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  He takes her hand and looks at her empty finger. “Nope. But he is buying me a bird feeder for Christmas, so there’s that. I saw it in his closet.”

  “Birds are nice,” Ethan says with a sympathetic shrug.

  I leap forward, desperate for an opening. “I like birds!” I say nervously. Christine grins as she watches me flounder pathetically. “Penguins. Ostriches. Sparrows.” I gulp. “Seagulls.”

  Oh, crap. I’m really starting to sweat now. Ethan is staring right at me!

  I have to save this disaster of a moment. “What is your favorite bird, Uncle Ethan? I mean, Ethan!”

  Christine snorts out a laugh as she looks up at him. “You remember my friend, Mandy?”

  He’s holding his breath as he looks at me with the sexiest brown eyes I’ve ever seen. “I do,” he says, his voice deeper and raspier than before.

  “I have to go get some wine bottles from the garage,” Christine says as Ethan’s heated eyes lock onto mine. “I’ll leave you with Mandy to talk some more about… birds.”

  She leaves with a laughing snort and it’s just the two of us standing here. He has new lines on the sides of his eyes, but they suit him. He’s not clean-shaven like the last time I saw him three years ago. He has salt and pepper stubble all over his cheeks and chin. I swallow hard imagining what it would feel like against my smooth cheek, or better yet, rubbing against the inside of my thighs.

  He’s so frigging hot. This man gets hotter as the years go by.

  And for this moment, he’s all mine.

  I screwed up my opening, so it can only get better from here.

  Right?

  Gulp.

  Chapter Three

  Ethan

  I can’t believe the goddess standing in front of me is Chrissy’s cute little friend. I remember her playing as a ten-year-old in the backyard with her shy toothy smile and the way she would always giggle uncontrollably the few times I spoke to her as a teenager, but I wasn’t expecting this.

  She’s dressed in a sexy red dress, looking like the devil coming to tempt me.

  I’m tempted. I’m really tempted.

  My whole body is strumming like a tuning fork as she nervously rambles on in that sweet silky voice. She’s playing with her hands in front of her, fidgeting as she tells me that she doesn’t normally talk about birds so much.

  My eyes narrow in on her luscious pink lips and when I see her wet tongue behind those bright white teeth, I swallow hard. Dirty thoughts are penetrating my brain and I don’t know if they’ll ever go away. I want to rip off her sexy red dress and see if her supple body is as ripe as it looks.

  “That’s enough about birds,” she says with a cute awkward laugh. “How are you?”

  She swallows nervously as she waits for my answer. I can barely think let alone talk in front of this angel. Her brown hair is twisted up in a bun, showing off her gorgeous slender neck. All I can think about is pressing my lips all over it as I tug on that bun and let her hair fall loose.

  “Do you still own that radio station?” she asks, cutting the silence with her sweet innocent voice.

  “I own three of them now.”

  She smiles again. I love that smile. She grew into her teeth, but she still has that shyness in it. My breath quickens when I see a little pink in her cheeks.

  “All rock stations like the first one?”

  I shake my head. “Mostly top 40 stuff. Although, this time of year, it’s all Christmas songs.”

  “Are you sick of them?”

  I laugh. “You have no idea.”

  “I could never get sick of Christmas songs,” she says as I take a sip of my beer, never taking my eyes off her. “I used to love listening to your radio station when I lived here. Every time a love song came on, I would picture you playing it for me.”

  My eyes widen a little.

  “I mean… not that you were playing it for me. I mean, that you were picking it for… everyone.” She closes her eyes and shakes her head like she can’t believe what she just said.

  My heart starts pounding a little harder. She used to think about me? When she heard love songs?

  “Mrs. Hearst,” she quickly says, turning to get away from the awkwardness that she’s feeling. “Do you need any help?”

  “Sure,” Judy says. “The veggie dip is empty. Would you mind chopping some carrots and celery for it?”

