5. Margo
FIVE
MARGO
I’ve never seen a place so decorated for Christmas.
Garland is attached to the walls. Lights are strung across the ceiling, and a seven-foot tree sits in the middle of the room.
“God.” I groan as Katarina and I find a pair of chairs at the bar. “It’s like the holidays threw up in here.”
“Okay, Scrooge.” She elbows me and waves at the bartender. “It’s almost Christmas. Could you have fun for like, two seconds, please?”
“Fine. But the minute Mariah Carey starts playing, I’m out of here.”
“Come on! She’s an icon!”
“Not doing it.” I shake my head, and my braided pigtails swing from side to side under my beanie. “That’s the line.”
“You win.” She sticks out her tongue and orders us a drink. “But only because I know you’re still sore.”
“Sore and horny.” I rest my elbow on the bar and spin on my stool to face her. “I’m still thinking about the paramedic who helped me yesterday. He was hot as hell.”
“Oh! That reminds me.” Katarina digs in her purse and pulls out her phone. “Someone got a video of him catching you at the finish line. They uploaded it to TikTok and it kind of went viral.”
“ What ?” I grab the phone and watch myself stumble under the decorated archway at the finish. I lose my footing and Hot Paramedic swoops in, letting me fall into his arms. There’s a look of concern on his face, and the way he yells at someone to get out of the way is alarming sexy. “And they paired it to music ? My god.”
“Look at the comments. I can’t stop laughing.”
I scroll down, reading some of them out loud. “‘Hashtag: Daddy.’ ‘Oh my god, this is a romance novel waiting to happen.’ ‘Did you see how fast he was there? My man would never.’” I cackle at that one, then read another. “‘Someone plz find this man??? I’m going to collapse and I need him to catch me!!!’” I hand her back her phone and grin. “Wow. This is gold. The internet loves him.”
“He literally came out of nowhere. One second you were by my side, and the next he was hauling you away.”
“He was nice, Kat. Funny, too. He made me laugh when I was in the throes of hell, so that gets an award in my book.”
“How did you not get his full name? An Instagram handle or something for us to do some digging into who he is?”
“He didn’t have all his information attached to his sweater, and it didn’t seem like the most opportune time to find out who he was while I was trying to keep my bagel and peanut butter down. Besides, isn’t there some patient-doctor clause that prevents him from ever seeing me again?” I sip on my gin and tonic. The alcohol liquifies in my blood and makes me bop along to whatever song is playing from the speakers. “No use opening a locked door.”
“You weren’t in the hospital, Margo. Pretty sure you can talk to the man at the finish line of a road race again.”
“That would require learning more than just his first name. Finn . What an unfairly hot name for an unfairly hot man. He had some gray in his hair, and what was left of my soul almost left my body when he winked at me.”
Dark eyes. Scruff on his cheeks. His long legs and his height—he had to be at least six-three. His deep laugh and the curve of his smile.
Everything about him was so damn attractive, and I’m kicking myself for not being more bold and asking for his number.
“Another meet-cute ruined because of miscommunication. You should’ve opened your damn mouth, woman.” She knocks my arm. “I could track him down if you want me to. I might be a nurse, but the FBI doesn’t have anything on my sleuthing skills.”
“They don’t, but I think I’m going to leave this up to the Christmas gods of fate. If it’s meant to be, I’ll see him again. Chances are it’s not, and I’ll survive, because he’s another man I don’t have time for.”
I couldn’t help but get off to the thought of him last night, though. To the feel of his hands on my shoulders and how firm his chest was when I collided with him. The man is made of muscle in his upper body, and the smirks he tossed my way made me want to ride his face.
“Hey. At least no one’s in the comments saying he’s their boyfriend. He’s probably single.”
“I’m never going to see him again, so it doesn’t matter.” I finish off my drink and jump off the stool, smoothing out the wrinkles in my short skirt. “I’m going to use the bathroom. I’ll be back in a few.”
“If you disappear for longer than fifteen minutes, I’m sending a search party after you,” Katarina warns, and I know she’s telling the truth.
I shove my way to the restroom through throngs of bodies. The bar is packed with festive drinkers in costumes, and there’s barely any room to move around without running into someone. The annual SantaCon must’ve finished up not too long ago, and it feels like everyone in the city flocked here for a beverage to wrap up the night.
A dude dressed like a snowman runs into me, and I lose my footing on a patch of spilled drinks.
There’s a tug on my arm and I’m pulled back, away from the olives and limes on the floor and into something that smells like apples and cinnamon. I let out a breath and look up, my mouth popping open when I see him holding me.
