“Yeah, she mentioned it,” I bark and then pause, my eyes narrowing on him. “You used to rep her boyfriend? The dude who cheated on her when they were engaged? Days before the wedding?”
Harvey looks shocked I know that much. “Umm.. yeah. I think the cheating… well, we all make mistakes. Chet and Jennie are just a better fit than Chet and Felicity. And he feels really bad. He paid us back for all the deposits on the venue and the food.”
“And you dumped him right?” I prod and cross my arms over my chest. “You don’t still rep the man who screwed your daughter over?”
“I do,” Harvey admits, and he doesn’t even look like he feels the least bit bad about it. “I keep my business and private life very distinct. So if things didn’t work out with you and Felicity, you don’t have to worry about that affecting our business relationship.”
This guy… man. I can’t believe he doesn’t get it. But he doesn’t. And poor Felicity has probably got relationship PTSD thinking I would sign with her dad. I uncross my arms and extend my hand. He shakes it, thinking it’s some sort of deal, but it’s a kiss-off.
“Well that’s not the type of man I want to do business with, Harvey,” I say flatly. “No offense, but your daughter is incredible and sweet and kind, and I’m picking her even if you aren’t. Sorry you wasted a trip out here. Have a nice flight home.”
I turn and start to walk away but pause and turn back to him. “Oh and merry Christmas.”
“Uhhh… merry Christmas?” he sputters completely shell-shocked.
“Mine will be great,” I call back. “Spending it with Felicity and my cat.”
I leave him in the hall and step into the room filled with more kids. All I want to do is find Felicity, but this is important to her, so I’ll stay put and be the best damn Santa she could ask for. Then I’ll find her and convince her I can be the best damn boyfriend too.
Chapter 16
Felicity
The arena is entirely quiet now. The lights on the ice are off. The families, vendors and staff have all vacated the premises, and I’m betting most of the players have too. I’m doing one last sweep of the Community Suite to make sure none of the guests left anything behind.
The suite door opens, and I expect to see a member of our cleaning team. They would be a few hours early, but no one else should be up here now. So when I see Nolan Duggan filling the entire doorway with his hulking frame, still wrapped in his Santa suit, I’m shocked. What doesn’t shock me is the scowl on his handsome face.
“Can I help you?” I ask airily. I’m beat — dog tired — after working all day, but I am exerting every last bit of energy to seem overly perky and bright just to annoy him. His frustration gives me strength.
“You think I would invite your father here and not tell you?” he growls.
“I don’t know what to think,” I correct him. “But I know that he was here. And he’s an agent. And a very quick Google search showed me you’re currently agent-less.”
“Yeah and your dad is apparently an agent with the same company that my agent worked at before he passed away. Something you left out the other night. That he’s an agent. An agent that reps your cheating ex. Chet is it?” he growls, stepping further into the suite, the door closing behind him. He looks so incredibly intense, and if I didn’t know better, I’d find him intimidating, but something I know now: Nolan Duggan is like the Doberman my grand dad had on his farm in Upstate New York, all bark and no bite.
So I walk right up to him to stand less than a foot away, shoulders back and head tipped up because he’s tall. Six foot something. I’m only five foot eight in my heels. “Well excuse me for not sharing the most humiliating part of my backstory with you the first chance I got. I thought that part could be shared later. I thought we had time to get to know all each other’s dirty little secrets. I guess I was wrong.”
“Why do you guess that?” He’s growling again, and I hate that my panties are getting wet from it.
“Because I don’t date men my father reps. It’s proven to be way too messy.”
“And you want to date me?”
“Nolan.”
He steps right up to me, so close we bump. But I’m feeling vulnerable and confused, and so I step back and fold my arms over my chest, covering my nipples which have decided to stand at attention and join the raging party that was being thrown by my hormones. “I don’t normally do one night stands. And I know we didn’t exactly talk about what last night was, but I was… I mean. Oh forget it. Sign with my dad. He’s a great agent. Let’s forget this ever happened.”
He stares so intensely at me that it only serves to heat my insides up even further. Now I can feel my cheeks pinking. Why does he have to look so damn fine as a furious Santa Clause? He turns those amber and brown eyes on me. They’re fringed with the darkest lashes I have ever seen. I couldn’t achieve that level of lushness even with all the mascara on the planet. “You give up really easily don’t you?”
“I fight when it’s right.”
“And you don’t think we’re right?” he grumbles. His eyes aren’t on my face. They’re bobbing between the room and… my middle? Or my…. Chest? Is he watching my chest?
I don’t want to look down, but I shift a little. The fabric of my blouse rubs against my body. My buttons feel like they haven’t popped. Man, why didn’t I wear a padded bra? I can feel the fabric graze against my already turned-on nipples. Oh fuck…. Is he…?
Suddenly, he reaches out and puts a warm hand on each of my forearms, rubbing them gently. He’s smiling down at me with this grin that is dark but not deadly like the smile he usually sports in my presence, if he sports one at all. This smile is… feral. In a delicious way.
“Wh… why are you doing that?” I sputter softly, my voice somehow incapable of anything higher than a stage whisper in this moment. It’s his scent… the remnants of after shave — warm, sensual with tones of cinnamon and cloves — on his jacket and the heat of his broad chest just inches from my nose.