Page 192 of Screwged for Christmas

“Are you going to leave me in suspense forever. Who’s my lucky partner?”

Free from all her outer layers of clothing, she set to work her second layer. How did anyone manage to move in this brutal cold? She popped the button of her pants and looked up to see her sister smiling again. “Damon.” Red lips curled into something that looked somewhere between mischievous and an oh-this-is-gonna-be-fun kind of grin.

Her stomach dipped. Uh-oh.

“You know the owner of Savage Fire and the most eligible bachelor in town.”

Drop a hint much? Ivy chuckled. “Yeah. I picked up on that. I also got your little hints in your last email, and your last phone call and the phone call before that.”

Zahara pressed a hand to her lips.

The little sly faker.

“But…what ever do you mean?” Zahara snatched Ivy’s boots up and gasped, her red lips in the form of a very convincing O.

“Right,” she drew out with an arched brow. Ivy didn’t buy the good little Southern girl act for a second. Zahara wanted her sister hooked up and settled down right alongside her by any means necessary. Sorry, but that wasn’t about to happen. Especially in Noname, Alaska where her tatas would freeze before she could get a guy interested in warming them up for her.

“Damon? He’s the broody one of the Savage crew, right?” She scrunched her nose. That didn’t sound too fun.

“Hey, Doc, nice long johns.”

Derriere in the air, Ivy froze. Goosebumps prickled the length of her spine until Ivy stood ramrod straight.

Her eyes slammed shut. Right on cue, her bad luck showed up like an unwanted crazy uncle.

A whiskey-rich baritone warmed her from the outside in and had her wishing for warm blankets, and deep kisses and a rumbling fire. In that order.

Damn.

“Ivy, this is Damon Savage. My brother-in-law and your racing buddy. I trust you two will win.” Zahara provided like a chirpy little cardinal.

Damn her. She smelled a setup. Zahara’s eyes lit with an I-told-you-so glow and made Ivy want to grind her teeth.

Ivy did a slow one-eighty and the thick wool of her socks dug into the plastic grass carpet that acted as the only barrier between frostbite and her toes. Locked in like Velcro, it was all she could do to keep her balance as she stood, chin raised. Then raised a notch higher. Reaching up, she used a finger and pushed her glasses back in place.

Sweet baby Jesus, he’s like a freaking gladiator. She shivered from her pinky toes to the roots of her hair.

Broad-chested, dimples on either side of his cheeks and taut pecs. Naked, tattooed pecs with pebbled nipples and a light dusting of snow on his shoulders. A marble god, she corrected herself as her gaze raked over perfection. Her gift shop bought guidebook didnotwarn her of such wintry beauty. No shirt, nothing to protect him against the cold and he owned it as if ice laced his blood and he thrived in it.

In place of pants, only a scrap of brown leather with a big S on the front for Savage she presumed protected his essentials from the cold like the others she saw gathered on the opposite side of the table.

“Did you know it takes as little as five minutes for a body part to die of frostbite and fifteen for hypothermia to take hold?”

Smooth, Ivy. Real smooth.You’re going to be dead before you see any action.

Ivy couldn’t help the sudden urge to tuck her head into the nearest snowbank. She needed to get a life outside the freaking library and hospital.

Tall, hard, and very much all male.Damon.She rolled the name around on her tongue. Fitting, she surmised. Rock-solid and cocky with a stubborn angle to his chin. He stood, arms at his sides and a half grin claiming one side of his mouth as his eyes drank in the flush of heat brushing her cheeks.

Another team lined up at the starting line all smiles and full of taunts. The sound of the gun went off and cheers erupted.

Her heart did erratic things in her chest. They were next.

“I see I’m not the only one that likes facts. Nice. I did know but it’s still good for the refresher. When working with tourists an Alaskan native can forget the more delicate skin of outsiders.”

As she stripped off another layer of socks she considered his words.

Smooth like silk. He was good. Heat returned to her extremities little by little as her mortification faded.

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