Size Matters

by Alison Bliss

  She blinked at him. “But you said—”

  “I know what I said. I said a lot of shit that wasn’t true. The stuff I told Max? All bullshit. For men, construction crews are the equivalent of women’s bathrooms. But I was trying to figure out where we stood, and he wouldn’t leave me alone. I was tired of his constant harassment. I’m sorry…for everything. I’ve been burned in the past and didn’t want to fall into another quickie relationship that wouldn’t last. But none of that had anything to do with you, I swear.”

  “I don’t know what you want from me, Sam. You expect me to believe it had nothing to do with me, yet you couldn’t even tell your best friend about us. I find it all a little hard to swallow.”

  “I don’t expect you to believe anything I say. I plan on proving it to you. That’s what this is for.” Sam pulled a small black velvet box from his pocket and set it in front of her. “Open your last present.”

  Her heart pounded wildly. Is that what I think it is? It couldn’t be.

  She gazed at him warily then turned her attention to the black box, lifting it from the counter. With her fingers trembling, she raised the lid and spotted a large diamond engagement ring glinting under the kitchen lights. Puzzled, she turned back to Sam, who had knelt down beside her. Her eyes widened. “W-what the hell are you doing?”

  “I’m proposing to my fiancée.”

  She glanced around, making sure the others were still in the living room. “Sam, stop it. This isn’t funny.”

  “It’s not meant to be funny.” He took her hand. “I should have told you this sooner, but I fell for you, Leah. I didn’t mean to. Hell, I even tried to stop it from happening. But the more involved I became, the more I realized the desserts you make aren’t the sweetest thing about you.”

  “Sam…”

  “Let me finish, please. You’re kind, considerate, funny, and real. More real than any other woman I’ve ever met. Not to mention unbelievably sexy.”

  Heat crawled up her neck and pooled in her cheeks. “Sam…”

  “Shh! I’m on a roll, sweetheart.” He winked at her. “Leah Martin, somewhere along the way, I stopped pretending. I fell in love with you. Do you hear me? I love you. I don’t want to be friends with you. I want you to be my wife…for real this time.”

  A tear tracked down her cheek. “You mean that?”

  “Every last fucking word.”

  Her heart beat faster, but she paused. “Wait a minute. Is this your way of keeping yourself in desserts for the rest of your life?”

  He couldn’t seem to stop himself from grinning, but said, “Even if you never made me another dessert for the rest of our lives, I’d still want to marry you and spend the rest of mine with you.”

  “Do I still have to pay you for any work you do in my bakery?”

  Sam’s smirked, and his eyes did that funny smoldering thing again. “I think we could work out some kind of payment arrangement that would be mutually satisfying.”

  Feeling the heat of his gaze on her, Leah blew out a long, slow breath. “Then I guess we’re getting married. But do me a favor and let me make our wedding cake.”

  Sam laughed. “I thought you’d never ask.” He rose swiftly, dipped her in his arms, and gazed deeply into her eyes. “God, I love you, Leah.”

  Her heart swelled, filling with more happiness than she’d ever known. “I love you too.”

  Then he kissed her. Really kissed her. His tongue thrust inside her mouth, and she returned the favor, needing to taste him once again. By the time he pulled back, they were both panting softly. “Want to go burn some calories together at my place? I’d really like to get my hands under that dress.”

  “Only if we can take the chocolate cake with us.”

  He righted her, chuckling. “Which one?”

  “Both,” she said seriously.

  Sam winked at her. “That’s my girl.”

  Her mom stepped into the doorway, the clatter of her shoes on the tile drawing their attention. “Honey, your father said he knows a caterer who will probably give him a discount, but he’s wanting to know how big this wedding is going to be.”

  Leah and Sam exchanged knowing looks. Then she smiled and said, “I think I can speak for both of us when I say size doesn’t matter.”

  Alison Bliss continues her contemporary romance series about three curvaceous heroines finding love, with humor and heart…

  Look for On the Plus Side, available in May 2017.

  A preview follows.

