4. Harrison
W hat in the hell was I doing?
Emma was so close to me I could feel her hot breath. Her cheeks were a bright red and the way she stared up at me made me go hard instantly. Thank fuck I still had the apron on.
“Harrison.”
“Emma.”
She swallowed hard and was about to say something when the sound of little feet came running down the hallway, causing us both to take a few steps away from one another and break the strange trance that fell over both of us.
It was the cold water I needed to chase away the thoughts I had the moment Emma stepped into my bedroom.
It had been a mistake to bring her in here.
It had been too long since I’d been with a woman.
The last was over six months ago. An old high school flame whom I’d bumped into at a bar with Preston and Doug.
We both only wanted one thing. Sex. We’d met up a few times after that and it had been exactly what I had needed at the time.
Mindless, no-strings-attached sex. When she hinted she had wanted something more, I quickly broke things off between us.
I wasn’t looking for a relationship. Not when I had Noel to think about.
Besides, Lynn wasn’t the type of woman I could ever see myself settling down with, and more importantly, be a mother to Noel.
But Emma was completely different from the other woman I had been with in the past. Her untamed curls and those soft brown eyes she hid behind her glasses made my entire body come to life anytime she was near me.
She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on.
And her body. Christ, that curvy body of hers would drive any man insane.
“Lunch is weady!” Noel called out as she came to a skidding halt between me and Emma.
“Oh,” Emma stated in a sexier-than-hell breathy voice. “I’m starving.”
Her eyes met mine and I raised my brows. I knew what I was doing. Playing with fire. But fuck if it wasn’t fun to watch her eyes darken with desire. And right on cue, the wall slammed down. Her eyes turned distant, and she stood ramrod straight. She was back to librarian Emma.
“For food. Just food. Only food. That’s the only thing I’m interested in.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I held up my hands. “Then let’s get some food in you.”
W e spent the rest of the day at the kitchen table going over ideas for the dinner. I wasn’t one to put my daughter in front of the TV, but when Mom put a Disney movie on and Noel was instantly engrossed, she joined us in the planning.
I was stunned by how much we had gotten done.
The table layout, with my mom’s help, was arranged a bit differently.
Mom offered to talk to one of her friends who owned a flower shop about donating the flowers in exchange for advertisement.
I called a good friend of mine who owned an Italian restaurant right on the outskirts of town and asked him if he knew anyone who could cater the dinner at a reduced cost. He laughed and emailed me a menu he had come up with right on the spot.
The theme was Christmas in Italy, which Mom had suggested, and Emma had been on board with.
I wasn’t sure if it was because her belly was full of lasagna and homemade tiramisu, or if Anthony’s menu won her over. I’d place a bet it was the latter.
Mom offered to clean up the kitchen while Emma and I talked about entertainment. She was sitting back in her chair taking a sip of tea when she suddenly looked at me.
“Christmas in Italy set during the 1940s. People can dress in vintage formal wear.”
“Oh, I love that idea!” Mom said as she rejoined us at the table. “It’s different, and I think people will love the change.”
Emma grinned from ear to ear. “Would we have to adjust the menu?”
Mom and I both shook our head as I said, “Not at all. I think Mom’s right and setting it in the 1940s would make it stand out from the plethora of other dinners that time of year that will be held in Boston.”
“I do too!” Emma agreed. Her eyes were lit with excitement. “What if we called it ‘A Wish from Christmas Past’.”
Mom clapped. “Emma, you missed your calling, darling!”
I laughed as Emma said, “Then it’s settled.”
Mom cleared her throat and said, “I’ve arranged for the two of you to look at the ballroom this evening at eight.”
Emma and I turned and looked at my mother.
“What?” we both said at the same time.
“I think it’s important to be in the room and get a feel for things. Then you can decide on decorations. My suggestion would be less is best. Let the elegance of the ballroom and the tables do most of the work. Simple white lights make the Christmas season more romantic, in my opinion.”
