Big Sexy: Mercy Springs Heroes Series Book 1

by Bliss Carter

  "Hi. I'm Grace Puckett, your new assistant. Where's my desk located and how do you take your coffee? No coffee? Okay then, how do take your men? Hot, brooding and packin’?” After that statement, her lyrical laughter could be heard a few streets over and it seemed to fill holes in some cracks in Kresley’s heart. Grace became her assistant and best friend that very day. Adding the fact that Grace has a son named Jaxson, who is cute as a bug, only added to Grace’s allure.

  Kresley had been no match for Grace then and she certainly wasn't now. Lord, that was five years ago. Time flies when you're having fun or trying really hard to keep from bailing your best friend out of jail. A loud snort erupted from her at that thought and Kresley guiltily looked around in case someone heard. She then remembered she was alone in the warehouse. Grace heard the snort and immediately asked what was so funny. Kresley innocently said she didn’t know what she was talking about.

  Kres moved through the darkened building with ease. She knew every piece of furniture, every doorway, every wall like the back of her hand. Being in business and located in this building for the past fourteen years had made it like a second home to the Anderson sisters and their parents. They knew every crevice and hiding place. Living, eating, and breathing it 24 hours a day, 6 days a week, had made Kresley very familiar with everything. Her parents, James and Denise Anderson, began doing event planning for just friends when Kresley was a young teenager. It soon expanded into a huge business that took on clients in their small town and even those outside of it in the Atlanta area. Kres, Birdie, Francie and Gertie all started working for their parents as teenagers and learned the business quickly. Kresley planned her first wedding event by herself at the age of 18. An overwhelming feeling of sadness and despair washed over Kresley as she continued to walk towards the back of the warehouse. Oh, mama and daddy. I miss y’all. Would it ever get easier? The pain in her heart seemed so heavy some days. Would the guilt ever ease?

  Kres could hear Grace talking in the background with someone. She quickly figured out it was with Grace’s 6-year-old son Jaxson and the conversation was about him going to bed soon. Kresley looked at her watch. Goodness gracious. It was already after 8 PM and she had been there since sunrise that morning. Honestly though, did it really matter? She had no husband, no boyfriend, no pet, not even a potted plant to go home to. Whimsy Events, LLC was her home, her life, her prison even, at times. Kresley could hear the sarcastic "bless your heart" mutterings now from her sisters. They weren’t the workaholic she was. None of them worked past 6 PM unless it was the day of an event. They knew how to balance life, right? None of them were attached to anyone. Birdie and Francie dated, but quietly. Gertie just stayed the hell away from men in general. With good reason. Gertie had been through something horrible and was finally in a better place now. Well Kresley guessed she was, since she didn’t talk about it much and hadn’t complained of any new nightmares lately. But Kresley knew trying to add a man to Gertie’s life would probably put her in a tail spin for sure.

  It's not that Kresley wanted to be alone. She did want the fairy tale, the prince holding the glass slipper, leaning over her to kiss her back to life. Oh wait, those were two separate fairy tales. But the way her luck was going, if Mr. Charming showed up with a glass slipper for her, it would be two sizes too small and her toe nail polish would be peeling. Or if he tried kissing her awake he would have horrible breath.

  Self-esteem issues weren't the problem. Kresley knew she was pretty. She didn't have a big head about it, but she was honest enough to admit that though she got her mother's good looks, she didn’t really feel beautiful enough for a man. Red hair, flowing down her back, a little above her waist, was a definite gift from her mama, along with the green eyes and peaches and cream skin. But she was definitely not a bombshell, sex kitten, or pin-up model worthy of male attention. The guys she had encountered since high school mainly wanted the thinner, model type of women with not much curves or extra padding. And Kresley definitely had curves. She had the butt for twerking, if she were ever inclined to try it, and her waist dipped in to curve over hips that were a handful. Her breasts weren’t worthy of floatation devices, but they were a decent C cup and didn’t sag too much. She wasn’t a brickhouse and mighty, mighty, but she could give a guy a handful if any of the male species ever stopped to take a look. All of her sisters were built much alike, with different shades of the same red hair and green eyes. They were a sight to behold when they were all together in one room. Kresley had inherited her sass and smart mouth from her daddy. That seemed to get her more attention than anything else.

