Bad Taste in Men (Clover Park, Book 3) Contemporary Romance (The Clover Park Series) (28 page)

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Of course, there won’t be any funny business between us until you agree to marry me. I’ve been there, done that, got the keychain.”

She stared at him. She was just coming to terms with the fact that she loved him so deep and true. She’d never been in love before. Marriage was like a whole new terrifying level.

She socked him in the arm. “Very funny, mister, now get that firm ass of yours upstairs!”

A corner of his mouth kicked up. “Okay, but you’re still not getting any until we’re married.”

“What!”

~ ~ ~

The look on Rachel’s face was priceless, and Shane bit back a laugh. There was one thing he was beginning to understand about Rachel, and that was sometimes she needed a little push to bring out what was really going on in that heart of hers before her big brain had a chance to rationalize it into something else.

She sputtered, and he kissed her again. He stroked a hand up and down her side, purposely slipping close to her breast. Her breath was coming faster now. He pushed her a little further, placing a kiss on the side of her neck in the spot that always made her soft and pliant. This time was no exception. She sank against him.

“Okay, I’ll marry you!” she exclaimed.

He grinned. “You’re so easy.”

“Only you would say that.”

He swept her off her feet, carrying her upstairs to her apartment, remembering the first time he’d carried her up the stairs when she’d sprained her ankle. And now look at them, getting married. He set her down in the apartment. There was just one more thing he had to make clear to her.

Before he could get out a word, she launched herself at him. He caught her, walking back to the bedroom with Rachel’s arms and legs wrapped tight around him. She kissed him frantically, and he laid her down on the bed, returning her passion with everything he felt inside. Finally, he nuzzled her neck and moved up to her ear so he could tell her what was on his mind.

“I want a big family,” he whispered, his hand slipping under her shirt, caressing her breast. “A house full of love.”

“Are you nuts?” she asked, shoving his hands away. “I just agreed to marry you and now you want to knock me up?”

He laughed. “Yes.”

She thought about that. He leaned against the headboard and pulled her close, cradled in his lap, savoring the honey lavender of her skin as he kissed along her cheek, her jawline, her throat, waiting for her to decide. Now that he had her love, he wanted her to know just how serious he was, how much he dreamed for them.

“How many kids?” she asked, breathless as he sucked one erect nipple through her shirt.

She tangled her hand in his hair. He peeled off her shirt and bra and suckled at her other breast, teasing with his tongue and teeth. She moaned again, and he looked up. Her eyes were closed; head thrown back.

“Six,” he said.

Her eyes flew open. “Four.”

He slid a hand across her inner thigh, nudging her legs apart. His knuckles brushed her center, and she jolted.

“Really? Four?” he asked.

Her eyes flashed fire. “You are the biggest tease. You really want to talk about this now?”

He kissed her until she settled down again; then he laid her out on the bed, sliding off her jeans and panties, arranging her so her legs were spread wide. He left her glasses on so she could watch. He kissed his way down her body and stopped at her belly. “Four kids sounds good.”

Their eyes met. He grinned up at her. She looked disgruntled. He kissed her center and looked up at her lovingly.

She groaned and closed her eyes. “Why did you say six?”

He smiled devilishly. “Because I wanted you to say four.”

“Ergh! You wanted—”

He silenced her protest by clamping his lips around her hard nub. She arched up into him, and he savored his personal nectar. Within minutes he had her on the brink. He teased her with soft kisses and flicks of his tongue until she was writhing under him, murmuring, “Please, please.”

Then he sent her over, loving watching her in full ecstasy. When she came back to earth, she reached for him.

“I love you so much,” he said, sliding into her.

She wrapped her arms around him. “I love you too. So very, very much.”

He had her heart now, just like she’d always had his.

