One Sweet Christmas (novella) Read Online Free

Her voice trembled and a bitter chill seeped into her bones. ‘You knew how I felt about you, and still you acted as if I was one of those slutty cheerleaders who always pawed you. I thought you cared — ’
    ‘I did!’ Jackson interrupted. ‘I had no idea you were there.’
    ‘And that’s supposed to make me feel better?’
    ‘I was drunk and showing off. I never meant to hurt you.’ Jackson’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. ‘I get it that you were pissed, but marriage as a payback?’
    ‘No.’ Candi wiped the counter with a damp cloth, anything to keep her hands busy. ‘You asked me to drive around for a while, and that’s when you told me about the fight with your father.’ She threw the cloth in the sink. ‘I actually felt sorry for you, even after what you’d said at the lounge.’
    Candi had pulled over to the side of the road and held Jackson in her arms, sobbing and blubbering. That’s when he kissed her, hard and demanding. She let her guard down and he swooped in like an eagle after its prey. She should have pushed him away, told him to stop, but she couldn’t. The man she loved with every inch of her being was kissing her. Making her toes curl with desire she never knew existed.
    ‘You…you kissed me, and…’
    ‘We had sex in my car?’ Jackson’s eyes went wide, his lips parting.
    ‘If you had your way, we would have.’ Candi blushed and stared at the spice rack behind his shoulder. ‘I got nervous, pushed you away, and then I told you I hadn’t had sex before. I didn’t want my first time to be in the back seat of your car.’
    Jackson raked a hand through his hair. ‘I convinced you to marry me so you’d have sex with me?’
    ‘Not exactly. You suggested a hotel. We stopped for gas and you won a candy ring from a gumball machine. You asked me to marry you, even went down on one knee in the parking lot.’ She paused. At the time, his actions seemed sweet and genuine. ‘I refused and you pounced on me again in the car. I thought it was all about the bet you made, that you were using me to prove what a stud you were. I got angry and drove us to the little chapel on Willow Lane.’ Candi nudged a crumb on the floor with the tip of her shoe, avoiding his eyes. ‘Did I take advantage of the situation, yes, but not because I was desperate. You deserved to pay for your despicable plan.’
    Silence swallowed the room. ‘Wow, I never would have thought you had it in you.’ Jackson laughed light-heartedly. ‘You lived by the book growing up. You tried being rebellious with your dark hair and make-up, but everyone knew you wouldn’t harm a fly. The brainy Goth girl, isn’t that what they called you?’
    Candi refused to answer. She had been teased in school — too smart — the teacher’s pet. When she cut her hair and dyed it black, added dark mascara and painted her nails black, her parents almost had a heart attack. But her plan worked, the mockery stopped. The bullies soon became afraid of her.
    ‘So, we got married and then what? Did we go to the hotel and make wild passionate love?’ Jackson swaggered toward her, leaning on the counter with one hand.
    Such arrogance! Candi wanted to slap that smug smirk off his face. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction by telling him the truth. ‘You passed out. I threw our wedding certificate in a box in the trunk of your car and left. The end.’
    He slumped, seeming almost disappointed. ‘As much as I’d like to make up for our lost wedding night, unfortunately, time is of the essence.’ Jackson reached inside the breast pocket of his suit jacket and withdrew another envelope, passing it to her.
    Candi stared into his cold blue eyes. Whatever lay inside the envelope couldn’t be good. She unfolded the paper and scanned the contents. ‘You want a divorce?’
    ‘ Need is more accurate. The business deal I’m involved in requires that I am a single man. Long story, but the guy has issues with women, claims they tend to