by Hazel Gower
All I Want for Christmas
By Hazel Gower
Contents
Message from the Author
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Blurb
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Epilogue
Other books by Hazel Gower
Contact the author
About Hazel Gower
Message from the Author
This book is set in Australia. In Australia the legal age to drink, vote, get married and so on is eighteen. The characters speak Australian English, so if you see the word ‘arse’ instead of ‘ass’ it is because that’s how we say it in Australia where the book is set. If you find a word you haven’t heard before, look it up or message me I’d be happy to talk to you.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my book.
Copyright © 2016 Hazel Gower
All I Want For Christmas
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the author or publisher constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use the material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained from the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, are coincidental.
Edited by Diana Stager Thomas
Cover by Jess Buffett Graphic Designs
Dedication
This book is for all the men and women out there who go for what they want, and know that age is just a number.
Acknowledgments
Getting a book out takes a lot of work, so I always need to thank people for their help in getting it ready and out there for all of you. A massive thank you and I love you to my amazing family, for being second while I focus on books and complete them. I’m so blessed to have you in my life and love you more than words can say. Secondly, thanks to my beta reader, Kimberly Morgan, for being brave enough to do the first read-through of my work. A huge thank you my editor, Diana Stager Thomas, for putting up with me and always being eager to work with me. Jessica Henshall from Sinfully Sweet Designs, thanks so much for the amazing cover. Sass S Lewis, thank you for formatting the book. A shout out to my Scandal girls, thank you for all your support and friendship. Thanks Khloe Wren for help with the blurb. If you haven’t checked out her books make sure you do. I also want to thank all my readers for their support. Lastly, thanks to everyone who helps promote my work, I really appreciate it.
Blurb
Ashlyn
I’ve moved away from my overprotective brothers and am finally going to do all the things I’ve always wanted to. The things I couldn’t do while my siblings hovered over me all the time. First on my list is a tattoo, and next, I’m going to get Braydon’s attention. He lives next door to my grandparents, and I’ve loved him for years. Only issue is, he’s never even given me a second glance. I intend to change that. This Christmas, I’m going to get all I want.
Braydon
Little Ashlyn is all grown up, and is now living next door to me, with her grandparents. Imagine my surprise when she turns up at my tattoo shop, but is it ink she really wants, or is she just trying to get my attention? All I know is that she’s perfect and I have a feeling if I have even a small taste, I’ll never be able to give her up. I know all I want for Christmas is my new neighbor.
Ashlyn
I was eighteen. I could do this. This was my Christmas present, and if I could get more than just the tattoo, it would be the best present I’d gotten in years. Braydon Frost had been my crush and in my fantasies since I hit puberty, or since he moved in next door to my grandparents’ house a little over seven years ago. Braydon wasn’t like any man I’d really seen before. He didn’t fit my friends’ definition of gorgeous. He wasn’t over six feet tall, he wasn’t muscular—well, not the buff muscle that they considered hot. He didn’t have the masculine model face that was so popular right now. He wasn’t even in his mid- to late twenties, but to me, none of these things mattered. When I gazed at him, I saw his bright blue eyes that reminded me of days I spent gazing up at the sky; his tats that would take me days to study and find every one; his shoulder-length dirty blond hair that was always in a man-bun. But what captivated me every time was his lips. They were big, full, and plump, and made me long to feel them all over me.
One of my favorite things was that he seemed nothing like any of my brothers. My brothers were all over six feet tall and into sports. They went to the gym almost every day, were big and muscular and didn’t have tats—well, none that I knew of, anyway. They were the type all my friends had crushes on, and most of my friends did have a crush on one of my brothers.
They were also the reason I’d never had a boyfriend.
I loved my brothers, but they were a handful, and I was the baby of the family. My parents were amazing, but pretty much just let my brothers do as they liked. My mother was a nurse, and my father was a sports doctor. They’d wanted me to stay in Sydney and go to uni there, but I not only needed space from all of them all, I liked Newcastle, where my grandparents lived. Back home, I felt like I was one among many. It was crowded, and I could never do anything without my brothers hovering. Here, I got to have a pet—well, it was my grandparents’ dog, but I’d always claimed Lucky as mine. Here, I ran alone in the afternoon at the park across the road. Here, I mowed the lawn. That had been a new experience, though I was sure the excitement would wear off quickly.
Here, was where the man I’d always wanted lived… Braydon
I’d bought girly, tight, revealing clothes and high heels. I’d never gotten to wear things like that around my father or brothers. If it hadn’t been for my friends, I was sure I’d have no idea how to walk in heels or buy decent clothes.
