All’s Fair in Love and Chocolate

by Amy Andrews

  That f-word and the way he held her head, emboldened Viv and when she tasted the salty tang of his arousal, she went deeper and sucked harder setting up a rhythm and a pace that built inexorably until he was groaning and panting and shifting and she knew he was close and the knowledge of it was like a jungle drum through her blood.

  A fever in her head.

  “Christ…Vivian.” He groaned and his entire body went rigid. “I’m coming.”

  She moaned at his strangled admission, her pulse flying now, knowing that she had driven him to the point of no return, she had led him from arousal to ecstasy, she had pushed him over that edge. His shout of release echoed like an aria through her head and she tasted the salt of him as she swallowed, keeping up the rhythmic bobbing of her head until he was spent and gasping against the benchtop, his hands in her hair lax as the tension leached from his body.

  “Jesus,” he panted as Vivian pulled away, nuzzling up the inside slope of his hip. “I’m never going to be able to drink hot chocolate again without remembering this.”

  Viv smiled, propping her chin on the bony crest and looking up his body at the rise and fall of his chest still a little on the fast side. “There are worse crosses to bear,” she teased.

  He smiled, his hand pushing into her hair again, his fingertips massaging her scalp, and Viv wanted to arch her back and purr it felt so good. It sure stoked the flames that had been burning in her core. “Well…” She straightened, her gaze taking another tour of his body before finally meeting his. “I’m heading back to bed for round three.”

  Because Jesus she just couldn’t get enough of Reuben.

  Viv was suddenly worried that two months wasn’t going to be enough to burn him out of her system. But, as Gaylene had pointed out—Bozeman was only thirty minutes away.

  Maybe five months would be enough?

  He gave a half laugh. “I’m probably going to need a minute or two to recover.”

  “Sure,” Viv said stepping into his line of sight as she shrugged out of her gown, letting it drop to the floor. “I’ll get started without you.”

  His eyes went round as he stared at her naked body, lingering on her breasts and the juncture of her thighs, his greedy gaze eating her up. He executed a perfect sit-up. “I’m recovered.”

  Viv smiled and said, “Atta boy,” as she sauntered for the door.

  *

  The following weekend, with much excitement and anticipation around town, the annual Marietta Stroll finally got underway. She’d listened to so many of her customers reminisce about past Strolls, Viv had been looking forward to it herself and not just because it was the day of the hot chocolate judging. But because everyone in town seemed to be involved in some way and the feeling of solidarity, of belonging, of coming together and being a small part of something bigger, permeated everything.

  Delish was one of the many vendors—over thirty in all—that would be setting up in the closed-off main street. They were giving away free hot chocolates and displaying a selection of their stock, hoping to attract customers after sweet treats for Christmas stockings. It was the kind of event that wasn’t available to a big-city store and their chance to really cement their presence in the community.

  Saturday arrived, a crisp, cold morning, under a cloudless blue sky as the many vendors set up in their allocated spots along the street. At the end of the street the domed courthouse resided over the proceedings as the historic hub of downtown Marietta was transformed into a magical Christmas fair.

  Behind it, the stark majesty of Copper Mountain stood sentinel over the town, dominating the landscape as usual, its craggy peak crowned in thin blue air. Its snowy slopes shone bright as diamonds beneath the golden rays of sunlight, the blazing white interrupted lower down by the tall, steady presence of evergreen conifers, their dark green, needle-like foliage providing a splash of color despite the snow on their tops and branches.

  Viv, Robbie and Mackenzie worked in tandem to get their stand set up. The event didn’t kick off till the afternoon but there was plenty to do to keep them occupied—making several hundred hot chocolate stirrers for a start—and many hands made light work. The camaraderie between all the vendors as everyone went about their jobs also helped pass the time.

  It was hard to believe just over a month ago, she’d been regarded with mistrust and suspicion. Now people were dropping by for a chat, lending a hand if she needed it, having a laugh, pointing at the board Mackenzie had brought over from the shop proclaiming Delish’s hot chocolate as the best in town and asking Viv if she was nervous.