“Mom, I can’t go at eight. Noel is in bed by then.”
She waved off my concern. “I’ll watch her. Since we ate lunch so long ago, you should stop and grab some dinner.”
I raised a brow and gave my mother a knowing look. I knew what she was up to.
Matchmaking.
Emma looked between me and my mother, then back to me. “We can go look at the ballroom another time. I should really be going and let you get back to enjoying the rest of your Saturday with Noel.”
My brain told me she was right and that I should bid her goodbye and show her the door. It was a damn shame, though, that my brain lost the battle with the rest of my body.
“I think Mom’s right. We should swing by and check out the ballroom. Are you even hungry?”
Emma chewed on her lower lip. “I guess I could eat something small.”
Smiling, I said, “I know just the place. It’s not far from the hotel.”
With a return smile, Emma nodded. “Okay, well, should we walk or grab an Uber?”
I glanced outside to see snow lightly falling before I focused my attention back on her. “I’ll leave that up to you.
E mma had decided we should walk the short distance to the Boston Harbor Hotel. It gave us time to talk a bit more and get to know one another.
“Where are we going to eat?” she asked.
“If you don’t mind another round of Italian, how about here?”
She glanced up, laughing as she looked back at me. “Pasta Beach?”
“They’ve got amazing food.”
“Well, with a last name like Maggio, I’m going to have to trust you on this one.”
I motioned for her to head into the restaurant.
An hour later, after a few glasses of wine and a hot meal, we’d talked about everything from our childhoods to where we wanted to see ourselves in five years.
“You didn’t mention anything about marriage in your future,” Emma stated after she had finished off her wine and set the glass on the table. Her finger ran along the bottom of the glass as she waited for me to answer.
I shrugged. “I’m not opposed to getting married. It’s just, I have Noel to think about, and the last thing I want to do is bring someone into her life who won’t be there for the long haul. She is my number one concern.”
Emma smiled. “It is obvious you love her fiercely.”
“I do.”
She chewed on her lip and looked down at her hands.
“Ask me, Emma.”
Her head jerked up and she wore a surprised expression. “Excuse me?”
“It’s clear that you want to ask me something, but you’re not sure how to.”
A crooked smile played over her face, and I felt a strange tightness in my chest. I nearly lifted my hand to rub it away.
“With it just being you, aren’t you ever afraid…I mean, with your job and all?”
I sat back. “Every time I hear the alarm go off, I’m scared to death.”
“Yet, you still do it?”
Nodding, I replied, “I do. I love my job.”
She grinned. “A Navy SEAL, now a firefighter. Something tells me you love danger in your life.”
I laughed. “I guess you could say that. You never did say what made you become a librarian.”
“Oh, that,” Emma said with a little shrug.
“I was…no, I am, a book nerd. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved reading.
Everything from romance books to biographies.
The feeling of being able to escape the real world has always been something I’ve craved.
I knew in high school, when I spent most of my time in the library, that I wanted to be a librarian.
I wasn’t very popular in school, so it was my safe place.
If I’m being honest, my true dream is to maybe someday own my own little children’s bookstore. ”
Frowning, I asked, “Why did you need a safe space?”
Her cheeks turned pink. “I was teased a lot in high school by other girls. As you can see,” she motioned to herself.
“I’m not exactly the type who tried out for cheerleading.
Most of the girls didn’t like me, and if a boy talked to me, it was usually because he needed help with his homework or had a question about something we were doing in class.
I don’t really know why the girls didn’t like me. I clearly wasn’t a threat to them.”
I shook my head slowly as I stared at her in disbelief. Leaning forward, I said, “I can tell you why they didn’t like you. They were jealous of you.”
Her eyes went wide before she started to laugh. “Jealous of me? Nothing could be further from the truth.”
