At quarter to six, Suzanne stood outside Grady’s door, taking a deep breath. Her parents would be at the cabin for the evening’s festivities in fifteen minutes. They’d expressed the need for a rest after their tiring day of travel, and while Suzanne suspected what they actually needed was some time to adjust to the high-octane level of Christmas, she was more than okay with them spending alone time together in the cottage.

Good for their relationship and her sanity.

She and Grady hadn’t spoken since he’d finished helping her father unpack the car. He’d disappeared back to the barn for a bit, only returning to the cabin as night drew in and even then had only spared her a brief, “I’ll be in my office,” before he disappeared again.

Knowing that had been awfully distracting. He was in his office. With the cherub. Did that mean he actually liked it?

Or was he just saving it up for a mass burial/bonfire at the end?

But he wasn’t in his office now—she’d looked in there to find it empty—and he hadn’t slipped outside again because she would have seen him leave, so he had to be in his bedroom. And she really needed to talk to him before her parents arrived.

Lifting her hand, she knocked on his door. It was a little on the timid side, which might have something to do with the nature of her request. When there was no response, she knocked louder. Nothing. Was he ignoring her? For the love of Zeus…why was a guy in his mid-thirties hiding out in his bedroom like some kid?

Steeling herself, she cracked open the door, saying, “Grady?” as she pushed it all the way open and peered around the jamb. He was just stepping into his bedroom from what she assumed was the bathroom, given he had only a towel slung around his waist and his hair was damp.

For a moment, she was too stunned to move. Well…too stunned to move anything other than her eyes, which took a slow trip over his chest and abs, the narrowness of his hips and the bulge between.

Oh Jesus. How could one man look so damn good? This was bad. Very bad. “Oh…” She averted her eyes, then turned her back. “I’m sorry. I knocked but…”

“Oh come on now, Suzy, don’t be so modest.” The sarcasm dripped from his voice. “I’m more covered than the cherub is.”

Yeah, well…he was also a helluva lot more freaking manly than the cherub. Definitely more endowed. Not to mention he was actually real. Flesh and blood and bone. And other more interesting anatomical bits she really wished she wasn’t thinking about right now.

“You’re seriously going to keep calling me Suzy?”