“Hey! Asshole! Up here!” Like the last fifty people who have walked by, he either pretends not to hear me or he doesn’t hear me.

“You think they are going to want to help us if you call them assholes?” asks Ally from the doorway a few feet behind me.

I sigh. “I’m not used to asking for help. What do you suggest?”

“I don’t know, throw some money at them? What makes you think I know?”

I glare at her. “You seemed to be full of ideas back there. Look. I know you think I’m just a hard-ass and that I’d like nothing more than to stay at the office straight through the holidays, but I have—” My lip twitches and I stand irritably, suddenly not wanting to talk about it.

“You have what?” she asks, shifting her weight and sitting straighter.

“Someone waiting for me. And I have no way to get in touch with them, so I want out of here just as badly as you.”

Her face falls slightly. “Right. Well, I can try crawling out there and yelling insults at the people down there with you if you want.”

“No. I don’t want you crawling through the snow. You’ll freeze.”

She nods her head, pulling my jacket tighter around herself, but I see her jaw quivering with shivers. I know it’s a bad idea but I need to help her stay warm or she’s going to freeze. I sit beside her. “Come on, sit beside me before you freeze to death.”

She looks me up and down, like I’m a wild animal that might strike at any moment.

“I already told you. You don’t need to be afraid of me.” Except when I gut this place and take away the job you love and the people you love working with. This is exactly why I shouldn’t be letting myself get involved on a personal level. I had no qualms about what I was going to do to this business, until now. It’s not that I need the money anymore, but it isn’t about money. It’s about doing what I’m good at, and it’s not in my nature to let an opportunity for success pass by.

She scoots a little closer and I feel the softness of her leg against me. I put my arm around her and hug her to me.

“Jesus. Your skin is so warm.”

“I’ve always run a little hotter than average. It’s great in the winter but I’m miserable in hot weather.”

“Well, you’re a handy guy to have around when a girl is freezing.”

Her hand hesitantly presses against my chest, squeezing briefly and then pulling away. I take my hand and press hers to me. “Your skin is like ice. Why didn’t you say something?”

She shrugs. “You’re not the only one who doesn’t like asking for help.”

I laugh. “If I was about to freeze to death I’d probably say something.”

For a while she sits beside me in silence, eventually resting her head on my shoulder and squeezing tight against me. It feels good, really good. Women always try to tie me down and get my time, but work has always come first. I can’t remember the last time I just sat and held someone like this. It must have been before Lana and I broke things off. Damn. How long has that been now? Six years?

“You said you have someone,” Ally asks finally. “Who is she?”

“He, actually. My son, Gage.”

She pulls back a little. “You’re married? I never saw a rin—oh. Divorced obviously.” She claps a hand to her mouth. “God. I’m sorry. I’m being about as sensitive as a rhino.”

“I didn’t realize rhinos were insensitive,” I say, smirking. “It’s fine though. It was a long time ago. I actually haven’t even seen her for years.”

“She doesn’t see your son?” asks Ally.

“No. She took the breakup really badly. I caught her cheating with some climbing instructor in Argentina and, well...she decided life would be simpler if she took a chunk of my money and stayed there.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m just glad I found out. Anyway, I have a babysitter with him and she knows to stay the night if I don’t come home. Gage was just really looking forward to opening one of his Christmas presents a day early. It’s a little bit of a ritual of ours.”

Ally smiles, her face lighting up at the mention of Christmas. She really does love the holidays. “We always went to the manger service at church, but my mom and I spent the whole time dripping hot candle wax on our hands and letting the wax dry into gloves.”

“That’s...unique.”

She squirms her lips to the side in an adorable way that makes me think about kissing her. Why am I letting myself get so distracted by this girl? I should just be letting her keep warm and making a mental checklist of the things I need to handle first thing tomorrow.

She jumps against me when we hear a loud bang from the bottom of the staircase. “Someone’s in the office!” She whispers excitedly.

I stand, lifting her with me as I do and carrying her down the stairs. She huddles in my arms, still hugging my jacket when we reach the bottom of the staircase. “Can you stand?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” she says.

I gently set her down in front of the door, losing my footing a little as I do. I slip forward, my body pressing against hers. I can feel the soft mounds of her tits pressing into my stomach. Her hands reach out to brace against my hips. A little bend of the neck and her lips could be against mine.