  Chapter One

  Valerie Carmichael needed a drink. A strong one. Because it was the only way she envisioned herself getting through the night.

  Then again, maybe if she drank enough, the alcohol would sour her stomach and give her a good excuse to bail out and take the first cab home. Sadly, that option sounded the most appealing.

  An elbow nudged into her side, bringing her thoughts back to the crowded bar. “I can’t see anything through all of these fucking people,” Brett said, scanning the room with his eyes. “Come on, let’s go to the other side so I can get a better view.”

  Sighing, Valerie trudged behind him without a word.

  When Brett had asked her to attend the grand opening of the new bar in their hometown of Granite, Texas, she’d hesitated to say yes. Sure, she was curious what the inside of the recently remodeled bar looked like and had no doubt the place would be jam-packed with handsome, available men. But it was still the last place on earth she wanted to be.

  She knew better than to hang out in bars with her older and only—thank God—brother. Every time she’d done so in the past, the nights had always ended the same way. Brett would spend the entire evening hovering over her like a rabid pit bull, daring any single guy with a glint in his eye to look her way. And eventually, one of them would.

  At least one brave soul, brimming with liquid courage, would be dumb enough—or drunk enough—to risk approaching her while Brett stood guard. Then the potentially suicidal man would quickly find out what a hot-tempered, cockblocking asshole her brother could be. It was inevitable.

  Because Valerie turned heads. She always had.

  Oh, she wasn’t silly enough to believe she looked like some gorgeous supermodel with a lean, trim figure or anything. She definitely didn’t. But she had a pretty face, banging plus-size curves, and a lively personality. And that was good enough for her. Valerie was just…Valerie. And damn proud of it.

  Unfortunately, that noteworthy self-confidence of hers was akin to a powerful magnet, drawing unassuming male moths to her female flame. Which meant, as with any heat source, there was always a chance someone would get burned. And with Brett around, odds were in her favor that it wasn’t going to be her.

  As they made their way across the room, Brett’s muscular frame easily parted the sea of people, giving her plenty of walking space to follow behind him without bumping into anyone. But even then, she only made it ten feet before a masculine arm circled her waist and pulled her back against a hard body. “Hey, baby. Wanna dance?”

  Valerie winced. Another guy with a death wish. Lovely.

  No, wait. She recognized that voice, didn’t she?

  Glancing over her right shoulder, she stared directly into Max’s playful eyes just as Brett whipped around and shoved Max away from her. “Get your fucking hands off my sister, jackass.”

  Max released her and held his hands up in surrender. “Whoa! I was just playing around with her. No need to get pissy about it, buddy.”

  “I’m not your goddamn buddy,” Brett sneered, fire flashing in his eyes as he stepped toward Max.

  Valerie scrambled into her brother’s path to keep him at bay. “Stop it! He’s just a friend of mine, Brett. You don’t have to go all caveman on him.”

  “Then tell your friend to keep his damn hands off you.” Her brother shot Max one of his blue-eyed Taser glares, which usually sent most men retreating.

  But Max wasn’t like most men and continued to stand there, as if he were throwing down a
challenge of his own. One Brett was clearly willing to accept, since he started for Max.

  Jesus. Here we go again. Valerie readjusted her position and placed her hands on Brett’s chest to stop him. “Knock it off right now. Damn it, you promised to behave yourself tonight. If you can’t control yourself, then I’m going home.” She almost hoped Brett would throw a punch just so she had a reason to leave. Sorry, Max.

  “Me?” Brett asked innocently, his eyes widening. “I didn’t do anything…yet.” He zapped another threatening look in Max’s direction for good measure.

  Valerie shook her head, annoyed with the whole situation. “Why don’t you just go ahead without me, and I’ll catch up to you in a little bit?”

  Her brother didn’t move.

  God, why did I come out tonight? Me and my bright ideas. “Damn it, Brett. Just go already. I’ll be fine. I want to talk to Max.” Her brother planted his feet, as if he planned to wait for her, so she added, “Without my bodyguard present, if you don’t mind.”

