Page 62 of Charlie Takes a Chance

I sigh and relax into his hold. He tastes like mint and smells like heaven. He’s clean-shaven today, and his skin is smooth against mine as he devours my mouth.

With his arms over mine, I can’t reach up to play with his hair.

I settle for sliding a hand in the back pocket of his jeans.

Max groans and adjusts his hold on me to lift me off the ground and closer to him as he nips at my bottom lip, giving me a chance to breathe.

With my arms loose, I rest them on his shoulders, twirling and playing with his hair as he kisses me again.

I’ve never been kissed like this. Ever.

Max St. James has officially ruined me for any other kisses in my life. My whole body is on fire, and I’m happy to burn.

CHAPTER 25

Max

First thing the next morning,I grabbed a cup of coffee, fed cows, and hurried over to the lodge. I wait for Charlie in the recliner closest to the Christmas tree.

It took all of my willpower to walk down the hallway and close my bedroom door last night when we got back to the bunkhouse. That kiss…was enough to make me want to keep exploring it. It’s a little unnerving how fast Charlie is getting under my skin.

I want her. Because she’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and I’m scared to death, I won’t be good enough to keep her.

But I’m damn sure going to try.

The front door creaks open. “Is it safe to come in?” Charlie calls.

I’d left a post-it note on the counter next to the coffee pot stating, “Gone to the lodge to hide the pickle.”

She slept in a little today because I’ve been sitting here for an hour. And that was after I fed cattle.

“It’s safe,” I call back.

She stumbles around the corner. She’s wearing shorts with socks pulled up her calves. She’s still wearing her puffy jacket and a stocking cap.

Her eyes look tired like she had as restless a sleep as I did, but she’s still the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

“I’ll find it, I promise you,” she tells me as she yawns.

Then she turns to the tree.

Her jaw drops when she sees it. “What—” She turns to grin at me. “You didn’t even try to hide it.”

I shrug. “What would be the point? Knowing you, you would completely undecorate the tree until you found it. I don’t want to spend two hours putting the ornaments back on.”

Charlie waltzes over to the tree and lifts the pickle ornament from the most prominent branch. “Or, just maybe, you wanted to see what favor I would ask.”

The blood rushes to my head as she saunters toward me, swinging that ornament back and forth.

She stops when her knees are brushing against mine. “I think I want the downstairs bedroom.”

“Oh.” That wasn’t the favor I was hoping she would ask for.

“Or, you know, that would be such a pain to move all of our clothes…I guess I’ll have to settle for something else.” Charlie shifts her legs until she’s standing between my legs and reaches past me to set the ornament down on the coffee table next to me.

“Hmm, if only I could think of something I want from you.” She grins at me, and I see that her cheeks are flushed.

I scoot forward and trap her between my legs. She loops her arms around my neck and twists so that she can sit down on my leg. I suck in a ragged breath as she trails a finger down my neck to the buttons at the top of my shirt. She undoes the first two, slipping her hand inside, and trails it along my collarbone. My whole body shivers at such a gentle touch.

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