Authors: Sara Daniel
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Genre Fiction, #War, #Romance, #Anthologies, #Military, #Two Hours or More (65-100 Pages), #Collections & Anthologies, #The Calendar Men Series Mr. September
A Model Hero (9 page)
“I’ll clear your schedule for the rest of the afternoon,” her secretary said, amusement and a touch of envy in her voice. “You can reward me with a raise at your convenience.” She clicked off before Gretchen could reply.
“You’ve been avoiding me.” Kyle’s voice curled around her, sending delightful shivers down her spine as he closed the door.
“Just getting out of your hair so you can resume your life without me in the way.”
He pressed his palms to the desktop and leaned toward her. “Is that what you think? Apparently we have some things to talk about because I was under the impression you were part of my life and you liked it.”
She opened her mouth and then closed it. Of course she liked being part of his life, but she didn’t have to endure the humiliation of throwing herself at him. “Me and ninety-nine percent of the female population.”
He bent his arms against the wood surface until his face leveled with hers. “I don’t want ninety-nine percent of the population. I want you.”
“I beg your pardon.” She’d heard him but she didn’t believe her ears.
He leaped on the desk, sitting on the report directly in front of her, his legs straddling her lap. “I want you, Gretchen Meyers. I want your body spooned with mine when I wake up in the morning. I want you smiling across the table at dinner each night. I want your brain to help me figure out how to invest my income, so I don’t have to be a denture model when I’m eighty-five.”
She smiled in spite of the ache in her heart. “You don’t have to claim you want to spend every minute with me to convince me to manage your money.”
He touched his index finger under her chin, lifting her head until she looked directly into his heartfelt gaze. “I’m not. Honestly, I don’t care if you manage my money or even if I have any money to manage. The point is, I love you and I want you in my life whatever way I can get you.”
Gretchen stared. She had no words. No snappy comeback appeared on the tip of her tongue to rescue her vulnerable heart.
“You don’t believe me.” He dropped his hand, and his shoulders slumped. “I know I was difficult about returning to modeling. I had this obsession that my body had to be perfect for me to be worthy of showing it off. To top it off, Brett’s death messed me up bad. I’m not over it. I’m not sure a person ‘gets over’ death. And I have some serious character flaws. When people tell me how handsome and sexy I am, it goes to my head. I get cocky and obnoxious. Pretty soon, I start pulling stunts like walking straight into this office without waiting for an invitation.”
“I love you,” Gretchen blurted. “You don’t have to convince me of all the reasons I shouldn’t want you or that you’re just as human as anyone else. I know, and I love you exactly the way you are. But why do you want me?”
“Because you’re beautiful, sweet, funny, smart, thoughtful, caring, resourceful, compassionate, sexy—”
“I’m a plus size,” she reminded him. “I could eat those women you model with for breakfast and still be hungry.”
“I couldn’t care less if you’re a size one-hundred fifty-two or a negative thirty-one. Who gives a shit? I love you for you, not the size of your thighs, stomach, and boobs.”
His stark words blew her away. He’d proved her less-than-perfect appearance wouldn’t keep him from sleeping with her for a night or two. But on a permanent basis, conventional wisdom said he’d want someone who could match his beauty. She’d let him go without a fight because he deserved the chance to find such a person.
“Having said that, I’m happy to show you how much I appreciate your body in the exact shape it is now.” He pushed the buttons of her blouse through the tiny holes. “You accepted me and convinced the entire world to welcome me with this scar on the middle of my chest. Why is it so hard for you to accept and love yourself?”
Gretchen stared at him, her shirt gaping open, her breath lodged in her throat. He was right. A lifetime spent believing she wasn’t worthy stopped her from accepting his love, making her as shallow and superficial as the most body-obsessed model.
Kyle pointed out this fault in the same breath he professed his love. He loved her, just as she loved him. She could either embrace the love she’d never imagined could be hers or wallow in misery and her own stupidity for the rest of her life.
He’d said he loved her for her brains, too. She needed to prove she had some.
“I’ve made peace with the size I am.” Usually, she had to add a qualifier for when her mother wasn’t around. But she didn’t need to qualify her acceptance any longer. “I’m happy to spend the night showing you my acceptance.”
“I’m talking about way more than one night.”
“Me, too.”
He bounced off the desk and nudged back her rolling chair, dropping to one knee on the floor in front of her. Then he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small velvet jewelry box. “I love you, Gretchen, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
She leaped out of her chair and threw her arms around him, sending them both tumbling to the carpet in a tangle of arms and legs. “Yes. I love you. You’re my model hero.”
By the time they raised the shades and left her office, Kyle had given her abundant physical evidence of how every inch of their imperfect bodies meshed perfectly together, but she didn’t need proof to know their love would last.
.
Sara Daniel writes irresistible romance, from sweet to erotic and everything in between. On the personal side, she’s a frazzled maid, chef, chauffeur, tutor, and personal assistant. She battles a serious NASCAR addiction and was once a landlord of two uninvited squirrels. Last but definitely not least, she has her own happily-ever-after romance with her hero husband.
You can visit Sara at:
Other Stories in the Decadent Publishing Calendar Men Series
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