Escaping Christmas. Charlotte Ashwood

tiramisu or go with her favorite, the chocolate chip? She decided on the unknown quantity, the Slam Dunk. It was vanilla with orange pretzels in it, and lived up to her expectations. Eyes closed, she had to hold back a moan of pleasure. God, but there was something sinful about Baskin-Robbins ice cream.

      Alex inhaled sharply, and Angie’s eyes flew open at the sound. She turned to look at him and froze when she saw his expression.

      Eyes narrowed, Alex gazed at her mouth with such hunger it took her breath away. “You can tie me up anytime you want,” he murmured.

      Angie swallowed as her mind went wild with images of Alex tied to her bedposts and the many delicious things she could do with him at her mercy like that. Suddenly her chest felt tight, like there was not enough air in the room.

      Alex felt desire slam into him as he watched Angie lick the ice-cream spoon. He had been attracted to her since the very first moment they’d met, and their meeting at the coffee shop had turned that spark into a flame. Yet nothing had prepared him for the intense heat that was now coursing through his body. He shifted on the stool, suddenly uncomfortable, and forced his gaze upward to find that he’d been caught staring. He could tell from the way her pupils were slightly dilated that she liked being watched. Looking into those eyes the color of midnight, he knew she was as affected as he was. He turned away and glanced around the room. As lovely as the apartment was, there was an obvious lack of Christmas decorations. “How come you have no Christmas stuff in here?”

      Angie shrugged and pushed another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, stalling for time. She was still trying to catch her breath after the moment they had just shared. As she looked around she realized that it was already dark outside. She’d drawn the lovely bamboo blinds that morning before she went out and hadn’t closed them yet. She turned to look at his face in profile and remembered his question. What could she say? That she’d crossed several continents just to get away from Christmas? She shrugged again.

      “Don’t you get enough of Christmas stuff in all the malls?”

      He smiled. “It’s crazy, isn’t it?”

      Malaysians went all out when it came to Christmas. They didn’t even let a lack of snow stop them; they created their own snow in the malls and had sexy little elves passing out fliers advertising the many events that took place.

      Handing him a spoon, she gestured to the ice cream. “It’s melting.”

      Angie watched Alex as he took a spoonful of the ice cream. She saw his reaction and couldn’t help but chuckle.

      “It’s divine, isn’t it?”

      He nodded. “I can’t believe you’re sharing this.”

      “Well, you sent it. Seemed rather churlish not to share with you.”

      “I’m glad I got it, then.”

      Angie caught her breath at the undertone in his voice but decided to ignore it. She was suddenly finding it hard to enjoy her ice cream, and not for the first time, she wanted to regret inviting Alex to share it with her. It was taking her completely out of her comfort zone, but she had to admit that she was enjoying the banter.

      There was something really intimate about sharing ice cream with a stranger, and the air around them was slowly filling up with tension.

      “So tell me something about you that I don’t know.”

      She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Are you asking for my life story now?”

      “It would be a good place to start.”

      “Okay, I’ll play. But let’s do it this way. I’ll tell you something about me, then you tell me something about you.”

      Angie wondered what the hell she was thinking. Oh, who was she kidding? She was thinking that it had been a year since she’d had sex, a year since any man had caught her interest. And going by the way she could feel heat pooling in her center, she knew Alex had done just that. The look on his face as he watched her lick that ice-cream spoon had convinced her the feeling was mutual. But it went beyond that. He made her feel good about herself, which was a feeling she’d forgotten. He looked at her like he saw the real Angie Scot, and he had no idea how sexy that was to her.

      “You mean like truth or dare?”

      His question brought her out of her reverie, and she caught her lower lip between her teeth. Dare she? But she already knew her answer. “Sure, why not?” She shrugged, trying to appear casual.