settle here permanently.
As he walked around the almost completed manger on his aunt and uncle’s front yard, something bright pink caught his gaze. He glanced across the street and let out a low whistle as his body went from chilly to steaming in three seconds flat. Her face was shadowed and her body was bundled in winter layers. But the sexy vibe he was picking up was humming loud and strong.
Crazy … he couldn’t even tell what she looked like. But she was definitely someone his body wanted to see a little closer. He tossed his hammer on a sawhorse. But before he could take a step, his aunt came out of her house with a steaming mug and a loving smile.
“Dec, you’ve done a great job. I can’t believe how quickly it’s coming together,” she said, gesturing at the various pieces he’d already built.
He warmed at the compliment. He wanted this holiday scene to be perfect. Eric and Amanda had offered him and his mom a place to hide a few times when the old man had been on another of his violent benders. They’d been among the few people in town who had believed the wickedly bad Declan Cole was worth a damn. And they were the only reason he was even considering basing his construction business in Ponder Hill.
But even love for his family wasn’t enough to make him believe it’d work out. Sure, after years as a construction foreman, he could strike out on his own anywhere. But why would he choose a town that saw him as nothing more than a chip off the ol’ drunken block?
“Thanks, Aunt Amanda,” he said. His eyes cut across the street again, lingering on the figure on the porch. Maybe he’d just found another reason to stick around Ponder Hill for a little while.
“Old Man Hanover must have family in for the holidays,” he mused, fishing for details.
His aunt followed his gaze. “Oh, no. Marsha Madison bought that house a little while ago after Mr. Hanover went into the nursing home. Marsha mentioned her daughter was moving back around the holidays. That must be her.”
Declan went from interested to turned-on in a heartbeat.
Mari Madison. The sexiest woman he’d ever dreamed about.
His aunt said something, then patted his arm and walked back into the house. Staring across the street, he barely noticed.
Mari had been a sweetheart. Someone who’d seen him for himself, and yes, judged him for his own wild ways. But never for his father’s. A couple years behind him in school, she’d been forbidden territory. Except for that one time …
Before he could move, she set her cup on the porch railing and bounded down the porch steps. As she crossed the street, his gaze did justice to the gorgeous view.
She’d only improved with age. Sunlight-blond hair slid like water under her funky pink hat, and her dark blue eyes sparkled. He had no idea what the hell those things were on her feet, but the rest of her curves were enough to make his mouth water and his body harden.
“Well, well,” he said with an appreciative grin. “If it isn’t sweet little Mari Madison. Here to give me another kiss?”
CHAPTER THREE
“I’D RATHER kiss a frog,” Mari said with a sniff, furious that Declan was even more gorgeous up close.
Why hadn’t he aged poorly, dammit? He’d been so wild, some of that debauched living ought to show on his face. Instead, all he was sporting was healthy color and a five o’clock shadow. At nine in the morning? Hadn’t he learned to shave yet? With a rush of lust, she remembered how those hair-roughened cheeks had felt against her soft skin. Which only made her madder.
“You ruined my reputation, Declan Cole. Because of you, my life—and my mother’s—became pure hell,” she accused, stepping closer to glare at him better. Even in her four-inch boots, she still had to tilt her head back. As her gaze met his gorgeous green eyes, she couldn’t remember how to breathe, let alone say the words she had meant to speak. Why was he so damned sexy? “What do you have to say for yourself?” she finally managed to ask.
“Maybe sweet doesn’t quite fit anymore,” he murmured.
Mari knew he was laughing at her and it only made her angrier.
“I can’t believe anything could have tarnished that perfect-princess rep of yours,” he continued. “Honor student, homecoming queen, Goody Two-Shoes.”
“Do you have any idea what people were saying about me?” she asked, the memory of the gossip still making her cheeks burn. “Or worse, what they’re still saying?” She recalled the snarky ex-jock at the grocery store the previous day. “Just yesterday some jerk thought he’d get lucky by offering me a ride home.”
“You’re a gorgeous woman. I’m betting a lot of men want to give you a ride.” Declan’s brow creased and he shrugged. “Besides, all we did was kiss. What’s the big deal?”
All they did was kiss? Just the memory of that kiss had fueled years of passionate dreams.
Wait, he thought she was gorgeous? Mari resisted the urge to check her hair and unbutton her jacket so she didn’t look like a denim marshmallow. No! That’s how this had all started in the first place. Declan had said something sweet, she’d gotten flustered and accepted his offer of a ride, and the next thing she knew, he’d kissed her stupid and the entire school was claiming she’d slept with him.
“The word around town was that we did a lot more than kiss,” she said, trying to ignore the thrill tingling all her girly parts and making her squirm. “Everyone was saying that you gave me a lot more than a ride home.”
“Who cares what people gossip about,” Declan objected.
“My mother, for one.” At the time, her mother had been so upset by the rumors, she’d yelled at a woman—very publicly—for repeating them. Unfortunately, the woman had been her boss. Tongues were still wagging about the resulting fight. Mari’s mom had lost her job, her spot on the town council and had almost left Ponder Hill over the humiliation. She’d only just regained her financial footing last year.
“But now that you’re back, you can set the record straight,” she decided. That’d be perfect. The wicked Cole boy would not only put Mari’s reputation right, but he’d also redeem her mother’s actions. Maybe then she could consider doing something about all of the wild sexual needs he was inspiring in her body.
“I don’t think so,” Declan returned with a shake of his head.
Mari stared. “You’re kidding, right? You have to tell people that nothing happened between us. It’s the right thing to do. You should have done it a long time ago.”
She didn’t know why he looked so pissed. She wasn’t asking him to lie. Just to make it clear that she hadn’t thanked him for a ride home by handing over her panties.
“Obviously you’re the one tuned in to all the gossip, so you tell me. When has anyone said I do the right thing?”
Never. Mari huffed out a breath. “So? This can be your first time.”
“Darlin’, there’s only one first time I’m interested in between us. And it has nothing to do with talking.”
CHAPTER FOUR
DECLAN didn’t know why he was being such a hard-ass about denying the rumor. Maybe because he realized a defense was pointless, especially after all this time.
Or maybe it was because a denial would only stir up the gossips. They’d rehash his rep. Talk a lot of shit, dredge up the past and before he knew it, his choice as to whether or not to stay in town would be made for him.
Though deep down, he acknowledged that none of that was true. He’d never cared about what other people thought of him. What bothered him was that Mari was ashamed to have kissed him. Especially when he was desperately craving another taste of her delicious mouth.
“You’re