AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"And you can call me Ryder, Ms. Polly—Mr. Wilcox being my dad and all."
Another burst of giggles. "I like you, Ryder Wilcox. I really do. And I hope now that we’ve met and gotten past all those formalities, I’ll be seeing you in the Snow Angel more often."
“Couldn’t stay away if you made me.”
With a smile, she turns to Bella, hands on her hips. "The usual then, Jingle-Bella?"
Bella beams as she slides back into the booth. "Two, please, Ms. Polly. Ryder hasn't tried it before."
"Oh, is that so? Well then, two extra-special plum puddings, coming right up!" she says with a wink before turning to me, "anything for you to drink?"
“A mulled cider for me,” Bella chirps.
"I'll just have a coffee, please," I reply as pleasantly as possible.
"Coming right up, handsome." She smiles a bright, motherly smile before walking away. I can't help but feel my own lips twitch as I watch after her.
"Ms. Polly really likes you," Bella chimes in with a wide grin. "That means that you're probably going to get extra custard."
My smile turns into a playful smirk. "Extra custard? I have a great urge to turn that into a double entendre, but I think I’ve shocked you enough for one night. That blush of yours might become permanent if I push too hard."
She blushes a little harder as she looks at me through her lashes. "I like the way you talk to me."
I quirk a brow. “Yeah? Well, it makes me feel like a dirty old man. I swear I’m old enough to be your father, and I can’t seem to stop the shit spilling out of my mouth.”
Her smile turns into a hearty laugh. “You’re hardly that much older than me, Mr. Wilcox. You’re thirty-eight, right? That means you’d have had to become a father at fifteen. I’m sure you’ve always been very virile, but I think even that’s too young for most.”
“Mr. Wilcox,” I mutter under my breath as I run a hand through my short hair. “Virile. Sheesh.” This girl is going to be the absolute death of me. I swear, I can’t go more than five minutes without thinking about driving my dick inside her. It’s like my body has made the decision to claim her for me, and I don’t even get a say in it anymore.
We exchange a heated glance before I place my hand on top of hers on the table, my thumb making slow circles over the back of her hand. “I think this is a bad idea,” I state as I swallow hard.
“I don’t,” she returns, matter-of-factly as she offers me a serene smile and looks out the window to the brightly lit Christmas tree in the center of town. “You know, when I was in school, I used to love watching couples sitting right here in this diner, holding hands with the Christmas lights all around. It always seemed so romantic to me.”
Without a word, I follow her gaze, my eyes taking in the hustle and bustle outside of people going to and from the rink or gawking at the Christmas tree. She’s right, this does feel romantic. And with the warm softness of her skin beneath my palm, I can almost feel myself relaxing in the moment, the comfortable quiet. But then the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up. That instinct of always paying attention to my surroundings and reading the vibe of a room saved my life more than I’d care to admit while I was deployed. It’s second nature for me to always be alert, always at the ready in a crowded room. It’s why I’ve never come in here before. Sitting out in the open like this unsettles me. I don’t want to feel like I’m under threat, but I always do. And I don’t know how to switch that off.
Movement catches my attention on my left side, and I don’t even have the chance to think before my reflexes kick in, and I’ve got my hand wrapped around a wrist, its owner gasping but holding very still.
“Ryder?” I feel a hand on my arm and nearly jump out of my skin as I blink a few times to clear my adrenalin surge. “It’s just dessert.” When I meet her eyes, Bella slides her hand down my arm to my wrist, prompting me to register what I’m doing and immediately release my grip.
“I-I’m so sorry.” I meet Ms. Polly’s eyes and my face goes red. "I don’t know what that was. My mind wandered."
Ms. Polly offers me a kind smile as she sets the bowls of pudding on the table in front of us. “It’s no trouble, handsome. You are the first vet we’ve had in here. Doubt you’ll be the last. Enjoy the pudding.” She pats my hand and gives me a wink. “On the house. Newcomers special.”
Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, I give her a nod in thanks with the biggest apologetic smile I can manage. “Appreciate that, Polly.”
“Enjoy,” she says, moving off and leaving me alone with a concerned-looking Bella. She’s quick to school her expression and cover it with a smile, but it doesn’t stop the twisting in my gut at the stark reminder that I’m damaged goods and unsafe to be around.You’ve got no business courting this innocent girl, Ryder.
“You’ll want to eat up before it gets cold,” Bella says, pushing the bowl a little closer to me. “That custard is so rich and creamy, it’ll make you wish you had a second stomach so you can eat more.”
“Like a cow,” I say, lifting my spoon as I drop my gaze to the pool of gooey vanilla custard hiding a slice of fruit-filled pudding.
“A what?”
“A cow.” I lift my gaze to meet her beautiful cherubic face. “It has four stomachs, actually. If we had the same, we could have four servings instead of just one or two.”
A massive grin spreads over her perfect features. “I like the way you think, Ryder Wilcox,” she says. “Four desserts are definitely better than one.”
I offer her a smile as I slide my spoon into the gooey mix, and slowly scoop some pudding, custard dripping, into my mouth. My eyes open wide from the explosion of flavor that is this dessert. The sweet vanilla custard melting perfectly into the rich, fruity plum pudding. "Holy shit," is all I can say.