  “Absolutely.” She darts away before I can say another word, but this little beauty is not getting away from me that easily. I follow her to the island as she hurries around it and grabs some carrots.

  I always get asked around the holidays why I never settled down. I’m fifty-one years old and I’ve never been married. Never even been engaged.

  I’ve never had a good answer, but I do now. I was waiting for the one. I was waiting for a feeling like this. When everything would click into place and I knew the girl I was looking at would be the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

  Everyone thinks I want the bachelor lifestyle. They think I beat women away with a stick because I want to be single. But that’s not true.

  The truth is I want a family. I want a wife I can hold at night and kids who will climb on me in the morning to wake me up way too early. I’ve always wanted that, but I was never willing to settle for just any woman. I wanted my soulmate by my side.

  “Get it together,” I whisper to myself under my breath.

  How can this be the girl? Really.

  I’ve barely talked to her. She’s my little niece’s best friend for fuck’s sake. It’s probably just the lonely feelings that come around during the Holidays. That’s what it is.

  “Ethan,” Judy says as she places some celery next to Mandy’s cutting board. “Did Mandy tell you that she’s in college now? We’re so proud of her!”

  I smile but a panicky edgy feeling is vibrating through my body. All I can think about is all those young horny guys surrounding my girl, talking to her, bumping into her in the halls. I take a deep breath to calm myself.

  “Really?” I say as I lean against the island in front of her. She turns on the water and starts washing the carrots. “What are you studying?”

  “Economics,” she says as she starts running her hand over the carrots as the water pours down on them. I don’t hear anything else as I watch her handle the long thick carrots, stroking them under the running water.

  My cock hardens and starts throbbing as I watch. I step a little closer to the island to hide the long hard erection in my jeans.

  “Do you have a boyfriend?” It just comes blurting out of me. I can’t control any part of myself around her.

  “No,” she quickly says.

  “There must be some nice boys on campus,” Judy says as she fills the bowl with the white dip.

  Mandy swallows nervously as her eyes dart over to mine. “Maybe I’ll meet someone next semester.”

  There’s a vicious thrashing in my ears as I picture a man’s arm around hers. There better not be any boys next semester. I want her all to myself.

  She stops the water and places the carrots on the chopping block. I’m trying to keep my eyes off her cleavage, but it’s hard when she starts chopping. Her big juicy tits are jiggling with every movement. It’s mesmerizing.

  I focus instead on the knife slicing through the carrot and her slender hand wrapped around the handle.

  “Do you live on campus?” I ask. What I really want to know if she’s in an all-girls’ dorm and if the boys are forbidden to enter.

  “Yeah, I have a roommate that’s studying—ow!”

  She screams as the knife slices into her finger. I’m on her at once, darting around the island and grabbing her wrist.

  Her face winces as I turn the water on and put her finger under it.

  Judy hands me a bunch of paper towels and I cover her finger with them. She starts looking faint and pale as the paper towels soak up the blood and turn red.

  “Where are the bandaids?” I ask, a little too sharpl
y.

  “There’s a first aid kit in the bathroom,” Judy says as she grabs the bloody carrots and tosses them into the compost. “Do you need help?”

  “She’s mine,” I nearly growl. “I mean, I got her.”

  I raise her hand as I guide her into the bathroom on the main floor. Her eyes are closed and she’s looking like she might faint as I lift her onto the counter and close the door.

  It’s just the two of us in here and I would be thinking of all the dirty things I could be doing to her if I wasn’t so focused on trying to help.

  “Keep your hand up,” I tell her as I let her wrist go and frantically search for the first aid kit in the cupboard under the sink.

  I grab an antibiotic ointment and some bandages then take her wrist again.

  “Don’t look,” I tell her when she glances at it and then sucks in a sharp breath.

  “I don’t like blood,” she says with her voice all shaky.

  “I can tell,” I say with a smile. “But you’re in good hands. Just close your eyes and trust me.”

