Page 49 of A Cozy Kind of Christmas

FORTY-SIX

JOHANNA

“You quit?” Johanna searched Connor’s face. He looked earnest and sincere as he bobbed his head.

He quit?

For her?

She felt suddenly feverish.

Was it hot in here?

Just her?

“Yeah, of course I quit. I don’t have any interest in running an AI department of a bunch of sports bots.

Are you kidding me? And I wasn’t about to stick around and let them get rid of the best editor ESPN has ever seen.

” His voice turned husky as he held her gaze with unnervingly deep and prolonged eye contact.

It was the kind of smoky, smoldering look he would give the camera when he signed off the broadcast.

Damn, no wonder lovesick teenagers and little old grannies sent him boxes of cookies. She was almost tempted to scurry off to the kitchen and whip up a batch of gooey chocolate treats, even though she didn’t bake.

“What about the email?” She broke away from his unrelenting gaze, worried that if she didn’t, she might not trust herself with what she would do next.

“They preemptively sent that out.” He stood, cocking his head to the side like he knew he was starting to win her over.

“They assumed I would say yes. I think they’re still in shock that I turned them down.

You should have seen their faces when I walked out.

Jo. It was awesome. Total mic-drop moment. I should have filmed it.”

“You turned the job for me?” Johanna was almost at a loss for words.

“Why would I want to work for a company that doesn’t value their best people?

” He sat next to her, so close that their bodies touched, sending an ache of longing down her neck.

“I turned it down. Jo.” He trailed his finger over her hand while keeping his eyes locked on her.

“I know you get freaked out by the lovey-dovey stuff.”

She burst out laughing. “Lovey-dovey? No one says that, Connor, except for maybe the grannies who send you banana bread and fudge.”

“What? You want me to call it like it is? Fine.” He grinned. “You’re commitment-phobic and ridiculously independent to a fault. You might even say allergic to anything that resembles emotional vulnerability.”

She raised one eyebrow. “Is this supposed to be winning me over? You’re really killing it here, my guy.”

He tipped his head to the side in a challenge. “It’s already working, and you know it.”

“Hardly.” She scoffed, but internally, blood rushed to her head and her breath caught in her chest. How did he know her so well? And why couldn’t she resist his touch?

“As I was saying, you’re stubborn, bullheaded, and the most gorgeous, intelligent, funny woman I know.” His finger traveled up her arm in soft, concentric circles. “We have a good thing here, and I think it could be even better if you’ll just give me a chance.”

“A chance at what?” she asked breathlessly.

“At us. At love.” Connor cupped his hands around her chin, caressing her jawline so tenderly that it took everything in Johanna not to close the distance between them. To give in to gravity. To give in to him.

“What I’m trying to tell you is that I’m in love with you, Johanna King,” Connor continued with more resolve. “And whether you want to admit it or not, I think you love me, too.”

He was in love with her.

Love?

He’d walked away from his career and a huge promotion, hopped on a plane and flown across the country, and shown up at her cabin with flowers and chocolate. All for her?

Her breath felt fluttery. Unstable.

She couldn’t make sense of it.

Was this a dream?

“I don’t understand why you haven’t figured it out by now.” Connor’s voice grew even softer. “I’ve tried to show how much you mean to me. I should have said it out loud a lot sooner, but I was worried that I might lose you. I didn’t want to push you away.”

“Connor…” she finally said, her breath growing faster.

“No, let me finish.” He pressed his finger on her lips.

She opened her mouth slightly, her body betraying her—pulling her toward him like an imaginary force she couldn’t escape.

“You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I don’t want to wait another second to tell you that I’m in love with you, Johanna King. ”

She gulped.

Connor reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her eye, his finger tracing her jaw and landing on her lips. “You’re so beautiful, Jo.”

This time, her body did betray her.

She leaned in, whispering his name so softly she wasn’t even sure she’d said it. “Connor. Connor.”

Their heads tipped together.

Their lips touched.

The kiss was slow at first. Then deep and more passionate—desperate.

Connor ran his hand down her thigh, his grip becoming more possessive as his lips sampled her neck and traveled toward her cleavage.

And for once, Johanna didn’t calculate the fallout. She stopped thinking, analyzing—weighing the risks.

Nothing else mattered now.

No strategies.

No plans.

No power moves or exit strategies.

Only this moment. The warmth of his skin, the way his mouth skimmed the edge of her neckline, the way her body so easily fell into his.

Everything else fell away as their limbs tangled together.

She closed her eyes, feeling a truth she hadn’t been willing to recognize surfacing.

“I love you, too,” she whispered with a certainty that surprised her.