“You want me to do it?”
She nods. “Maybe having lunch at the firehouse would raise even more money. Capitalize on your hero status for a good cause.”
I pry the piece of metal out of the inside and hand it to her. “How can I refuse?”
“Thank you Atlas! You don’t know how much this means to me. And, thank you for fixing the dryer.” Her eyes are shining.
I don’t care about being older than her. Or that I’m her landlord. My chest is tight and I can’t resist any longer. I reach out and brush the stray curls back from her face. Hailey’s cheeks flush and she trembles slightly.
I tower over her, my fingers moving down her neck, her soft skin like silk underneath my hand. She moans softly as I incline my head, pressing my lips down on hers. My cock is rock hard, rubbing against the seam of my pants. Her lips move softly with mine as I kiss her, exploring her mouth with my tongue. She presses her tits against me as I palm her lower back, her nipples poking at the flimsy material of her dress.
She gasps as I run my hand up her back, shivering slightly, reaching her arms to lock her hands around my neck. The piece of metal falls from her hand back into the dryer with a loud clang and she jumps.
“Hey there, gorgeous. It’s okay.”
She shakes her head, pressing her little hands on my chest. She’s not meeting my gaze. “I can’t do this, Atlas. I’m sorry. I need some time alone, if you don’t mind. Thank you for agreeing to be at the event. It starts at six tomorrow evening. I hope I haven’t ruined everything.”
“Of course not. I’ll leave you in peace. I guess you have a lot of laundry to do.”
She laughs shakily. “You bet.”
I walk back home, my mind made up. That perfect kiss sealed the deal. She’s mine now and I have a sleepless night ahead of me to make sure my little comet’s safe tonight.
I may even sleep on her porch to make sure.
Chapter Five
HAILEY
Peppermint Lodge is crowded. All the work we’ve done to promote this event has been worth it, with people coming from hours away to support the shelter. The Candy Cabin is selling their famous animal-shaped cookies, while the folks from Friar’s Bar have created a bunch of different cocktails. The shelter owner waves at me, dancing past with her arms around the mayor, both of them tipsy on the lethal Doberman’s Daiquiris.
I take a sip of my Meowtini, wincing a little at how strong it is. My arms ache from pinning up posters featuring adoptable animals from the shelter. Poor old Huggy is one of them, now that fickle influencer has gone back on her deal to adopt him.
There’s a squeal of feedback as the microphone is plugged in and Magnus Huckle, a local architect who let us use the Lodge for free, steps onto the stage.
“People of Snowflake, thank you for your support! We’ve raised over five thousand dollars for the Bakersville Animal Shelter, so keep drinking those potent Whisker Sours…”
There’s a rumble of laughter from the crowd.
“I’m sure you’ll all be delighted to hear that my friend Lucas Slate has purchased our top prize of the evening, a ride on the Snowflake Falls Fire Department fire truck and lunch at thefirehouse! He’s matched the amount we’ve raised so far, so we’re up to ten thousand dollars…”
The applause from the crowd drowns out the rest of his words.
“I’m going to tell the guys we don’t get out of bed for less than ten thousand dollars a day…” A deep voice rumbles in my ear.
I smile. “You’re already a supermodel with all your calendar experience.”
Atlas grimaces. “I’m not a natural model. I’m going to be happy not to have to do that every year. Brock had to bribe me to do the last one.”
“Would it freak you out if you knew I bought a copy? To support the fire department, of course.”
He smiles down at me. “I’m delighted. Why isn’t it displayed in pride of place at your house? Or do you keep it in your bedroom?”
I shouldn’t be flirting with him like this, but I can’t resist stepping closer. “Maybe I’ll tell you the answer if you dance with me…”
“I was just coming over to ask you, perfect timing…” He leads me onto the dance floor as a slow song comes on. His hands are on my waist and his delicious woody scent makes me a little delirious.
“Thanks, again. For stepping in, I mean. That flaky influencer really left us in the lurch. And poor Huggy. She was meant to be adopting him.”