Finn.
Wearing another ridiculous sweater and grinning from ear to ear.
The Christmas gods of fate have a wild sense of humor.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I say.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” he draws out in that deep voice of his. The palm resting on my back fans out. His fingers cover my spine and reach the curve of my ass. “It’s getting ridiculous. Are you following me?”
“I think you’re following me . What are you doing here?” I sputter, lost for words as he blinks down at me with another smirk.
Goddamn him for being so hot .
“Catching you. I guess that’s a thing we do. The kids will love to hear this story one day.”
“That was so cheesy,” I say, but my heart skips a beat.
“Made you smile, didn’t it?”
I roll my lips together to hide my grin and shrug. “Can’t say for sure.”
Finn pulls away. He unravels his arms from around my middle and takes a step back. “You okay?”
“Minus the tripping hazard? I’m fine. Thanks for saving me. Again. Everyone would’ve seen my candy cane underwear if I had face-planted, and they’re not as cute as I thought they were.”
His eyes drop to my skirt. Mirth dances behind the dark brown. “Do I get to see them since I saved you?”
“That’s presumptuous.”
“Sorry. I could’ve sworn there was a saying about catching someone twice and getting to see their tits or something like that. Maybe it’s three times. Can you fall again real quick?”
This time, I can’t help but laugh. “I think it’s four, actually, but I’m firmly on two feet now. There’s no more falling.”
“It was worth trying. I’m here with some friends.” Finn points to a table in the corner where two other men are sitting. They look around his age, and they’re in a deep conversation that involves a lot of gesturing. “We don’t live very exciting lives, so getting out of the house is a treat.”
“Is that what they call the old folks’ home?” I ask, and he grins.
“You’re much funnier when you’re not close to puking your brains out.”
“Talk about being humbled.” I put my hand on my hip, and his eyes rake down the rest of my outfit. They linger on the top of my leather boots, and I don’t miss the way a muscle in his jaw works. “My friend said if I disappeared for more than fifteen minutes, she’d come looking for me. We’re getting close to that time, and you don’t want to face her wrath.”
“Why don’t you join us? Not sure my friend Holden knows how to talk to women, but we can give it a shot.”
I glance over my shoulder and make sure Kat is still at the bar. She’s checking her phone, and I don’t want to leave her behind. “Only if there’s room for her too. Hoes before bros and all of that.”
“Hoes always before bros. Bring her over. We have plenty of space.”
“’Kay. We’ll be there in a minute.” I pause and lift my chin toward his pocket. “Do you have your phone on you?”
“Yes?”
“Can I have it?”
“Are you trying to mug me?”
“In the middle of a bar where anyone could see me commit a crime? That’s not any fun.” Finn pulls out his phone and hands it over. “No passcode?”
“Nah. I keep all my dick pics on a burner. You might be too young to know this, but back in my day, phones used to flip open.”
“Wow. That’s revolutionary.” I scroll across his screen, surprised he’s not reaching for the device to hide some porn collection or a whole folder of dating apps. “Do you have TikTok?”
“I’m a forty-year-old man. Of course I don’t have TikTok.”
That confirms he’s older than me.
I figured he was, but sixteen years is a big difference.
And deliciously hot.
I bet he’s experienced. I bet he knows his way around the bedroom. I bet he could find my clit within four seconds, a trait guys my age simply don’t have.
Now I’m tempted to pull him into a dark corner and let him see my underwear. Would he get on his knees? Would he yank them to the side with his teeth or take them off and keep them in his pocket?
I squeeze my thighs together, turned on by the thought of his mouth on me. By his proximity, the scent of his cologne, and his towering presence.
“You okay?” he asks around a rasp, and I nod.
“Great,” I squeak, downloading TikTok and waiting for it to load. I find the video Kat showed me and turn the phone so Finn can see. “We’re famous.”
He steps closer and watches our moment at the finish line. His shoulders shake with a laugh, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “Wow. Look at us.”
“Look at you . People in the comments can’t get enough of your heroics.”
“There’s no hero without you.”
“Another cheesy line.” I hand him back his phone and our fingers brush. A jolt of electricity runs up my arm. “I’m going to use the bathroom. We’ll come over to your table in a few.”
“Sounds good,” he says. “Can you hike your skirt up when you walk away? I’m trying to decide if your underwear has a ton of candy canes printed on them, or if they’re red and white stripes.”
I hum and toy with the hem of my green skirt, pulling it up my thigh half an inch. Finn’s mouth parts, and he blows out a breath. “Maybe if you’re good, I’ll show you exactly what they look like later.”