I exhale slowly. “If only a real firm could see that. But apparently, one turkey incident is a career death sentence.”
He laughs gently. “Okay, yeah, that one’s a little hard to recover from.”
“It was kind of funny though. I know I’m not supposed to laugh when people fall, but when SpicyGranny74 went down…hilarious.”
“Want to watch it?” he teases.
“Hell no.” I grin. “We could always watch you decking Santa.”
“Trust me, he had it coming.”
“I believe you.”
There’s another pause, quieter this time. And I feel it again, that warmth that comes off him in waves. Not just his body, but him. That quiet steadiness, that deeply buried sweetness he tries so hard to hide. Honestly, I can’t imagine what it must have been like for him, being given up as a baby, told it was for his own good. Even if it was… it still had to hurt. That kind of pain leaves fingerprints on a person’s soul.
And somehow, he still turned into this, this good, solid man who protects, and listens, and volunteers to play Santa just to help me. I glance at the window. Snow is falling again, thick and dreamy. The whole town wrapped in a blanket of magic.
“Beautiful, huh?” he murmurs.
“Yeah,” I say softly. But I’m not looking at the snow anymore.
I’m looking at him.
And for a split second, I wonder what it would be like to actually be engaged to someone like Penn Radford. To have this not be a performance. To fall asleep next to him night after night. To let him kiss me for real. To let him keep brushing my hair away like I’m something to be cherished.
My throat tightens a little.
I shift closer, just enough to feel the pillow wall bend between us.
And then I whisper, almost daring myself to say it?—
“Penn?”
“Yeah?”
“I think I want to be on Santa’s naughty list.”
He laughs, low and warm. “Good,” he says. “Because that’s exactly where I want you.”
6
Penn
With the snow falling outside, a hush settles over us. The darkness is broken by the faint golden glow from the decorated lampposts beyond the window. The light slices across the floor casting shadows that flicker like candlelight.
I toss the pillows aside and pull Jaylynn into my arms. She exhales a breathy laugh, the sound low and unguarded, as I shift her beneath me. Her hands glide under my shirt, her fingers warm against my skin, and I swear my heart stutters.
A small smile curves her lips. “Is this a trick? Some elaborate plan to sleep naked? Because I saw how you worked Dylan earlier.”
I grin, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Guilty. But for the record, I want both of us naked. And let’s not mention his name again.”
She chuckles, soft and breathy, the sound curling around me and hugging tight. I feel myself harden, responding not just to her touch, but to the way she’s looking at me, like maybe this isn't just a game.
“Also,” she adds, her voice dropping, “I was thinking sex might help sell our fake engagement.”
“Oh, so that’s why you’re doing this?” I tease.
“Not exactly.”