  “I do,” she says as she closes her eyes.

  I take a second—maybe two—to study her beautiful face. This girl is stunning. I’m not one to notice the fine details on a woman, but on her, I can't get over the sharpness of her cheekbones, her long lush eyelashes, the gentle slope of her lips, the cuteness of her nose that’s upturned just a little bit. It takes everything I have to steady myself and not press my tingling lips against hers.

  Her cut isn’t as bad as it looked. It’s just bleeding a lot.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I whisper softly in a calming tone. “Everything is going to be fine. I’m taking care of you now.”

  I clean it up and put on a bandage as I talk her through it. She keeps her eyes closed as she breathes in slow deep breaths and finally, the color comes back in her face.

  “Almost done,” I lie. I’m finished but I want her eyes still closed so I can shamelessly stare at her for another few seconds.

  Her big round breasts heave up and down with every breath and I lick my lips as I get a good long look at her delicious cleavage.

  “It’s all done. You did great.”

  “Thank you,” she says as she opens her eyes and looks at me.

  It’s a small bathroom and we’re cramped close together. I can smell the vanilla in her perfume and it’s making my head light. I can see every silky strand of brown hair and her bare back in the mirror.

  “I just need a second,” she whispers as she pulls her eyes away from mine.

  “Take as long as you need,” I say softly. I could stay here all night and be the happiest man in the world.

  I’m still holding onto her wrist. She hasn’t pulled her hand away or asked me what I’m doing, so I just keep holding her.

  “Are you okay?” I whisper.

  She nods slowly. “Yeah.”

  “Want me to kiss it?”

  She smiles, but I’m not joking.

  I raise her hand and gently kiss her bandage. Her heated blue eyes are locked on me, her lips parted as she takes quick heavy breaths. I can’t stop there. I’m not that strong.

  I kiss the bottom of her palm and then the inside of her wrist. Fuck, she smells good.

  Her legs part a little as she sits on the counter and leans a little closer. It’s all subtle body language, but I can tell she doesn’t want me to stop.

  She holds in her breath as I let go of her wrist and slide my hand over her hip. The air in the room charges with heat and a lustful passion as she runs her hand down my chest.

  Her eyes are locked on my lips as I slowly lean forward. My body presses against her knees. Her lips part.

  She slides her hand down my arm and tugs me closer as she leans in and tilts her head.

  I’m just about to touch her sweet lips with mine when there’s a pounding on the door. It startles us and jerks us back.

  “Mandy?” It’s Chrissy. She knocks again and then opens the door.

  My whole body is on fire as my niece slides into the tight room. I should have locked the door. Who knows what would have been happening right now if I did. I would be tasting this heavenly creature instead of awkwardly moving away from her while my niece cuts in.

  “I heard you hurt yourself?”

  “Yeah,” Mandy says, lifting her hand to show the bandage. “Luckily, Ethan has some skillful hands.”

  Chrissy’s forehead scrunches up as she looks at the flush in Mandy’s cheeks and then looks over at me. I probably have lust written all over my face.

  “Yeah, I bet he does,” Chrissy says with a grin. I don’t know what she knows, but I do know she was always too smart for her own good. “Thanks, Uncle Ethan. She always gets woozy around blood.”

  “I’m happy to help,” I say with a nod. With both of their eyes on me, I leave the bathroom and head into the hall.

  I take three steps before I have to lean against the wall to catch my breath. I close my eyes as my heart pounds.

  There’s no mistaking it now.

  That’s the girl for me.

  She’s the one.

  Chapter Four

  Mandy

  I still can’t believe I cut myself. I am officially the world’s worst flirter.

  I’m so embarrassed.

  “Sorry about before, Jeannie. There was a nacho emergency. You’re pregnant? Congratulations!”

