Page 64 of Royal Icing

Leo shook his head. “This is happening. I don’t care what I have to do. If they say no, I’ll find another way.”

They wouldn’t say no. You’d have to be a sadist to say no to building a domestic violence shelter in a lot that no one was even using.

“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear. Do you need a pep talk before your date?”

“It’s not a date.”

Sal looked around very slowly at all the candles and flowers. “I’m sorry, did you drag an entire Christmas tree in here? You hate Christmas.”

He gestured to the corner of the greenhouse, where an eight-foot tree had recently been decorated with lights and tinsel.

“It’s—it doesn’t matter what it is,” Leo said. “Get out of here. Thanks for the food.”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” Sal said contritely. “Don’t get caught,” he called just before the door swung shut behind him.

Idiot.

Minutes later, the door inched open and Emma’s head poked inside. His heart lifted at the sight of her, and some of the storm cloud of worry about his project receded.

“All clear?” she whispered.

“All clear.”

“Good. It’s cold as fuck.” She stepped inside and shed her coat. “Oh, but so warm in here. How do you not spend every day in here?”

He blinked, and his brain went stupid for a second. A scarlet dress with a plunging neckline clung to her slender figure, which was incredibly sexy despite the fact that she had paired the outfit with massive snow boots.

“Sometimes I do,” he said when his brain reentered his body. “It’s a great place to hide from my family.”

“Is that a Christmas tree?” She rushed over to investigate the tree and took an appreciative sniff.

“It’s fake,” he said apologetically.

“It’s okay. I sniffed the one in the courtyard on my way here.”

“Are you in the habit of sniffing trees?”

“Life’s too short not to sniff the trees,” she said.

He smiled. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she said with a small twirl. “Would you believe I found this in a thrift store in town today? Oh, shit,” she said, looking down at the snow boots. “I meant to take these off and swap them with these.” She pulled a pair of gold heels out of her bag.

“I’ll pretend like I didn’t see anything,” he said, turning his back to her.

A minute later, she came to stand in front of him, now wearing the heels. “What do you think?”

He couldn’t help himself. He wrapped his arm around her and dipped her, sliding his hand along her leg. Her arms slipped around his neck, and she tugged herself up to kiss him.

His heart beat furiously fast, and his grip tightened on her. He could rip this dress straight off her and set her on the table, exploring with fingers and tongue and everything in him that screamed out to be closer to her, inside her, wrapped in her warmth.

“Sorry,” she said breathlessly a minute later. “I was probably supposed to wait until the end of the date to do that. Not that this is a date,” she said hurriedly.

“I don’t mind,” Leo said, leaning in to kiss her again, softer this time. “I would have done it anyway. You’re a distraction.”

“Me? I’m not the one setting up Christmas trees and making a gorgeous freakin’ greenhouse wonderland. And is that dinner?”

“Of course.”