Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
I hate to see a man mistreat a woman. I peer over at her and I can tell she’s embarrassed… but maybe also a little relieved. He glares at her, then at me, before nodding his head. I let him up and he backs a few feet away. “Fuck that, I’m not apologizing to that fat bitch.”
He’s got balls, I’ll give him that. He takes off running toward his car, and I turn to go get him. The woman wraps her hand around my bicep. “He’s not worth it. Honestly, you saved me from a terrible ride home and an awkwardness trying to get him to leave.”
“He shouldn’t talk to you like that,” I tell her. “No man should treat or talk to a woman like that.” Plus, that guy is dense if he thinks she’s fat. She’s breathtaking. Her curves have my mouth watering and the crotch of my jeans working harder to contain my hard length.
Her blush colors her face prettily. She blows out a cold breath. “Yeah, well, I didn’t know he was like that. He checked off everything on my list.” Her face pinches when she realizes what she just said.
I smile at how cute she is. I should wipe the smirk off my face to not embarrass her anymore. “Your list?”
Chapter 2
Candy
Sometimes I don’t know when to keep my mouth closed. Trying to change the subject, I tell him, “My name’s Candy, by the way. Thank you for your help.” I wave my hand, gesturing to the truck squealing its tires as it pulls out of the lot onto the road.
His smile gets deeper and he strokes his hand along his salt and pepper beard. Lumberjack. That’s the first thing that comes to my mind. The man is built like a lumberjack. I mean, he looks like he bench presses Christmas trees for a living. His flannel shirt is covering his arms, but I can almost imagine what they look like. “Cane, my name’s Cane. It’s nice to meet you, Candy.”
You have got to be kidding me. I can tell he sees the reference by the way he stresses the words Candy and Cane. His eyes look me up and down. “So you want this tree?” His voice is husky, almost filled with lust, and my lower belly tightens at the sound.
I shake my head, trying to gather my wits about me. “Yes, well, no actually. He was sort of my ride. I’m going to call an Uber and I’ll come back another day to get the tree.”
I should walk away. I mean, I’ve made my excuses… but I don’t want to. I pull my phone out of my coat pocket, getting ready to open the ride app.
His hand circles my wrist, pulling me closer. My head tilts back to look up at him, and it pushes my breasts against his firm chest. Biting my lower lip, I try to stop the moan from leaving my mouth.
“I’ll deliver your tree. And take you home.” He brushes a stray hair off my face, and I can’t look away from him. His bright blue eyes are holding me hostage.
Without even blinking, I tell him, “I can’t let you do that.”
His eyes go to my lips, and he stares at them - hard. “I want to.”
I should tell him no and find my own way home. But a part of me wants to forget my list for finding Mr. Right and just live in the moment. One night of not weighing a list of do’s and don’ts, one night of not trying to calculate my whole life. I mean, look where the list got me with Mark. Obviously, it’s flawed.
I feel his chest expand, and he takes a deep breath before stepping away from me. “This one? Is this the tree you want?”
I nod my head, unable to speak because my body is trembling from the loss of his heat against me.
He hefts the tree up on his shoulder and starts to walk away. Just seeing him standing there with a damn tree on his shoulders has my core tighten. I follow him, watching the way his butt moves in his jeans. I almost run right into the back of him when he stops suddenly and turns toward me. Luckily I didn’t run into the tree. That would’ve been embarrassing.
“I’m going to strap this in the truck,” he says. “Do you want to look around for a minute? I can get you a cup of coffee or cocoa to help warm you up.”
Thinking maybe I do need a minute, I tell him I would like to check out the décor and I’ll get us a hot drink. He asks for a coffee and I watch him walk away before heading to the other side of the lot.
Taking a deep breath, I try to control my racing heart. I’ve never felt this kind of attraction to someone. It heats my whole body and awakens things I’ve never felt before. I stroll through the displays, picking a beautiful wreath and paying the vendor before I walk to the drink stand. I order a coffee and a hot cocoa, but when I reach into my purse, the man holds his hand up.