Jonah Read online

  A smile crooked one corner of his mouth. “I never would have guessed. You were cucumber cool. And you really threw Trotter off guard. When we were interrogating him, he kept saying ‘that girl wouldn’t stop lecturing me.’”

  “Really?”

  “You’ve got high expectations of people, Edie Preston.”

  She couldn’t mistake the twinkle in his eye. That was a good sign. Right?

  “Do you need a ride home?” He angled his head.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  “This way.” He placed a hand to the small of her back and guided her to the door and into the night.

  Edie gnawed on her bottom lip, wishing desperately that she’d had her makeup kit with her so she could freshen up. Unfortunately, she was also in her elf suit with the darned jangling jingle bells.

  Please, she thought, just let me survive the drive home. Let me find the right words to tell him how I feel about him.

  When they reached the parking lot, he stopped beside his car and took her hand.

  “Listen, Edie, I want you to know that I’ve had a great time these past five weeks playing Santa with you.”

  Oh, no. Here it comes. You’re a great girl but...

  “Me, too,” she whispered, her gaze scanning his face, searching for answers.

  “You’re a great girl.”

  Her stomach roiled. Her hands trembled. Tears gathered behind her eyelids.

  So much for taking a walk on the wild side.

  “You’re a wonderful guy.” She blinked. Willed away the tears.

  “I know I’m not good enough for you. I grew up the hard way, on the streets. I spent my youth rebelling against authority. If it hadn’t been for my Aunt Polly...” He shook his head. “But I digress. I’m a cop. I see the dark-and-dirty side of life. You’re an optimist. You’re clean and pure and innocent. I’m afraid...” He stopped.

  “Afraid of what?” she urged.

  He took a deep breath. Were those tears glistening in his eyes? Her heart stuttered. “If we start dating that I’ll ruin what I love most about you.”

  What he loved most about her? Her pulse quickened.

  “Your inherent belief in the goodness of your fellow man.”

  A lock of hair had fallen across his forehead. She raised on tiptoes and patted the strand back into place.

  “Shh,” she said. “Don’t be silly. We’re perfect together. I need your cold-eyed realism just as much as you need my cockeyed optimism. You’ve taught me so much about life, Jonah Stevenson, in such a short time.”

  “Same here.” His voice was gruff.

  “For so many years, I’ve been like everyone’s kid sister. Guys don’t make passes at me. Construction workers don’t whistle at me on the street. I’m the good girl. But you make me feel like a real woman. Alive, sexy, sexual. You’ve given me the courage to take risks, to really experience life. I can’t tell you how good that feels.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded.

  He actually blushed. Big, tough cop didn’t know how to take a compliment. “Well, you make me feel pretty sexy, too. The last thing I ever expected was to fall in love with you.”

  Emotions knotted in her throat. “You’re in love with me?”

  “Hell, yes,” he said gruffly. “Why do you think I was trying to break things off with you?”

  “Is that what you usually do when you’re in love? Run away?”

  “I’m scared I can’t live up to your expectations. I was worried you’d pass judgment on me. That I wouldn’t measure up to your expectations. Aunt Polly wanted so much from me. So did my last girlfriend. I can’t offer you anything more than what you see right now, Edie. Take me as I am. For better or worse.” He held his arms wide, exposing himself to her.

  Instinctively, she knew this was a very difficult thing for him to do—lay himself bare.

  “And if I say yes?”

  “Then I’m taking you back to my place.”

  “Yes,” she said. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.”

  Embracing the exhilarating insanity of the moment, Edie climbed into the Corvette beside him and snapped her seat belt into place. He drove through the light traffic to his quaint house in his eclectic neighborhood.

  I’d love living here, she realized, in this melting pot of cultures.

  Jonah pulled into the driveway and leapt from the car, hustling around to the passenger side to help her out.

  He ushered her up the steps and across the threshold, both their breaths coming in sharp, hurried gasps. He positioned her on the couch, then turned on the stereo.

  “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” played.

  He joined her on the couch and pulled her into his lap. “Christmas will always be our special time,” he whispered, his warm breath feathering the hairs back from her ears.

  She giggled.

  “We won’t be able to hear a Christmas song without thinking back on this moment,” he continued.

  “Or see a sprig of mistletoe without remembering the first time you kissed me.”

  “You mean like this?” Jonah kissed her softly, gently, repeatedly.

  “More like this,” Edie said, introducing her tongue into the mix.

  “Whew.” He pulled back a few minutes later.

  “When you take a walk on the wild side, you really take a walk on the wild side.”

  “I learned from the best.” She grinned.

  “I love the way you smile,” he said.

  “I love the way you smell.” She buried her nose against his neck. “Like pine cones and peppermint and gingerbread.”

  He caught her chin in his palm and turned her face to meet his eyes. “And I love you, Edie Preston, with all my heart and soul.”

  “I love you, too, Jonah,” she whispered. “More than you’ll ever know.”

  He rose to his feet, Edie clutched firmly in his arms. Her giggle echoed in the room. “Where are we going?” she demanded.

  “To the bedroom.”

  “Ah.”

  “Got a problem with that?”

  “No. Not at all. But I do have one request.”

  “And that is?”

  “Do you still have the Santa suit?” she whispered. “Because I’ve always had this wild little fantasy...”

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  Connecting independent readers to independent writers.

  Did you love Jonah? Then you should read Handsome Rancher by Lori Wilde and Liz Alvin!

  Chase Barrett, is on the bachelor block thanks to his matchmaking sister, Leigh. She's determined to do away with her three overprotective brothers—but in the nicest possible way!

  She's got Megan Kendall finally doing something about her hidden, long-held feelings for Chase—the rancher's always insisted there's no such thing as true love. But will Megan and the Barrett family turn Chase into a true believer instead?

  Handsome Rancher is the first book in the humorous romantic Handsome Devils series by Lori Wilde and Liz Alvin

  Also by Lori Wilde

  Handsome Devils

  Handsome Rancher

  Handsome Boss

  Handsome Lawman

  Handsome Cowboy

  Handsome Hotshot

  Sweet Southern Charmers

  Reece

  Blake (Coming Soon)

  Boone

  Texas Rascals

  Keegan

  Matt

  Nick

  Kurt

  Tucker

  Kael

  Truman

  Brodie

  Dan

  Rex

  Clay

  Jonah

  Watch for more at Lori Wilde’s site.

  About the Author

  Lori Wilde is the
New York Times, USA Today and Publishers’ Weekly bestselling author of 85 works of romantic fiction. She’s a three time Romance Writers’ of America RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Readers’ Choice Award. She has won numerous other awards as well. Her books have been translated into 26 languages, with more than four million copies of her books sold worldwide. Her breakout novel, The First Love Cookie Club, has been optioned for a TV movie.

  Lori is a registered nurse with a BSN from Texas Christian University. She holds a certificate in forensics, and is also a certified yoga instructor.

  A fifth generation Texan, Lori lives with her husband, Bill, in the Cutting Horse Capital of the World; where they run Epiphany Orchards, a writing/creativity retreat for the care and enrichment of the artistic soul.

  Read more at Lori Wilde’s site.