Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“Okay. You do the same.”
“Deal. Ready?”
I nodded. “One, two, three…”
I closed my eyes tightly and sent up a wish and a prayer, using every fiber in my being in the hopes of transmitting my message to the highest power on duty. No second-rate angels trying to earn wings here. No, I needed the big guns.
When I opened my eyes a moment later, Court was staring at me wistfully. “Was it a good one?”
“My very best,” I assured him.
He brushed his thumb along my bottom lip and slanted his mouth over mine, cradling my head as if I were something…or someone precious to him.
We stood entwined under the stars with our lips fused until some wise guy rolled down his window and told us to get a room.
He rested his forehead on mine and chuckled, then picked up his bag, reached for my hand and strode toward Main Street.
We came together that night with a desperate intensity I couldn’t read. It felt as if he were trying to communicate with strong thrusts and gentle caresses. Court pinned me to the mattress, folded my knees to my chest, and moved like thunder. His beard tickled my neck and sweat dripped onto my brow. I loved it.
I loved being under him, cared for by him. I loved that he held nothing back. He was rough yet tender, unyielding and yet so…giving. He knew what I needed before I did. He trailed his fingers along my sides and cupped my ass, his tongue gliding and twisting with mine, breaking the connection with a gasp when his rhythm faltered. I hooked my legs around him and stroked myself, marveling at our timing as our orgasms hit at once.
He pulled me to my side, brushing my hair from my forehead in that sweet way he always did and stared deep into my eyes. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. It was all there. Affection, admiration, trust, desire…I felt all those things for him, and one more.
Love.
Yep, I was desperately in love with Court Henderson.
The thing no one told me about love was that it low-key kind of sucked. My heart was either racing a mile a minute or stopping on a dime, my blood pressure skyrocketed at the mention of Court’s name, and I couldn’t seem to focus for five minutes without peeking at my cell, hoping he’d call. In short, I was a wreck.
But Christmas Eve was not the time for a nervous breakdown.
Rise and Grind was busier than ever with schools closed, college kids home for the holidays, and a lot of folks off work till after the new year. Hiring Mazie’s friend Josh was the smartest move I’d made in a long time. The pair worked well together, which gave me some free time to schmooze with customers or pop out to do a little shopping. I could even go home and finish wrapping or—
Buzz buzz
“What happened?” I answered, flattening my palm over my heart to keep it in my chest.
“Nothing, but…you okay, Ive?”
I blew out a ragged breath and smiled into my phone. “Sorry, Stace. I didn’t check my caller ID. What’s up?”
“Well…I wanted to talk to you.”
“I’m still going to see you for our Christmas gift exchange tomorrow night, aren’t I?”
“Yes, of course, but…”
I frowned. My bestie had been spending far too much time alone lately. Dave was probably out, and she was probably lonely. Christmas Eve in the shop was usually our thing. We’d blast holiday music, give free samples of peppermint hot chocolate and host impromptu singalongs, much to Mazie’s chagrin.
“Now is perfect, actually,” I intercepted. “I need to take a break. Can I bring you something? Tea, latte, peppermint hot chocolate?”
“Plain hot chocolate with marshmallows, please.”
“You got it.”
I made two hot chocolates, shrugged on my jacket, and promised Mazie and Josh I’d be less than an hour. I dodged holiday revelers toting shopping bags and chatting with friends and neighbors on Main Street. The mood in town was festive and slightly manic with a zing of anticipation and excitement. Snow had been cleared from the sidewalks, but it clung to rooftops and awnings, and the lampposts were decorated with holiday greenery.
It was absolutely, positively gorgeous, I mused, shouting out hellos and happy holiday greetings like a prom queen on homecoming day. Gah, I freaking loved Christmastime!
My cheery mood brightened with every step as I made my way to Eucalyptus Street and let myself into Stacy’s house. Dave had hired someone to professionally decorate their home and it looked beautiful…a ginormous flocked tree stood in the entry like a giant nutcracker, hung with elegant glass bulbs and white satin ribbon. And garland draped every doorway and looped the banister of the swooping stairway.
Nothing like the tiny tree we’d dragged up West Broadway through near blizzard conditions in college. Or the two in my living room a few blocks away.