Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas: A Perfect Fit Holiday Novella (A Perfect Fit Novel) (14 page)

Ellis peeked around her husband’s shoulder. “Oh, Cherri.” She shook her head. “Oh, sweetheart. Oh no! Who did this to you?”

“What? Don’t you like it?” In that moment Cherri was glad she’d braved the cold to come here. Ellis was the most fashionable person she knew, and being a boutique owner and designer, she always had the best clothes. “I think it goes well with the dress.” She slid the coat off her arms in a dramatic fashion, and strutted into their living room like she was on a catwalk.

Mike, unable to contain himself, burst into laughter. Ellis, as if in pain, bit her knuckle. “Who did this to you?” she asked again.

“My grandmother.” Cherri put her hands on her hips and attempted her best model pose, sending Mike into hysterics.

“Does she hate you?”

“No. She worked very hard on this dress. She thinks I look bee-yoo-tif-ful.”

“Do another turn on the catwalk,” Mike choked. She had never seen the tough, former cop giggle like a school girl and it lifted her spirits to be the cause of his glee. She raised her head high and sashayed further into their small house, stopping only to pose dramatically.

She heard slow clapping when she stopped, but it didn’t come from Ellis or her laughing husband. She turned to see Colin O’ Connell, Mike’s women-loving, Irish-accent-having best friend gazing at her.

He wasn’t in hysterics like Mike, but Cherri had definitely amused him. One side of his mouth curled into a lazy smile and his soft brown eyes seemed to follow suit, crinkling at the corners.

She had known this man for over a year. The moment she laid eyes on him she knew he wasn’t a man made for mere mortal women. In fact he was so far out of her league that for once in her life she forgot to be uneasy around him. But tonight his unabashed male beauty affected her, and for a split second she wished that she was small, and thin, and graceful. But she wasn’t any of those things. She was Cherri, built like a lumberjack, taller than most men, and very far from just plain average. So she ordered her cheeks to stop burning and turned to face him, posing as seductively as her six feet and big behind could manage.

“Hey, sailor,” she purred, mocking her grandmother’s thick Ukrainian accent. “You like what you see?”

Colin’s slow smile bloomed into a full one and for the tiniest moment Cherri was breathless. He raised his glass to her in a toast. “Aw, love. I think you just made my year.”

Chapter 2

Girls, girls, girls…

A high-pitched giggle assaulted Colin O’Connell’s ears as he stood in his best friends’ home. Loud, earsplitting, headache-causing girly laughter. He gritted his teeth, unsure that he would be able to take much more of that sound.

Ya, ha ha ha. Ya, ha ha ha.

It was like an ice pick going through his brain. He took a long slow sip of the Irish whiskey that some beautiful soul had purchased just for him, hoping it would dull the intensity of that noise. It didn’t. And he found himself checking his watch again. 9:57. He wondered how much longer he would have to stay before he could get the hell out of there.

Ya, ha ha ha. Ya, ha ha ha.

He winced again, thinking the girl who produced the laugh must be part banshee.

A party was in full swing around him, and despite decorations, people in goofy holiday sweaters, and nonalcoholic eggnog, Colin didn’t find himself in a festive mood. He should never have come. There were children here. Not small ones, but the kind who were old enough to vote yet too young to buy Guinness. And even though his hell-raising, drunken stupor nights had diminished in the last few years, this event was not his type of party. Yet he was here because Ellis had asked him to come. And Colin had a hard time turning down the woman who made his best friend so damn happy.

He scanned the room for his friends, finding them sitting in a corner, arms wrapped around each other, engaged in deep conversation like no one else existed. It made his stomach churn uncomfortably and a funny, empty feeling to form in his chest. He looked away.

More loud giggles punctured his ear drums. This time he turned to the source. There were four girls, all wearing too much makeup and tiny, ass-bearing dresses, huddled together. He connected eyes with the tallest one, a brunette. She was a beauty. Tight body, high firm breasts, long legs, and eyes that screamed,
Fuck me
. Too young. He immediately dismissed the thought of getting to know her better. But she was staring at him with blatant interest. Not one to be intentionally rude, he nodded at her.

