Page 10 of Everything Christmas

He found himself listing other reasons why she was wrong for him. First, she was too chatty, even impertinent at times. He smirked at that ridiculous reason knowing he actually liked a little piss and vinegar. Second, she was too short. Petite women were hard to talk to when you were six and a half feet tall. He always got a kink in his neck just looking into their eyes and his back hurt to think about dancing with her, let alone having sex with...

He stopped himself knowing that was a bunch of bull, too. He’d kill to have Merry’s soft curves beneath him. Better yet, with her back to the wall looking him in the eye. He’d could lift her over his head, no problem. To fuck her while standing, with or without a wall, would require little effort. He could imagine gripping handfuls of her soft bottom as he bounced her up and down on his cock, her arms and legs wrapped around him, clinging to him for support. His vivid imagination had his dick rising—as it did every time he got around her—and he had to adjust himself. This constant hard-on was becoming a painfully frequent state of affairs.

After those brief X-rated fantasies, finding other reasons why she was wrong for him became more difficult. As he looked at her dented car and his smashed mailbox, he decided she must be an airhead. She probably hadn’t used her emergency brake while parked on the sloped driveway. He didn’t date ditzy women. Deep down, he knew he was grasping at straws. There were many things about her that appealed to him, but he still thought it was safer to keep away. Just keep coming up with reasons to avoid her, Morgan. It’s for the best.

She set her bag on the trunk and dug through the mess searching for her wallet. When she found it and pulled it out, papers, receipts, and a few tampons accidentally fell out. His mouth twitched in amusement as her face flamed five shades of red. She was entertaining, if nothing else.

“Give me your keys and I’ll try to move it. You may have lost your brakes though. Something is leaking from underneath.”

She instantly scrunched up her face. “No, it’s been doing that for a few days, so it’s not from the accident.” Finding what she was looking for, she handed over the license and insurance. “My registration is in the glove box.”

He was once again stunned. “You’ve been driving around for a few days in a car that’s leaking brake fluid. Are you freaking nuts?”

“How was I supposed to know it was coming from my brakes?”

“A mechanic could have easily told you. It’s common sense to get something like that checked out.”

“It was Thanksgiving weekend and Black Friday. I didn’t have time.”

“You had time to go shopping, but not to get your car checked out?” His voice rose to a low roar and reflected his utter disbelief that she would take such a risk.

That obviously ruffled her feathers because she crossed her arms, stuck out a hip, and narrowed her eyes at him. “I wasn’t shopping,” she grated out. “I’m a small business owner and this is the busiest weekend of the year. I couldn’t afford to miss it.”

“Could you afford a hospital bill or a funeral? Not to mention repairs to my mailbox and your POS vehicle.” Not waiting for an answer, he unlocked her door and squeezed in, muttering under his breath about short people, until he found the lever to adjust the seat. He tried the ignition, giving her a fulminating glare when it didn’t turn over right away then backed up when it finally sputtered and started.

Just then, a huge truck with “We-Haul” written on the side pulled up and an old man in dirty coveralls and a long scraggly beard hopped out. He asked her, “Are you the Merry Nowl that needs some junk hauled off?”

“That’s me, but it’s Noelle. The pile is obviously right over there in my driveway.”

Reese walked up behind her at that moment, looking down at her license and the registration he’d found in her glove box. He read her name out loud then looked up at her in disbelief. “Your name is Merry Noelle? Doesn’t Noelle mean Christmas in French?”

***

THIS WASN’T THE FIRSTtime she’d heard cracks about her name. She waited, knowing what was coming in 3-2-1...

Right on cue, he doubled over laughing. As before, his smiled transformed his face from surly and mean to so handsome it would tempt an angel to sin. He ruined it when he said, “You poor kid... What the hell kind of parents name their kid Merry freakin’ Christmas?”

She slapped her license, registration, and proof of insurance against his chest then spun on her heel and stormed back to her house. Once inside, she slammed the door for the second time that day.

“That infuriating, contemptuous ass!” she exclaimed, so furious she could spit. Making fun of her name had been a childhood pastime for her classmates growing up. Even some adults had teased her, but no one had ever horse laughed right in her face and insulted her parents.

Well, she wasn’t about to hang around outside and be insulted by a clod. Crossing to the front window, she watched and waited in infuriated silence as the old man loaded up her trash. She’d go back out and settle up with him when he was done. Mr. We-Haul was loading the last pile of boxes when a knock came at her front door.

She opened it to Reese Morgan’s smugly grinning face. He handed over her paperwork as well as three separate tickets. “What are all these for?”

“They’re clearly stated on the front and the fine is listed on the back. One’s for unlawful dumping. Another is for the improper operation of a vehicle causing property damage. They come to $100. The other is the condo association fine, which if you read, your agreement is $250. You need to follow those rules carefully. The association is pretty strict on enforcement and the fines are hefty.”

The old man peeked around Reese’s shoulder at that moment with more bad news. “That’s $200, Ms. Nowl.” He once again mispronounced her name as he handed over the bill. “Same day service is $150, and the landfill and recycling fee are an additional fifty bucks.” He then spit an arc of tobacco into her shrubs.

“I assume a check is okay?” she asked through gritted teeth. She wanted both of these infuriating men off her porch and out of her hair.

“Prefer cash, but if that’s all you got, I’ll take it.” He chuckled then and added, “I know where you live after all.” He elbowed Reese as if it was the funniest thing ever then grabbed his check and left.

“Is that all, Officer? I’d like to be alone to contemplate the decimation of this month’s budget.”

“Yeah, but it’s sergeant. I’m sorry this whole thing cost so much.”

“You don’t seem sorry. You look like it’s all been very entertaining. What did you do, call up the condo board president and rat me out?”

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