  Dating in Mercy Springs was a joke. And she was the butt of most of the jokes said. Everyone in this small town tried their best to set Kresley up with the “perfect” guy. But she knew that “perfect” didn’t exist. At least for her it didn’t. The guys that had been pushed on her in the last few years were in no way princes. Kresley snorted again, softly this time. Hell, they weren’t even at the equivalent of frogs. Maybe slugs though. The date from hell that last happened was this past weekend. Kresley knew that it wasn’t going to end well when the guy, let’s call him Steve, sat down and proceeded to pull out the top 5 of his Pez dispenser collection to sit table top and have dinner with he and Kresley. The Pez characters were all of his favorite superheroes. Kres had no issues with Superman, Iron Man, Thor, Batman and Wonder Woman, but not on a first date. Thus, there was no second date.

  Kresley had grown up with most of the men in her hometown, so they all knew her quite well and saw her more as a pseudo-sister or cousin than they did a potential love interest. So, when some new man arrived in Mercy Springs with intentions to stay more than a day or two, Kresley or one of her sisters always seemed to become a focal point for town gossip and the awkward “meeting” that would happen “by accident”. Just this morning she had been stopped by Ms. Mae Grantham so she could introduce Kresley to her nephew, who had just moved to Mercy Springs. Kresley had been standing near the edge of the curb in front of the police station, where she had just dropped off her weekly contribution of sugar and calories to the police department. They always appreciated the several boxes of fresh donuts she gifted them with to say thanks. As for Ms. Mae, Kresley held affection for the older adults in Mercy Springs. They had such wonderful stories to tell and seemed to all know her parents. Kresley had learned more about her mom and dad after they passed away from wonderful people like Ms. Grantham. So, when Ms. Mae asked her to stop for a moment so she could introduce her to her “wonderfully handsome” nephew, Kresley felt bound by good southern manners and a love for Ms. Mae to patiently take the time. As Ms. Mae explained that her nephew Cade had gone inside the post office for her and would be right out, Kresley took the time to talk to her about an upcoming wedding event she had on the books. She wanted to ask for a recipe for a punch that she knew Ms. Mae had served several hundred times in her life. The punch was so good and was perfect for a summer, outdoor wedding. But Kresley could not find the recipe anywhere in her notes. She knew Ms. Mae would have it and hopefully would share it with her to add to the menu. Kresley was in the midst of an animated conversation with Ms. Mae about lime and pineapple juices, gesturing with her hands about how frustrating this wedding couple she was helping plan for was, when a shadow came across both the women’s faces.

  The sun was bright in the morning sky and as Kresley looked up, at first all she could see was a tall body and head, the face masked in shadow. The sun was shining brightly behind him like a halo. Wow, he was tall. He towered over Kres by at least 8 inches. The top of her head came to his broad and muscled shoulders. Seriously muscled shoulders. Those shoulders connected with powerful arms with big, bulging biceps and forearms that could make a woman weak in her knees. His sleeves were rolled up on a button-down shirt and Kresley couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from his forearms. A light dusting of hair covered tanned skin that stretched over muscles and veins that rolled with every little movement. Kresley had never been a female who was into the
“arm candy”, as her sister Francie had called it, but now she understood. She would love to see some tattoo sleeves on this man. She couldn’t help but imagine her lips tracing over those forearms, leaving small, soft kisses as she worked her way up to his biceps. Since Kresley was a good mannered, southern woman, she didn’t venture her eyes south to his legs and pelvic region. Kresley Anderson was no floosy. But maybe a little naughty. She grinned internally at that.

  A deep, masculine clearing of the throat pulled her back to reality and pulled her eyes back up from his arms and chest to his face. Their bodies had shifted a bit during Kresley’s rude perusal and now she could see his face much more clearly than before. OH. MY. GOSH. If someone had told her that she would meet a man that could literally make her panties drop with just a look, she would call that person crazy. Well, let the record show, panties are dropping now. Literally. Kresley’s underwear that she had put on that morning were on their last piece of elastic to keep held up over her generous hips and butt. And as she stood there, gaping at the gorgeous man before her, Kres felt that last small piece of elastic pop against her waist and down her panties began to slide, a small unknown movement to anyone but Kresley. She knew it was only a matter of time before they would indeed slide down to the top of her thighs. Lucky for her she had chosen to dress in jeans and a sleeveless blouse today. So at least she knew that this man wasn’t going to see her panties drop to the ground and assume it was because of him.