“Emma, I don’t know what you see when you look in the mirror, but I can tell you what I see. A very beautiful, intelligent, and hot as hell librarian with a body that would make any man fall to his knees.”
The pink turned to bright red. When she crinkled her nose, I wanted to destroy any person who ever made her doubt herself in any way.
“Let me let you in on a little secret.”
“Okay,” she said with an unsure chuckle.
“Guys don’t ask girls for help with school unless they simply want to get her attention.
I assume you were shy, and that was one reason you hung out in the library.
So if a guy wanted to get your attention, he’d ask for help with school.
The other girls saw this and knew deep down you were beautiful and had the type of body most guys want.
So that’s why they teased you. Made fun of the one thing they all most likely wanted. ”
“They wanted to be chubby?”
I leaned back in my chair. “Do you think you’re chubby?”
Emma looked down at her body, then back up. “No. But I’m not thin either. I have wide hips, a big butt, and large breasts.”
“Did you think you were chubby in high school?”
She shrugged. “I guess I did. I looked the same then as I do now, but I guess back then at that age…”
Pausing, she sighed. “I’m lying to myself. I do sometimes think I’m chubby.”
“My father had a man cave. I wasn’t allowed in there until I was older. Do you know what he had hanging up on his walls?”
“What?” she asked as she leaned in a bit, curious at what the answer was going to be.
“Pin-up girls. Rita Hayworth, Veronica Lake, Lana Turner, Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe. And you know what you have in common with all those women?”
She slowly shook her head. “You’re not a stick, Em. You have curves and a body any man would want to put his hands on and explore.”
Swallowing slowly, Emma sat back. “Then I must attract the wrong kind of men. The last few guys I dated made it clear they thought I could lose a bit of weight. One even downloaded a weight loss app on my phone.”
Anger filled my entire body. “Then they’re stupid assholes. Or they knew what they had and didn’t want any other man to look at you.”
Emma blinked a few times. “It took me a long time to feel comfortable in my skin. I’m healthy, I’m happy, and I finally feel…”
Her words faded while she tried to decide if she wanted to share her thoughts with me.
“You feel what?”
“Nothing.”
Every part of me wanted to know what she was going to say. What did she feel?
“Tell me. Please.”
When her teeth dug into her lower lip, she whispered, “Sexy.”
I instantly went hard. “You are. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into the library and nearly tripped over myself at the sight of you.”
Her eyes widened. “What? Me?”
I laughed. “Don’t sound so surprised, Emma. I just told you only seconds ago you were beautiful, and you said you feel sexy in your own skin. Why wouldn’t I be attracted to you?”
With her hand, she said, “Because look at you.”
She looked away and exhaled before focusing back on me. “Most men say those types of things when they want to sleep with you.”
“They do. And I would be lying if I didn’t tell you I was attracted to you. But your body and beautiful face isn’t what makes me long to catch a glimpse of you when I bring Noel to story time.”
Her lips parted slightly as she whispered, “What does?”
“It’s your smile. The way you get a crinkle between your brows when you see me. Like you’re annoyed, yet your eyes say something completely different.”
“They do?”
“Yes, they do. And when I walked in and saw you in that meeting room, I wanted to drop to my knees and thank God above it was you and not your boss.”
Her tongue swept across her lips, and she went to say something but stopped when the waitress brought the check.
“Thank you,” I said as I pulled out my wallet and handed her my credit card.
“Let me split it,” Emma started to say.
Holding up my hand, I shook my head. “My treat.”
Emma remained quiet as I paid then helped her put her coat on. We still had a few minutes to get to the hotel and meet with the manager to look at the ballroom.
As we walked outside, Emma glanced up and smiled. It was snowing yet again.
“Noel does the same thing. Looks up and smiles at the snow.”
Turning her attention on me, Emma said, “I’ve always loved the snow.”
“Shall we?” I said as I pointed toward the hotel and held out my other arm for her to take it.
Emma nodded and we walked the short distance in silence.