Epilogue

Rachel brewed another carafe of coffee to go with the pancakes Shane was making by the dozen at the annual Clover Park Breakfast with Santa. Shane always volunteered to cook at the breakfast, but it was Rachel’s first time working the event. Her shiny diamond engagement ring flashed as she worked expertly to fill the machine with freshly ground beans. She still couldn’t believe she was getting married in just a few weeks. They planned to marry on New Year’s Eve, both wanting to get started on a family right away. They’d agreed to raise their children both Jewish and Christian, double the holidays. Her parents were thrilled. Maggie was happy she’d get her great-grandkids to visit every Christmas Eve.

Daisy and Trav brought Bryce to sit on Santa’s lap. Bryce pulled on Santa’s beard and patted his face. This year Trav’s friend Rico had stepped in to play Santa at the last minute and was extremely uncomfortable with the gig. They’d been laughing at Rico all morning. Clearly Bryce recognized him, but since he couldn’t talk yet, he didn’t give Rico away.

“Hey, Rach, check it out,” Shane said, pointing as Maggie sat on Rico’s lap.

Apparently Maggie had a long list for Santa.

Rachel giggled. “You think she’s naughty or nice?”

He held up the pancake flipper and pointed it at his grandmother. “She’s naughty, but makes you think she’s nice.”

“I’m on the nice list,” Rachel said.

“You are most definitely gonna be naughty tonight.”

A hot flash went through her at the hungry look in his eyes. Thankfully he was a distance away. She turned back to the coffee brewer. Two large hands wrapped around her from behind. Shane kissed the side of her neck. He still snuck up on her, but her body knew his scent, his touch immediately. He bit gently on the side of her neck, and she felt an answering throbbing between her legs.

“Shane, stop,” she said breathlessly. “Not here, there’s kids.”

He chuckled, turned her for a quick kiss, then went back to pancakes. She found herself staring at the rear view. It amazed her how a man in an apron could look so sexy.

He turned. “Like what you see?”

“Mmm-hmmm.”

He laughed. Ryan and Liz stopped by to grab more pancakes and coffee to deliver to the families.

“You guys need any help back there?” Liz asked.

“We’re good,” Rachel and Shane said in unison.

They were better than good. They were a team both at work and at home. Their café was doing so well they’d hired a second barista and a cleaning service. Together, they’d created an employee handbook that spelled out the café’s policies and procedures for all the employees' benefit. And nothing ever slipped through the cracks with his training. Book It was in the black, doing even better now with her new rewards program: buy ten books, get one half price. And she’d started a romance section now that she understood what it meant to be in love. It was the best-selling section of the store.

Rachel had even opened a savings account where she stashed away some of the profits from the café for a down payment on a home. She rubbed a hand over her belly. They’d be needing that house soon. She hadn’t told Shane yet.

It would be his Christmas present.

~THE END~

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Bad Taste in Men
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You’ve just read book #3 in the Clover Park series. The books in the series are
The Opposite of Wild
(Ryan and Liz),
Daisy Does It All
(Trav and Daisy
)
,
Bad Taste in Men
(Shane and Rachel), and
Kissing Santa
(out Christmas 2014). I hope you enjoy them all!

If you’d like to read an excerpt from
Kissing Santa
, Rico and Samantha’s story, please turn the page.

Kissing Santa
: Excerpt

Clover Park series, Book #4, Novella

Samantha Dixon is about to confess her most secret, romantic Christmas wish to Santa. Heck, what's she got to lose with her disastrous romantic history? Like that player from her horrible blind date last week arranged by her mother. Only guess who's Santa?

Rico del Toro loves women. So one bad date with the beautiful Samantha in a string of many, ahem, successful evenings is no big deal. But when a friendly favor playing Santa unexpectedly lands Samantha on his lap for a romantic confessional, he's intrigued. He's never heard a woman open her heart like that before.

But if this Santa wants a second chance, he'll have to rethink his womanizing ways and convince her that he is the perfect package.

Samantha walked over and plopped down on Santa’s lap. She took comfort from the fact that she couldn’t quite see Harold’s face under the hat, wig, and huge beard. She focused on a pretty snowflake decoration across the room. It was almost like going to confession with Father Jensen, very private, just the two of them. The cafeteria was nearly empty now, except for a few volunteers cleaning up. Even the elf had taken off.

