Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“Well, that should certainly keep you in style during your time in Christmasville,” Madeline said dryly. “I’d recommend using the smaller bills at the hot chocolate cart,” she added.
“Got it. Small bills and extra zipped cream.” Grath nodded.
“Whipped cream,” she corrected, smiling in a way that made her more adorable than ever. “Go on—I’ll see you in a minute.”
“See you in a minute,” Grath echoed and hurried off down the dimly lit path. He had to get away from her or he was going to kiss her—he fucking knew it. Madeline was just too damn tempting for her own good!
He had no idea he was leaving her in danger.
EIGHT
MATTIE
Mattie watched the big Hybrid walk swiftly away down the path, wondering why he had suddenly put distance between them again. What was going on with him, anyway? One minute he was warming her hands and being all sweet and chivalrous and the next minute it seemed like he couldn’t wait to get away! What the hell was his problem?
Sighing, she studied the ice sculpture more closely. The girl who had made it had been an outcast in high school—much like Mattie herself. But Tasha had been a rebel—an artist who clearly knew she was too good for Robert G Warren High. Mattie had just been a target—a chubby girl that the popular kids loved to pick on.
Just thinking of it made her stomach grow cold and she tried to push away the memories before they could crowd in and overwhelm her. Neither of her parents had any idea how close she’d come to ending her life during those dark days of high school. Only Anna had an inkling of how bad things had gotten. Though she had done her best to protect Mattie, they were three grades apart and Anna had graduated and gone on to college before Mattie was even a sophomore.
After her older sister left, things had gotten really bad, Mattie remembered. The popular girls—Amanda Hutchinson and her crew especially—had it out for her. She was the one who had gotten the boys involved—like Luke Hartsford…
“Mattie? Little Mattie Porter?”
The deep, familiar voice made her blood run cold and an old saying of her Grandma’s suddenly popped into Mattie’s head. Speak of the Devil and he will appear!
Slowly, she turned her head to see a tall figure approaching her, coming swiftly down the dark path. Even before she could see his face by the light of the glowing sculpture, Mattie knew who it was.
Luke Hartsford had been a football star back in their high school days. He had square shoulders and All-American good looks with blue eyes and dark hair that swooped back from a high forehead. All the girls in school had been swooningly in love with him but it was Mattie he asked to the senior prom. Little “Fatty-Mattie” as they used to call her.
And then on prom night, he tried to—
Mattie cut the thought off right there, refusing to let it into her brain. Usually she was able to do that—to forget what had happened all those years ago. But of course, she didn’t usually have the man who had done it right in front of her.
“Mattie Porter! I thought that was you!” Luke had come up to the sculpture she was standing by now and Mattie could see that he was as handsome as ever. A cold shiver of revulsion went down her spine as his chiseled features loomed into view.
“What do you want?” she asked flatly as he grinned down at her.
“What do I want? Now is that any way to greet an old friend, darlin’?” Luke grinned at her appealingly—that gleaming white toothpaste commercial grin that all the girls used to swoon over.
“An old friend?” She nearly choked on the words.
“Sure!” Luke said easily. “You know, I looked for you at the ten-year reunion—I was surprised you didn’t come.”
“You’re the reason I didn’t come,” Mattie snapped. She wasn’t going to play along with him and pretend like nothing had ever happened. Fuck that, as Grath would have said. Speaking of which, where was he? She could really use a seven-foot-tall Kindred warrior at her back right now.
Unfortunately, the big Hybrid was nowhere in sight.
Her words seemed to have had no effect on Luke Hartsford, who was still giving her that easy, charming grin.
“Come on now, Mattie—it’s not nice to hold grudges,” he said and held out his hand. “Why don’t we just shake hands and make up? I just hate it when people are mad at me for no reason.”
“No reason?” Mattie exclaimed, ignoring his offered hand. How stupid could he be? “No reason?”
“Sure. Let bygones be bygones, darlin’,” Luke said, nodding, as though she was agreeing with him.
Suddenly he had her by the hand, even though Mattie hadn’t seen him move. She tried to pull away but his grip was too powerful.