Page 306 of Screwged for Christmas

Looking around she’d forgotten the power of childhood friendship and seeing all the men from Aspen’s football team, or most of them anyway, brought about a pang of nostalgia. A feeling deep within bloomed. She missed this, she admitted to herself. Everyone here knew her name, her family, and vice versa. Back in Seattle, she was lucky if the cashier returned her smile.

Ivy smiled. “I missed you guys.”

“Okay… okay. Take it down a notch, boys.”

“Any need for an ambulance, Chief?”

Aspen slipped her into a nearby chair. “Are you sure you’re all right, baby?” he asked softly close to her ear. It felt incredibly intimate for him to care for her like this and she couldn’t shake the feeling of liking it way too much for her own good.

“Positive. Nothing a couple of aspirins can’t fix.”

Ivy looked around the tidy kitchen as Aspen spoke with his men. Though they were in the middle of a meal, the place still looked well organized. Cleaned and polished from top to bottom. Heck, even the trash can looked scrubbed.

“Luther and Mac, secure the car. make sure there’s no gas leak. Give me a few minutes and I’ll take care of cleanup of ourformerChristmas decorations.” She caught the drawn-out emphasis on the word former and cringed a little. Nothing like being a sleigh killer.

“You got it, Chief,” came Luther. Everyone else followed suit and made their way to their duties.

She wrapped her hand around Aspens. “The dildos,” Ivy blurted. S fierce blush splashed across her face when Aspen’s gaze snapped to hers.

“Excuse me?”

Well shit.

“Not mine. Yours.”

Aspen choked on a laugh.

“I mean, they fell on the car when I hit the sleigh.”

Aspen groaned and slid a hand over his face. “That. It’s become a tradition of sorts around here in the past few years. Local teens like to poke fun at the big dix moniker by putting dildos on the reindeer antlers.”

“Oh,” she quipped trying to hide her grin.

Aspen’s hands drop to her thighs and he gives them a playful squeeze. “We’ll never live it down. I swear.”

With a dick as big as his and well filled out jeans that drew a woman’s eye, she wanted to second that thought but wisely kept her mouth closed.

“Whoever is cooking deserves a medal. It smells delicious.” Fresh garlic bread and spices tingled her senses and cued up her empty stomach.

“My...my...the big city looks good on you, sweetheart! My fool of a brother here let you slip away. What do you say? You and me? Give me a shot baby, I’ll make you forget all about the eldest Kennedy.”

“Shut the fuck up, Kade.”

A man similar in height and build to Aspen walked out of a side office area and crossed over to where Aspen kneeled next to her wearing a devilish grin. His hair was slightly longer than Aspen’s but his grin was a little more lopsided. He favored tilting the right up while Aspen’s always went to the left when he grinned. Like now.

Kade reached out and swooped her up from the chair in a big hug before placing her back and turning to Aspen for a brief second. “Hey, man, the sheriff is on the line. He wants to talk to you about the tree lighting.”

“Got it.” Aspen touched her shoulder with a light touch. “Excuse me for a second, baby. Don’t fall for this rowdy punk’s lines while I’m gone. He’s bound to try to sweep you off your feet when no one is around to thunk him on the head.”

Aspen’s brother scoffed. “It’s not my fault I’m the more handsome brother all the ladies want,” Kade teased.

“Easy. She just did a slip and slide and took out our Santa.”

Ivy sighed. “I see he’s just as overprotective as he was in school.”

“I think it got worse with old age,” Kade said. “I feel sorry for any daughters he may have.”

Ivy absorbed that little nugget of information as she turned to Aspen. “While you’re in there, can you call me a rental, please?” The phone pole she’d nicked had done a number on the front left tire. She may not be a mechanic, but even she knew it wouldn’t be moving without a tow truck.

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