Ya, ha ha ha.
She beamed at him, turned to her friends, and they all commenced the school-girl laughter.

He shuddered, and turned away from the girl. She was the giggler. He hated gigglers. He hated girls too for that matter. Girls were inexperienced. Silly. They didn’t know what they wanted out of life, or where they were going.

Girls were fine when he was just a lad, but now that Colin was a man, he wanted a woman. But there seemed to be girls everywhere he went. That was the problem with living in a big college town. Colin had thought Durant, New York, was the perfect place to settle after he graduated from its university. Plenty of bars. Lots of work. And girls.

Twelve years later, his successful restoration business was the only thing keeping him here. And looking at all those pretty, young girls, in their short, sparkly dresses made him feel old. But maybe being old wasn’t such a bad thing. He liked old things. Old stories. Old people. It was probably why he’d opened Stone Barley Restorations. Every day he took antiques and breathed new life into them. It was hard, meticulous work, but his reputation was growing and he was getting clients from all over the country. Sticking with the old was going well for him. Maybe he should try dating older women. Anything worth having had a little extra age to it.

It might be time to start dating again. It had been two years since Serena knocked him on his ass. It was time he got up. But then again … Serena was driven, focused, and far from a girl. She was trouble too. Maybe he’d give up on women period and join the priesthood. It would make his Gran happy.

“Hey, Grinchy.” At the sound of those words he looked up to see Cherri Rudy, the birthday girl, approaching him.

He hated to admit it but he was here because of her too. Normally he wouldn’t be caught dead at a twenty-two-year-old’s birthday party, but there was something about the girl with the odd name that made him get off his ass and come here tonight. Because of her little fashion show alone, he wouldn’t regret coming. The way she’d sashayed into the house in that horrible dress made him laugh. She was undeniably goofy, but there was also a bit of natural sensuality that floated around her. The poor kid had no idea what she was working with. When she grew up a little more, she would break hearts.

He watched her make the short trip across the room. It was as if magic had transformed her. Long gone was the hideous gold tarp, and the hairstyle that could hold up in a hurricane. She looked altogether different in a slinky green dress that hugged her body and made her eyes turn the color of emeralds. Her hair was back to its normal tumble of loose golden waves. She wasn’t pretty by any stretch of the word. She was taller than most women, her shoulders broader, her weight heavier, but there was something about her that kept his eyes riveted to her as she walked towards him.

“You look like you’ve been sucking on sour lemons, for the past hour,” she said as she stopped in front of him.

He grinned. “I was thinking about how ugly your shoes are.”

She looked down at her golden feet and then back up at him and gave him a soft smile, showing off a pair of identical dimples. “They’re something, aren’t they? I don’t think they’d be so awful if my feet weren’t the size of small boats. I wonder if I could use them as jet skis? Maybe I could glide across the water on my bare feet.”

Her smile did something to her face, lighting it up, making her appear so innocent. Something made him want to step closer. “I’d join you. I’m working with size fifteens myself.”

“Ah.” She looked down at his feet and then her eyes made a slow trek up his body before settling on his face. A knot formed in his stomach. “You know what they say about men with big feet?”

“What?” He waited for a dirty joke to pop out of her mouth. He knew under all that nice-girl exterior that there was a little bit of naughtiness inside of Cherri Rudy. He was surprised to find he was anxious to see it come out.

“Horrible dancers.” She carefully watched his face. “They step all over your feet.” She placed her hand over her heart and feigned shock. “You didn’t think I was going to say something else, did you?”

For a moment Colin was distracted by the placement of her hand which lay very near her creamy exposed cleavage. “No.” Colin forced his eyes upward. Then took a step back for good measure.

He had no business looking at Cherri like that or wanting to get to know her naughty side. She was a girl. Unworldly. Immature. Young. It didn’t matter that her curvy figure, intelligent eyes, and mature air told his hormones different. Twenty-two was twenty-two. Plus Mike and Ellis treated her like she was their kid sister. To him she was strictly off limits.

He glanced at his watch. It was time to get the hell out of Dodge.

