Jingle Balls: A Holiday Romantic Comedy Anthology
Page 72
“I meant to get you laid, not scarred for life.” She checks me with her shoulder and I’m glad she’s lightening up a little. After all, she meant well, and it’s nice to have friends who would go to such great lengths to make you happy—even when you stand in your own way.
I bark out an incredulous laugh. “I can’t believe you thought putting Gunner Nix and me in a room together would magically result in us both tearing our clothes off. I mean, I was probably a sure thing, but he’d never even laid eyes on me until tonight.” I don’t bring up the fact that he usually dates women who fall more on Skye’s side of fabulous because, when it comes down to it, I held my own. And there’s no faking a kiss like the one Gunner and I shared.
“You’re underestimating your charms.” Skye snuggles closer.
I lean my head on her shoulder. “You’re overestimating how attractive men find it when I talk about cartoons.”
“You didn’t.” I don’t have to see Skye’s face to picture the horror stamped on it.
“Oh, I did.”
“Elizabeth.” We both turn at the sound of Gunner’s voice. He’s standing in the doorway, top two buttons of his still-white shirt undone and those beautiful browns focused right on me.
Skye gets to her feet and pulls me up with her. I only stumble a tiny bit as she leads us to the doorway.
“I need to go announce the auction winners. I’ll catch you later.” She gives me a little shove in Gunner’s direction as she saunters past and disappears down the hall.
I chew my lip, and Gunner shoves his hands into the pockets of his suit pants. “So,” he starts.
God, this is awkward.
But he continues with a toss of his chin. “That’s the famous painting, huh?”
My eyes follow his to the framed canvas leaning against the far wall. Skye brought it out from her car where she’d stashed it right before coming to talk to me earlier in the evening. It feels like days ago.
“Yup. That’s it.” Gunner and I turn and approach the canvas together, stopping a good ten feet away. We both gaze at it in silence for a few more moments, and the awkwardness in the air is almost tangible. Oh well. We’ll always have the basement.
It’s Gunner who finally breaks the silence. “Is it supposed to look like a bouquet of penises?”
There’s really nothing I can say to redeem this situation, so I open my mouth and let it do its thing. “Yup.” I nod. “As soon as my seniors got wind it was intended to raise money for testicular cancer awareness, they all decided the only way to go was a true ode to cock and balls. You should see the tree ornaments we ordered.”
“Hmm.” I can see him tilting his head from the corner of my eye as he continues to study the painting. “It’s nice how you guys made the testicles look like leaves.”
My eyes shoot straight to his face. “I know, right? I guess we all get a stroke of genius now and then.”
He turns to grin down at me, and my belly starts its usual reaction to that particular look as any awkward tension vanishes into thin air. “It’s a shame Skye wouldn’t let it into the auction.”
I wave him off, unable to hide my matching contentment to be standing across from him. “Prude.”
He laughs and then nods a couple times as he studies me this time. “I still owe you an answer.”
My heart turns into a giant gong. Shit! “No.” I shake my head. “Gunner, it was unfair of me to ask. You don’t have to answer.”
But his head is shaking too. “Yes, I do. You can never renege in Truth or Dare.” Then he takes a breath, and I prepare for the worst. “Sarah Washington. It was second grade, and I just couldn’t resist her pigtails. I kissed her on the bus and broke Katie Gordon’s heart.” His voice is deadly serious, and my responding giggle is ridiculous.
“Well, let’s hope Katie found a third grader who treated her better.” I try mimicking his grave tone and fail miserably.
Gunner’s lips curve in that crooked grin again, and he leans down toward me so I can see those gold flecks dancing in his eyes. “So, tell me, Elizabeth Wright…”
“Tell you what?” Nothing could tear my eyes from his as I fight a satisfied sigh.
“Exactly what would it take to get you to run around naked in my front yard?”
My face splits into a wide smile I can’t possibly hold back. “That depends.” His eyebrows spike expectantly, waiting for me to finish. “You got any more of those M&M’s?”
“I’m sure I could locate some.” He inches closer, and the sandalwood and cinnamon are back, making me want to wrap myself around him and do some very naughty things. But that can wait.
“Good.” I straighten and take a step back, smug smile firmly in place. “Because I dare you to fit three bags in your mouth at once.”
He coughs out a laugh. “I’ll take that dare.” And then my hand is in his again as we make our way back down the marble hallway. “Oh, in case you were wondering, that was me asking you out on a date. The naked part is optional.” And there’s that wink again. Damn, is he handsome.
“Let’s see how the rest of tonight goes first,” I tease, pulling him with me toward the ballroom.
“Okay.” It only takes Gunner half a second to catch up with me. “But the ball’s in your court now.”
I stifle my laugh at that. He’s officially won the testicle pun contest. But I’ve won a date with a guy who just might be nuts enough to be perfect for me.
Also By Sylvie Stewart
The Fix (Carolina Connections, Book 1)
The Spark (Carolina Connections, Book 2)
The Lucky One (Carolina Connections, Book 3)
The Game (Carolina Connections, Book 4)
The Way You Are (Carolina Connections, Book 5)
The Runaround (Carolina Connections, Book 6)
The Nerd Next Door (Carolina Kisses, Book 1)
New Jerk in Town (Carolina Kisses, Book 2)
The Last Good Liar (Carolina Kisses, Book 3)
Between a Rock and a Royal (Kings of Carolina, Book 1)
Blue Bloods and Backroads (Kings of Carolina, Book 2)
Stealing Kisses With a King (Kings of Carolina, Book 3)
Then Again
Happy New You
Game Changer
Full-On Clinger
About That… (FREE for a limited time!)
About Sylvie Stewart
Sylvie Stewart is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic comedy and contemporary romance. She's married to a hilarious dude and has crazy twin boys who keep her busy and give the best hugs ever. Her love of all things North Carolina is no secret, nor is her ultimate wish of snuggling her very own pet baby goat. If you love smart Southern gals, hot blue-collar guys, and snort-laughing with characters who feel like your best friends, Sylvie's your gal.
Get a FREE book when you sign up for Sylvie’s newsletter: https://bit.ly/nab_nl
Join Sylvie’s Reader Group: https://bit.ly/sylviesspot
Acknowledgments
This project has been an effort of love by so many. Thank you to the authors who entrusted us with their work. Thank you to Robin Reads and E-Reader News Today for the donation of space in your newsletters to help us promote the set.
And thank YOU, fabulous reader, for spending time with us and supporting the amazing work that TCAF is doing to spread the word about testicular cancer.
Aidy Award
Dylann Crush
Christina Hovland
The Organizers of Jingle Balls
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