Parker smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The waitress came with their check and he reached for it. Sebrina tried pulling it from his hand and their fingers brushed in the process. In an instant, a spike of heat tore through him and from the startled look on her face, he knew she’d felt it too.
“I’ve got this,” he forced himself to say, as he stood to dig his wallet out of his back pocket.
“I’d be happy to split it with you,” she said in a voice that sounded way too throaty for his piece of mind.
“No, I’ve got it,” he said. “I just appreciate you taking the time to join me for lunch.”
She smiled and the muscles in his stomach clenched. “Thanks for asking me, Parker.” She glanced at her watch. “I’m glad I’m off work tonight. I intend to put up the Christmas tree. Usually, it was something the four of us did. We’d drink wine, listen to holiday music and share old Christmas stories. But this year, it’s just me.”
“May I help?”
He could tell his request surprised her. “That would be great. But are you sure you don’t need to rest up after driving all the way here from Boston?”
She was right. But for some reason, he was hesitant to leave her. Once he went into his bedroom and closed the door, there would be no telling when he would see Sebrina again because of her work schedule. Though it sounded insane, he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could now. He would think about the craziness of it later.
“I have all day tomorrow to rest up,” he heard himself saying. “And I would love to help you decorate the Christmas tree. I haven’t done something like that in years.”
She tilted her head and looked at him questioningly. “Did you not put up a tree every year?”
“My roommate Evan and I had a tree, but it was one of those small ones that was already decorated with lights. All you had to do was take it out of the box and plug it in.”
She covered her face in mock horror, then peeked out at him through her fingers and smiled. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
He shook his head, grinning. “Sorry, I’m not joking. I guess now is not a good time to tell you that if we hung ornaments at all, they were empty beer cans.”
She lowered her hand and laughed. “I hate to say this, but you and your roommate were pathetic. Well, Mr. Stanhope, we don’t take trees out the boxes here. I’ve already been to the tree farm earlier in the week and our tree will be delivered in an hour. I spent the morning in the attic pulling out the decorations. So I’m ready to start. Are you?”
He definitely was.
“So, what do you think?” Sebrina asked a few hours later. She’d flipped on a switch and the Christmas tree they had decorated together glowed, its soft light filling the room. The look on his face was priceless.
Parker glanced away from the tree and over at her. “It’s beautiful.”
She had to admit that yes, it was. “And we did it together.”
He grinned and nodded. “Yes, we did.”
They stood there, staring at each other until she drew in a deep breath and began moving around the tree, making adjustments here and there. Or at least, she was pretending to do so. The tree was beautiful. And she had enjoyed decorating it with him…even with all the sexual energy bouncing between them.
She had honestly thought the attraction between them had been a fluke at first. After all, he was a man, and she was a woman. There could often be some chemistry between the opposite sexes.
Only that chemistry was even stronger now. More than once, their hands would accidently touch while hanging ornaments on the tree, or they would casually bump into each other. And each time, a sizzle of desire went through her. She couldn’t recall ever being this into a guy. Unfortunately, he was the last guy she should want. He was her housemate, for heaven’s sake. And a family friend.
“So, what’s with all this other stuff?”
She glanced up and saw Parker pointing to another box of decorations. “Oh, that’s part of the North Pole.”
He lifted a brow and she thought he looked rather cute…especially when a few strands of his hair fell over his eyes. “The North Pole?”
She smiled over at him. “Yes, a North Pole street sign and a miniature gingerbread house to sit over in the corner, but it won’t go up tonight. I’m beat.”
In reality, she wasn’t, but there was no way she could remain in Parker Stanhope’s presence any longer without launching herself at him. Even with the Christmas music she’d had playing while they decorated the tree, or their conversations, where she shared wild and crazy Bennett Christmas stories, neither of them could ignore the hot sparks of energy that passed between them.
The man was oozing with sexiness and whenever he would bend his body, lift his hands or reach over to put an ornament in just the right place, it would cause a gush of feminine awareness to spread through her.
“I enjoyed tonight, Sebrina. Thanks for letting me help with the tree.”
She nodded. “I had a good time too. And I appreciate not having to do it alone.” He’d told her that the Stanhopes would put up a tree every year but paid a company to come in and decorate. It sounded too impersonal to her. And she was glad he had helped her. She’d known he’d genuinely enjoyed it.
Now if only they could get rid of all this pesky sexual attraction sizzling between them.
“Well, I guess that’s it for now.”
His words caused her to look over at him. Nodding, she said, “Yes, that’s it.”
He looked at his watch. “Wow, it’s already dinner time. Do you plan to eat?”
Why was he asking? Was he hungry and thinking about inviting her out to share a meal with him, the way he had for lunch? She hoped not since she could only take so much Parker Stanhope—and what she was starting to feel for him—in a day.
“I have plenty of microwave dinners in the freezer. When I get hungry, I just pop one in.”
The face he made let her know he wasn’t a fan of microwave dinners. His next words verified that fact. “As a doctor, I’m sure you know those things are loaded with sodium.”
She couldn’t help but grin. “Guilty.”
“I’ll take care of that once I get to the grocery store. I love cooking and always make plenty.”
She lifted a brow. “You like to cook?”
“I love it. It relaxes me.”
“Umm, maybe a better question is, can you cook?”
“I’ve had no complaints.”
“Then I can’t wait to try out one of your meals. In the meantime, you’re welcome to one of my microwave dinners.”
“I’ll pass. I’m about ready to crash, and when that happens, I can sleep through anything…including hunger. I’ll see you later, Sebrina,” he said, walking toward his bedroom.
“Goodnight and thanks again for your help, Parker.” She couldn’t help watching him, mesmerized with the way he walked.
He stopped and glanced back at her and gave her a smile. “You’re welcome to my help at any time.”
His words made her pulse trip and all she could do was nod. Then he turned back around and went to his room. And she kept watching him.