this. Even if his inner voice was demanding he find some mistletoe ASAP.
“Really?” She drew the word out. “Whyever not?”
Hank leaned in close, trying not to let the spicy smell of her go to his head. “Because I’m too old for those tricks. I’m a detective, remember? I’ve seen every trick in the book.”
“I definitely didn’t forget you were a detective,” she responded, not budging an inch at his nearness. “I’m just hoping you don’t forget that you’re a man and I’m a woman.”
“I don’t think forgetting that is possible,” he replied without thinking. His words sent a charge through the air and the moment felt thick and sticky. Her eyes grew wide for a split second, then that playful smirk tugged at her lips. The inviting look immediately drew his gaze and he couldn’t seem to pull his gaze away from her. Slowly, hesitatingly, he leaned in. A small part of him knew it was too soon, but the other part didn’t care. This fierce woman in front of him was capturing his attention, and he was quickly growing tired of trying to stay aloof.
“Here we go,” Emory said, bustling into the room. She skidded to a halt. “Um...sorry.” Emory shrank back a little as Hank straightened and cleared his throat.
“No...I’m sorry,” he said, turning to Emory. “I got a little carried away.”
“Not carried away enough,” Bella muttered.
Emory must have been used to her cousin’s comments because she simply made a face and moved forward again. “I’ll, uh, just drop this off and get out of your way.” She kept her eyes down, a sure sign she was still embarrassed over what she had almost interrupted, and Hank didn’t know what to say to make it better.
He was embarrassed as well. Embarrassed he’d given into wanting to kiss her this quickly after knowing her, as if he was some undisciplined teenage boy, driven by his hormones instead of his brain. He was also embarrassed that someone had seen him being unprofessional when he’d been hired to do a job.
“Thank you,” he said softly as Emory set a beautiful tray on the table. “It looks delicious.”
She smiled at him, only holding his eyes for a second. “Thanks. It’s really a pretty easy dessert, but people love it, so I try to make it every year.”
“I’ve never had it, so I’m excited to try it.” He looked down and realized she’d brought much more than a plate of chocolate pieces. There was the promised peppermint bark, plus two cups of hot cocoa, which had a small hint of cinnamon if the smell was anything to go by, a couple of biscuit-looking things, and two glasses of milk. “Whoa...”
“Thanks, Em!” Bella called out as her cousin disappeared. She smiled widely at Hank. “Emory lives for food. She can’t help but try to nurture everyone around her with it. No matter what ails you, she has something that will fix it.”
“I can see that.” Everything on the try was set just right and it showed exactly what type of personality Emory was. Driven, no-nonsense, and detail oriented. It probably served her well in her chosen profession. “I never thought I’d say this, but it’s almost too pretty to eat.” He slowly picked up one of the long biscuit things. “My small-town upbringing is probably showing, but what exactly is this?”
Bella laughed, a sound of joy, not teasing, and Hank couldn’t help but smile with her. “That’s biscotti. It’s one of her specialties and totally worth all the calories it has.” She picked up her own piece. “You have to try it in the hot chocolate. It’s kind of hard on it’s own, but soaked in chocolate? Mmm...” Bella gushed. “It’s amazing.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” he mumbled, daring to dip it as she suggested. A sandy, vanilla flavor slid across his tongue and he groaned. “Wow. Your cousin is an artist.”
Bella’s bright smile slipped for just a second before she plastered it back on. “She is. I always have to watch my figure when I’m around her.” Hank didn’t miss the way she subtly turned her body away from him, going from openly inviting to slightly closed off.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. Knowing he had to nip this in the bud before it went any further, Hank reached out and took her chin, bringing Bella’s beautiful face back to his. “Thank you for the invitation,” he said in a low voice. “I wouldn’t have stepped