Page 17 of Shy Santa

“No babe, these are pot gummies.” He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at me.

Steeling my spine, I wouldn’t let this jerk push me around. “Fine, I’ll call my friend and she’ll tell you you’re wrong.”

I pulled up Maya’s number and hit dial. After a few rings, it went to voice mail. I hit redial, and she finally answered. “Hello?” a rough voice answered.

“Maya, girl, those gummies you gave me. Where did you get them?” I demanded, sending my own glare at the sexy hunk of a jerk in front of me.

When she didn’t answer right away, I looked down at the phone to make sure we hadn’t been disconnected. “Maya…” I snarled, dread filling me at her silence.

“So okay, the bag I gave you came from my trip to Colorado. But they aren’t spiked. The shop had two varieties of gummies. Some with pot and some that were for people to use as pranks. I knew you would freak out if I gave you actual pot. Even though girl. It did you wonders last night. I slipped you one before we left your house. You were so tense I thought you’d snap at the party. But the bag you were eating was just plain old gummies in the shape of dicks.” She rushed through all this, and I looked closer at the bag of gummies in the man’s hand.

Yep, those were dick shaped for sure. My stomach twisted in knots when I looked up at Bear. “Okay, thanks Maya. I’ll call you later.” I hung up the phone. My cheeks had to be tomato red with how hot they felt.

A throat cleared behind me, catching my attention. “Well, I guess Alice-Grace and I will head back to my place. We’ll see you later, Bear. And Addy, I’ll see you tonight for dinner. Your mom is supposed to face chat tonight.”

I held it together and glared at Bear. He didn’t take his grumpy eyes off me when Shirley and the girl headed out the door. Bear and Alice-Grace must have been the family she had been texting me about the last few days.

“Look, I’m sorry you thought I’d give a kid drugs.” I crossed my arms to mirror him. The man wouldn’t intimidate me.

Bear glares for a moment more, then rubbed a hand over the top of his head. “If you grab your stuff. I’ll take you home.”

“Don’t bother. I can walk.” I huffed out, grabbing my purse and spun on my heel, heading to the front of the house. My shoes had to be near there. If not, I’d get Aunt Shirley to find them for me.

Sounds of muttering followed me out of the kitchen. “Stop. Addy, don’t be a bitch. I’ve got crap to get done this morning. I can drop you off at your car or your place.”

My blood pressure spiked as I turned back around to see Bear at the kitchen entrance, his fists propped on his hips. “I amnota bitch. So, get fucked, you condescending prick.”

“I didn’t call you a bitch. I said don’t be one.” He stomped down the hall toward me.

A little fissure of fear shivered across my skin at the dark look on his face in fear. But the rest of me wanted to pant, yes Daddy, come take me.

Gah!!! I needed my head examined.

I was just as bad as Maya and her serial killer fetish. “It’s the same damn thing.”

“No, it’s not.” He stopped a foot from me and scanned from the top of my head to my feet. “Think your shoes are in the back den.” He smirked. “Let me take you home so you don’t break your ankle in those death traps.”

My hand flew to my chest as a gasp popped out. “I will have you know they are not death traps. They are beautiful, expensive shoes that make my legs and ass look great.”

“True, they do great things for your ass, but they’re still death traps.” His eyes twinkled with amusement.

Was the man flirting with me? This was why I didn’t do morning after’s, or one-night stands.

“Fine, take me home.” I gave in, realizing I didn’t want to walk however many blocks to my place in my favorite heels, let alone barefoot.

“Let me change real quick and we can get going.” Bear stepped around me toward the stairs but paused next to me.

His voice dropped low as he leaned in. “Unless you want to finish what we started last night?”

Glaring at him, I turned up my nose and strutted back to the room he said my shoes were in. “Nope. I’m good.”

CHAPTER11

Addy

Mondays.

Not my favorite day of the week. But then again, any day I had to go into work sucked. Last week Chadwick had been worse than a pest with wandering hands and creepy as fuck eyes.

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