“All I want for Christmas is…her.” Justice’s deep husky voice changed its tune as he stopped singing to watch the dark-haired beauty cross the street in front of him at the red light. Flakes of snow were floating down, making him think of a winter wonderland snow globe. “Now why didn’t Santa leave you under my tree?” Letting his eyes rove from the petite cowboy boots on her feet, up long legs lovingly encased in tight jeans, Justice whistled. Watching her walk was pure pleasure. “Shake it, baby.” He leaned forward to get a better view of her perfect rounded ass as she stepped gingerly over the ice covered ground. “Who are you?” he whispered. “Look this way.” At that moment Justice hated winter because her short thick coat prevented him from seeing the shape of her tits. But what he could see was enough to make him hard. Shifting in his seat, he reached down to adjust his swollen package and… BEEP! “Dammit!” he cursed as his elbow bumped against the car horn. Outside in the frigid air, the snow angel jumped and Justice stared, frozen, unable to prevent her feet from slipping on the slick pavement. Her long, luscious curls flew up in the air behind her and he saw that cute backside splat itself hard on the unforgiving asphalt. Unmindful of the traffic waiting behind him, he slid the gearshift into Park and opened the door, determined to go to her rescue. “God, I’m sorry. It was an accident. Are you all right?” Justice could hear her grumbling, the cadence of her voice oddly familiar. As he drew nearer, the faint scent of sugar cookies made him smile. She smelled as sweet as she looked. “Let me help you.” Before she could protest, he was on her, hands closing in on a narrow waist. “I got you.” With one smooth move, Justice lifted her from the ground to a standing position. “There!” She bent over, dusting the muddy slush from her legs. The light changed and immediately car horns began to sound. Justice knew he had to move his truck. “Where are you going? If you’ll get in, I’ll take you wherever you say.” “No, thank you. I’m okay.” She finally spoke, still keeping her eyes to the ground. “I appreciate you helping me up.” “Hey, move it, King! Some of us have to work for a living!” Justice frowned, waving off-handedly at folks who were pulling around him to continue down the road. There were some benefits to living in a small town but everyone knowing your business was not one of them. When he looked back around, she was on the move – almost like she was trying to escape. “Wait!” he called, reaching for her arm. “What’s your name?” Justice hadn’t looked her full in the face, but her profile was gorgeous. Big grey eyes framed with thick dark lashes, high cheekbones flushed rosy by the cold and full succulent lips glossed light pink. She stopped, but she still didn’t turn to face him. “I’ve got to go. I’m late.” “I’m Justice King,” he insisted on telling her. “Are you married? Engaged? And if not, I’d like to invite you to have coffee with me over at the diner.” When she didn’t answer, he offered further incentive, because he could see her delicate left hand and it was ring free. “Or how about hot chocolate with marshmallows?” A small sigh of resignation met his ears. As dozens of concerned and curious Madisonville citizens watched their favorite son try to pick up a woman at the only red light in town. “I don’t think so, Justice. Thank you for the invitation though, I’m glad to see you are well.” “Do I know you?” Surely not. How could have ever forgotten a woman like this? Instead of answering, she turned to look at him. And he saw her – full in the face. Justice stared, stunned as he looked into the eyes of the one woman hed dreaded seeing for almost a decade. Time seemed to swirl around them with the blowing snow, like a vortex sweeping him back in time. Despite his initial confusion, he had to admit that her face was the same, except she was all grown up and gorgeous now. The only thing totally different was the expression in her eyes – instead of seeing trust, hope, and welcome – he saw hesitancy, resignation, and insecurity. “Charlee. I’d heard you were back in town. You look…” He was going to say amazing, but she didn’t give him a chance. Pulling out of his grasp, she took off, walking so fast he was afraid she’d fall again. Justice stood, immobile, his heart pounding and his mind racing. Every instinct told him to go after her, but he couldn’t. Horns were sounding and people were shouting. Traffic was backed up and if he didn’t move soon, the local law would be giving him a ticket. Blowing out a harsh breath, he returned to his truck, climbed in and shifted gears. Slowly he began to move, scanning the street ahead of him, trying to see where Charlee had gone. She was nowhere in sight. Vanished…just like she had so long ago. “F**k,” Justice growled. He should have been prepared. Abby’s old piano teacher had dropped the bomb that she’d come back. Like an omen, several people had mentioned her lately. Even though it had been years, people still enjoyed using her name to try and provoke him like a mean punk poking a caged bear. He hadn’t fully processed the possibility of seeing her again, he’d mentally avoided the topic because – honestly – it hurt too much. Now, gazing into her face after all this time caused a completely different reaction than he’d anticipated. Where he’d expected an uncomfortable awkwardness, there was only an acute sense of longing. This Charlee he’d run into today wasn’t the same Charlee who’d ran out of Broken Spoke and out of his life. Guilt swamped him like a flashflood. He’d pushed her away. He’d told her to go. She had been his most loyal friend and he’d cut her out of his life as cleanly as if he’d wielded a surgical scalpel. When Justice had finished with Charlee she had backed up with a stricken face and never said a word. Her only crime had been that she’d had the audacity to fall for him. Running a hand over his mouth, he groaned. With every turn of the tires on the highway, Justice analyzed his feelings. Gritting his teeth, he kept his eyes on the road and his hands on the wheel. It took focus to keep driving, glancing into storefronts and down alleys. Where could she have gone? The only place he could think to look was her dad’s office and their house – so that was where he headed. He had to, Justice couldn’t get her face out of his mind, the sound of her voice, the smell of her perfume. Well, hell. Now wasn’t this a cluster f**k? He’d always heard about love at first sight. But he’d never suspected it could be real. Okay – this wasn’t first sight, not by a long shot – but it was the first time he’d seen her since they were little more than kids. Either way, he felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Justice had just been knocked for a loop by the one woman who would never give him the time of day.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 19:33:14 +0000
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