Read Kissing Santa, A Clover Park Novella (Clover Park, Book 4) Contemporary Romance (The Clover Park Series) for Free Online

bachelor. I could never use them all.” She shook her head. “Besides, those guys are all married.” She straightened, suddenly indignant. “And the worst, my mother tried to set up an arranged marriage with this total player who was too handsome for his own good. He was all—” she waved her hands in the air “—look at me! Don’t you want some of this sugar? And I was all, get away from me, you phony! The lines that came out of this guy’s mouth! If my mother had known what he was really like…” She exhaled sharply. “Don’t get me started on my mother.”
    Finally, she wound down.
    “This was all my niece’s idea,” she said with a rueful laugh. “Since I’m here…my Christmas wish is to meet a handsome, smart, charming man that will just make my head spin with the happiness of true love." She warmed to her topic. "Make him be someone who brings me flowers and candy just because, writes poems for me, serenades me, and likes to hold hands while we go shopping, ice skating, or maybe even walking along the beach." She let out a dreamy sigh. "I guess that's too much for one Christmas wish."
    Santa’s voice went low and husky. "I'll see what I can do."
    Her eyes flew to his, and she took a good look at the guy she’d just spilled her guts to. He smiled, and her hand went to her throat. This man didn’t have wrinkles, pasty white skin, and blue eyes. This wasn't Harold! This was someone much younger with caramel skin and brown eyes behind those spectacles.
    Santa was coming on to her!
    She leaped off his lap and jabbed a finger at him. "You're Santa. You can't pick up women. You're married to Mrs. Claus."
    Dear Lord, what had she just told this complete stranger? Her cheeks burned.
    The Santa-Harold imposter stood and raised his palms. "I'm off duty. You want to get a cup of coffee?"
    She whirled and hurried over to her niece. "Come on, Gabriella, we're going."
    "Bye, Santa!" Gabriella called. "Merry Christmas!"
    "Ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas, Gabriella! I'll make sure the elves know about your Christmas wish and yours too, Samantha!”
    She froze. Omigod. He knew her name. She’d never said her name. And that voice. Her mind quickly put the pieces together, that beautiful caramel skin, the brown eyes. It was her horrible blind date—Rico.
    She took Gabriella's hand and speedwalked to the parking lot. Samantha had never been so embarrassed in her life. She buckled her niece in, muttering to herself about the nerve of some guys.
    They drove home, and Samantha prayed she never, ever ran into that Harold imposter again.
     

Chapter Four
    Rico went straight to the locker room and peeled off the Santa suit he'd taken a sauna in all morning. The experience had gone from okay to flat-out horny with the curvy, beautiful Samantha dropping into his lap and sharing her dreams with him. Women didn’t usually confide their dreams to him. Probably because he never spent much time talking to the ladies. He preferred physical action. But Samantha’s confession intrigued him.
    She was a romantic at heart. So was he. He’d written twenty ballads all about love on his guitar. That might be something she’d be interested in if he could convince her to see him again. He grabbed the Santa outfit and headed for his truck.
    A short drive later, he stopped at Harold’s apartment to drop off the Santa duds. His daughter answered the door.
    “You should take this to the dry cleaner,” Rico said. “I sweated off ten pounds in there.”
    She nodded. “How did it go?”
    “Not so bad,” he said, thinking of Samantha. “Actually, it turned out pretty good.”
    “We really appreciate you stepping in. Thank you so much. My dad will be very happy to hear it.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    “Merry Christmas, Rico,” she said.
    He smiled, actually feeling in the Christmas spirit even though it was still three weeks away. “Merry Christmas.”
    He headed to his apartment. After a shower and a late lunch, he thought again of