Kiss Me Again: Holiday, NY, #1

Kiss Me Again

Susan Scott Shelley

Copyright © 2016 Susan Scott Shelley

ISBN-13: 978-1-944220-07-5

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Epilogue

About the Author

Susan’s Books

Chapter One

KIRA KALLIS GLARED at the emails of Valentine’s Day themed ads in her inbox. Two weeks until the holiday and reminders were everywhere. Hearts in countless shades of red and pink, bouquets of flowers, boxes of chocolates, and chubby cupids all taunted her from store windows, grocery lines, TV commercials, and email blasts.

One by one, they ended up in her trash folder.

Being alone hadn’t bothered her last year. But this year, she’d turned thirty, and nearly all of her friends were married or matched up. After months of being the third or fifth wheel, she’d felt truly alone.

Why was finding someone so hard?

With a quick glance toward her open office door, she logged onto the online dating site she’d joined. The outer floor slowly stirred awake as more members of the sales and marketing departments arrived. Snow and icy roads reduced her crew to a skeleton staff. Snippets of conversations about upcoming weekend plans and complaints about the weather drifted toward her as employees clad in Casual Friday attire strode by. She’d have a few extra minutes to see if her latest match had responded to her email before someone needed her attention.

And that was the problem. Everyone needed her attention and she’d given away too much of herself. She’d dedicated years working her way up to her position as marketing director at her family’s toy company. She loved her job, even though her long hours had been the reason her last two relationships had ended.

The site loaded more slowly than usual. She tapped her mouse against the desk as she waited. Her personal page followed the guidelines on crafting an eye-catching profile—listed her hobbies, interests, fun facts, and flattering photos. She’d received a fair share of interested responses, but date after date, that spark of connection had eluded her.

But her latest match had the potential to be The One.

The site loaded. No new messages.

Great. At this rate, meeting someone she could spend Valentine’s Day with wasn’t going to happen.

The hollowness in her gut hurt. She rolled her chair away from her desk and crossed to the window. Snow covered the trees, falling at a quick pace, blanketing the ground faster than the plows could clear the parking lot. Inhaling deep breaths and watching the peaceful scene helped eased the ache.

Hey, kid. Glad you made it in okay. Her brother’s voice jarred her out of her concentration. No matter that he was only five years older than she. He’d called her kid from the time she’d been one, but had the good graces not to do it at the office.

Damon, please... She rolled her eyes and turned. Her retort died on her lips.

Next to Damon stood his best friend and the company’s hotshot IT guy, Hunter York.

In contrast to her dark haired, dark eyed brother, Hunter had dark blond hair and blue eyes. And the best smile in Holiday, New York. Heck, in all of Western New York. Dark jeans and a black sweater with sleeves pushed up showcased his tall, muscular frame. His eyes crinkled at the corners with his smile. There’s bagels, donuts, fruit, and coffee in the break room. Everyone’s grabbing their share now. Want to join us?

I could use more coffee. Give me a minute. I need to finish up something first.

Is it the report I sent you for the projected first quarter sales? There was a glitch in the spreadsheet. Here, I’ll show you. Damon strode toward her desk.

And the dating site was in full view. He was going to flip out. She hurried to beat him to her computer. Wait! Don’t touch it. I have a few programs running.

They reached the desk at the same time. Clicked Hearts’ site, with its bright blue background and hot pink valentines, lit up her screen like a screaming advertisement of her loneliness.

Damon’s gaze whipped from the screen to her face. "What the hell is this? You’re not actually on that dating site, are you?"

Her cheeks heated. So what if I am?

Desperately, she shook the mouse and rolled it over her desk, but the arrow didn’t respond. Wishing she was on her laptop instead of the desktop computer wouldn’t help her now. She couldn’t close out of the site or minimize the screen. She couldn’t do anything except pray the floor would open up and swallow her. Damn it, the screen’s frozen.

Let me have a look. Hunter squeezed between her and the desk, leaving her no choice but to take a step back. She stood to his right, watching as his fingers tapped at keys. His gaze narrowed on her dating profile. Brown Eyed Girl?

The rush of heat crept up to her ears. More than a little aware of Hunter’s closeness, she crossed her arms over her chest and tried to ignore the tingle when his shoulder brushed hers. Everyone needs a user name. It was the first thing that came to mind.

Damon leaned on her desk, hands closed into fists, shaking his head. What are you doing? Online dating? You don’t know these guys.

It’s no different than meeting someone in a bar or at work, or anywhere else.

At least you can physically see who you’re talking to in those situations. You can make some sort of judgment. Online is a license to be fake.

Kira shrugged, entirely uncomfortable to have the conversation at all, but especially in front of Hunter. Being able to see someone’s face doesn’t show anything about what they’re like on the inside.

Damon stiffened, and regret struck her in the chest. He’d met his ex, Ursula, in a bar. She’d lied, a lot, and had left him without a word, taking off with half the contents of his apartment and his bank account. Trying to track her down and reclaim his property was sucking up huge chunks of his time. He’d been running on empty for weeks.

Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’m careful. She forced a smile, but he didn’t seem convinced, staring at her with a mixture of exhaustion, exasperation, and concern.

Hunter straightened to full height. At six-foot-two, he was a good nine inches taller than she was. He grinned down at her. There. You’re fixed, Brown Eyed Girl, but you’ll have to log back into the system. And your Clicked Hearts.

When she looked into his eyes, her heartbeat quickened—fast beats keeping time with the flutter in her stomach. And as always, she pretended they didn’t exist. He was her friend and had never given any indication that the attraction she felt was more than one-sided. Thanks.

Anytime. He turned to Damon. Why don’t we let Kira get back to what she was doing and grab some food? Aidan’s waiting for us.

The mention of the friend who made up the remaining member of the guys’ tight trio finally made Damon move toward the door. Be careful, kid. We’ll talk about this later.

She nodded her thanks for the reprieve, then closed the door and locked it behind them.

The last thing she needed was her brother involved in her dating life.

HUNTER LED DAMON OUT of Kira’s office. Had he been alone, he’d have found a reason to stay and talk with her. Poor Kira. She looked so flustered by her brother.

Lips pinched, Damon shook his head as they walked. He shoved his hand through his hair. Worry grooves formed on his forehead. I don’t like it. I didn’t know she was on that site. Anyone could be on the other side of that screen. What if it’s some sicko who wants to hurt her—or worse? Or the same thing that happened to me happens to her? There are too many stories out there of things that could go wrong.

Hunter grunted in agreement. Annoyance pricked along his skin, and his hands formed fists. The idea of something happening to Kira twisted his gut. Beautiful, sexy, smart, and caring, she mattered, more than was wise. I know you’re still sorting out a lot of stuff from Ursula. I’ll keep an eye on Kira for you. You don’t have to worry about her.

Thanks, bro. Damon let out a heavy breath, his anguish obviously abated. "I know