I glanced down at my outfit and hoped that Braydon appreciated it, and that it would help him give me a chance. I’d watched him over the years. Elsa and Grant, my grandparents, had been unsure of Braydon at first—he was covered in tats and had long hair and a ‘doesn’t care what anyone thinks’ look—but after a while, they came around, and it wasn’t long before they talked about what a nice ‘boy’ they thought he was. He helped them when they needed anything, and I knew he looked after Lucky and even walked him for them. The more my grandparents talked, the more my infatuation built.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this. I seriously thought you’d have moved on by now, Ash,” my bestie, Lena, whined from the driver’s seat, bringing me out of my thoughts. She’d driven me to Braydon’s tattoo shop, Life Art. She was going to the same university as I was, but she’d rented a small one-bedroom apartment only five minutes from campus.
“I’m through being the cute, shy girl. Trust me when I say I know guys around my age, and I don’t want any of those douches. Three brothers, remember?”
“No one could ever forget your heaven-on-a-stick brothers. Mmm, yummy.”
Pretending to dry-heave, I shook my head. “That is just wrong and gross on so many levels. You’re supposed to be my friend. My brothers are…” I shivered dramatically and she sighed.
“Fine. I’ll agree to disagree, only because I’m your bestie. What do you see in Braydon, though?”
�
��He’s so sweet to my grandparents. I think all his tats are hot. His blue eyes and big plump lips leave me drooling, and I just like him.”
“But he’s so old.”
Smiling at Lena, I opened my door. “He’s in his thirties. That’s not old. He knows what he wants from life. He has his own business and a house. He’s stable. I like him, Lena. My feelings for him haven’t diminished; they’ve only escalated as I’ve gotten older.”
Lena rolled her eyes. “You know, if I didn’t know you, I’d think you were looking for a sugar daddy or something. But I know you are genuinely into Braydon and want the whole family and stuff.” She shook her head like she was trying to shake even the idea away.
Reaching over, I hugged her. “He might not want any of that. He could be happy with what he has, and turn me down, not wanting someone like me. I mean, he’s not like any man I know to judge him by.”
“Ha, you have nothing to worry about.” She patted my arm. “You’re crazy hot. He would be insane to turn down anything you’d offer him.”
I loved my bestie. Getting out of the car, I blew her a kiss, my confidence high after her boost. I shut the car door and watched her drive away before I pasted my sweetest smile on my face, turned, and went into Life Art. David had assured me I would be the last appointment of the day. I had a plan. David, one of Braydon’s artists, had helped me. It cost me, but he was one of my older brother’s friends too, so I knew help wouldn’t come from the goodness of his heart. I’d promised to clean his apartment for a month and bake him a roast once a month for a year. It would be worth it if I could get what I wanted. I was going to get Braydon’s attention tonight, even if I embarrassed myself so much that I never showed him my face again.
Life Art was done in dark red, black, and white. The drawings on the wall were high-quality. The reception was a high black, almost bar-like desk, with a computer and four red leather books fanned out on it. The guy behind the desk looked like he’d rather be anywhere else than where he was. He didn’t look much older than me, and the minute his gaze caught mine, I groaned as his demeanor changed. His bored scowl turned into what I was sure he thought was a flirty smile, and his eyes lit with lust. Crap, this was not what I wanted. I needed to get rid of the guy.
“I’m here for an appointment with Braydon.” The guy didn’t respond but instead zoned in on my breasts as I took a step forward. I knew my outfit wasn’t helping, but I’d worn it for Braydon, not this douche.
“You’re Ash?”
Nodding, I looked around, hoping someone else was close. “Yeah. Am I early?”
“No. You’re just on time. I’m going home. You can come with?” He came from around the desk and stalked towards me.
“No, thanks,” I said, backing away from him. I debated for a moment if the outfit I’d chosen was a good idea. It really wasn’t anything I’d wear for anyone besides Braydon. The desk guy crowded me and when his hands latched onto my arm I knew I needed help. This guy scared me. “Braydon! Braydon!” I yelled, before he grabbed my other arm and pushed me against the wall.
* * * *
Braydon
I was staying back later than I usually did, doing a favor for one of my artists. I usually tried to leave early the last week of November and get everything I needed done because the closer we got to Christmas, the busier the shop got. David had begged me to do this appointment, promising me he’d do extra time during December. With that promise, I’d caved, having nothing better to do on a Friday night. It was sad, though I was loath to admit it. I was a successful thirty-two-year-old man. My Friday night should be full of hanging out with friends and fucking hot women. It wasn’t that I was lacking in either department—I had a bunch of friends, and women were always coming onto me and giving me their number, but the last couple of weeks, my thoughts were taken up with a certain little angel who’d moved in with her grandparents. Ashlyn. My neighbors’ eighteen-year-old granddaughter. She was beyond gorgeous, with shiny, jet-black hair that reached the middle of her back and an arse that would make any man drool, full and round. I’d never been an arse man before, but Ashlyn had changed me. Her breasts were perfect too, a lot more than a handful, but her arse was what held my gaze glued to her. It was the cause of every God damn dream I’d had since she arrived a couple of weeks ago.
