Page 11 of The Bookworm Who Stole Christmas
“Maddie, did you wanna take these to the kitchen for me, please?” Samantha asks, handing me a box full of cans.
“Uh, sure,” I reply as I take the heavy box, my arms sagging under the weight.
“You’re a star.” She beams at me, a soft look to her gaze. “How are you finding it here?”
Repositioning the box under my arm, I reply, “Good.”
“Not one for conversation, huh?”
“Not really,” I say awkwardly, looking anywhere but at the intimidating woman standing in front of me.
“That’s okay, I can talk enough for both of us. At least, that’s what my son says, anyway.”
I offer her a faint tilt of my lips, my weight shifting from one foot to the other. “I should get these to the kitchen.”
Samantha smiles, and I start wondering if there’s a conspiracy going on that I don’t know about.
Carrying the box, I slowly make my way to the kitchen and place it on a table.
“There you are,” a deep voice says from behind me.
I spin around, gasping. “Jesus, Parker! You scared me,” I exclaim, clutching my chest. “What is it with people doing that to me?”
Parker gives me a quizzical look, but when I don’t elaborate further, he pushes off the door frame and walks toward me. He’s wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. Theshirt pulls taut across his shoulders, quietly showcasing his build, and I find myself unable to tear my gaze away.
Surely a man’s arms shouldn’t look that good?
The snap of fingers has my eyes darting upward. Parker has a smirk on his face, clearly sensing where my mind had just wandered off to.
“Having fun?” he asks, propping himself against the counter and folding his arms across his chest.
“So much fun,” I retort with a roll of my eyes. “I can’t contain my excitement.”
“Glad to hear it.” He grins before adding, “Heard you’ve been terrorizing the locals.”
“I have not!” I exclaim indignantly, holding back the urge to stomp my foot like a child. “It wasn’t my fault the kid didn’t know my foot was there. He should have watched where he was going.”
Parker runs a hand across his mouth. I’m assuming it’s to hide the quirk of his lips I can see peeking through.
“Ah, Maddie Coleman, kid whisperer extraordinaire,” he finally laughs, the dimples on his cheeks popping.
“Ha, ha,” I reply, walking to the boxes and moving them around to keep busy.
There’s something about this man that still has me on edge. I just haven’t figured out if it’s a good thing or a bad thing yet. Parker already makes me feel more than I’d like to in the short time I’ve known him, and I don’t know how to feel about it. My carefully erected walls are beginning to crumble every time I’m near him.
“Is there a specific reason you’re here? Or have you just come to make fun of me?” I ask over my shoulder, trying to draw a line between us.
“I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with metonight?”
I whirl around, my eyes wide and mouth open. “Dinner? With you?”
He blushes, gripping the back of his neck. “Yeah, that’s what I said.”
“Thanks, but I have plans tonight,” I reply, turning my back to him so he can’t see my lie.
There’s a shuffle behind me, and then he’s there—his front to my back. Parker’s barely touching me, but I can feel him there. I can hear his low breathing and smell his fresh, clean scent. I inhale deeply, the smell intoxicating and playing havoc with my already befuddled mind.
Normally, I’m so closed off that the thought of anyone close to me sends me into a panic, but my body is acting on instinct around Parker. It’s leaning into him rather than away.
