thank you, Mr. Lee.”
Gabriela reached out to brush her fingertips along Mason’s arm. “Thank you,” she said softly. “For inviting her, too. It…means a lot to me.”
He gifted her with another warm smile. “Can’t wait, Gabriela.” He offered Ana another wave and stepped through the door, ducking his head low to fit through.
“Good night, Mason.”
“Good night,” he said over his shoulder as he set off down her walkway.
Gabriela watched him go, her gaze dipping to his ass; she couldn’t resist given the way the jeans molded to his ass.
“Mom, are you looking at his butt?”
Gabriela snapped her face toward her daughter. “Ana!”
Ana grinned. “Well? Were you?”
Gabby smirked as she slowly closed the door. “And if I was?”
Her daughter’s face screwed up in disgust. “Ewwww!”