  This man, wow, this man was all man. Kresley had seen some gorgeous men in her life. Many of them were either grooms getting married or their groomsmen in the wedding party. Plus, the good-looking single guys that were scattered around Mercy Springs. But none of those men had caught Kres’ eye before nor made her want to fluff up her hair, pinch her cheeks for color and wet her lips in the hopes of receiving a lush and long kiss from such an Adonis. Kresley’s eyes traveled up his thick neck, watching him swallow harshly, past his chiseled chin and jaw that was covered in a heavy 5 o’clock shadow, and up his straight, broad nose to a pair of the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. Eyes so blue and clear that they made her think of her favorite gemstone, a blue topaz. Kresley was then caught in his gaze and found herself held hostage there.

  Whoo-hoo! And her panties were on the move. Sliding down just a little further. She could feel them begin to bunch around the tops of her thighs. Not the best feeling in the world, but certainly not the worst either. She could see amusement lurking in the gorgeous man’s eyes and groaned inwardly as she realized that he had been watching her check him out, having an internal conversation about her falling panties. Kresley silently giggled to herself. She’s losing her mind. She could understand his amusement, but she also saw interest there as well, along with some simmering heat and sexual awareness as she stared back at him. Kresley wondered if it would be too telling to start fanning herself with her hands to try to cool her inner sex kitten down, but calmed herself and told her inner goofball to keep it cool and not to show interest in this hunk of steel.

  Kresley could hear Ms. Mae talking to her and tried to refocus her attention on the words that were coming out of the older woman’s mouth. “I’m sorry Ms. Mae, what did you say again?”, Kresley asked as she tried to gather what brains hadn’t turned to mush from all of this man’s hotness and the fact that her panties had slid even further down.

  “I said I’d like you to meet my nephew Cade Grantham. He just moved here to Mercy Springs and is now a detective with the MSPD. I wanted to make sure he was introduced to one of the beautiful Anderson girls before this day was done and you were the first that I saw. Lucky you, right? Cade, this beautiful woman is Kresley Anderson, the wedding event planner of Georgia”, Ms. Mae gleefully said as she looked between Kresley and Cade.

  “Hey there Kresley. It’s nice to meet you in person. I’ve already been told how beautiful and smart you and your sisters are, but to see it in person is even better”, Cade warmly stated.

  Kresley could hear and see Cade’s beautiful mouth saying such nice things as her panties crept down her butt cheeks some more. His deep, gravelly voice shook her insides and made things that Kresley thought were dormant within suddenly come alive. She glanced down and saw Cade’s hand extended out towards her. Such long masculine fingers. Broad hands, clean and blunt nails. All pluses to Kresley. And being attached to those massive forearms and biceps were only making her shake internally with something she couldn’t name. Kresley reached her hand out to grasp his and when his fingers gently wrapped themselves around hers, an electrical charge could be felt by her from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Kresley was so taken by surprise that she let out a small gasp and abruptly pulled her hand away. She took a small step back to distance herself from these unknown feelings, but clumsy Kresley, as her sisters liked to call her, showed up in a mighty way. She blamed her clumsiness on her panties inching down further on her butt and not on Cade’s handshake. Oh, and Cade’s handshake did NOT make her panties slide down further.

  Kresley heard the words “hey, watch out” and “oh my” from her two observers, but it was too late. Kresley didn’t pay much attention to her immediate surroundings as much as she should. So, when she stopped to talk to Ms. Mae and then was struck mute by her hunky nephew, Kresley didn’t see that she was on the edge of the curb still. It had rained the night before, and puddles of water mixed with dirt and gravel sat on the sides of the streets, having not drained away during the night. Her foot teetered off the edge of the curb and caused Kresley to stumble backwards, falling down and landing her denim covered rear in a puddle of water and mud.

