A Maine Christmas...or Two Read Online Free PDF

beautiful face.
    She shook her head, exasperated, and tucked the card into her purse. “Does anyone ever argue with you or refuse you?” she asked curiously.
    “I don’t usually ask for anything,” he answered bluntly, unable to stop himself from swooping down and kissing her. Her lips warmed beneath his, and Grady wanted to drag her back into the house and warm every part of her body until she begged for mercy. But he stepped back and looked away, closing the door of the truck so she wouldn’t get too cold, his protective instincts stronger than his own desire.
    He watched the taillights disappear down the road, knowing his life had just changed completely, and he wasn’t sure what, if anything, he was going to do about it.
    Grady trudged slowly back into the house, divesting himself of his boots and jacket in the foyer, and made his way into his home office.
    Picking up the phone, he hoped that Simon Hudson was at home. The two of them had met several years ago, and had become friends almost immediately. Simon had very successfully launched a line of computer games that were still a sensation, while Simon’s business partner and brother, Sam, had started a branch of the company that specialized in investments and venture capitalism, the same thing that Evan had done to turn his multi-millionaire status into a billionaire title. Grady and Simon had connected because they were so much alike back then, both of them reclusive computer nerds. But since Simon had met and married his wife, Kara, who had recently delivered a new baby, Simon wasn’t the same guy anymore. At one time, Simon’s only love had been his computer and his focused drive to design the most challenging computer games on the market. And he’d more than achieved that goal. But now, Simon was completely and totally obsessed with his wife and child. Grady had hoped Simon would get over it, the newness of his relationship wearing off after a while, and turn back into the sensible friend he had known before Simon had met Kara. It didn’t happen, and although he and Simon still talked, Grady couldn’t begin to understand his friend’s obsession with a woman.
    Picking up the phone in his office, Grady hit the speed dial, thinking that if anyone could understand an almost immediate obsession with a female, it was Simon Hudson.
    Grady ignored Simon’s abrupt greeting and blurted out immediately, “There’s something seriously wrong with me. I met this woman today and now I don’t feel like myself anymore. I felt literally nauseous when she left. Shit! Maybe I’m getting the flu. What the hell do I do now?” Grady finished with a huff, his air completely gone.
    Simon was silent for a moment before Grady finally heard an evil laugh on the other end of the line. Grady plopped into his office chair and propped his feet on the desk, waiting for Simon to stop laughing uproariously.
    “Marry her,” Simon replied, his voice actually jovial. “Don’t turn yourself inside out like I did. Throw her over your shoulder and take her, kicking and screaming if you need to, and find the nearest justice of the peace. Put yourself out of your misery early, buddy.”
    “I just met the woman,” Grady answered irritably.
    “Doesn’t matter. If she’s already making you crazy, you’re screwed. Would you be willing to do anything just to see her again?” Simon questioned mildly.
    “A million bucks,” Grady admitted. “I offered to donate a million dollars to her charity to spend Christmas with her.”
    Simon whistled. “You got it bad. You hate Christmas.”
    “I know,” Grady answered wretchedly. “But she wouldn’t fuck me, so I was desperate.”
    “Trust me, the fucking just makes it even worse. Then you’ll want her all the time, every minute of the day.” Simon hesitated before asking, “Is she worth it?”
    Grady thought about that for a minute, remembering Emily’s vulnerable expression and how happy he had felt just looking at her and feeling