  Brett gritted his teeth and set his jaw but eventually stalked away. Once Valerie was sure he wasn’t coming back, she turned her attention to Max and sighed. “Sorry about that. My brother’s a little…intense.”

  “Who, that guy? Nah.” Max’s sardonic tone wasn’t lost on her, but then he shrugged. “No big deal, Val. You warned me that your brother was an asshole. If I had known he was with you tonight, I wouldn’t have grabbed you like that.”

  She grinned. “You’re such a liar.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted into a tiny smirk. “I know.”

  Though they’d met only six months before at Rusty’s Bucket—a seedy local dive bar that made this place look like an upscale Vegas cocktail lounge—she’d had Max’s number from the beginning. And she wasn’t referring to his telephone digits…though she had those too.

  Upon meeting Max, Valerie had quickly figured out two things about him. One, he was a decent guy, even though he was a bit of a troublemaker at times. Two, he hadn’t been remotely attracted to her. Which was fine with her, since she hadn’t been interested in him either.

  She hadn’t lied when she told Brett that Max was just a friend. Nothing romantic had ever evolved between them and never would. At the time, they had each unknowingly used the opportunity to set up their best friends, Leah and Sam, by feigning interest in each other.

  And it had worked! The lucky couple were now engaged and living together in Sam’s apartment while his construction crew built their new home not far from Leah’s bakery, Sweets n’ Treats. Within three weeks, Leah would have her intimate beach wedding and be moving into her glorious new home with the man of her dreams.

  And Valerie couldn’t be happier for them.

  Especially since Leah moving in with Sam had left her one-bedroom apartment over the bakery available for Valerie to rent, thus making Leah not only her best friend and employer, but also her landlord. At least for the past month.

  “I’m surprised to see you here tonight,” Max said, steering Valerie toward a surprisingly vacant seat at the small side bar in the corner. “Leah said you weren’t coming.”

  “I didn’t plan to,” she said, noting how strange it was that there were plenty of seats in the area around them while the rest of the bar harbored wall-to-wall people. She slid onto the black, vinyl-covered stool as Max stationed himself next to her. “I know it’s hard to believe I’d miss it though.”

  “No kidding. Since when do you not enjoy the bar scene, party girl?”

  Okay, so maybe I’m not the only one who got someone’s number.

  Grinning, she ignored his question and glanced around the room. “So where are Leah and Sam? I thought they’d be here by now.”

  “They’re here,” he confirmed. “They headed over to the main bar to get a drink. The bartenders over there are much faster than this one is,” Max said, gesturing to the young man standing idly behind the bar. “If you want something to drink, you better tell me quick. If he has to make more than one drink at a time, you’ll die of thirst before I can save you.”

  Normally, Valerie would have ordered a beer, but the shiny metallic bandage dress she wore showed off her feminine side and wasn’t really the kind of outfit a lady would drink a beer in. Hmm. Something colorful and fruity, perhaps? Besides, the hard liquor would probably help ease some of the tension she’d felt creeping up her spine since she’d entered the building. “Um, how about an appletini?”

  “A what?”

  She grinned. “An apple martini.”

  Max nodded. “You got it. Coming right…er, scratch that. You might get it soon, if you’re lucky.” He grinned, then leaned over the bar and repeated the order to the young bartender.

  The barkeep nodded in acknowledgment but seemed a bit unsure of what to do. When he finally made the decision to reach for a glass, it took him three tries before he found the one used for martinis. Even as he chilled the glass with ice, he moved so slowly and deliberately that Valerie wondered if he was pacing himself so he didn’t pull a muscle in his hand. If he didn’t learn to speed up, the thirsty bar-goers would eat him for breakfast. Because, chances were, it would take him until morning to finish making one drink. Jeez.

  While they waited for her drink, Max and Valerie lingered at the bar counter chatting about their friends’ pending nuptials. Since they were the best man and maid-of-honor, Max and Valerie would soon be walking down the aisle together. Of course, she wouldn’t dare word it that way to her brother or he’d jump to conclusions and blow a gasket.

