by Kennedy Fox
He pulled one of the doors open and stepped inside. His focus was on the ground as he took each log off with one hand and set it aside, still holding all that lumber with his free arm.
And when he lifted his head, I swore I saw his nostrils flare as if my very presence made him uncontrollable. A low growl left him at the sight of me, as he swept his eyes up and down my body, seeing I wore the robe he laid out for me. His eyes dropped to the socks I wore. The corner of his mouth kicked up at that, and I felt a wave of warmth encompass me.
He didn’t say anything as he walked past me and headed toward the fireplace. But right before he cleared my path, he leaned down slightly, brushing his nose along the top of my head. I swore I heard him inhale deeply, as if he were taking my scent into his lungs.
I watched him walk over and set the logs beside the hearth, adding a couple more pieces to the fire and stoking it.
The flames licked over the wood, eating it, the oxygen giving them life.
Charlie gave me life.
I stared at his muscular back, the way he was on his haunches, how his shirt was stretched over his broadness, and the strength that poured from him was so potent every female part of me sung this high-pitched tune to mate with him. I found myself taking a step toward Charlie. He stood and turned to face me, and I froze, not sure what the hell I was actually even going to do.
What was I going to say to him?
We stood there, a handful of feet between us, our eyes locked, the heat that bounced in-between our bodies having nothing to do with the flames from the fire. And then he was striding toward me, slipping his hand along the side of my throat and cupping my nape, using his thumb to tilt my head back just slightly so I could fully look into his face.
He looked down at my lips for only a second before he leaned in and claimed them, stroking his tongue along the seam until I opened and allowed him entrance.
I sucked on that muscle, drawing it into my mouth before pushing mine into his. We did this over and over, back and forth, our lips and tongues fucking the other’s.
I was needy and desired him right then, my pussy wet, my cream sliding down my inner thighs because I wore nothing underneath this robe.
I gripped his biceps and curled my nails into his taut, firm skin. He pulled back, both of us breathing raggedly as if we’d just run a marathon.
“Stay with me the rest of the weekend,” he growled, leaning in again and kissing me once more. “Stay with me, and let’s see where this goes.”
When he pulled fully back this time, my head was dizzy as if I were still drunk. I blinked up at him, not sure I fully understood what he meant. He wanted me to stay the rest of my time in Candied with him? To see where what went?
I assumed this was just a one-off for him, a romp with someone from out of town. Of course that’s not what I wanted, but I was too much of a coward to actually say anything about it. I’d been ready to chalk it up as my one sexy encounter with a lumberjack kind of man in Vermont.
But the connection we had, the electricity I felt move between us, was far more potent than anything I could ever explain.
I already realized this was insane, that how I felt for Charlie wasn’t normal or rational. But I was crazy enough to see just how far we could go, how far this would go.
“And then what?” I questioned, my hands still wrapped around his biceps, because I refused to let him go, refused to let his body move away from mine.
“You can’t deny that what’s between us is pretty fucking powerful.” His voice was so deep.
I licked my lips in response and slowly shook my head. “No, I won’t deny it.”
He groaned and leaned down to capture my mouth in a searing kiss before pulling back again. It was torment, agonizing ecstasy.
“And then I’ll come to you next weekend.” He smiled slowly. “I can’t let you just walk out of my life.”
Anything I could have said died in my throat.
“What I felt the first moment I saw you was fucking crazy, but I’d never felt it before. It has to mean something more, and I want to explore that.”
I was so stunned by what he was saying and asking, by what he wanted, that I actually took a step back. How was this even possible? I didn’t want to say no. It was almost abhorrent to me, the words refusing to spill from my mouth. I had absolutely no idea where this was going with Charlie, but it felt right.
It felt perfect. It felt like it was what I’d been missing my entire life. So when his hand, which was still curled around my nape, pulled me back toward him, I said the only thing that felt right.
“Okay. I’ll stay. I want to see where this goes too." I’d never been more excited for what my future held until I looked into a pair of bright blue eyes and saw the promise of more.
About the Author
Jenika Snow, a USA Today bestselling author, has been published since 2009. She’s written in just about every genre or trope in romance, and is a reader at heart. She prefers gloomy days, eats the topping off of her pizza first, and wear socks year round.
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Chapter One
I stare at the name on the little slip of paper.
Todd.
Or, as I call him in my own head, Hot Todd.
I read the rest of the details on the paper.
Likes: strong coffee with a splash of cream, maple donuts, and dark beer.
Dislikes: unoriginality, water slides, and peanut butter.
Dislikes peanut butter? What the hell is wrong with this guy? Who doesn’t like the creamy deliciousness that is peanut butter? Hell, most mornings I grab a couple spoonfuls from the jar (if I’m feeling fancy. Other times I just scoop with finger-forks) and call it breakfast.
I look across the conference room at him. I set my chin in my palm as I sigh and stare a little dreamily.
Nothing. Nothing is wrong with him.
His dislikes were supposed to be warnings of things not to get him in the Secret Santa shindig the office is holding, but instead he had to write things like unoriginality...which makes me think giving him the things he wrote as his likes on the list wouldn’t be very original. And I want him to like me. I want to impress him.
