Page 51 of Christmas Kisses

Christian has a six-pack that could clean my bed sheets the old-fashioned way my great nana would be proud of and a face that will forever entice wetness, but being insanely attractive doesn’t give you a free pass to be a dick.

Shaking my ass in an underground dance club didn’t grant me a one-on-one meeting with the owner of my building, so I refuse to let Christian’s devastatingly tempting body push Mrs. Richler’s side of our agenda, either.

He’s about to be taught a lesson, and for once, I’m excited when my once-favorite Christmas movie rolls through my head.

Oh, Kevin! Thank you for the laughs and for announcing what must happen next.

5

CHRISTIAN

Holy mother of God…

Brushed-out hair, a makeup-free face, and the tiniest towel in the history of towels make this an unfair fight. I should have demanded an increase in the astronomical fee Jimmy, my brother, usually charges for jobs like this while walking Mrs. Richler to the door.

I’m cocky as fuck and have the dick to back up my arrogance, but even he is down for the count while watching Angel’s prance across the living room floor.

My heart refuses to beat, fearing it’ll miss a single nanosecond of the spectacular show she’s putting on.

Angel is gorgeous clothed.

Out of them…fuck.

For the umpteenth time today, her curves have me wanting to backpedal on my plan to dominate Ravenshoe’s surging real estate market. This isn’t a good foundation for my brother’s infamous break-her-heart-and-watch-her-run-into-the-arms-of-the-closest-family-member ruse.

I should have gone with the neighbor-from-hell scheme. That was the plan until apartment 17A was sold for a record-settingprice with no cooling-off period. Its sale increased the value of the apartments in this block by forty-three percent and tripled my eagerness to get this apartment into my name sooner rather than later.

Although I could have switched things up for the roommate-from-hell plot when Angel remained in the bathroom for almost an hour after Mrs. Richler left, my cock spoke before my head—as it is again now.

There are a hundred ways I can assist Mrs. Richler in removing Angel from the building’s occupancy register, but since this is the only one that will keep me in Angel’s presence long enough to work out why my cock suddenly has all the say in my business decisions, I act like my IQ isn’t as high as it is.

A singsong voice draws my focus from the risky flap of Angel’s towel.

“What was that?” I murmur, my tone hardened with lust.

Angel smiles like she knows the cause of my distraction before she murmurs, “The shower is free.”

I’d recently entered the apartment when Mrs. Richler called to announce that Angel was on her way up. I only had enough time to strip and wrap a towel around me. I could use a shower. I just can’t. Jimmy swears integrity is the quickest route to instalove. Since I need Angel head over heels in love with me in less than four days, I can’t call myself out as a liar from the get-go.

“Thanks, but I already showered. Remember?”

“Oh, yeah.” Angel stops prancing across the warped floorboards and then twists to face me. “Then what’s that horrid smell?”

Her nose twitches when she points it toward the kitchen and inhales a big whiff. She doesn’t seem bothered by the scent pluming from the half-full trash can. The same can’t be saidwhen she enters the living room and flares her nostrils. She looks on the verge of being sick.

“Eww.”

Before checking the bottom of my shoes, I sniff my pits for the rancid scent responsible for her screwed-up face.

Both are free of encumbrances.

I don’t understand the source of her disgust, but I lose the chance to inquire when she asks, “What brand of aftershave do you wear? It smells like…”

She takes a moment to deliberate. Her verdict better include something of high monetary value since my aftershave costs over a thousand dollars a bottle.

I don’t get close to the reply I am seeking. “It smells like the toilet spray my grandfather used to cover up the aftermath of a Cancun Seafood Boil.”

I balk before sniffing myself again, attempting to discredit her claim.

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