Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
She flirts, teases, and runs at a moment’s notice. And I’ve played along. Until now.
A hotel elevator.
A mechanical failure that locks us away from the outside world.
It should be a nightmare— except with her, it’s not.
One confession changes everything. She lets her guard down, allowing me to see the woman behind the armor.
This time, I’m not letting Coralynn Parker run.
Not when she tastes like peppermint and feels like mine.
Are you ready to see Doctor Anthony Gallo and Coralynn Parker get their Happily Ever After? You'll find all you need in this holiday romance. Add in a splash of forced proximity, tension of the sexy variety, and you’re in for a treat!
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Prologue
TONY
A COUPLE OF WEEKS EARLIER
"I knew my first taste of you would be the sweetest." Coralynn Parker's peppermint-flavored lips explode on mine with each sweep of my tongue. She's into the kiss, so into it that I'm pretty sure she has no idea we're in a public setting. If she did, I have no doubt this would be over before it started. Her hands grip the hair at the nape of my neck, nails scoring the skin, the feeling of her undulating against me. Her body comes alive, and I'm not even touching her, too afraid that if I get my hands on her, I'll do something crazy like tear our clothes off. Then I wouldn't stop until I had her moaning my name over and over again.
That would lead to a slew of problems when reality came crashing back, and shit would go sideways even worse. Instead, I deepen the kiss, soft murmurs leaving her breathless, and fuck, I'll never see or smell her scent without thinking about the woman who's currently climbing me like a tree.
I've been chasing her for what seems like for-fucking-ever. This woman has my mind swimming in circles, my heart racing, my gut aching, and my dick pounding.
The moment I set my sight on the elusive woman, she runs at the slightest provocation, a heated glance, a tilt of my lips, and god forbid I take one stride to head her way. A fire lights in her eyes, and then she runs away from me, away from the feelings building inside her, and she does it at every turn.
Now, I have Coralynn right where I want her. Her running ends today.
"That doesn't mean I'm going to let you have all of me." Her tongue darts out, moistening her lips. Fuck, she possesses a beauty like no other. In a room filled with others, she stands out, taking my breath away with every passing moment. Her hair is the color of toasted honey, and natural waves cascade down her back and shoulders. Her fair complexion sets off her eyes: clear, captivating, and a shade of cerulean-blue.
Coralynn's looks aren't all that attracts me or my hard cock. It's the way she carries herself—confident, fierce, and with an independence streak a mile long.
"We'll see about that." I dip my head, gaze intently on hers, and when I'm merely an inch away from kissing her again, she does what I've come to expect.
"That we will." She slips from beneath my hold, shimmying her body while bending her knees. It's funny she thinks I'd cage her in. Still, it's a mistake on my part, not holding her close to my body and only bracing my hands on the wall on either side of her head.
"One day, Coralynn, you'll realize I'd chase you till the ends of the earth. So, do your worst, but expect to be caught, and to love every minute of it," I say as she retreats. That's as close as I've come to having her right where I want her since this cat-and-mouse game began, and I look forward to the next round.
She says something else, but with her back to me, the words are hard to decipher. I think it's safe to assume she's smiling with a smugness, saying something along the lines of ‘catch me if you can.’
I stay where I am, still in my doctor's coat, having run into Coralynn after coming back from my lunch break. She and her sister, Shae, have been working on a plan to expand LITHE. It's taken them talking to Luke, my partner at the CG Obstetrics & Gynecology, along with the rest of his friends, to help make the expansion happen. Which means Coralynn and I see each other way more than she ever expected.
My eyes watch as she slowly disappears. The athleisure wear she has on sculpts every delicious curve of her body. Her back is long and elegant. Lean muscle traces beneath the skin, subtle, and gives her a quiet strength. A tapered waist, flaring gently at her waist, and the gentle sway of her hips with each step she takes only makes her walking away that much more devastating.
I let out a low chuckle, thinking about all the ways I can tame the wild cat, and my guess is it won't be easy.
"She's still giving you hell, I see." Colt comes up beside me, hands in his pockets and wearing his usual work uniform: baseball cap, black cotton shirt with his mechanic shop emblazoned above the left breast and the back of the fabric, a pair of jeans, grease-stained, and a pair of steel-toe boots.
"Yeah, I'm wearing her down, though." I should head into the office, get ready for afternoon rounds and patient appointments. There's a reason Colt is here, though, and I'm beginning to worry it might have something to do with his little girl.