A Billionaire's Holiday Love - Posey Parks Page 0,11

left my mouth. The second she opened the door, I stalked through her house checking every room, then I closed the door behind me and walked back to my cabin.

She wouldn’t tell me I couldn’t protect her. As long as we lived on this mountain together, I’d do just that. Keep her safe.

**P**

Strolling the bright narrow aisles of the hardware store, my eyes fell over her curves. Hope wore dark jeans and black knee-high boots. Jingle bells dangled from the top of her boots. The bells rattled with each step. I didn’t catch a glimpse of her blouse before we left. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were another ugly ass Christmas sweater. The red pea coat’s belt squeezed her waist. Wish it were my arms wrapped around her. Our feet moved over the worn concrete floor as I scoured the aisle for safety glasses. The smell of freshly cut wood hung in the air.

“I love the smell of pine trees.” She closed her eyes and inhaled.

“You’re mistaken that’s fresh pine wood.” I pointed toward the end of the aisle. Panels of wood rested along the back of the wall.

Hope stood toe to toe with me, then peeked around my bulging arm in the direction of the register.

“That is a fresh cut Balsam Fir.” A smile lit her lips.

I glanced over my shoulder, then down at her. “Can we agree we’re surrounded by the smell of pine?”

She chuckled. “Yeah. Will you grab those safety glasses with the red strap close to the top of the pegboard?”

“These?” I tapped the plastic bag.

She nodded.

“I think the clear slender, fit will work better.”

“You can get those. Now will you grab them or should I ask the handsome guy working the register?” Hope flashed a devilish grin.

I snatched the bag off the pegboard and tossed it into her cart.

The thought of another man cozying up to my woman sent my blood coursing through my veins. No way would she cook for another man other than me. I’d see to that shit. Hope’s pancakes, sausage, and fluffy yellow scrambled eggs were delicious. I couldn’t wait to taste her cooking again.

“This week will be brutal on your neck, back, and shoulders. Installing kitchen cabinets is a tough job.” I nudged her shoulder. Rubbing out the knots in her neck and back while my cock was deep inside of her was a fantasy that had to be fulfilled.

“But we got this.” I winked.

Hope rubbed her shoulder. “If you say so.”

“Let’s select flooring.”

“Now you’re talking. After we’re done remodeling my home, I’ll have the skills to fix stuff myself.”

You won’t need to. Little do you know you’ll have me.

And the creeper, stalking comments continue.

I offered a smile.

We halted near a display of rich brownish red bamboo flooring. “Noah, this is it.” Her fingers brushed along the wood, staring at me with those dark doe eyes. Fuck, I felt my cock twitch.

“May I help you folks?” A gray bearded older short man approached us.

“Yes.” I reached into my inside coat pocket and retrieved my phone. “Here are the measurements for the flooring we need.”

The man peeked at the screen. “Continue shopping. I’ll have the boxes loaded and ready for you at the front counter.” He smiled.

“Thanks, sir.”

“No problem.”

“Noah, are you purchasing flooring too?”

“No, I’ll buff out the floors I have. I helped my granddad install the floors when I was ten.”

She smirked as we strolled toward the tool aisle.

“Is there anything you can’t do?” She turned down the aisle in front of me.

“Plenty of stuff, I suppose. I can’t fly an airplane.”

Hope watched as I loaded my cart with various tools, we needed to complete the renovations.

She laughed. “Tell me something you love to do.”

“I don’t have time to enjoy myself. But I had a passion for snowboarding. I could snowboard all day before I focused on my company.”

“Noah, that’s cool. Do you think you could teach me how to snowboard while we’re here?”

“I’m a little rusty. But I could show you the basics. There was a time when I could’ve become a professional snowboarder.”

That wasn’t my dream. Brewing beer was my passion.

“What happened?”

“Nothing. I chose a different path.”

“You’re not very open about your life.”

I shrugged. “You don’t want me to bore you with the drama.”

Hope didn’t need to hear me reminisce about the verbal abuse I endured from my father.

She turned up her lips. Guess Hope didn’t like my answer.

“Are we ready to check out?”

“Yeah.”

We strolled to the checkout counter.

“Hello.” She waved at the blond-haired guy who appeared