AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Because,” I growled, “Phoebe is here and we’ve talked a little. I think she might be making, well,” I looked around for her and whispered, “strides. If I go right now, it’ll fuck everything up.”
He chuckled. “Take her with you.”
I huffed. “She and J never got along.”
I heard him crack a bottle of water. “Exactly.”
I drove my fingers into my hair, pulling it off my face. “Look, I can’t. There’s too much happening here. I’ll get there after the New Year.”
I disconnected and pushed my hands through my long hair. There was nothing I could do about the company anyway. It was Christmas. Everyone had time off.
Figuring Phoebe was probably done by now, I went to the bedroom to get changed.
The moment I stepped into the bedroom I heard her giving herself a pep talk. “You can’t go through life afraid all the time. You just can’t. You have to take a leap of faith sometimes and believe that you won’t fall. Or if you do fall that you have good friends to pick you back up again. I have friends here. I have people. And interest. And offers. And I can do this. I. Can. Do. This!”
She came flying out of the bathroom and directly into my chest, then shrieked. “Ah! Fucking shit, Chief, make a goddamn noise!”
I felt a chuckle deep in my chest.
It looked like I kicked the air out of her. She stood with her mouth agape staring at me.
I loved that I had this effect on her.
Moving around her, I pulled off my shirt. Phoebe stood in the doorway in a zip-up hoodie and yoga pants staring at me as I dressed. Ogling really. But I wasn’t complaining.
When I left, she dressed. A few minutes later, she emerged in a lovely hunter-green dress with sheer sleeves. The top of the dress was a wrap thing with the ribbon in front of her breasts holding the fabric over them. And if you looked closely enough, there was a little diamond showing her skin. Her actual creamy white skin in a little gap between the fabric wrapped around her breasts and the skirt beneath it.
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. She turned herself into a literal present. All I had to do was unwrap her and I would get to hold her glorious tits in my hands. My cock resurged, thickening so hard little dots danced around my vision.
She looked down at the dress. “I hope I tied everything meant to be tied. Looks like it did on the model, so I’m hopeful.” She spun around. “You don’t see that I’ve missed anything, right?”
Drawn to her, I moved closer, placing my hands on her luscious hips under the guise of checking for anything out of place. “No, you look great.”
As she pressed her hands to her hair nervously, she looked down at her black knee-high boots.
Closing the gap between us, I held her eyes with my intensity. “You look fucking edible.”
Her bright red lips popped open. “Really?”
I nodded. “Hell, yeah. Now let’s go before I forget that I’m a gentleman.”
She snorted. “You’re a gentleman?”
I chuckled. “You have no fucking idea.” With her quizzical look, I knew she didn’t. “Let’s just say I have the patience of a saint and the bluest balls you’ve ever seen.”
As I helped her into the truck, my hand drifted to her tall black leather boots and lingered at her knees.
She let out a puff of air and raised an eyebrow at me. “You like those?”
I growled as I shut the door. I liked them so damn much I was losing my fucking mind.
21
PHOEBE
Christmas at the Muskatoon Finance Center was a raucous event. Everyone had something to celebrate. Molly put on a brave face for the guys. I knew a little something about that because while I was incredibly happy for all of the happy couples, envy burned in my chest. I wanted to be as happy as they were. Pulled into a vortex of love and squishy feelings. Sensing Ransom’s eyes glued to me, I wondered if I could be.
After dinner, I sat with the girls. Maddy rubbed her newly swollen belly. “So, how are things with Ransom?”