  She could only sit there in mortification for a few moments, thinking that her day couldn’t get any worse than it was now. She didn’t dare look up at Ms. Mae or her nephew and instead began taking mental notes on how her body was doing since the fall. She heard Ms. Grantham’s gasp and an audible curse from her nephew at first, then that same deep male voice began a sultry, low bellied laugh somewhere above her. Well damn, that stings. Mrs. Grantham joined in softly and before she knew it, Kresley was laughing, too, but not because it was funny. It was just the polite thing to do when someone was making fun of her, right? But Kresley was more than just clumsy. Her hair color was true to her fiery nature and she could become pissy and angry rather quickly. Her fire never burned out of control and would usually only last for a few minutes, but those minutes could be lethal to the one on the receiving end of it. Kresley looked up to see Cade’s large, strong hand reaching down to help her up, but Kresley ignored it.

  Kresley should have stopped to think. She shouldn’t have let her temper get the best of her. But she chose to make a statement of welcome instead to Cade. She did the only thing she knew to do in her circumstance. Kresley kicked out with her leg and hooked her foot behind the man’s long, blue-jean clad one, and pulled with all of her might until he came toppling down onto the sidewalk, opposite from her and out of range from hurting his Aunt Mae.

  With a snort of revengeful humor, Kresley didn’t wait around to issue a less than sincere apology or hear his. Mumbling the word asshole under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear, Kres made excuses for having to go get cleaned up for work and told Ms. Grantham goodbye, running down the street to her vehicle, wet ass and all. Kresley could hear Cade calling after her, still laughing with that beautiful, deep, gravelly voice, but she didn’t stop. She was shaking too badly from humiliation, yes, but also from something that was so foreign to her and so new, that it scared her. Desire, want, need. Call it what you want, but Kresley Anderson knew that Cade Grantham was going to be very troubling to her life starting now. And for some reason she was looking forward to it.

  Kresley made it back home and after one shower and change of clothes, she was feeling less embarrassed and more irritated at the gall of the man, laughing at her like that. No prince charming right there, that was for sure. Jerk! He needed to attend Mrs. Easom’s Manners for Men. If Mrs. Easom was still alive. She was alway
s able to put the fear of God into any man who took her class and they always graduated with impeccable manners and skills to woo any woman properly. That was what her brochure always stated any way.

  Grace brought Kresley back to the present abruptly when she asked, “Haven’t you gotten to the door yet Kres?”

  “Almost there. Sorry I’m not walking as fast as you want me to, Gracie”, Kres said with her usual sass mixed with affection.

  “Oh, don’t go there with me. You hurry me all the time at the office. I can hear your shrill voice now. Where are you Grace, I need you Grace, come tie my shoes Grace.”

  “My voice is not shrill. Sultry. It’s sultry. And I have never, not once, asked you to tie my shoes, you witch. You’re going to start talkin’ around town and people are going to think I’m some sort of wedding planner Godzilla”, Kresley grumbled.

  “Like that would stop people from using you for every wedding known to man. You can’t keep up with what you’ve got on the calendar right now, no less take on more events. I swear, I’m gonna take your calendars away from you, so you’ll stop piling on more than you can handle. Kresley you need to slow it down sister.”

  Kresley chose to just roll her eyes at Grace as she came to the back door and entered the security code so the alarm wouldn’t sound as she opened it. She felt safe in her little town of Mercy Springs, but she wasn’t crazy either. Protection was always important for her, her sisters and Grace. No one else worked at the office, and at times, they were each alone in the big warehouse building. Adding in the fact that Kresley lived in the apartment on the 2nd floor, well, none of them needed to take chances. She couldn’t face anything happening to her sisters or Grace. Paying that extra cost for the security system gave them a sense of comfort.

  The only sound in the alley was the squeak of the old door being opened. It was dark out. Crisp, early spring air that held the faint smells of smoked meat from her favorite BBQ joint blanketed her small town at this late hour. Pushing the door open further, a small piece of light spilled out onto the concrete stoop. Suddenly, the door stopped on something solid. Kresley had her smartphone in one hand, with Grace telling Jaxson that she was going to beat his butt if he didn’t get in bed. Kresley only had one hand and her body weight to try to get the door to open more fully, so she could have as much light as possible to shine on her car.