Ashlyn was not only ‘tent your pants when she walked into the room’ gorgeous, but she was also so caring and sweet. She’d moved in with her grandparents instead of getting an apartment with her friends, so she could help look after them when she wasn’t in class.
Since she’d moved in, I’d become that dirty old man who watched her over the fence while she mowed their lawn in just short shorts and a bikini top, or sunbathed in the back yard. When she took the dog for a run, I sat out the front and hid my boner with a beer as she stretched. When she got back covered in sweat, she took the dog out back and hosed it and herself. I sat on my back porch with music on and watched her through the fence as I jacked off. It was so wrong, but I couldn’t get her off my mind. All I had to do was think of her, and my dick became hard enough to hammer nails.
I should feel terrible. I’d seen Ashlyn grow up from a cute kid to a woman in the seven years I’d lived next door to her grandparents. I’d even let her and her brothers use my pool when they were younger. I hadn’t felt anything for her before she moved in a couple of weeks ago. The last couple of years, I hadn’t seen her as much. So when she came to my door three weeks ago, bringing homemade cookies and muffins, to say hi and tell me she was moving and why, I’d been blown away by her beauty and kindness. From that day, my obsession had grown. Not only was she way too young for me, she wasn’t my usual type, either. She didn’t have any ink, and I bet she wasn’t pierced anywhere besides her ears. She was short and girly, and not just girly but that bubbly, kind of girl that everyone loves. Ashlyn was your quintessential girl next door. But no matter how many times I told myself she wasn’t for me, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Couldn’t stop thinking about everything I wanted to do to her.
I was an idiot. What would a girl like Ashlyn want from an old guy like me? She wouldn’t even be ready for what I wanted for her. Ashlyn was a keeper, but way too young for me. Which pissed me off, because when my thoughts went down that path, I knew eventually she would find a guy closer to her age, and he would get to have everything I longed for with her. Any guy would do whatever it took to make her happy and keep her forever. For once in a long time, I wished I was at least eight or so years younger. I hated knowing I could never have her, because lately, all I wanted for Christmas was the curvy little woman who lived next door.
Yelling interrupted my thoughts as I waited for my last appointment. The new receptionist guy I’d hired wasn’t working out, and was causing me all sorts of problems. I should have fired him already, but I hated the idea of replacing him so close to Christmas. Running out to the reception, I dreaded what I’d find. Greg had a temper on him, and if that wasn’t reason enough to get rid of him, the way he treated my female clients would get me in trouble. If he was causing trouble again, this would be it. He would be gone.
The scene that greeted me wasn’t what I expected. Ashlyn, my Ashlyn, was backed against the wall in a barely-there black summer dress and red stilettos. Her tits were bra-free, and they were way too big not to have support. My dick hardened as her chest rose and fell, but when my gaze landed on the figure hovering over her, my anger skyrocketed.
“What the fuck? Move the hell away from her and get the fuck out of here before I kill you!” Not even waiting for him to answer, I grabbed the back of his shirt, dragged him away from Ashlyn and shoved him out the door. I shut the door in his face and locked it, flipping the open sign to ‘closed’ before turning back to Ashlyn. I blinked a couple of times just to check she was really there and not just my imagination. When she gazed at me with her big brown doe eyes from across the room, I knew I was a gone
r. Whatever resolve I’d had not to touch her went out the door with the fucking trash I had just thrown out. I drank her in and damn, she was so hot. Her hair fell to her waist in thick waves, and the black number she was wearing clung to her, emphasizing her assets. Her huge, succulent tits were barely contained, and my mouth watered.
She nibbled on her bottom lip, and I almost came in my fucking pants. Fuck, this girl could bring me to my knees. What was she doing here? And what was she doing wearing that skimpy nothing dress? Any fucker could see her like she was now and wouldn’t be able to resist a taste. God damn it, I’d just had to fire a wanker for doing exactly that. Did she want me to ravish her, or was she here to torture me?
“What are you doing here, Ashlyn?” Crap, I didn’t mean to snap like that.
I didn’t miss the flash of hurt that passed in her eyes before she lowered her gaze. “I’m your last appointment. I organized it with David.”
Shit. I was going to kick that fucker’s arse. I had wondered why he’d started this and then begged me to take over. Now I knew.
Ashlyn eased from the wall and gave me a dazzling smile as she strutted to me. Her breasts bounced and her hips swayed, and I knew if I didn’t get her out of here, I was going to take her back to my station, strip her, and feast. Unable to tear my gaze from her, I forced my eyes up to meet hers. “Ashlyn. Angel. You do know that tattoos are permanent?” I tried to remember the two drawings that David had given me; one was of a little devil, and the other was an angel. Ha, fitting.