“You don’t have to stay for my benefit,” she said softly, making him feel like the lowest piece of shit. “I’m surprised you lasted this long.”

“I don’t want to leave, love. I was just checking the time.”

“Liar,” she said without heat. “I’ve been watching you all night. You’ve checked your watch twelve times.”

“You were watching me?” He grinned at her again. “All night?” He placed his hand on her bare shoulder and immediately regretted it.
Didn’t you just talk to yourself about being appropriate? Ass.
Her silky skin was cool under his rough palm and it caused him to wonder if it would feel the same under his lips.

“Yeah, well, it’s hard not to notice the giant sulking Irishman alone in the corner.”

“I wasn’t sulking.”

She folded her arms under her breasts, pushing them up into his eye line. “Well, you weren’t mingling.”

Steady old man
, he warned himself.
Keep your eyes in your skull. She has no idea that doing that makes you want to jump out of your skin.
“Neither were you, if you had time to ogle me all night.”

“I hate parties,” she admitted. “I didn’t want to come to this one.”

“But this is your party, with your friends. You’re supposed to be enjoying yourself.”

“I know.” She gazed at the floor and then gave him a sad smile. “Just because it’s my party doesn’t mean I stop being a social misfit. Ellis was so sweet to throw it, but those girls,” she gestured absently behind her, “are not my friends.”

“They’re not?”

“Of course not. Skinny bitch goddesses don’t hang out with the enormous artsy kid. But they were in my education classes for the past four years so Ellis thinks we’re friends.” She frowned. “I sound like a whiny brat. I’m glad Ellis loves me enough to throw me this party. Let’s change the subject.”

“Not yet.” She wasn’t enormous. She spoke about herself like she was queen of the Amazons. She wasn’t anywhere near that. He gave her soft shoulder a squeeze. There was an insecurity, a slight sadness that hung over her. It made him uncomfortable. “I’m glad you said those girls aren’t your friends.”

“You are?” Her emerald eyes widened.

“Yes, the laugh on that tall brunette sounds like a choking hyena for fuck’s sake. I had to stop myself from stuffing a cork into her mouth.”

“You mean you don’t find Bridgette’s laugh intoxicating?”

“No, but I do think a man needs to be intoxicated to tolerate it.”

She laughed, not a giggle, but a rich sound that came from her belly and twisted his in knots. “Damn, I lost a bet with myself. I thought she might be someone you’d like to— What do you Irish people say? Shag?”

“Shag her?” He shook his head. “Not my type.” There was only one girl in the room he could imagine tumbling with in bed and it wasn’t the brunette with the big mouth.

That was a dangerous thought.

He took a step away from her. “Listen, love, I really am beat. Would you be mad at me if I took off?”

“Well, that depends.” She crossed her arms under her breasts again, causing them to plump nicely. “Did you bring me a present?”

“Of course I did.”

She flashed her dimples at him. “Then you are free to go. But first let me hug you goodbye.”

“No,” he said abruptly. He had hugged her once before. He knew what she felt like. He knew her warmth would linger with him all night.

“No?” Her face fell slightly, and he realized what a colossal asshole he was being.

“I don’t think I can. The vision of you in that other dress is still haunting me.”

She gave him an exaggerated frown. “You’re supposed to say that I was breathtakingly beautiful in the other dress.”

“I can’t, love. It soured my stomach.”

“Ass.” She threw her arms around him and kissed both his cheeks. “Thank you for coming, Colin. I’m glad you did.”

He shut his eyes for a moment, savoring how her lush body felt pressed against him as she lingered. For those few seconds that empty feeling in his chest evaporated as his hands came up to settle on her soft waist. “You’re welcome.”

He opened his eyes before she let go. Mike’s gaze clashed with his. His best friend shook his head slowly, his message so clear that it didn’t need to be spoken.

She’s not for you.

He knew that. She was off limits with a fucking capital O. So he stepped back and gave Cherri’s hand one last squeeze before he left the house.

Also by Sugar Jamison

DANGEROUS CURVES AHEAD

Available from St. Martin’s Paperbacks