Why?
Because I love him.
Okay, love might be a little strong, but look at him. Jesus Christ. He’s a Prince Charming if I’ve ever seen one. He’s got the glowing blue eyes, the perfectly coiffed longish-on-the-top dirty blond hair, and the lean frame that surely holds the kind of six pack you don’t drink.
I sigh once more, and then I tear my gaze away when Brittany nudges me.
“What?” I whisper.
“Stop staring,” she whispers back.
I giggle, and the big boss, Warren, gives us one of those cursory glares that are usually reserved for teachers trying to silence unruly schoolchildren. He’s introducing some lady but I’m too preoccupied by what’s on my slip of paper to bother listening.
We’re both quiet until the end of the meeting, and when we’re released back to our offices, Brittany follows me into mine.
“Who’d you get?” we both say at the same time, and then we both burst into laughter.
“Hot Todd,” I confess.
She narrows her eyes at me. “How’d you manage to fix that one?”
I shrug innocently. “I didn’t! I swear, it was total luck of the draw, but honestly, Brit, I don’t think it’s all that lucky. Now I have to find ways to impress him every single day next week. Are you even kidding me with this? It would’ve been better if he drew my name.”
“I got Karen,” she says, and we both roll our eyes.
Karen is Warren’s sister, true nepotism at its finest, and she’s not only the office tattletale but also the office gossip. She picks and picks until she gets a tiny nugget of information and then she blasts it back to the big boss who, most of the time, doesn’
t even care...but it still makes the rest of us look bad.
“What are her likes?” I ask. “Wait, lemme guess. Um, insider information, working for a sibling, and...”
“Gossip?” Brittany supplies. We both laugh again, and she shakes her head. She reads off the little slip of paper she drew. “No. She likes red wine, nachos, and hot chocolate.”
I raise a brow. “Sounds like someone’s angling for a happy hour invite with those first two.”
“At least those are easy. What does Todd like?”
I’ve already memorized my slip of paper, so I repeat the list from memory. “Strong coffee with a splash of cream, maple donuts, and dark beer. But he dislikes unoriginality, so I feel like I shouldn’t get him those things.”
She shrugs. “But if he likes them, at least you can supply a daily treat. We’ll brainstorm and come up with something really ducking good for the Friday exchange.”
I giggle when she says ducking, our auto-correct and when-we’re-in-the-office professionally correct choice curse word.
“What are you getting Karen for the Friday exchange?” I ask.
“A little classiness, but I haven’t figured out how to wrap it yet,” she deadpans.
We both cackle, and then Warren appears in my doorway. Brit and I exchange a quick wide-eye glance as our laughter simmers down pretty quickly.
The woman by his side is the one he was talking about in the meeting when I wasn’t paying attention. She’s a woman with a stern look on her face that says she means all business and clearly isn’t impressed by the fact that two adult women are cackling like hyenas in this office when we should be pumping out work to earn more money for this firm.
“Ladies,” Warren says, his voice a total warning that we need to pull it together. “I’d like to introduce you to Belinda. As I mentioned in the meeting, she’s our newest team member and your new boss. Belinda, this is Brittany, whose office is down the hall, and Ellie.” He indicates each of us as he says our names, but wait just a hot second.
Our new boss? Son of a duck. I didn’t even know we were in the line of that particular fire.
We have a boss. Darryl. What happened to him? Dammit, I really need to pay attention in those meetings instead of staring across the room at Todd.
But he’s just so dreamy.
“Lovely to meet you,” Brittany says sticking out a hand toward Belinda and immediately schooling her features to professional. Seeing the quick transition almost makes me dissolve into laughter again, but I attempt to do the same.
I clear my throat. “Sorry for the loud laughter in here,” I say. “We were just discussing who we got in the Secret Santa gift exchange.”
Belinda’s brows dip. “Secret Santa?” she repeats. “Shouldn’t that be...a secret?”
Okay, so this lady already hates me. “Well, yeah,” I say, back peddling, and then because I’m a ducking idiot who can’t think clearly when I’m on the spot, I blurt, “but I got the guy I have a total crush on and I don’t know what to get him so I figured Brit could give me some advice.”
Brittany’s jaw drops. Warren looks uncomfortable. Belinda looks like she sucked on a lemon.
Yep, no good way to get out of that one.
I just admitted to my new boss that I have a crush on a coworker, that Brittany and I are friends who will use work time to talk about personal matters, and that I blurt out stupid shit when I’m on the spot.
Looks like good ol’ Belinda and I are starting off on the wrong foot.
“Let’s save the water cooler chatter for after work, yes ladies?” Belinda says, and we both nod. “And let’s get back to work. I’ll be dropping in on both of you today to discuss your current projects, and since we’re already here, I’ll start with Ellie.”
“Of course,” Brittany says, and then she rushes out of my office probably so she can prepare to look good in front of the new boss.
Traitor.
Warren takes off, too, and my heart starts thumping. Oh God. Am I going to lose my job?
I won’t get to see Hot Todd anymore if I do.
