by Mandy Morgan
His Perfect Package
A Very Curvy Christmas Book 3
Mandy Morgan
Copyright © 2019 by Mandy Morgan
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.
First e-book edition December 2019
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Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
More Steamy Holiday Reads
Also by Mandy Morgan
About the Author
Chapter One
Cookie
“Holy hell, that’s the hottest man I’ve ever seen…”
Emily was instantly on high alert. “Ohhh, give me all the deets!”
I could practically hear my best friend drooling through the phone line and into my AirPods.
I sat up straighter behind the wheel of my delivery truck to get the best view through the large windshield.
“Well, he looks like he should be playing in the NFL. Does that help?”
Emily sighed. “Come on, Cookie, give me more than that.”
“Alright, alright. He’s well over six feet tall and has muscles on muscles. He’s also got dark hair and a panty-melting smile. Better?”
“Much better. Where are you, by the way? I might need to swing by for a visit and check this hunk out for myself.”
I laughed as I pulled my truck to a stop not far from where the sexy guy was talking to a family of four in front of a quaint little house.
Emily might not date any more than I did, which was not much, but she enjoyed a good piece of eye candy.
“I’m at Holtz Christmas Tree Farm. It’s my final stop of the day, and by the looks of this place, I’m starting to wish I’d come here for my own tree. There are beautiful pines as far as the eye can see!”
“Uh oh, I’ve heard some rumors about that place.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“Nothing horrible, I promise, so don’t freak out. I’ve just heard the owner’s a cranky hermit.”
I watched as the hulking hunk lifted a Douglas fir up onto the roof of the happy family’s station wagon. His muscles bulged in the evening light and I felt tingles race up my thighs.
“He seems nice enough right now, Em. He’s smiling and chatting with some customers.”
“I could be wrong, you know. It’s happened before.”
“That’s true enough,” I teased. “Are we still on for tonight?”
“Hell, yes. I have everything ready and waiting.”
Emily loved the holidays almost as much as I did. We got together right before Christmas every year to bake cookies, watch our favorite seasonal movies, and drink copious amounts of wine.
“Sweet! I should be on my way to your place in no time,” I said as I killed the engine of my truck and climbed into the back to grab the package I’d come all the way out here to deliver.
“Are you sure you don’t want to hang around a little longer? Maybe get to know Mr. Sexy Pants a lot better?”
“Emily, I’m here for business, not pleasure.”
Besides, I doubt someone like him would be interested in someone like me…
“Oh, live a little, girl! You’ve been very good this year, after all, and you deserve to unwrap something hot.”
“You’re so bad,” I said with a laugh. “I’ll see you soon, alright?”
“Sounds good. But maybe just consider being a little naughty?”
“Ha! I don’t think American Parcel Service would appreciate any naughtiness on the job. Talk later, my friend.”
I ended the call and plucked my AirPods from my ears. After returning them to their case, I smoothed my hands over the front of my uniform, not wanting to look wrinkled and unprofessional.
My fingers lingered on my thighs for a few moments as I thought about how they’d tingled. Most men didn’t have an effect like that on me. It made my palms sweat and my heart race.
I glanced down at the name on the last package on my truck. Holden Holtz. It had a nice ring to it.
Could he really be as nasty as Emily had heard? There was only one way to find out, so I took a deep breath and picked up the big box.
With it balanced on one generous hip, I slid the truck’s back door open and hopped to the ground, being careful not to drop it.
The Santa hat I always wore to work this time of year slipped over my eyes and I muttered a curse under my breath.
“You’ve got quite the mouth on you.”
I froze as I heard a deep, manly voice coming from behind me and I felt my cheeks flame. I’d been caught swearing by a customer.
I was embarrassed enough about that, but it was the fact I’d been so turned on by hearing nothing more than a few words which really made my face burn.
Being sure to keep the box secured, I quickly shoved the Santa hat out of my eyes. Sweet Jesus, the sight of the stud standing there left me feeling weak at the knees.
He was wearing dark jeans and a hunter green sweater and he towered over me. His arm muscles made the sleeves of his sweater bulge.
And even though I tried not to look, my eyes drifted downward, and I saw his biceps weren’t the only prominent part of his anatomy.
I swallowed hard and squeezed my thighs together to try and control the wet heat building between them.
“I…I’m sorry about my language. You’re Holden Holtz, right?”
“That’s what it says on my driver’s license.”
