Getting In the Spirit: a Sapphire Falls novella (18 page)
Read Getting In the Spirit: a Sapphire Falls novella Online
Authors: Erin Nicholas
He kissed her again, and when they finally pulled apart, Kate knew exactly what she wanted for Christmas.
“Levi, would you be my date for the Christmas formal in Sapphire Falls?”
It took him only a second to give her a big grin and a, “Hell yeah. And wait until you see what I did for the formal,” he said, shouldering her carryon bag and taking her hand.
She laughed. “I’m sure whatever it is, it’s perfect and thoughtful and a little out of the ordinary.”
Levi didn’t protest any of those things.
“And—” he gave her another grin, “Joe taught me how to build a fire in the fireplace while I was waiting for the helicopter.”
“But Phoebe and Joe are home now. We can’t use their fireplace,” Kate said. But wow, did she want to. Her body hummed with the memories of the night before.
“No. But the house I bought has a fireplace too.”
“The house you…” She trailed off and shook her head. “We’re definitely going to need to work up to the
normal
-life stuff.”
The helicopter was waiting for them, prepared to take them on to San Francisco based on Levi’s initial plan, but the pilot was happy to take them back to Sapphire Falls instead.
A couple of hours later, they finally flew over the tiny Nebraska town and took in the sight of the town square from the air. It looked so much like the ornament Kate had in her pocket that she sucked in a quick breath.
Levi leaned over and said softly, “You know what that is don’t you?” he asked softly. “That’s the view of our Christmas future. And not a ghost in sight.”
She laughed, but gazing at the brightly lit gazebo, trees and even the hot chocolate stand, she knew it was more than that. She took Levi’s hand and squeezed it. “Actually, I think that’s simply the view of our future. For all seasons.”
About the Author
Erin Nicholas is the author of sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).
You can find Erin at
www.ErinNicholas.com
,
on Twitter (
http://twitter.com/ErinNicholas
)
and on Facebook (
https://www.facebook.com/ErinNicholasBooks
)
Look for these titles by Erin Nicholas
Now Available at all book retailers!
Sapphire Falls
Getting In the Spirit, Christmas novella
The Bradfords
Just the Way I Like It (short story, 3.5)
Just What I Need: The Epilogue (novella, book 6)
Anything & Everything
Counting On Love
The Billionaire Bargains
What Matters Most
All That Matters
Single titles
Promise Harbor Wedding
Boys of Fall
Out of Bounds, Erin Nicholas
Going Long, Cari Quinn
Free Agent, Mari Carr
Enjoy this Excerpt from
Getting Out of Hand
Sapphire Falls, book one
by Erin Nicholas
Genius scientist Mason Riley can cure world hunger, impress the media and piss off the Vice President of the United States all before breakfast. But he’s not sure he can get through his high school class reunion
.
Then he meets the new girl in town
.
Adrianne Scott loves Sapphire Falls. The sleepy little town has been the perfect place to escape her fast-paced, high stress lifestyle. Her only plans now include opening her candy shop and living a quiet, drama-free life
.
Until Mason Riley bids four hundred dollars just to dance with her
.
Mason sure doesn’t look—or kiss—like a genius scientist geek. In fact, he makes Adrianne’s heart pound like nothing she’s ever experienced. Passion like this with a guy who travels the world and parties at the White House should probably be a red flag for a girl who wants a simple boring life
.
Good thing no one falls in love in a weekend
.
Excerpt
“’Kay all, Adrianne’s next.”
A hand shot up in front before Jack even asked for a bid.
Jack chuckled and started the action at thirty dollars. It quickly climbed to two dances and fifty dollars.
Adrianne
. Mason had no idea who she was, but it was obvious she was damned popular. She was no Hailey Conner, and in Sapphire Falls she never would be, but at least the guys around here hadn’t missed the silkiness of the blond waves that fell to her shoulder blades, or the sweetness of her smile, or the perfect curve of her ass—
Mason straightened. What the hell was that? His type was about four years younger than Adrianne, twenty pounds lighter and
not
from Sapphire Falls.
“What’s her story?” he asked Drew.
“Adrianne Scott,” Drew said with an appreciative sigh. “She’s new.”
“Yeah. I noticed.”
“Been here a couple of years. She’s friends with Hailey. Everyone wants her.”
He’d noticed that too. And it bugged him.
“She’s not dating anyone?”
Drew chuckled and shook his head. “Nope. Not for lack of trying. She never dates. The first guy to kiss her gets a hundred bucks.”
