Wrapped In Red. Sherelle Green

I was on a flight at that time. Fine. Whatever, just rebook me.” She clamped her hands together on the counter; she was the picture of calm, but he could sense the heat coming off her body.

      “I’m sorry, we gave the reservation away.”

      “Excuse me—”

      Linc placed a hand at the small of her back and her jaw snapped shut. Glancing at the attendant’s name, he smiled, calling up whatever Porter charm he’d been blessed with. “Karen. I hope you realize the error you’ve made. Miss Adams is a guest of my family. Senator Porter would be disappointed if you couldn’t resolve this problem. There must be something you can do.”

      Karen blinked rapidly. “Of—of course, Mr. Porter.” But after another check through the VIP rooms, nothing was available.

      Nomi hung her head. “I’ll need to get a hold of Amber and room with her.”

      “No. You won’t. I have another idea. Come with me,” Linc said.

      “Where are we going?”

      “Trust me. I know of somewhere better than the Resplendence Inn.”

      “And you think they’ll have rooms days before Christmas?”

      “I can guarantee it.”

      Thirty minutes later, she was standing in the middle of one of the guesthouses on his family’s property. “Linc, I don’t even know what to say. You’re really going above and beyond with this whole white-knight thing.”

      He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. The smile she gave him was reminiscent of seventeen-year-old Nomi. There was no way he’d crack that shell if she left in a couple of days. He wanted to spend some time with her. “I know you said you’d owe me.”

      “Anything. If I have the power to give it to you, it’s yours.”

      Oh boy. His brain conjured up images of her twined around his body naked in front of a fire, and he had to shake his head to get rid of the imagery that would likely drive him insane for weeks. “Go with me to Brad Lennox’s wedding on New Year’s Eve.”

      Her beautiful mouth fell open. “No way in hell.”

      He’d anticipated that response from her. “How about you sleep on it?”

      “My answer’s not going to change. Pick something else. Anything else.”

      He considered it. Hell, the way she parted her lips, he considered asking for a kiss instead. But the wedding bought him some time with her. “Tell you what, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

      “Why are you being so stubborn?”

      Because I want you. “Because you never come home, and I need a date.”

      She pursed her lips. “I’ll still say no tomorrow.”

      Linc merely shrugged. “I’ll take my chances.

       Chapter 5

      The next morning, Nomi tossed and turned in bed. Sexy Linc was not part of the bargain. Yes, he could help her, and yes, she needed him, but he was not supposed to look like he did. Nor was he supposed to ask her out to the one event she certainly couldn’t go to.

      And she certainly was not supposed to respond to him like that. Just thinking about his intense, focused green eyes on her made her feel flushed.

      Over the past five years she’d dated some, but nothing serious. After all, her last serious relationship had sent her fleeing her home under the cover of darkness, so she was more than a little gun shy. And the guys she had dated were nice enough, some with great potential, but she had yet to meet a guy who gave her that same kind of exhilarating rush that her job did. So she just didn’t bother.

      The knock on her door came at eight sharp and she was a little surprised to find Linc on the other side. They weren’t supposed to meet until eight thirty. “Oh, good morning. I’m almost ready. I just need to finish my makeup.”

      “Sorry I’m early, but I figured maybe we could get breakfast before we head over to Jilly’s gallery. Besides, she’ll kill me if I don’t bring her a pastry from Claire’s bakery.”

      Nomi smiled. “I see Jilly still has her sweet tooth. How is she doing anyway?” Nomi shoved aside the twinge of guilt. She didn’t want to ask secondhand, but Jilly would pretend she was okay for Nomi’s sake. Her fiancé had called off their wedding in New York just six months ago and Jilly’d had a rough time.

      “You know Jilly. She’s tough.”

      “She also puts on a brave face even when she shouldn’t.”

      He gave her that almost smile of his again. The man was dangerous to her equilibrium. “Like someone else I know.”

      She raised her brow. “You’re her twin, so if anyone would know, I suppose it would be you.”

      “She’s still hurt and reeling. But she’s good. She’s back at work and business is booming. Jilly will bounce back. She always does.”

      She put down her powder brush. “I was sad to hear about your father. How’s he doing?”

      Linc shrugged “Fine, I guess. It’s hard to see him slipping, you know. Most days he’s lucid and he wants to work. But there are days now where he’s not even sure where he is and who people are. It’s killing Mom.”

      “Can’t be easy on you, either.”

      Again he avoided talking about his father, this time by changing the subject. “After the gallery, do you know where you might want to try next?”

      Guilt pricked at her. He had enough things to worry about without shuttling her around town. “What about work?”

      “I work at the winery for Mom. I’m the operations director.”

      “I’m sure she needs you.”

      He rolled his eyes. “Everything is shut down until after the holiday. I’m all yours.”

      The way he said that sent a tingle through her body, awakening nerve endings she hadn’t thought about in a very long time.

      “I feel bad. I’m sure there are things you’d rather be doing than spending every waking minute with me.”

      His gaze skimmed over her body. “Not really. How about this? I’ll feed you, take you to see Jilly and we’ll see where things are. It probably won’t be easy to find this guy, especially if he doesn’t want to be found and it’s tourist season.”

      She nodded. “Yeah, okay. I just wanted to get this done as quickly as possible so I can get out before the holiday.”

      He cocked his head. “Not a fan at all of Christmas?”

      “Yeah, well, I’ve been soured on the whole holiday season.”

      “That’s a shame. No eggnog, no caroling, no presents?”

      Nomi laughed. “Hold up now. I still like presents. I’m not an idiot.”

      He nodded, his eyes narrowing imperceptibly. “Lennox really did a number on you.”

      No. She was not discussing Brad Lennox. “He’s not even on my radar. I’m here to work and get out of Faith as fast as my stilettos can carry me. And I’m sorry, Linc, but you’ll have to think of another way to have me pay you back. I slept on it, and I still can’t go to his wedding with you.”

      His lips tipped up at the corners. “We’ll talk about it later. Right now, your taxi service awaits.”

      She had a sinking suspicion he wasn’t going to let it go. But she was hungry and needed fuel for that kind of fight.

      For