Cinderella's Christmas Affair by Katherine Garbera Page A

he’d make up for all the hurt she’d endured as a teenager.
    “What was your nickname?” Pierce asked.
    “None of your damn business,” Tad said. Rad Tad had ruled the school and he’d been very aware of his position in the small pond that Auburndale Senior High was. He’d loved being the guy everyone knew or wanted to know.
    Pierce watched CJ with more than just passing interest. Noticing Pierce’s reaction to CJ, Tad realized he wasn’t going to be content to let things develop slowly in the way that CJ wanted. He needed to brand her with his name.
    He wanted every man who looked at her to realize they were poaching on his territory. And he knew that screamed of machismo and that CJ would never let him live it down if he gave her any indication of how he felt.
    She was his—dammit. On a very elemental level he and CJ had bonded and he wasn’t going to let her go. Tad reached down and tugged her hand free of Pierce’s. CJ lifted both eyebrows at him in question but he ignored her.
    His past relationships had shown him one thing. He liked the challenge of going after a woman just out of reach. Was that the appeal with CJ? His gut said there was much more involved than that.
    Frustrated, he glared at Pierce. As soon as he did, he saw the amusement on his friend’s face. All this talk of high school had obviously made him revert to that eighteen-year-old behavior. All the experiences he’d gained with women fell away and he felt exposed and raw in front of CJ.
    Being ribbed by Pierce for his behavior was insignificant compared to the jealousy running through him. Branding CJ was the least of the things he wanted to do to her.
    Usually Tad was amused by Pierce’s old-world manners. In fact, Pierce had flirted all the time with Caroline his last girlfriend and that had only amused Tad.
    “CJ Terrence from the ad agency?” Pierce asked.
    “The very same,” CJ said.
    Tad wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her firmly against him. Her soft curves cushioned against his body, distracting him from the conversation. Too much time had passed since he’d held her in his arms.
    “I didn’t realize you two were personally involved,” Pierce said.
    “Actually, Cathy Jane’s the woman I’m going to—”
    “Say it and I’m going to plant a kiss on Pierce’s lips he’ll never forget,” CJ warned.
    “Say it,” Pierce urged.
    “Forget it, buddy.” Tad tugged her back and dropped a quick kiss on her full mouth. He tipped her chin up and stared into her eyes. “Not saying it doesn’t change my plans.”
    “What plans?” Pierce asked. His friend was enjoying this a little too well for Tad’s liking.
    “Nothing. Let’s get this rock climbing thing done. CJ and I are going to dinner.”
    “Sounds good to me,” Pierce said. “I’ll go make the announcement.”
    Pierce rolled away and Tad checked his gear one more time. He hoped the climb would distract him from the new feelings spreading through him. Marrying CJ was one thing, caring for her something else, something he wasn’t sure he could control and he didn’t like that.
    The strong emotions she inspired were intolerable. This was a woman who’d been running from him since the moment that they’d met again a few weeks ago. And Kylie had proven to him that chasing after a woman did nothing but make him look like a fool.
    Tad had to be able to let her go. He refused to end up like Pierce had when Karen left him. Sitting alone in a dark room with only a picture album and a bottle of Cutty Sark. Using cheap booze to push away memories that he thought would last a lifetime.
    Keep it light. He could do that. Hell, he had a history of keeping things light.
    “Give me a kiss for luck?” Tad asked CJ.
    She hesitated. “I kind of invited my staff to go to dinner with us.”
    Tad knew that despite what she’d said to him earlier, she was still running from him. Running from something he made her feel?
    “I’ll get Pierce to join us as well.