Mason raised an eyebrow. He didn’t necessarily approve of guys kissing a woman to win money, but then again, he was quite sure that no man would want to kiss Adrianne
just
for money.
“Everyone wants her.”
The guys in Sapphire Falls might have more taste than he’d given them credit for.
He drained the beer he didn’t want and disliked immensely and decided to place a food order to go. This was all of no interest to him.
“Okay, sixty-five dollars and three dances with Miss Adrianne Scott. Going once—”
Then she laughed at something the woman next to her said.
And Mason was in trouble.
Well, hell.
“Three hundred dollars,” he called out.
Every single pair of eyes in the room turned to look at Mason at the same time.
He’d never been the center of attention without a microphone in front of him and a conference logo behind him before. Certainly never in Sapphire Falls.
He stepped forward. He’d opened his big mouth, couldn’t really go back now. He should probably be more surprised that he’d bid like that, but he wasn’t. He was a genius after all, and while his brain and mouth almost never disconnected, paying a few measly bucks for a chance to dance all night with Adrianne Scott and hear that laugh again was a genius move.
“Did you say three
hundred
?” Jack demanded, pointing a wooden gavel at him as if challenging him to take it back.
“Yes, sir,” Mason replied, looking at Adrianne when he added, “For the rest of the dances tonight.”
Adrianne’s cheeks were pink and her eyes wide. She wore no makeup to enhance the features that were completely captivating him. Her hair was loose and she wore a simple white cotton tank under a denim shirt with blue jeans. Simple, unadorned, and yet he had never been more drawn to a woman.
Jack looked around the room. Obviously, it was unprecedented for a man to monopolize a woman for the entire evening.
“But it’s only—” Jack started.
“Four hundred,” Mason answered, still watching Adrianne.
“I don’t—”
“Maybe we should let the lady decide,” Mason interrupted, walking toward Adrianne.
“I can’t,” she said, shaking her head as he advanced. She was breathing a little fast and she darted her tongue out and wet her bottom lip.
He took another step toward her. “Then what are you worth?”
She swallowed and glanced around. “There’s only three dances left,” she said. “I can’t let you pay three hundred dollars for that.”
“I offered four,” he reminded her, moving in closer still.
She smiled and he couldn’t stop staring at her mouth.
“I meant that even three was too much.”
He was directly in front of her now, and only those within about ten feet of them could hear the conversation. “I didn’t tell you what I expected those dances to be like for four hundred dollars.”
Adrianne was having a hard time breathing. A man hadn’t done that to her in a really long time. She liked it and hated it at the same time. She pressed a hand over her heart, which was, not surprisingly, pounding. She took another deep breath. It might be safer to say no. But she made the mistake of looking up into his eyes and knew instantly that she was not going to say no to this man. No matter what he asked of her.
He was something. He wore khakis to everyone else’s jeans and a blue button-up shirt instead of a T-shirt. And he moved with purpose and confidence in front of this crowd even though he wasn’t one of them. He was tall, his smile was sexy, his voice was sexy—
“How about you loan me that other hundred and I’ll bid on you next hour?” Adrianne asked.
He cocked an eyebrow, having noticed her eyes on his mouth. “I’m worth two hundred less than you are?”
She shrugged. “There are ways of finding that out, I suppose,” she said without thinking.
Dammit. She was flirting. She didn’t do that. Not with guys in Sapphire Falls, for sure. She hadn’t flirted in almost two years with anyone.
He gave her a lazy smile that clearly said he was willing to prove anything she asked and Adrianne felt her stomach flip.
She felt his gaze follow every move as she shrugged out of the denim shirt she’d worn unbuttoned over the spaghetti-strapped white tank and tied it around her waist.
“He wins,” Adrianne told Jack over her shoulder. “Make it a slow one.”
She took the man’s hand and led him to the edge of the dance floor while they waited for the other women to be matched with dance partners.
“Is this dance auction a new invention? Because it’s an effective fund-raising technique.”
“Yeah, it’s been part of the festival for the past couple of years. At least it’s better than a kissing booth, which was also suggested,” Adrianne said, smiling up at him.
He gave her a small smile in return, but his eyes were focused on her lips. Her heart tripped and she pressed her hand against her chest.
“How is dancing better than kissing?” he asked.
His voice sounded a little husky. Which was dumb, because she didn’t know him well enough to really know what his voice usually sounded like.
“Um.” She rubbed the pads of her first three fingers in a circle on her chest, willing her heart to slow. With a deep breath, she dropped her hand. “A dance lasts longer than a kiss, for one thing.”