  After a few minutes, Sam and Leah emerged from the dense crowd, each holding a beer bottle in their hands. Leah blinked at the sight of Valerie sitting with Max. “Val? What are you doing here? You said you weren’t coming.”

  Valerie shrugged. “I changed my mind.”

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Yeah, sure. Why?”

  “When you said you didn’t want to go out, I assumed you were sick. You never turn down a night out. Actually, you’re the one who’s always asking me to go.” Leah placed her palm lightly against Valerie’s forehead. “You sure you don’t have the flu or something?”

  Valerie laughed and pushed her friend’s hand away. “Oh, stop it. I just didn’t feel like getting dressed up. I’m getting tired of the whole bar scene.”

  Leah squinted with disbelief. “Since when?”

  Since three weeks ago when I found out this place was opening. Valerie gazed longingly at the bartender, who was using a jigger to carefully measure out the vodka for her cocktail. Damn, she could really use that drink about now. She sighed inwardly. “I’m fine,” she told Leah. “I was tired, but the mood passed.”

  “Good,” Sam said cheerfully, clasping a hand on his buddy’s shoulder. “Then maybe you can help us keep Max out of trouble for one evening. Lord knows he needs all the help he can get.”

  Max just grinned.

  “Already on top of it,” Valerie replied. “A few minutes ago, he met my brother.”

  Leah’s eyes widened. “Oh, no. Brett’s here? I can only imagine how well that went over.”

  “Yep, exactly what you’re thinking. It didn’t. But I managed to send Brett away for the time being. I’m sure he’s still watching me from some dark corner though.” She leaned over to Max and loudly mock-whispered, “If you want to keep your arms attached to your body, I wouldn’t make any sudden movements in my direction.”

  They all laughed, probably because a truer statement had never been spoken. As the chuckling died down, the young bartender finally slid a green-tinted apple martini on the counter in front of Valerie. Thank goodness.

  Max reached for his wallet and nodded across the room in the direction Brett had wandered off. “Think I can get away with paying for your drink, smart-ass? Or should I consult your brother first?”

  She smiled up at him, her eyes twinkling with mirth. “Oh, no. You don’t have to ask his permission for that.” Then her gaze followed the same trail Max’s had. “Always
feel free to pay for my—”

  Valerie’s heart stopped, along with her lips. Oh God.

  Across the room, Brett stood there talking to a tall, dark-haired man who had one thumb hooked in the front pocket of his jeans while he leaned comfortably against the wall with his right shoulder. She couldn’t see the other guy’s face, but she didn’t need to. Valerie recognized all six feet, two inches of him.

  Jesus. I don’t think I can do this.

  “Can’t do what?” Leah asked, puzzlement filling her voice.

  Shit. Had she said that out loud?

  Valerie winced. Her friends probably thought Brett’s ridiculous brotherly behavior had been the motivation for her wanting to stay home tonight…and that was partly true. But she hadn’t told them the real reason—a bigger reason—for wanting to avoid stepping into the new hottest bar in town. And that reason not only had a name, but he was the owner.

  Logan Mathis.

  “Val?” Leah placed her hand on Valerie’s shoulder, pulling her out of her thoughts and right back into her noisy surroundings.

  She immediately lifted her drink and downed the martini in one gulp, then rubbed a flat hand across her queasy stomach. “I can do this,” she whispered in encouragement to herself.

  Sam and Max were no longer paying attention and were busy having a heated football discussion, but Leah raised one suspicious brow. “What the hell are you talking about?” she asked before her gaze fell on the empty martini glass. “How many of those have you had?”

  Valerie glanced across the room again at the man who had her insides tied in knots and sighed heavily. “Not nearly enough.”

  Leah’s gaze immediately followed the invisible trail of bread crumbs Valerie had left behind. She grinned and pointed across the bar. “Hey, isn’t that—”

  “Logan Mathis,” Valerie groaned, not bothering to hide the contempt in her voice.

  “Yeah, that’s the one. He was your brother’s—”

  “Best friend.”

  She nodded. “Yep, but didn’t he move away like—”