Page 35 of Yuletide Acres

For a small town, the bar certainly packs in on Friday night. Granted, there are only two pubs in Yuletide Acres, and this one has the bonus of live music.

After a pitiful round of pool, which I somehow manage to lose despite Dylan not sinking a damn thing, we cozy up to the bar again. For the first time since my arrival, Dylan is his old self, which is wonderful for camaraderie and dangerous as hell for my hormones. That, and the alcohol is loosening all my inhibitions and I’m ready for a replay of our earlier tryst.

Almost immediately, two women join us at the bar. I recognize Susan, but the other woman is a stranger, and judging by the glares she keeps sending my way, she’s none too fond of me.

Wonderful. If it isn’t Dylan giving me crap, it’s one of his many admirers.

“Come on you two, let’s play doubles in pool,” Susan says, pointing toward the table. “The table is free.”

Dylan grins, holding out his hand to help me down from the bar stool. “You’re going to run the table, right?”

“You know it,” I reply with a wink, shaking my hips as I stroll a few steps in front of him to select my stick.

I pretend to be keenly interested in the variety of pool cues, but I feel Dylan approach. He crowds me, and the electricity pulsates between us even though our bodies aren’t touching. “Do you know what stick you want?”

“Hmm,” I ponder, taking a small step backward into his body. I smile at his huffed breath and the erection straining to break free from his jeans. “I’m not sure. Is there a particular stick I should want to play with?”

One arm loops around my waist as his free hand grabs a stick from the holder. But it’s the accidental graze against my breast that has me fired up. “I suppose it depends on what type of game you want to play.” His beard grazes my neck, his lips dancing against my skin. “If you want quick and fast, this is the stick for you. But, if you want deep and long, you’ll require a much larger stick.”

I’m about to collapse into a puddle on the ground, as his hand splays over my lower abdomen, his fingers dancing dangerously close to my clit.

He tongues lazy circles along my neck, and I’m having difficulty standing upright. “I get the feeling that you’re not paying any attention to what I’m telling you, Poppy. Now why is that?”

Bastard is having way too much fun torturing me. Now it’s my turn. I whirl around in his arms and take the stick from his hand, as my eyes skate along his form, focusing on the pronounced bulge in his pants. “Likely the same reason why all your blood has rushed to different body parts. But anyone who knows me, knows I always want it deep and long. The bigger, the better. But I don’t give it up easily, not even for the hottest ticket in town.”

I scoot away from him, hearing his deep chuckle. Glancing over my shoulder, I see him wipe his brow, as flustered as I am.

Susan giggles, shaking her head at the two of us. Waltzing over to me, she gives me a hip check and a smile. “I like you two together.”

“We’re not together. We’re just playing nice tonight.”

“Of course, they’re not together,” Susan’s friend, Jill interjects, armed with a fake smile and glowering gaze. “We all know Dylan and his reputation.”

“Jill, hush,” Susan begins, but I wave her off.

“What reputation would that be, Jill?”

“If you’re looking for a wild night in the sack, Dylan is your man. At least that’s the rumor. And trust me, he’s bedded most of the eligible women in this town. They line up for his attention. But he won’t date any of them. He has no desire for any type of relationship.”

“Jill,” Susan hisses, rubbing her brow.

My heart sinks at Jill’s words, because although Susan looks embarrassed that her friend uttered them, she also isn’t negating them. “It’s not my business who Dylan sleeps with.”

Sadly, that’s the truth.

Jill shoots me a fake glance of sympathy before strolling to the pool table to take her shot.

“Dylan West is a good man.” Susan’s words interrupt my sad reverie and I force a smile in her direction.

“That’s debatable as well, at least where I’m concerned. Never quite sure if he loves me or hates me.”

“Poppy, you’re crazy about one another. It’s obvious and Jill is jealous because Dylan never paid her the time of day.”

“Sounds like she’s a rarity in this town. Apparently, he’s screwed the remainder of the single population.” I hate how bitter I sound. Even worse is how bitter that knowledge makes me feel. Hey, I had sex within the last decade, but at least it meant something to me.

Okay, I wanted it to mean something. But no one was Dylan. No one made my body come alive like he did. It’s a bit nauseating to learn that he’s done that dance with three-quarters of the women in this bar.

Susan shifts, uncomfortable with speaking ill of her boss. “Dylan never leads women on. Not once. But he clings to his stupid rule. No relationships, just sex. I keep telling him one day he’ll meet a woman that will make him change his mind.”

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