  Viv was not nervous. She knew the popular vote was a lost cause even though Marietta had warmed to her significantly and the stirrers had proved very popular but she was still utterly convinced Delish sold the better hot chocolate and she was looking forward to proving it in front of the entire town.

  Maybe it didn’t matter anymore who won with Delish forging ahead as it was. She didn’t need to win the friendly comp to increase their exposure—just having the audacity to throw the challenge down had been enough—but it would be the icing on the cake. And, if she was being honest, Viv’s pride was on the line.

  In the beginning that’s all she’d had against the naysayers in Marietta and she’d like to be able to prove it was justified.

  Despite the freezing temperatures as the day started to fade, Viv was warm from all the activity and raring to go when the event opened at four thirty. The smell of roasting chestnuts and hot dogs spiced the air as Santa arrived and led the lighting ceremony down Main Street to the courthouse where the special Christmas lights that had been installed over the past few days were lit up with the flick of the ceremonial switch.

  The street, which had already been picture-postcard pretty took on an extra festive glow, the fat red bows on the giant wreaths that hung from the light poles went from merry to radiant. Everybody’s eyes seemed to sparkle a little more. The children’s cheeks got pinker.

  And, despite being crazy busy for that first hour Viv made sure to lift her head every now and then and soak in the atmosphere. She could hear sleigh bells somewhere in the distance and see the hay wagon piled high with hay and laughing family groups departing to do its loop out to the fairgrounds and back again. Children ate cotton candy with one hand while in the other they clutched their precious free photo with Santa being offered in the foyer of the Graff.

  But she loved the carolers the best. A dozen strong, they moved up and down the street serenading at will in their Victorian costumes. The women wore long dresses and bonnets, their hands stuffed into faux fur muffs. The gentlemen wore long coats and top hats. And with the lights and the festive air abounding it was just like a Hollywood movie set.

  Reuben arrived at their stall at about six looking sexy as ever in his uniform, his hat pulled low despite the sun having gone down well over an hour ago, a hot dog in his hand. He was on duty till six thirty, just in time for the hot chocolate judging, although clearly he was already indulging in some of the goodies.

  He leaned in for a kiss and he looked big and hale and hardy and so freaking hot beneath the twinkle lights it caused a hitch in her breath and she let him linger a little despite there being a queue. He smiled as he withdrew. “Could I get a Pop Rocks hot chocolate to go?” he asked, his smile morphing into that smile, the one that told her he remembered how skilled she was with a hot chocolate stirrer.

  She shot him a prim and proper look but he only smiled bigger and she rolled her eyes and handed it over. “Come for a hayride with me after the judging,” he said, placing his elbows on the makeshift benchtop and leaning in again showing no signs of moving on.

  He was lucky the people in the queue were full of the season of good cheer. Or maybe that was the mulled wine.

  Viv also leaned in, bringing her lips close to his ear. “Given how badly I’ve wanted to do you on a haystack since I found out about you losing your virginity in a barn, I think we better skip it. I’m pretty sure your boss wouldn’t appreciate on
e of his deputies making an X-rated spectacle of himself at such a family-oriented gathering.”

  His gaze shifted to her mouth as a low growl reverberated at the back of his throat. It was audible only to Viv but hell if every cell in her body didn’t hear it loud and clear. “It’s too damn PG around here,” he muttered.

  Robbie, who’d been filling all the hot chocolate orders pushed Reuben’s across to him. “You want me to put ice cubes in this one?” she asked with a cheeky grin. Reuben often called in at the store so she’d gotten very used to him leaning in and whispering things that made Viv blush.

  “Only if you put them down his pants,” some guy said from farther down the queue followed by another saying, “Ain’t enough ice on Copper Mountain for that to work,” which caused general laughter.

