January (Calendar Girl #1) Read Online Free Page B

area nestled against a rocky terrain.
     
    “That’s El Matador Beach,” he said close enough for me to feel his breath kiss the skin of my cheek. I could almost see where he was surfing from here.
     
    “It’s…” I lost the words.
     
    “Amazing. I know,” he said, but not in a smug way. No, he seemed to take in the view with his own sense of wonder, which surprised me. A man who lives here, sees this every day and is still taken by the gift before him. I realized then that I might have been remiss in thinking he was a young, hotshot, rich kid. His eyes reflected something older, well beyond his years. He gripped my hand and pulled me toward the house. “Let me show you to your room.”
     
    I followed him through the several thousand square foot home. Room after room flew by before I could catch much of a glimpse. I thought it odd that he continued to hold my hand, but I didn’t say anything for fear he’d stop. It was nice feeling the warm, large hand in mine. Made me feel safe and protected in a way I hadn’t experienced in years.
     
    Wes led me to a set of double doors. He finally dropped my hand and opened both doors at once. “This will be your home for the next twenty-four days,” he smiled as I entered.
     
    The room was white on white. Everything. The furniture, the bedding, even the artwork was varying shades of white with only the barest hints of color. It was such a dramatic contrast to the rich, thick colors of the living room. Without realizing it, I frowned.
     
    “You don’t like it?” His hands fell down to his sides. He moved over and opened another set of double doors. Within were enough clothes to choke a horse, all in wild arrays of colors, textures, and fabrics. Now this was more like it. I could move into the closet. It certainly looked big enough. I ran my fingers over the hanging clothes, all with the tags still dangling from them.
     
    “It’s beautiful, thank you. So why don’t you tell me a little bit about why I’m here,” I asked as I exited the closet and sat on the bed. Wes was a tall, large man but not beefy. He was over six feet and trim. Had the body of a strong swimmer who definitely spent some serious time in the gym lifting weights.
     
    He took a breath and brought his hand up to his chin resting his elbow on the arm of the chair. “My mother,” he said, as if that explained all the secrets of the universe. I crooked an eyebrow, and he shook his head. “I have these events I need to attend professionally and personally over the next few weeks. Having a woman on my arm would help ward off the socialites and gold-diggers that often vie for my attention, preventing me from getting the networking I need to do completed.”
     
    “So you need a buffer to ward off the vultures?” I chuckled, crossed my legs then pulled off one long boot, stretched out my other leg and repeated the process. Wes nodded then watched with rapt attention as I pointed and wiggled my socked toes. I looked down and realized why he was holding his hand over his mouth, a veiled attempt to hold back his laughter.
     
    I had on my Christmas socks under my boots. Tall to the knee green and red stripped socks stared back at me proving I’d just committed fashion suicide. Not to mention, I was certain I’d just broken one of Millie’s escort rules by wearing the hideously ugly socks. I bit my lip and chanced a glance at Wes, but he just continued to smile the cat-that-ate-the-canary type grin.
     
    Rolling my eyes, I huffed, “I got ready in the dark.”
     
    “Obviously,” he laughed. “I think it’s cute.”
     
    “Cute? That’s like the kiss of death.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “You think I’m cute? Well, no refunds, buddy. You said yourself, I’m here for twenty-four days. No take-backs!” I stood and put my hands on my hips.
     
    He leaned back and crossed his bare feet at the ankle. Oh, I hadn’t noticed his feet before. They were long, lean and perfectly groomed. Tiny