Baby, It's Cold Outside by Heidi Rice, Kate Hardy, Aimee Carson, Amy Andrews

thought made her feel decadent and desirable. But under the hum of arousal was the sharp twist of guilt. He had a girlfriend. Didn’t he?
    She’d always had a strong moral code, maybe too strong in some respects—or she would never have ended up with a killjoy like Benedict—but while she’d discovered this evening that she could bend it more than a little, she couldn’t break it altogether.
    The only problem was she didn’t quite know how to ask Ryder what she had to ask, without seeming like a prude—or worse, an idiot.
    Just as she was puzzling over how best to go about it, his eyes flickered open and that penetrating sapphire gaze fixed firmly on her face.
    “Damn,” he said sleepily, “I almost nodded off there before the main event.” He held out his hand, beckoning her over with his fingers.
    She shuffled her bum until she was sitting next to him and laid her hand in his to let him draw her closer. But when he went to slide his arm around her waist, she stiffened.
    His brow lifted. “You look kind of serious. Is something wrong?”
    It was the opportunity she’d been waiting for, but she still had to battle the wave of uncertainty. If he said what she thought he was going to say, they wouldn’t be able to make love, and after flirting with him all evening that was going to be the biggest disappointment of her life. But she couldn’t live with herself not knowing one way or the other, so what choice did she really have?
    “Yes, I think maybe there is,” she stammered, trying to find the right words.
    He straightened, his brow flattening into a frown of curiosity, but the lazy smile stayed in place. “Then I guess you better spill it…”
    “Okay.” She sucked in a deep breath, heaved it out. “I know this is only casual. That we got stuck here together, and we’re both attracted and I do really want to…” She paused.
    The sexy smile curled upward and became a little smug. “So far, so good.”
    God, what on earth are you wittering on about? Just say it.
    “But I don’t feel I can sleep with you, even in a completely casual sense,” she qualified, the words rushing out. “Knowing you have a girlfriend.”
    His eyebrows launched up his forehead—and the smile flatlined. “What makes you think I’ve got a girlfriend?”
    He sounded genuinely stunned. She suppressed the spurt of hope, knowing she had to clarify, to be completely clear.
    “The special lady?” she prompted, but he just stared at her. “The special lady who collects dolls—the one you were buying a gift for? Exactly how special is she?”
    His eyes widened and then to her utter shock, a gruff chuckle came out, followed by another, and another.
    “What’s so funny? It’s a valid question,” Kate stated, annoyed. It had taken all the willpower she had to ask the bloody question. He could at least take it seriously.
    The laughter finally died down to be replaced by intermittent chuckles. “Katherine, you slay me,” he said at last.
    “I can see that,” she replied, tartly. “Perhaps you could let me in on the joke now.”
    He grasped her hand. “Come here.” Wrapping his arm around her waist, he lifted her onto his lap.
    Warmth spread at the cozy, possessive gesture and the feel of thighs roped with muscle cradling her bottom.
    “First off,” he began, drawing the curtain of hair back behind her ear, the brush of his fingertip sending a shiver of sensation down her neck. “Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not the kind of guy who sleeps with one woman while dating another—no matter how casual the hookup. Okay?”
    The twist of guilt released so fast all she could manage was a nod.
    “And second of all, in answer to your question, the special lady is very special. In fact, she’s the most special person in my life.”
    “Oh,” she murmured, her relief quelled by gut-wrenching disappointment. Which was insane. So he had another woman in his life who meant a lot to him? So what? They’d already