Add a Little Mistletoe
Published by Phaze Books
Also by Aliyah Burke
Sin is Not a Four-Letter Word
This is an explicit and erotic novel
intended for the enjoyment
of adult readers. Please keep
out of the hands of children.
www.Phaze.com
Add a Little Mistletoe
A short novel of sensual romance by
ALIYAH BURKE
Add a Little Mistletoe copyright 2008 by Aliyah Burke
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
A Phaze Production
Phaze Books
6470A Glenway Avenue, #109
Cincinnati, OH 45211-5222
Phaze is an imprint of Mundania Press, LLC.
To order additional copies of this book, contact:
books@phaze.com
www.Phaze.com
Cover art © 2008 Debi Lewis
Edited by Loukie Adlem
eBook ISBN-13: 978-1-60659-003-4
First Edition – November, 2008
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Chapter One
The day after Thanksgiving
“Bye, hon,” the woman spoke in a voice loud enough to carry over the noise of the crowd. Hands tight on her children and purchases, she leaned in to give her friend a kiss. “Thanks for coming and meeting with me.”
Aspen Townsend returned the kiss. “Drive carefully. And you’re welcome. I have a bit more shopping to do. Although, I wouldn’t have come on the busiest shopping day of the year. Black Friday indeed.” Her light brown eyes sparkled as she kissed the kids. “Bye, you two.”
“Bye, Auntie Aspen,” the twins chortled as they waved chubby hands in her direction.
Kelly Pratt smiled at her childhood friend. Aspen knew she had changed from the bookworm she had been when she went off to that California college, USC to most. But now she was home, back where she—according to what Kelly told her repeatedly—belonged.
“Later, Aspen.” Kelly began to turn her kids toward the exit. She stopped and faced her friend again. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she said mysteriously. As Aspen’s eyes met hers, she continued. “He came back to town this week.”
A blank and very confused look crossed Aspen’s dark face. “What are you talking about? Or rather, who?”
Maneuvering so she was right by Aspen’s ear, Kelly leaned in closer, her dark eyes shifting side-to-side as if expecting the devil to jump out at her admission. “Colt Larkin,” she said, as if it were not only newsworthy, but heart-stopping.
To some it may have been. To Aspen Lajoia Townsend, it was terrifying, for many different reasons. Swallowing hard, she blinked her eyes once and said, “Who cares?”
The gleam in Kelly’s eyes told her she didn’t believe the careless attitude. “Just thought you would want to know, you know, before you run into him in town. It’s not big. You know you’ll see him.” She smiled. “I have to go. Talk to you tonight.” A quick wave and Kelly and her twins were gone.
Aspen ran a trembling hand over her face before squaring her shoulders and walking on. She wasn’t about to let the memory of one embarrassing incident bring her down. Straightening her immaculate oatmeal suit, Aspen stepped onto the escalator and let it take her up to the next level. Four hours later, Aspen was ready to fall over. The crowds were horrendous and the attitudes worse. But she was done with her shopping.
Readjusting her purchases, Aspen stopped to look at a dress she thought her mother might like—it was pale pink in color. Bracing most of her slight weight on one hip, she mentally ran through her finances to see if she could finagle it.
Aspen knew she could afford the dress. She had a well-paying job and was one of the top professionals in her field. Without further thought, she walked into the store to purchase the dress. The woman gave her a stressed-out smile as she bagged up the sale.
“Thank you,” Aspen said in a gentle voice.
“You’re welcome, and Happy Holidays!” the saleswoman responded with real emotion.
“And to you,” Aspen spoke with a smile as she added the bag to her extensive collection. Now, it’s time to go home.
Moving briskly through the ever-growing throng of people, Aspen stopped to wait for a group of older folks. She might be tired, but shoving through her elders was simply not done.
Suddenly she was hit from the side around knee level. Righting herself, Aspen glanced down to see a cherub-faced, towheaded little boy holding onto her leg. His face and hands were covered in chocolate, which was transferring to her lighter-colored suit.
You have got to be shittin’ me! What did I do? Aspen estimated his age to be four or five. He had big blue eyes that sparkled as he grinned at her, showing off his missing front tooth.
“Hi,” he bubbled, totally at ease with her.
Forcing back her anger, Aspen looked around for his parents to approach. Nothing. “Hello,” she said, trying not to wince as the sticky, warm chocolate made its way to her skin.
“You’re pretty.”
Despite the situation, Aspen grinned. “Thank you.” She shifted her leg to try and get him to let go. He did with one hand, but the other wound tighter in her pant leg. “Where are your folks?”
The boy sighed and stood smiling up at her with his smeared chocolate face.
“Okay, then,” Aspen mumbled.
“Unca. Unca!” the boy yelled at a person who was striding toward them. The look on the man’s face was near to panic.
* * * *
“Hurry, Unca Colt, hurry!” The childish voice rang over the rest of the noise inside the Mall of America. Stifling a groan, Colt Larkin rolled his eyes in mock exasperation at his sister as his nephew pulled him along.
It was bedlam in here. No one in their right mind would go shopping the day after Thanksgiving, especially here. That would explain why he was here. Too many jarring hits from a bull. Or the batting of eyes from his baby sister.
“We’re comin’, little man. Keep your britches on,” he said.
“Okay, but hurry,” the boy insisted.
Allowing himself to be tugged along to store after store, Colt found himself longing for the “calmness” of a two-thousand-pound bull, sliding onto its back in the chute. These people were downright vicious.
Crying off to pick up a surprise, Colt left his pregnant sister and nephew in the food court with big scoops of chocolate ice cream and toppings.
Coming back with the gift, he saw his sister yelling at a tiny figure slipping through the crowd. It was Dale.
“I’m going after him,” he shouted to his sister, Elizabeth, as his long legs took him through the busy mall after his wayward nephew.
About to panic, Colt froze at the sound of his nephew’s voice calling out to him. Heading the same direction he had been, Colt felt a huge wave of relief flow through him.
Dale stood next to a woman, his face and hands covered in the remains of his ice cream and now the leg of the woman. One chubby hand was clenched to the material of her pants, the other waving at him.
“Oh, Jesus, Dale,” Colt said, dropping to his knees and hugging his nephew, mindless of the stickiness of his small body. “You scared us. What were you thinking running off like that?”
“She’s pretty,” the cheerful answer came.