  She starts telling me all about it as I find Ethan in the crowd. He’s talking to Christine’s aunt on her mom’s side. His eyes suddenly dart over to me and I turn away with my cheeks burning a guilty red.

  “I’m going to try and do it naturally,” Jeannie says as she holds her flat stomach. “I’ve always wanted a natural birth.”

  “Everyone wants a natural birth,” our other friend Angela says with a laugh as she pops into the conversation. “Until five minutes into the labor and then you’ll be screaming for an epidural.”

  “You don’t know that,” Jeannie says, getting defensive.

  “I’ve given birth twice,” Angela says. “I know.”

  They continue arguing and I take the opportunity to casually oh-I’m-just-nonchalantly-looking-around-the-room glance back at Ethan. His eyes are still locked on me.

  This time, I don’t turn away so quickly.

  I thought he was just being nice in the bathroom—that he couldn’t possibly been about to kiss me no matter how much it felt like he was about to—but now I’m not so sure.

  His body is all stiff and rigid as he stares at me with those sexy brown eyes. I shiver when I remember how his lips felt on my skin. It was only my palm and wrist, but I can still feel those spots tingling.

  The front door opens and one of Christine’s neighbors walks in. There’s no one to greet him, so I head over to welcome him and take his coat. The Hearsts have always made me feel like I was part of the family, letting me sleep over whenever we wanted and taking me on vacation with them, so I like to help them whenever I can. Part of being treated like family is acting like you’re part of the family too.

  “Hi, Mr. Sullivan,” I say as I take his coat. “Welcome to the party!”

  “Hello, Sandy,” he says, smiling under his big bushy mustache. He never remembered our names growing up, so I’m not going to start correcting him now.

  “Mr. & Mrs. Hearst are in the kitchen. The bar is over there. I’ll take your coat upstairs, okay?”

  He nods and heads over to get a drink as I pass Angela and Jeannie on the way to the stairs. They’re still arguing.

  “Natural births are serene and beautiful.”

  “There’s nothing serene about screaming your lungs out and there’s nothing beautiful about your vagina tearing open.”

  I hurry past them and bound up the stairs, heading to Christine’s room where all of the coats are piled on the bed.

  Her room still looks the same as it did in high school—curling posters of our favorite bands stuck to the pink walls and her soccer trophies lined up neatly on the shelf
over her bed.

  Something catches my eye as I toss Mr. Sullivan’s coat onto the others. I smile as I head over to a photo tacked to the wall. It’s an old one of me and Christine on a bridge in Cape Cod. We’re fourteen years old, looking adorable in our bathing suits before we jumped off it into the freezing cold water below.

  I sigh happily as I look at my big toothy smile. Even when this photo was taken, I was in love with Ethan. Am I as delusional now as I was back then? Could I ever possibly get a man like him?

  A knock on the doorframe has me spinning around. I gasp when I see Ethan standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

  He steals my breath every time I see him. It’s like my whole body reacts to seeing this man. I can feel my heart as it ramps up, pounding through my entire body. Even the hairs on my arms raise in his presence.

  “What are you doing up here?” I blurt it out. Once again, the completely wrong words come out of my mouth.

  “I’m checking up on you,” he says as he walks into the room. His heated eyes look over the bed and then roam back to me.

  The air in the room transforms as he approaches. It electrifies. It sparks with a lustful energy.

  “Can I see?” he asks as he looks at the picture in my hands.

  I’m so nervous as I hand it to him.

  “You two were so adorable,” he says, smiling as he looks at it. “I still remember when you scored the winning goal at that soccer game. You were so thrilled.”

  “You remember that?” I ask in shock. I was thrilled because he was there to watch Christine play when I scored. We were always on the same team growing up. I was about twelve and I thought that if I could score a goal while he was watching, he would fall in love with me. It didn’t quite work out that way.

  “Of course,” he says as he hands me the photo back. My pulse is racing as I stick it back on the wall. “You had long skinny legs that you were always tripping over.”