His snarky reply made me take a step back. How could a man with such sweet-looking baby blue eyes have such a sharp tongue? But nasty response or not, I had a job to do, and I wasn’t going to let him scare me off.
“Great! I’ve got a package for you, Mr. Holtz.”
He pinned me with those gorgeous blue eyes and held out a hand that looked as big as a catcher’s mitt.
“I can see that. I can also see it’s getting dark. And I still have work to do.”
“So sorry to have bothered you,” I said, giving him back some of the iciness he’d shot my way. “Here you go. Now you can get back to spreading your special brand of Christmas cheer.”
The owner of Holtz Farm grunted at my sarcasm and snatched the box out of my hands. By the time I climbed behind the wheel of my truck, he was stalking back to his house, and I was thanking my lucky stars I was about to get away from him.
But the Universe had other plans for me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the engine of my truck to do anything more than whine and make a depressing clicking sound.
Chapter Two
Holden
I’d just finished up with my last customers of the day when I saw a delivery truck bouncing up the dirt road that led to my farm.
Would I never get any damn peace and quiet?
I might grow and sell Christmas trees
for a living, but I hated everything about the holiday season, and I wished I could close the place to the general public.
My little corner of North Carolina was normally quiet and isolated. Which is exactly how I liked it. But the locals had been coming out in droves to pick their own Christmas trees for decades.
If I stopped the tradition now, I had no doubt my bottom line would take a hit, so I kept things the way my old man had run them since before I was born.
Hell, my father hadn’t liked the holidays either, but he’d loved money, and he’d been damn good at making plenty of it. Dad had been gone for two years, but I still missed him every day.
I waved to the family I’d just sold a big Douglas fir to and then let the phony smile drop from my face. As far as I could tell, there was no point in keeping up a cheerful front for a delivery guy.
With my arms crossed over my chest, I waited for him to get down to business and deliver whatever the hell he’d come out to the middle of nowhere to bring me.
But when the back door of the truck slid up, my arms and my jaw dropped. That was no man hopping down with a big box clutched to one juicy hip. It was a goddess in a khaki uniform.
The dull-colored outfit did nothing to conceal the driver’s delicious curves. I watched her gloriously juicy body move around in such a hypnotic way that it almost put me in a trance.
I had to stifle a groan of longing at the sight of the gorgeous woman in my front yard. I had to get closer to her, so I walked up from behind, enjoying the show.
She was wearing a Santa hat and a curse slipped out as it fell down over her eyes. It was an adorable sight, but it also made me pause.
I gave myself a firm reminder that I had no room in my life for someone who was so obviously full of Christmas cheer. Or any woman, really.
So, I resolved to keep myself at a cool distance during our interaction. I still had stuff to get done before I could call it quits for the day. And I was looking forward to the end of the busy season in a few days.
But before I could make it into the peaceful confines of my home with my package under one arm, I heard the sound of an engine that was most definitely not cooperating.
With a sigh, I set the big box down on my porch, and turned to see the American Parcel Service truck hadn’t moved.
I could see the shadowy outline of the curvy driver behind the wheel. She had a cell phone pressed to her ear and she didn’t look happy about the conversation.
Her defeated voice drifted to me on a gust of cold evening wind, and I watched her end the call and toss her hands up in disgusted disbelief.
The head on my shoulders was telling me to walk away and let the driver figure things out on her own.
But the one between my legs had other ideas, and I found myself moving toward the delivery truck.
I tapped on the window and the driver’s head jerked up. She had tears in her eyes and I felt an unexplainable but also undeniable urge to take her into my arms and comfort her.
I shoved that feeling firmly to the side. This might be the sexiest woman I’d ever seen and I might be unable to stop myself from helping her. But that was as far as I was going to let things go.
My life was just the way I liked it and I had zero interest in complicating it. Not after I’d been burned so badly in a marriage that had led to a bitter divorce.
But sweet Jesus, I wanted to lean in and taste that pretty pink mouth of hers. I shook my head hard and asked her what in the hell she was still doing on my property.
“My truck won’t start,” the curvy driver snapped. “Trust me, I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me to be. I have plans tonight.”
Of course, a beautiful woman like her had a boyfriend. I was instantly pissed and my hands curled into fists at the thought of another man touching her. So much for keeping things cool…
What came out of my mouth next surprised us both. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Cookie,” she replied and blinked slowly. “Cookie Keene.”
I had to fight off a grimace at the ridiculously sweet name. I might not like it, but if I was being honest with myself, it suited her to perfection.
“Did you call into your dispatcher, Cookie?”
