Never Been Ready – Teaser #2

From JL Berg's post.

Never Been Ready – Teaser #2

The little girl that Leah had never gotten to be wanted a real Christmas with a real tree and a decorated house, and she’d asked me to bring her here–not Clare, not Garrett. Me.

Two months ago, I would have run away, feeling overwhelmed with responsibility I wasn’t ready to handle. Now, I wanted nothing more than to buy out the entire Christmas section in every major department store and deliver it to her house, so we could decorate every square inch to make up for each minute of her lost youth.

I hadn’t always had the greatest childhood. My dad was a dick, and my mom was a bit of a pushover, but they had given me a childhood. They loved me as best as they could, and I knew they had done what they could to provide for me.

“That’s a mighty big ax you’ve got there, mister.” Leah grinned before moving past me to check out another row of trees.

The scent of blackberries and vanilla from her perfume filled my senses as she drifted past, leaving me dizzy, and I quickly followed.

“That it is, ma’am…and I know how to use it. I think.”

Leah turned, laughing at my confession. Hell, I had grown up with hired help and then moved to L.A. I didn’t think I’d ever touched a saw in my life.

“This one,” Leah said, stopping dead in her tracks.

Before her sat a perfectly shaped tree with dark green bristles and a straight round trunk. The man in the store had educated us on what to look for, and Leah had found one with all the checkmarks.

“How tall do you think it is?” she asked.

I walked up to it, comparing my six feet three inches against it. “Mmm…probably eight feet at the most. You’ve got ten feet high ceilings, so it will fit nicely.”

She stood there, staring up at her perfect tree, not saying a word.

I closed the distance between us and whispered in her ear, “Is this what you want?”

Her breath caught, before her eyes found mine. “Sorry. What?”

“Okay, now, it’s just getting too damn easy.” I laughed.

She hit me on the shoulder, which only caused me to laugh louder.

“Are you saying I’m easy?” she asked, feigning indignation.

“Well…” I started.

She huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest, which only distracted me.

“I’ll show you easy,” she warned before taking off into a full run down one of the tree rows.

“Shit!” I cursed. Laughing, I dropped the ax and took off after her.

The trees were tall, and it was essentially like being in a giant green maze. I could see her head bobbing up and down every once in a while when she would turn directions.

She might have been lighter, but I was quicker. I took a different turn, planning to cut her off. As she came around a corner, I caught her around the waist, making her squeal, as I lifted her off the ground.

“You have been a very naughty girl, Leah,” I said.

She squirmed and giggled in my arms. Letting her body slide down mine, she froze as our eyes found each other. Still panting from our run through the trees, I gripped the back of her head and crushed my mouth to hers. She instinctively wrapped her legs around me as we kissed.

Breaking our kiss, she asked, “So, what is my punishment? Coal in my stocking?”

“No. After we take that tree home tonight, you’re going to strip down naked and let me do whatever I want to you under it all night.”
****

Never Been Ready – Coming Feb. 4th
Copyright J.L Berg 2013