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“Your sister.” I wrinkle my nose in relief as he gives me a wink.
“She’ll make it up to me with a box of donuts or something.” He shrugs it off.
“Coffee.” Maggie returns with two mugs and a pot of steaming liquid that she wields quite frighteningly as she fills our mugs only halfway. “Anything else?”
I open my mouth to repeat that I wanted hot cocoa, then promptly close it.There’s no point.“That’s fine. Thanks,” I say to her already retreating back.
“What even is this?” he asks, looking at the gray mac ‘n’ cheese. I wonder if my face holds the same expression of horror and distaste that I can see on his.
“It was supposed to be my dinner.”
“You can’t eat that. You actually might die from whatever that is.”
“It’s mac ‘n’ cheese.”
“More like mac and geez.” We chuckle, and I watch as his face transforms from handsome to drop-dead gorgeous.
“There isn’t a lot more appetizing at home either.”
“Well, I’m not watching you give yourself food poisoning. How about we get out of here? There’s a little Irish pub a couple of blocks from here. I’m certain that their food won’t look or taste anything like that.” He gestures in distaste to the congealed mac ‘n’ cheese.
“I’m not sure....”
“They serve great pies.” He waggles his eyebrows as he pulls out a twenty and drops it on the table. “Come have dinner with me. Please. This place is depressing, and pretty girls shouldn’t be alone during the holidays.”
“Great pies, you say?”
He grins as he holds out his hand. “I do say.”
“Well, in that case.” I grin as I take his hand and let him lead me out of that horrid diner.
The moment I place my foot in the extra inch of snow, I’m suddenly hit by the craziness of this situation. I mean, I just met this guy, and I haven’t ascertained whether he’s a serial killer or not yet.
“I’mnota serial killer.” The man laughs.
“What? Oh no. I said that out loud, didn’t I?” I groan.
He steps closer and pulls up the collar of my coat to shield my neck from the icy air. “You did.”
I bite my lip again, something I do when I’m particularly nervous. “I’m sorry. It’s just that...I don’t even know your name,” I whisper, looking up at him.
“I don’t know yours either,” he points out, as he removes his scarf then loops it around my neck, gathering and holding my hair to the side as he loops it in place. The gesture seems intimate, and I’m caught off-guard by just how much I like having him close to me, how warm and protected I feel. I can even smell his clean and spicy scent on his scarf, and I swear he gives my curls a gentle tug when he releases my hair…Um, hot!
“Thanks,” I whisper as he grins and steps back, tugging a black beanie over his dark hair.
“It’s no problem. I run hot anyway.” His blue eyes study me like he’s memorizing every inch of my face. “Jackson Lee,” he finally offers.
“Nice to meet you, Jackson.” I resist the urge to touch my cheek, to see if it is as hot as it feels. Everything about him makes me feel warm and tingly. “I’m Sophia.”
JACKSON
“We’re pretty busy tonight, but I can squeeze you in at the end of the bar,” the hostess at the pub,Kelly’s,tells us. “Mr. Kelly and his son, Cillian, are grilling as fast as they can. But we’re almost at capacity, and almost out of food. May I suggest the Guinness pie? It’s probably the last thing left on the menu, but it’s the perfect meal to heat your belly before an incoming storm.”
As we follow the hostess to our seats, Sophia walks a few paces in front of me, and I take the opportunity to drink her in. I can think of little else and haven’t since the moment I saw her in that shit-hole of a diner. She stood out like a flower that had managed to grow in between the cracks of the pavement. Exotic and utterly voluptuous. I knew instantly I had to have her.
I watch her spectacular hips sway, and I can tell it’s unconscious because no way does this woman know how beautiful she is.Her constantly pink cheeks told me that.I can’t tell if it’s luck that’s kept her for me till now or fate, because she’s mine, and has been since the minute we locked eyes and she smiled.
God, she is beautiful.
