Spreading Christmas Joy (Alpha Men 3)

“Oh my God! I was right! It is Clarissa’s chicken fried steak! God, I love this stuff. I didn’t realize that was the special today!”

“It’s not. And did you hear what I said?” Eb asks.

“No, what?” I ask, still taking the takeout containers of the bag and placing them on the counter. If heaven has a smell, I’m pretty sure it would be Clarissa’s chicken fried steak.

Before I can open my food however, Eb pulls me close, making sure he has my attention.

“Why am I suddenly jealous of diner take out?” Eb asks, his deep voice rumbling.

“Because you’re crazy?” I laugh. I place my hands on his shoulders to steady myself when he lifts me up off the floor.

“I need to start spanking you when you ignore me.”

“I wasn’t ignoring you,” I laugh.

“You were and for a damn piece of meat.”

“Well, I’m hungry.”

“Kiss me and tell me you’re sorry,” he whispers, his lips so close to mine that I can feel his breath.

“What happens if I don’t?” I ask, already leaning in so our lips almost touch, craving his kiss like I’ve never wanted anything else before.

“Maybe I’ll take away your steak,” he says, and I swear his lips brush against me and they’re smiling.

“But I’m hungry,” I say before we touch lips gently. He does that several times, bringing our lips together for the briefest of touches, but never giving a true kiss.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll substitute the meat for a different kind.”

“What kind is that?” I giggle, knowing exactly what he’s talking about and suddenly I’m hungrier for him than for dinner.

“Joy!”

Before I can take Eb up on his offer, I can hear Margaret calling from outside. I sigh sadly, because I definitely wanted to play with Eb instead.

“Let’s ignore her, maybe she will go away,” Eb says, obviously feeling just like I do.

“These are her three hundred cupcakes. I don’t think she’s going to go away empty handed,” I answer, resigned.

“Damn it.”

“I completely agree,” I tell him, giving out another heartfelt sigh. Sometimes I have the worst luck.

Chapter 17

Eb

I load the last of the cupcakes into the back of the van, while Joy talks to the woman that I really don’t like right now, Margaret something-another. I like to call her Margaret with the horrible timing.

“I don’t know how to thank you Joy. I realize changing our order was last minute. The hospital just thought cupcakes this year was a better Idea than one big cake.”

“It was no problem. Honestly I loved making the cupcakes and I agree. I think the cupcakes will make a big splash.”

“I think it will too. I know the children will love it.”

“Which is really all that matters, since this entire fundraiser is for them.”

“Fundraiser?” I ask, because I’m getting tired of being ignored. I come up behind Joy and wrap my arms around her, pulling her into me. She resists at first and then relaxes against me. I rest my chin on the top of her head and wait for Margaret to answer.

“We’re having a Christmas party to raise money for the children’s cancer center at the hospital. We wanted to do something to try and make things a little better and use the money raised to help the parents.”

“How does it help the parents?”

“The hospital funds programs to help parents with travel, free hotel rooms and paying for medications. Anything we can do. Sometimes it’s not a lot, but in these cases every little bit helps.”

“It sounds like a really good thing you guys do. I’d like to contribute. I could send in a donation.”

“Joy can get you that information. She donates a tenth of all of her sales to the children.”

“You do?” I ask Joy, looking down at her.

“It’s nothing,” she answers, refusing to look at me while her skin blushes with heat and discomfort.

“It’s a lot. Especially with the sales you make this time of year,” Margaret argues and I could only imagine because in the short time that I’ve known Joy, her bakery stays busy. I give her a squeeze, but I let it drop.

Margaret starts talking about the plans for the event, which apparently begins around lunch tomorrow. She stops abruptly when her phone rings. I’m hoping she decides to leave, but I’ve never been the lucky kind.

“I have to take this. Excuse me a minute, will you?”

“Of course,” Joy says. As Margaret turns away to answer her phone. I pull Joy around to face me.

“How much longer do you think she’ll stick around?”

“Eb! She’ll hear you!”

“Good, maybe she’ll leave so I can take you in the back and eat the dinner I have for you.”

“I do want that steak,” she says so sorrowfully I almost want to carry her in there and feed it to her.

“I wasn’t talking about that. I was thinking more along the lines of stuffing my dick down your—”