The amusement in her eyes causes a warm sensation to spread through my chest.

“Did you want to stay and watch a movie with me?” She gestures behind me, and I turn.

Her apartment is small and absolutely loaded with holiday decor. There’s a Christmas tree against the wall between the kitchen and the living room/bedroom and another smaller one on the modest-sized kitchen island. She has garland strung from one corner of the room to the other and strands of Christmas lights hang across the window, giving the room a warm glow.

I swallow hard when I see the bed, the TV on the wall across from it. I turn back to look at her. “No couch?”

She shakes her head. “Nope. It was a pull-out couch or a bed, and since I rarely have anyone here, I opted for the bed. Figured a comfortable sleep was more important than comfortable TV viewing.”

“What are you watching?”

She gives me a duh look. “A Christmas movie of course.”

I smile. “Right. Should’ve guessed.”

“Well, will you stay?”

She sounds oddly vulnerable, and I nod even though I know once I’m sitting next to her on a bed, it’ll be a struggle to back up the words I just said. My cock is sure to have other things on the agenda besides viewing a holiday movie.

We situate ourselves on the bed, both of us leaning against the headboard, my arm wrapped around Kenzie and her leaning into my chest. Something about it feels so right to me, and of course that spurs a panic because it’s still a struggle to trust my own judgment when it comes to love and relationships. Which is probably why I haven’t been in a relationship with anyone since Audrey and I split.

I do my best to push the thoughts of my past from my mind, not wanting to ruin this moment or chance with Kenzie. In a lot of ways, cuddling with her like this without her knowing all the doubts that are swirling through my brain feels disingenuous.

After about twenty minutes, I’m able to get out of my head and enjoy the movie, even if I wish it were an action flick and not a Hallmark movie.

Kenzie and I meet down the street from Saks Fifth Avenue. We plan to watch the light show on the outside of the building, then take a walk to see some of the Christmas windows the high-end department stores have put together. This is her third and final attempt to show me what I’m missing about Christmas.

I spot Kenzie rushing toward me through the crowd. She has on a grey coat with an ivory hat and matching scarf and gloves. “I’m so sorry I’m late.”

I glance at my watch. “You’re a minute late. Nothing to worry about.”