Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
I try to think of something that would make her comfortable. She clearly loves animals. “Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo are there.”
She reaches for the door handle, and I don’t miss the subtle way she checks to see if it’s unlocked. “And these men are your friends?”
“They’re my dogs.” I glance at Killer who is resting on her lap. “You’re not the only one with a fierce attack dog who likes to hide behind jingly shoes.”
She glances at my face again, looking for something I can’t quite define. Maybe it’s reassurance she wants.
“Look, we’re not getting down the mountain in the snowstorm. Our best bet is going to be my cabin. It’s not much, but it will be a roof over your head for the night,” I explain.
I already know from the way she carries herself that this is not a woman who’s used to roughing it. She has far too much confidence and poise to be from the wrong side of the tracks. No, she’s from money and a lot of it if I had to guess.
“Wait, did you name your dogs after the turtle show?” She asks quietly.
“You know it?” The show and movies were popular when I was a kid, but she has to be ten years younger than me.
“Never pay full price for late pizza,” she answers with a grin.
Fuck, I’m going to marry her then we’re going to make babies together. As many babies as she’s willing to give me. I hope it’s a lot. I want little ones running around the place while their hot mama drives me crazy. It’s pretty much a done deal in my mind. At least, until she opens her mouth again.
“My boyfriend doesn’t get it. Well, ex-boyfriend. Maybe. It’s kind of a messed up story.”
I grunt because I do not want to hear it. Truth is, I don’t care if she’s with someone else. The bastard was too stupid to put a ring on her finger which means I’m going to steal her away. His tough luck for letting this adorable Christmas elf with her love of comic book characters slip through his fingers.
“Do you like pizza?” I ask, an idea already forming in my head.
“Only if it’s meat lovers with extra sausage,” she answers quickly.
“I’m Hunter,” I say, realizing we haven’t exchanged names yet. I told her I was taking her back to my cabin before I even told her my name. No wonder she freaked out.
“I was kind of hoping you’d say your name was Splinter,” she says with a hint of mirth in her voice. She’s teasing me.
I chuckle. “And what’s yours?”
“Holly Jo–Johnson,” she quickly corrects herself.
It’s not lost on me that she just lied about her last name. I think about that for a second, then quickly decide it doesn’t matter because I’m going to change her last name anyway.
“Well, Holly,” I say, liking the way her name tastes on my lips. “I have plenty of ingredients for pizza at my cabin.”
She smiles at me, and it’s the first genuine smile she’s given me since we met. It feels like a huge victory. “I’d like some pizza.”
We drive the rest of the way to my cabin in silence. As I pull into the snow-covered driveway, I can’t help the way my stomach churns. I’ve never cared what someone thought of my cabin, but I want Holly to like it.
Though I suppose if she doesn’t, it’s not that big of a deal. I’ll just tear it down and build a new one. I’ll keep building cabins until I make one that she loves and wants to call home with me.
She gasps when she sees the cabin. “Your place is beautiful.”
My heart fills with pride at her words. “Wait until you see the inside.”
I leave the warmth of the truck and hurry around to her side. She struggled with the running board earlier, and I don’t want her to slip in her wet shoes.
She’s already scrambling out of the truck though and in her haste, her balance is off. She slips, her feet sliding in those shoes just like I’d feared.
I react instinctively, my hands going around her hips to steady her. Our faces are so close that our breaths mingle, a single puff of air in the middle of the snowstorm.
My blood is electric in my veins, and a feeling of contentment washes over me now that I’m touching her. I feel like this is what I’m meant to be doing with my life, holding this beautiful curvy elf. The happiness that spreads through me is better than Christmas morning.
Her gaze goes to my lips, and my heart skips a beat. I want to close the distance between us. I need to know what her lips taste like beneath mine.
But then Killer yips, and the moment is lost. Should have named him cockblocker instead.