  Viv pressed her lips together to stop from smiling as Reuben reluctantly straightened, ignoring the hecklers. His gaze, flashing heat and purpose, met hers and held as he pushed the brim of his hat back slightly and said, “Ma’am.”

  Never had a ma’am held such carnal promise and Viv was pleased for the support of the bench beneath her elbows as he walked away with that long-legged swagger she already knew she was going to miss like hell.

  *

  At six thirty, Viv found herself on the steps to the courthouse, its facade also lit for the first time tonight with myriad twinkle lights. She was standing alongside the mayor—Robbie and Mackenzie were back minding the fort—with Sage on the other side of the town’s top official. Next to Sage was Edwin Vidal, the chef from the Graff. He was a good-looking guy—tall and fair and…well, very European-looking—with that strange combination of elegance and arrogance despite living in Boston for most of his life.

  She supposed he probably made a lot of women swoon. Women who weren’t into hot sheriff deputies who were a little less refined but totally made up for it in the bedroom.

  And the living room. And the hallway. And the shower…

  Viv found Reuben standing in the middle of the crowd. He grinned at her and gave her the thumbs-up and her heart went thunk as the mayor spoke into a microphone calling the crowd—the rather large crowd—to order.

  “Thank you for joining us here for a few minutes while we officially put this little dispute to rest,” he said. “For those of you who don’t know, a couple of months ago Viv here—” he tipped his head in her direction “—made a startling claim that her hot chocolate was better than the hot chocolate that Sage does at Copper Mountain Chocolates.”

  There was some playful booing and the crowd erupted into laughter, puffs of dragon breath misting into the air everywhere. Viv saw Clem standing toward the back waving two sets of crossed fingers at her with a big grin and she smiled.

  “So a competition was launched, which has been running for a few weeks now. There’s the popular vote and everyone’s been casting their ballot for that at Delish and those votes have now been tallied.” He patted the right side of his chest over his jacket indicating he had the result secreted on his person. “And then there’s been actual judging of the hot chocolate by the professionally trained taste buds belonging to Edwin from the Graff and we can’t thank him enough for his time tonight.”

  There were cheers and whistles for Edwin who smiled and waved.

  “He’ll be up soon to let us know the winner of the best hot chocolate but now for the popular vote.” He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Despite knowing she wasn’t going to win, Viv held her breath while he read. Nodding to himself, he announced, “By a…” he frowned “…surprisingly narrow margin, Copper Mountain Chocolates has taken out the popular vote.”

  The crowd erupted into cheers and Viv who was taking a beat or two to recover from the surprisingly narrow margin part expelled a breath. The result was hardly surprising and she stuck out her hand crossing in front of the mayor and she and Sage made a big show of shaking as they grinned at each other. “Well done,” Viv said over the whooping.

  “It sounds like it was close,” Sage said, “so well done to you!”

  “Okay, okay,” the mayor said, hushing everyone. “Moving on to the best hot chocolate category. Edwin, would you like to reveal the winner?”

  Edwin stepped forward and Viv was surprised by the sudden loud thud of her heart and the butterflies doing the cha-cha in her stomach. She knew her hot chocolate was the best but still…everybody’s tastes were individual. She glanced out and found Reuben who was smiling at her with a serenity that oozed confidence. He’d told her this morning that she was going to win and her heart went thunk again and the butterflies settled.

  “Both hot chocolate A and hot chocolate B were of superior quality,” Edwin said graciously with his strange French-infused Boston accent as he bowed slightly at Viv and Sage.

  The test had been conducted in a blind fashion with both classic hot chocolates being poured in generic cups and labeled—one A, one B. Neither Viv, Sage nor Edwin had known which drink belonged to which shop, nor had Viv and Sage been allowed to be present while they were being tasted. It had all taken place in a side tent about fifteen minutes ago and the only person who knew which hot chocolate was which was the mayor who had personally supervised the proceedings.

