A Mistletoe Kiss with the Boss by Susan Meier Read Free Book Online Page B

create would be.
    Dinner was served, a very untraditional meal of steak and vegetables. To his surprise, Kristen ate with gusto. While the wives of his counterparts pushed their food around their plates, Kristen ate every bite of her steak and was on the edge of her seat waiting for dessert. Crème brûlée.
    Then he realized they hadn’t fed her all day. He’d had a sandwich and fries delivered to his office as he’d made all his calls to brokers, but he’d forgotten to tell Stella that Kristen hadn’t eaten. And skinny Stella was known to skip meals.
    He leaned over and whispered, “I’m sorry we forgot lunch.”
    Her head tilted as she smiled. “I slept the day away. I was fine.”
    Her pretty face made his breath stutter again. Her smooth, pink skin glowed in the candlelight. Her genuine smile warmed him. She wasn’t faking having a good time.
    And hadn’t she said she needed a good time?
    Ignoring the odd happiness that filled him when he realized he’d done something to please her, he motioned to her plate. “You were obviously starving.”
    She frowned. “You think I was starving because I ate all my steak?” She burst out laughing. “I eat like that all the time.”
    Her laugh made him laugh. Muscles he hadn’t even realized were knotted untangled. She really was the most honest, most open person he’d ever met. He might feel the need to fight all the crazy feelings she inspired, but he simply could not help relaxing around her.
    Gina McMurray, wife of Tim McMurray, leaned across the table. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but, oh, my God, I would love to eat like that.”
    Sherri Johnson said, “Me too. I can’t, though. I’d blow up like a cow. What’s your secret?”
    Kristen said, “Good metabolism probably. But my parents own a dairy farm. I still do my fair share of the chores.”
    Sherri nodded. “When I ran around after my kids, I didn’t have to worry about weight, either.”
    Gina said, “I guess it’s all about moving.”
    As the women chatted, Dean glanced over at Kristen and let her work her magic. He now trusted her enough not to worry about what she’d say or how she’d say it. He liked hearing her tell their tablemates about her life. She was interesting . She worked for a princess, lived on a farm very different from anything he’d ever experienced and had a degree that she intended to use to start a charity that built schools. While she did all that, she wanted to have kids, and teach them to be citizens of the world.
    It was no wonder he liked her.
    She was amazing.
    George Perkins walked on stage and took the microphone. He wished everybody a merry Christmas and announced the dancing would begin. All the men at his table asked their wives to dance and Dean knew it would look odd if he and Kristen didn’t join them on the floor.
    He rose and held out his hand. “Shall we?”
    She smiled. “I’d love to.”
    He led her to the dance floor and took her into his arms, where she fit perfectly. She was the right height for him. She was pretty. She had just enough sophistication that it didn’t impinge on her natural, innocent charm. She ate when she was hungry. She wanted to have kids. She wanted to change the world.
    All his crazy feelings around her came into focus, and he nearly stopped dancing. She wasn’t just amazing. She was the perfect woman for him. Of course he was attracted to her. Of course he wanted her.
    If there was such a thing as the woman of his dreams, it was Kristen.
    Happiness mixed with a knowing that expanded his chest with a fierce need to kiss her, and his heart with a longing to keep her—to never let her out of his sight—that he’d never felt before.
    It also explained the unwanted vision of her with his child, the way he could relax with her and why he couldn’t stop staring at her