“Yes, but they can’t tow me in until tomorrow, and my best friend’s car is in the shop, so she can’t come to get me. I’m stuck out here!”
Tears slipped down her flushed cheeks and I felt another bolt of that strange but fierce possessiveness shoot through me.
There was no way I could let her spend the night in her truck, way out here in the middle of nowhere, with freezing weather in the forecast.
“Looks like you’re all mine for now, Cookie. Why don’t you come on inside and make yourself at home?”
Chapter Three
Cookie
I don’t know what made Holden Holtz go from snarky to sweet, but at this point, seeking shelter with him was really my only choice.
Anything was better than being stuck out in the cold all night, right? I mean, Emily couldn’t come and get me until her car was fixed.
And it would cost a fortune to get an Uber way out here. Besides, I had my cell phone, so I could call the police if things got…weird.
I quickly texted Em to let her know what was going on and that we’d have to reschedule our holiday get-together.
And I also wrote off the way Holden had said I was “all his” out of the blue, and followed my customer-turned-host into his home.
It was much cozier than I would have expected from someone like Holden. There was hardwood flooring, wood paneling on the walls, and a stone fireplace in the corner.
It even smelled good, like he’d been burning vanilla candles, which blended perfectly with his woodsy cologne.
All of the furniture looked soft and welcoming, and there were paintings of nature scenes scattered around the living room.
I was just about to compliment him on his home when I was struck by a hard reality—there was a woman’s touch everywhere.
I was such an idiot. Of course, a drop-dead gorgeous guy like Holden was married or had a girlfriend.
That made me feel both more secure about being alone with him and also slightly sick to my stomach with disappointment.
Truth be told, I’d begun to warm up to Holden, after having such a rough first encounter with him.
He’d shown me he had a sweet side and welcomed me into his home, after all. But it turns out I’d been kidding myself about having a shot with him.
I watched Holden as he started a fire and I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning out loud. His massive shoulders flexed as he moved and his tight ass worked intoxicatingly in his jeans.
“Won’t your wife mind you having company? Or your girlfriend?”
Holden snorted. “I went through a divorce three years ago. A nasty one. I was lucky not to lose everything I owned. I haven’t had much to do with women since.”
I’d obviously struck a nerve, and felt bad for bringing up a sore subject, but I couldn’t deny the thrill I felt to hear Holden wasn’t attached. I also realized this guy was about to give me emotional whiplash.
One minute, he has me drooling all over him and wanting to ride him like a bull, then he’s leaving me feeling the sting of his biting comments, and now I’m left wanting to smother him with comfort and kisses to ease his pain.
I cleared my throat and got a grip on myself. Holden might be single, but he obviously had no interest in a relationship with any woman right now, let alone a plus-size stranger, like me.
“I’m sorry to hear about your divorce. I watched my parents go through one, and I know how hard it can be on people.”
Holden grunted but didn’t respond. He stood up, stretched his back, and gave me an eyeful of even more of his muscles. I hoped he couldn’t smell how wet he’d made me with that little show.
“Are you hungry, Cookie? I’ve got a fully stocked pantry and I can whip us up something in a flash.”
God help
me, he looks like sex on a stick and he can cook?
I smiled and slid my hands over my hips. “You can probably tell by looking at me that I’m pretty much always hungry.”
Holden looked me up and down, and then locked his brilliant blue eyes on mine. “Sweetheart, you look absolutely stunning to me.”
Heat spread over my face and between my thighs. Holden’s compliment left me light-headed and I had to sink down onto the couch.
He watched me with concern and then came over to sit beside me. “Are you alright, Cookie?”
I didn’t want him to know how badly I wanted him. He might have complimented me, but that was no excuse for turning into a puddle of desire at his feet. How pathetic would that be?
I gave him a bright smile. “Oh, I’m fine, really! It must be low blood sugar.”
“Well, then, let’s get something hot into you.”
Did I imagine the flirty grin he gave me? Was I crazy for thinking he’d meant more than dinner? My head started to spin as I realized the sexiest man in at least three states wanted me.
“That sounds really good, Holden,” I said in a voice that came out sounding throaty. “I could really use something hot and filling.”
Oh, my God! I was doing it! I was flirting with Holden and actually enjoying it. I felt more empowered than I had in years, and sexier than I had in my entire life.
I’d always shut myself off to the possibility of being the object of a man’s desire. I’d been told for most of my childhood that I was too big and I needed to be skinnier, like my school friends.