Trading with the Boys: A Reverse Harem Romance
Page 19
“He’s right though,” I acknowledged, finally letting go. “I was going to show you the scotch pines, but the only thing that big would be a douglas fir.”
We walked swiftly down a long row of shorter trees, the breath from our exertion showing as little puffs of white smoke. Sloane looked just as amazing from the back as she did from the front. As a red-blooded American male, I couldn’t help but notice it.
“What did you mean by ‘first tree this year’?” I asked.
I saw her expression change. It looked like she was deciding something.
“Well I had a tree about a week ago,” she admitted. “But that one got kicked to the curb.”
“Along with an ex-boyfriend?” I theorized.
Her face lit up with a smile. “Yes!” she swore excitedly. “How’d you know?”
“It happens,” I shrugged back at her. “Believe it or not, you’re not the first.”
“Well that’s a relief,” she declared with a laugh. “It’s good to know I’m not the only psycho dragging a fully-decorated tree — stand and everything — out to the curb a few weeks before Christmas.”
Valerio laughed with her. “Wow. Ornaments, tree-stand and all?”
“Yup.”
“That’s dedication!”
“Yeah, well my fellow tenants must think I’m a lunatic,” she lamented.
“Not to mention your garbage men,” I pointed out. “Don’t forget about them.”
Valerio ducked between two thick balsam pines and pulled our customer along with him. I felt jealous I was no longer holding her hand. Like he’d stolen her away.
“You know it’s not just about length,” I said abruptly. “You also need to get something that’ll fit your space.”
Sloane whirled on me, batting her eyelashes as she looked back at me slyly. “And do you have something that’ll fit my space?” she played along.
“Pretty sure I do,” I answered. “Yeah.”
“Hmm.”
God, she was making me crazy! So cute, so funny. But best of all, so damned sure of herself. I could totally picture her dragging a fully-decorated Christmas tree to the curb, and maybe even kicking it for good measure. It just seemed like something she’d do.
The next line of trees were douglas firs, and beautiful ones at that. We’d just gotten them in yesterday. They grew taller and wider as we continued on.
“Fourteen feet… fourteen feet…” Valerio was muttering to himself.
“Honestly, have you got anything bigger?” Sloane asked casually.
Her question forced the two of us to stop walking at once. Our customer giggled.
“Seriously,” she said. “All dick jokes aside, I’m looking to go bigger and better than the tree I had with whats-his-face. Even if it’s just a little bit.”
“Ah, so you want to upstage him,” Valerio nodded with a smile. “I get it.”
“You do?”
He spread his fingers across his chest. “Of course I do! I’m a man, aren’t I?”
“Well I guess so,” Sloane flirted back. “If I’m taking your word for it.”
Valerio went to say something else, but I’d already pulled her away from him. Ten steps later I stopped, grabbed her shoulders, and spun her in the direction of a ridiculously tall, incredibly beautiful tree.
“Whoa…!”
The word left her beautiful lips as a long, drawn-out hiss. It reminded me comically of something out of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
“This is the one, right?” I asked proudly.
“Yeah…” Sloane murmured. “It just might be.”
She walked around it in a semicircle, where it leaned against one of the long wooden tree-cradles.
“Do you actually have room for it?” I asked, a bit skeptically. “I mean some people don’t realize how—”
“I’ve got a top floor loft apartment with sixteen-foot ceilings,” she said, still staring at the tree. “And plenty of space for how wide she is.”
She. She was already personifying the tree in her own mind. I knew I had her.
“Yeah, well she’ll get even wider once she’s inside, and her boughs open up a bit more.” I reached into the center and grabbed the trunk. It took more than a little effort on my part to shake off the snow and spin it around for her.
“Wow,” said Valerio. “It doesn’t even have a bad side.”
“That’s the one then,” Sloane nodded happily. There was a twinkle of excitement in her eye that wasn’t there before. “I’ll take her.”
“Great!” I said, laying the tree back in its wooden cradle. “What are you driving?”
“A pickup truck,” she answered. “Long bed Ford, F-150.”
Damn, could she get any more perfect? Probably not.
“I think I just fell more in love with you,” I told her.
“Oh? And were you in love with me before?”
“Probably, yeah.”
I swooped in quickly, sliding an arm over her shoulder and guiding her in the direction of the parking area before Valerio even knew what happened.
“Let’s you and I go pull your truck around,” I said merrily. “While my friend here drags the tree up front for a fresh cut.”
Valerio looked like I’d just put an arrow through his heart. “B—But—”
“We’ll meet you at the wrapping machine in five minutes,” I grinned triumphantly at him. “So don’t slack off.”
THREE CHRISTMAS WISHES
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About the Author
Krista Wolf is a lover of action, fantasy and all good horror movies… as well as a hopeless romantic with an insatiably steamy side.
She writes suspenseful, mystery-infused stories filled with blistering hot twists and turns. Tales in which headstrong, impetuous heroines are the irresistible force thrown against the immovable object of ripped, powerful heroes.
If you like intelligent and witty romance served up with a sizzling edge? You’ve just found your new favorite author.
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