“Oh, Santa, I know it’s silly, but I always dreamed of a sweet romance like you read about in books and see in the movies. It just doesn’t seem to be happening for me. And believe me, I’ve tried to move things along.” She sighed. “It just seems like everyone’s already married or gay or divorced with a lot of baggage. I just want to meet my Prince Charming, you know?”

At Santa’s continued silence and good listening, Samantha confided all the heartache she’d endured over the last two years due to her failed romance attempts. First she told him the worst—the Tim Johnson debacle—just to get it off her chest and explain what started her on her quest for romance. Then she moved on to the day her hair, makeup, and new heels were ruined in the August heat while she waited for a mysterious Mr. Hunk to arrive on the scene to change her flat tire (and yes, she confessed, she’d let the air out on purpose) and how a toothless old lady had arrived instead to inform her she had a flat. She’d had to change the tire herself, ruining her white skirt. She told him of the British hottie who moved in next door to her parents’ house that looked a little like Hugh Grant—she’d loved him in
Bridget Jones’ Diary
—and just when she was thinking they might really be moving from borrowing sugar (she had a huge stash now) to actually hanging out, his boyfriend showed up.

She sighed and continued on with the advice she took from her friend to look for someone at a wedding and how that had turned out to be a second cousin she’d never met. “Luckily my mother told me before things moved off the dance floor,” she whispered.

Santa merely grunted, so she went on. “I have a huge hammer collection from all my trips cruising the aisles of Home & Tool for an eligible bachelor. I could never use them all.” She shook her head. “Besides, those guys are all married.” She straightened, suddenly indignant. “And the worst, my mother tried to set up an arranged marriage with this total player who was too handsome for his own good. He was all—” she waved her hands in the air “—look at me! Don’t you want some of this sugar? And I was all, get away from me, you phony! The
lines
that came out of this guy’s mouth! If my mother had known what he was really like…” She exhaled sharply. “Don’t get me started on my mother.”

Finally, she wound down.

“This was all my niece’s idea,” she said with a rueful laugh. “Since I’m here… my Christmas wish is to meet a handsome, smart, charming man that will just make my head spin with the happiness of true love." She warmed to her topic. "Make him be someone who brings me flowers and candy just because, writes poems for me, serenades me, and likes to hold hands while we go shopping, ice-skating, or maybe even walking along the beach." She let out a dreamy sigh. "I guess that's too much for one Christmas wish."

Santa’s voice went low and husky. "I'll see what I can do."

Her eyes flew to his, and she took a good look at the guy she’d just spilled her guts to. He smiled, and her hand went to her throat. This man didn’t have wrinkles or pasty white skin. This wasn't Harold! This was someone much younger with caramel skin and brown eyes behind those spectacles.

Santa was coming on to her!

She leaped off his lap and jabbed a finger at him. "You're Santa. You can't pick up women. You're married to Mrs. Claus."

Dear Lord, what had she just told this complete stranger? Her cheeks burned.

The Santa-Harold imposter stood and raised his palms. "I'm off-duty. You want to get a cup of coffee?"

She whirled and hurried over to her niece. "Come on, Gabriella. We're going."

"Bye, Santa!" Gabriella called. "Merry Christmas!"

"Ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas, Gabriella! I'll make sure the elves know about your Christmas wish and yours too, Samantha!”

She froze. Omigod. He knew her name. She’d never said her name. And that voice. Her mind quickly put the pieces together, that beautiful caramel skin, the brown eyes. It was the player her mother had set her up with—Rico.

She took Gabriella's hand and speed-walked to the parking lot. Samantha had never been so embarrassed in her life. She buckled her niece in, muttering to herself about the nerve of some guys.

They drove home, and Samantha prayed she never, ever ran into that Harold imposter again.

The Clover Park Series

THE OPPOSITE OF WILD
(Book 1)

DAISY DOES IT ALL
(Book 2)

BAD TASTE IN MEN
(Book 3)

KISSING SANTA
(A Novella)—late-2014