I mean, that shouldn’t be my top concern, exactly, but it’s the first thought that comes to mind. Maybe I should think about how I’ll pay my rent on my tiny Chicago apartment without a job, or if I’ll have to move back in with my parents who are close by in the suburbs, or maybe I could relocate to Las Vegas, where my brother, who’s engaged to my best friend, plays pro football. But I don’t think about those things. I think about Todd.
“All right, Miss—” Belinda begins as she takes a seat in the chair facing my desk. I sit behind the desk.
“Nolan,” I supply, and she nods.
“Miss Nolan. Fill me in on what you’re working on.”
I want to ask why she’s my new boss and where the hell Darryl went. I suppose that’s something Warren covered in the meeting, but the second I saw Todd at the top of my Secret Santa draw, my attention bowed the hell out.
I draw in a deep breath and dive into the subject matter I’m passionate about. “I’m at different stages on several projects. My forte is branding and social media, and I often work hand-in-hand with others in the office who provide other facets of publicity to a project. Today, for example, I’m researching the ideal client for Arcadia Architecture, and I’ll pass my findings off to Paul, who will create a pitch. He’ll run that by me, and together we’ll come up with a narrative by which we’ll enhance and build the company’s reputation based on their goals.” I try to hit all the buzzwords as I go into more detail about some of my other projects, and at least she has stopped looking at me like I’m an annoying nuisance by the time I’m done going through everything.
“Impressive, Miss Nolan. I’ll be sending out some questions regarding your personal goals and how you can work to achieve them. Give it some thought, but I’d like your responses by tomorrow morning.” She stands and pushes in the chair as she turns to leave.
Goals and how I’m going to achieve them by morning. Excellent. I’ll just drop everything so I can get that for her. “I’ll have it to you tonight,” I say instead. I add one last thing. “So great meeting you. I’m excited to work together to reach those goals.”
She purses her lips and raises a brow, and then she leaves while meanwhile I’m left to decode what that final look was supposed to mean.
I don’t get much time to ponder it, though, because Todd’s hot, lean frame fills my doorway just as I turn to my computer to resume my research.
I mean, honestly, it’s a wonder I get anything done around here with all these distractions.
“Hey, Ellie,” he says, and I memorize the cadence of his deep voice as it wraps around my name so I can replay it tonight when I’m home alone in my quiet apartment.
“Hey, Todd,” I say. “Come on in.”
“Did you meet the new boss yet?” he asks.
We’ve become friendly with one another over the last year or so since he started working here. We share the occasional flirty conversation, but mostly we’ve kept it professional. Mostly. Sometimes those fun group happy hours turn into raunchy territory when we’ve all had enough to drink, but he’s never made a move.
I want him to make a move.
I want him.
I nod. “She just left my office about three minutes ago. What happened to Darryl?”
He laughs as he steps into my office, filling it with a brightness that wasn’t there before. Or maybe some heat. Definitely some heat. “Don’t you ever pay attention in meetings?”
I refrain from pointing out that it’s actually his fault I wasn’t paying attention.
“Sometimes,” I mutter. “But honestly, what happened in that meeting that we couldn’t have done over email?”
He slides into the same chair Belinda occupied moments ago. “Well, introducing the new boss while explaining what happened to the old one, for one thing.”
I laugh. “And? Survey says?”
“Sounds like Darryl was in line for a promotion for mon
ths. This has all been happening behind the scenes and Belinda left a competitor to come work with us.” He swings his head just a little so his hair re-aligns into that perfect coif. God, he’s hot. “But I didn’t come here to talk about Darryl and Belinda.”
“You didn’t?” I ask, and I know there’s way more hope in my tone than there should be, but I can’t freaking help it.
This is it.
I cross my fingers that rest in my lap, and my thighs clench together at just the thought that he’s finally going to ask me on a date. I’ve been waiting for this moment for months.
My lips form into a smile and I’m rehearsing all the ways to say yes in my mind.
He shakes his head, his hair moving just a little, and his blue eyes continue to glow in my direction. “No. I came to ask where you’re at on the Carlisle Jewelers rebrand.”
“I’d love to!” I say with way too much enthusiasm, and his brows dip in confusion as his eyes meet mine. What he actually asked versus what I heard in my head finally registers. I clear my throat and amend my reply. “Uh, I mean, I’d love to update you.”
My cheeks burn. My stomach churns.
I never learn.
Chapter Two
Brittany spends the weekend at my place and together we sort through the complete enigma of what to get Hot Todd for the Secret Santa thing.
The rules were that we give a smaller gift each weekday, and we give a bigger gift on Friday at the office holiday party, which kicks off our annual holiday break. I’m always thankful for that break, and not just because we get a week off work. Also because if I make a complete fool of myself at the holiday party (who, me?), we have a nice little time buffer where we don’t have to see the people we work with.
It was completely optional to participate in the Secret Santa and limits were set for each gift—no more than twenty bucks on the small gifts, no more than a hundred on the big one.
Still, though, that leaves me with wide open options, limited time, and zero ideas...except for strong coffee with a splash of cream, maple donuts, and dark beer, of course, to show off exactly how unoriginal I am.