Chapter 3
HOPE
Iwas blabbering like a nervous girl on her first date.
This wasn’t even a date. We were just talking on a terrace outside a crowded lounge. And I’d had dates before. They were just disasters that never led to anything.
“So what do you do, Hope Haynes?” Noel asked at the end of my description of our roommate situation. Avery, Mollie, and I in one condo with Danika, Sutton, and Gabriella in the other.
“I work for Festive Media Studios. Heard of it?”
His expression remained neutral. I tried to read his response in his eyes, but I couldn’t tell a darn thing.
“Christmas content creation and influencer management,” he said after a moment. “Eli Oakley’s company.”
“You know Eli?”
“We’ve crossed paths.” He leaned against the railing beside me. “What do you do there?”
“I’m a junior content coordinator. Basically, I help manage the social media calendars for influencers and assist with campaign logistics.” I shrugged. “It’s entry-level, but I love it. Every day is different, and I get to help create content that makes people happy during the holidays.”
“You really do love Christmas.”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“No.” His gaze was steady on mine. “It’s just rare. Most people in this industry see Christmas as a revenue stream. You seem to actually…feel it.”
“Don’t you? Even a little?”
He was quiet for a moment, looking out at the city lights. “I used to. When I was a kid. But somewhere along the way, it just became another quarter to close. Another set of logistics problems to solve.”
There was something sad in his voice, buried under all that ice. “That’s depressing,” I said softly.
“It’s realistic.”
“It’s lonely.”
His eyes snapped to mine. For a second, I thought I’d overstepped. But then his expression softened, just barely.
“Maybe,” he admitted.
We stood there in silence. I should’ve felt cold—it was freezing out here—but I was hyperaware of how close he was. How his shoulder almost touched mine. How good he smelled, like cedar and something expensive I couldn’t name.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.
“Go ahead.”
“Are you dating anyone?”
He turned to face me fully. “No. Are you?”
“No.” I laughed, but it came out hollow. “I’m not really… I haven’t really…”
Stop talking, Hope. Just stop.
But I couldn’t. Maybe it was the darkness, or the way he was looking at me like I actually mattered, or the fact that I’d been thinking about him nonstop since I first saw him in that elevator.
“I’m twenty-three,” I said, taking a breath. “I’ve dated, but… I’ve never done it. I’m a virgin—and I’m tired of being one.”
Oh God. Had I actually just said that out loud?
Noel went very still. His eyes darkened, and something flickered across his face that I couldn’t quite read.
“Hope.”
“I know it’s weird. Most people my age have already—”
“It’s not weird.” His voice was rougher now, lower. “But why are you telling me this?”
My heart was hammering so hard, I was sure he could hear it. “Because I want to change it. And because…” I forced myself to meet his eyes. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
The air between us seemed to thicken. Charge with electricity.
He took a step closer. “That’s dangerous.”
“Why?”
“Because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you either.”
My breath caught. He reached out slowly, giving me time to pull away, and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His thumb brushed across my cheek, and I shivered—but not from the cold.
“If I kiss you right now,” he said quietly, “I’m not going to want to stop.”
Every rational thought in my head told me to be careful. To slow down. To think this through. I ignored all of them.
“Then don’t stop.”
He kissed me. Slow at first, testing—his lips soft against mine, his hand cradling my face like I was something precious. But when I responded, when I rose up on my toes and grabbed the front of his shirt to pull him closer, everything changed.
The kiss deepened. His other hand slid to my lower back, pulling me against him, and I gasped against his mouth.
He took advantage, his tongue sweeping in, and oh my God, I’d been kissed before but never like this.
Never like he was claiming me. Like he’d been starving and I was the only thing that could satisfy him.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard. His forehead rested against mine.
“Hope.” My name was a rough whisper. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes.”
“Because if we do this, if I take you back to my place—”
“I don’t want to go to your place.”
He pulled back slightly, confused. “What?”
“I mean—” I was blushing furiously now. “I do. Eventually. But not tonight. Not for…that. It feels too—I don’t know—planned?
Like I’m going back to some guy’s apartment because that’s what you’re supposed to do.
” I was rambling again. “I want it to be spontaneous. Real. Not just going through the motions.”
He studied me for a long moment, then a slow smile spread across his face. The first real smile I’d seen from him.
“Come with me.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere private.” He took my hand. “Trust me.”
I did. Which was probably insane, but I did.
He led me to a small door at the far end of the terrace, nearly hidden behind a large planter box. I’d never noticed it before. He pulled out his phone, tapped a few buttons, and I heard a soft click.
“How did you—”
“Building access app. Penthouse residents get into certain areas.”
He opened the door, and warm air rushed out. He gestured for me to go first. I stepped inside and stopped, my jaw dropping.
It was a greenhouse. A beautiful, hidden rooftop greenhouse that I had no idea existed.
Glass walls and ceiling revealed the night sky above, scattered with stars.
Grow lights cast everything in a soft, golden glow.
Plants surrounded us—ferns and flowers and small trees in enormous pots, creating the feeling of a secret garden.
In the center was a seating area with chairs in a circle.
“I can’t believe Dad never mentioned this place,” I said, turning slowly to take it all in.
“Dad?”
“He’s the senior building systems manager for Reboot. He has access to everything.” I laughed. “Then again, he’s not really the ‘stop and smell the roses’ type. Probably just sees it as another system to maintain.”
“Cruz had it built a few years ago. Wanted year-round greenery.” Noel closed the door behind us, and suddenly we were alone in this warm, plant-filled oasis. “Most residents don’t know it exists.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah.” But he wasn’t looking at the greenhouse. He was looking at me.
He crossed to me in two strides and kissed me again, deeper this time, more urgent. His hands slid into my hair, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing against him.
“Hope.” He broke the kiss, breathing hard. “If you want to stop, tell me now. Because in about thirty seconds, I’m not going to be able to.”
“I don’t want to stop.”
“You’re sure? Because I need you to be absolutely sure—”
I grabbed his face and kissed him, pouring everything I felt into it. When I pulled back, I looked him straight in the eyes.
“I’m sure. I want this. I want you.”
Something in his expression shifted—became hungry, possessive. “Then come here.”