A Tiara Under the Tree

“The what?” Waverly shook her head.

“The Christmas Advisory Council,” repeated Anson. “The big bonus of being Miss Southwood is the countdown to Christmas. Believe it or not, we start in the summer to get things ready for the big Christmas parade. As the mayor of Southwood, I will be spending a lot of time with you. We will end Christmas passing out presents together, kind of like Mr. and Mrs. Claus. I look forward to serving with you.”

Dominic wasn’t completely sure Anson had said the word with. It sounded more like serving you. The three-foot gap between the mayor and Waverly was far too small for Dominic’s preference. And Dominic would be damned if he let Anson nuzzle close to Waverly during this stupid time period.

“We,” Dominic said, draping his arm around Waverly’s shoulder, “look forward to it.”

“We?” Anson, Vera and Will said in unison.

“Sure. I’m a business owner in town.” Dominic winked. “And I am sponsoring the reigning Miss Southwood. We look forward to serving together, don’t we, Waverly?”

&n

bsp; Waverly gulped. “Yes, sure. Of course.”

Bristling, the mayor breathed deeply through his thinly pinched nose. Vera tightened her grip on the straps of her purse. It was so easy getting underneath the mayor’s skin. The hardest part was still ahead of Dominic. How was he supposed to continue a platonic relationship after being teased with a kiss from her sweet lips one week ago?

Once Anson and Vera left, Will said goodbye. Waverly and Dominic were left alone. The setting sun haloed her curvy frame. Dominic exhaled.

“How serious are these morality mobs?” he asked, stepping forward.

“Considering I lost my previous title for—” Waverly started to explain and bit her bottom lip as if searching for the right words “—creatively expressing my suggestions to a journalist, I’d say pretty serious.”

Frustration—sexual frustration, to be exact—consumed Dominic enough to clench his fists. Waverly’s eyes darted downward to his side. Then she took a step backward. For a moment he caught a glimpse of her shoulders shaking. Immediately he regretted not staying in control. He rubbed his hand against the back of his head.

“Sorry.” Waverly cringed. “I’ve got really bad timing.”

“This is my fault.” Dominic closed the gap between them and reached for her hand. The rough pads of his fingertips traced circles over the small bones of her wrists. “I talked you into running.”

“I didn’t exactly fight you over the offer,” Waverly said jokingly. Her half smile and shrug made him chuckle.

“No, you didn’t.”

Waverly gasped playfully and attempted to snatch her hand away, but Dominic closed his hand tighter and drew her against his frame. With their bodies so close, their laughter subsided. Waverly stopped laughing but her pink lips parted. Dominic cleared his throat. It took every ounce of his control to pull away. “We don’t want to have the morality mob after us.”

“I really am sorry,” Waverly repeated and bit her bottom lip. “Do you still want to go to dinner?”

“Hell yeah. If I can’t have you anytime soon, the least I can do is spend as much time with you as possible.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me.” Dominic leaned close and whispered in her ear, “I understand why there’s a clause.”

“Why?”

“Because what I want to do to you is completely immoral.”

Chapter 4

Reservations at Duvernay’s, one of Southwood’s finest restaurants, were made months in advance, even for a weekday. Tonight was no different. Cars filled the parking lot, more than likely owned by people from the pageant and the people in town. The valets were hopping, passing and returning keys. Men and women filled the inside lobby and waited to be seated while some sipped drinks.

Instead of watching Dominic try to slip a hundred-dollar bill to the frazzled teenage hostess who seemed clueless what to do with it, Waverly stepped forward and cleared her throat. The young girl’s eyes widened and immediately she recalled an available table. Holding the Miss Southwood title came with perks. Of course, the downside meant Waverly had to curb any feelings she had for Dominic, but this was perfect. No relationship meant more time to focus on her goals: winning Miss Georgia and going on to become Miss USA.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Dominic said, pulling Waverly’s chair out for her.

“I’m sorry,” said Waverly over her shoulder. Dominic’s lips were an inch from the tip of her ear. She closed her eyes and pushed out the threatening twitch by clearing her throat. “You were about to overwhelm that poor girl with cash. Kids these days love gift cards—cash is obsolete.”

“Whatever. Money is money,” Dominic grumbled as he moved to his side of the table covered in a white linen cloth. A single candle stood between the two of them. The flickering light highlighted the golden color of his cheeks and the coppery tint of his hair. When she first met him his hair was slightly longer. Dominic smoothed down his paisley tie. The yellow background of his tie matched the color of the dress given to her by Lexi. Did he coordinate with her on purpose? It would be like Lexi to offer such a matching selection. Waverly bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning. “Had that been my sister, she would have figured out what to do with the cash”