Page 12 of Mail Order Bride for the Scrooge

“No,” the word is harsh and has me freezing in place. His forehead comes down and rests against mine. “I didn’t mean that to sound bad. It’s already taking all my self-control not to lift you up, press you against the shelf and devour your mouth and then fuck you like my cock has been begging me to.”

I gasp and my hands grip his arms. Even though he’s holding me, I feel unsteady on my feet. I think that’s just the effect he has on me.

“You want to kiss me?”

He lets out a pained noise as he tips his head back and looks at the ceiling for a few beats. When his head tips forward again, there’s a hunger in his eyes and an answering pull in my body. He wants me. I could do a fucking happy dance right here in the middle of the grocery store. Which probably would not be good since I don’t know any of these people.

I give him a crooked grin and sass, “I’m not sure the shelf is sturdy enough for all that anyway.” I pout a little and bat my eyelashes at him which has him grinning down at me. “Pity. Raincheck, though.”

Gannon leans down and kisses the corner of my mouth. It’s just a peck and over far too quickly, but I feel the jolt of the contact all the way down to the tips of my toes.

“Gannon? Is that you?” A woman’s voice coming from behind the giant mountain man who I didn’t even realize was shielding me from anyone else who might be in the aisle, has us both jerking back to the here and now.

Gannon turns slightly and the corner of his mouth tips up. Jealousy instantly fills me, but I do my best to push the feeling aside. If he had a woman in his life, whoever put the ad out there for him wouldn’t have done it. I’m fairly sure. Probably.

I strain my body to look around him and find a couple, who are probably in their early 50s, staring at us with avid interest written all over their faces. Gannon turns and smoothly tucks me into his side. I wrap my arms around his waist like we’ve done this a million times.

I hope I’m hiding my smug as fuck smile right now. With the way the woman’s eyes light up, I suspect I fail. Oh well.

It feels right to be tucked in next to Gannon. It probably shouldn’t, but it does. It feels natural in a way I’ve never experienced before.

“Elaine and Albert,” Gannon’s deep voice has me looking up at him and then at the couple in front of us. I think he’s mentioned them, but I can’t place it. He glances down at me and winks. “These are Mr. and Mrs. Lang. They’re the parents of Slade’s best friend, Hollis.”

I gasp and nod, smiling at the couple. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Lake.”

“Lake,” Elaine’s smile grows even wider. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, dear. Are you new in town?” I swear her smile takes on a sly bend when she adds, “How did you two meet?”

Gannon straightens slightly and I’m not sure if it’s because he caught the knowing look in her eye or if he’s not sure how we should answer her question.

I wave a dismissive hand. “You know how these things go. How we met doesn’t matter as much as the fact that we did.”

Gannon grunts in agreement and I give him a squeeze. Elaine claps her hands while she presses her lips so tightly together it’s clear she’s trying to prevent some words from escaping.

Albert looks at his wife lovingly, “You’re quite right. As long as you find the right person, the how isn’t as important.”

Elaine is almost vibrating, but then she takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Her voice is chipper, but there’s a loving, motherly quality to it which puts me at ease, “Since Hollis and Slade are going to Denver for part of winter break with Salem, I was going to reach out to you to see if you’d like to come down the mountain and spend Christmas with us.”

Gannon grips me a little tighter and shrugs one large shoulder. “I’m not sure, Elaine. We’ll talk about it and get back to you. I don’t want you cooking too much food if we decide to stay at home or if the weather takes a turn before then and we can’t get down.”

“You let us know, son,” Albert’s voice is full of amusement as he looks between us. He looks at Elaine and winks. “I wouldn’t hate to have my wife all to myself for the holiday.”

Elaine blushes and I almost let out a sigh at how adorable they are together. I can only hope we’ll be the same way when we’ve been together as long as these two have. I stand a little straighter at the thought.

Am I really assuming I’ll be with Gannon for that long? Do I think this is all going to work out? He wasn’t even the one to put the ad out there. He wasn’t really looking for a bride.

Maybe I shouldn’t get too attached.

When I glance up at Gannon, he’s already looking at me, his dark blue eyes studying my face intently. He gives my shoulder another squeeze and leans down to kiss my temple. I melt against his side and decide I’m going to just see what happens.

Why not? I’ve already come this far.

Elaine lets out a small squeal before she rushes over to us and wraps her arms around us. “Oh,” she gushes, “this just makes me so happy. Christmas wishes really do come true.” When she pulls back, her eyes are a little glassy with unshed tears. “I hope you’ll come down to celebrate,” Albert makes a huffing sound behind her, and she waves a hand at him without looking at him, “but we’ll understand if you want to spend this first holiday together alone.”

“Come on, sweetheart,” Albert reaches out and pulls her away from us gently, “let the kids finish their shopping and head back home. We have more things to find on your list as it is.”

“Oh, the list,” she exclaims before she blows us kisses and waves as she hustles down the aisle.

I find myself watching after them with a big smile on my face. “They’re good people.”

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