  “There can only be one winner, however,” Edwin continued, “and for its sharpness of taste and its velvety consistency I judge hot chocolate B as the best out of the two.”

  “Thank you,” the mayor said and reached into his jacket again pulling out two envelopes this time.

  He turned them around to show the assembly that one had A written on the front, one had B and the whole crowd seemed to lean in as he handed the B envelope over to Edwin and asked him to make the announcement. The butterflies kicked off again and Viv flicked another glance at Reuben who was still watching her with that calm assurance.

  Edwin seemed to take an age opening the envelope as everyone waited with bated breath to find out which chocolate shop was named inside and could therefore claim the crown. Finally, it was done and he pulled out the piece of paper. “It’s Delish.” And he held it up for everyone to see.

  Much to Viv’s surprise there was a whole lot of hooting and hollering for her win, too. People clapped and cheered, grinning at her happily and the mayor patted her on the back and said, “Well done.”

  Clem cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Woot! Go, Viv!”

  Reuben placed two hands over his heart and smiled at her like they were the only two people in town—in the world—and everything narrowed down to them for a beat or two. No people or noise or envelopes. Just them. Like out on the ice that day. Then Sage interrupted, eschewing a handshake to drag her into a big hug and the celebrations filtered back in again.

  “You did it,” she said over the noise.

  Viv grinned. “Thank you so much for agreeing to all this.” After all, it’d have been impossible without Sage’s full support.

  “Not at all. Like I’ve been saying all along, it’s been good having someone keeping me on my toes.”

  Reuben cupped his hands around his mouth and said, “Speech, speech.”

  Viv laughed and shook her head but the chant was soon taken up by the crowd and Viv acquiesced—not without an I’m-going-to-make-you-pay-for-this glance at Reuben. His answering bring-it expression set those butterflies loose again.

  Clearing her throat, Viv took the microphone from the mayor as he handed it over. “Thank you,” she said, her breath fogging into the air as the crowd quietened.

  Public speaking wasn’t exactly her forte but she didn’t feel nervous like she might normally when speaking to a crowd of people she didn’t know because she realized as she looked out that she did know these people. There was half of Reuben’s family and Flo from the diner and Elise from the Java Café and so many other faces she’d seen in Delish these past weeks.

  Many more faces than she’d have been familiar with at any city store she’d set up.

  So many people here had been extraordinar
ily kind and gone out of their way once Clem had called them on their behavior. Even Carol Bingley standing at the front was smiling at her, obviously happy at the outcome.

  Everyone was smiling. Everyone was happy. Marietta was happy for her. She wasn’t addressing strangers. She was chatting with…friends.

  “Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and to the organizers of the Stroll for allowing me this little indulgence today. Thank you to Sage for being such a great sport.” She smiled at Sage and the crowd cheered again. “And to Edwin for his expertise.” More cheers from the crowd. “Thank you to everyone who’s supported Delish these past weeks. I know we all got off to a bit of a rocky start but I appreciate how you’ve embraced the store, embraced me and shown me how wonderful life in a small town can be.”

  Viv’s gaze locked with Reuben’s as the crowd seemed to holler extra hard. He, more than anyone had showed her that. Them being friends may have stirred up a hornet’s nest but his lack of give-a-fuck over the town’s judgment and his willingness to support her in the face of it all had meant a lot. Reuben was the very essence of Marietta—once they’d removed their heads from their asses—all for one and one for all and she’d have liked to thank him personally in front of everyone but shied from such a public display.

  It would be stupid for anyone to get the wrong idea about them.

  Breaking their gaze, Viv widened her focus to the rest of the assembly and cleared her throat. “So, anyway…thank you, everyone; thank you, Marietta. It’s been a privilege getting to know you all.”

  Viv stepped down to more cheers and a crowd who all wanted to congratulate her and stop for a chat so it took her about twenty minutes to get to Reuben.

  “Congratulations,” he said when she finally stepped into the circle of his arms. “I hate to say I told you so,” he murmured, his lips against her forehead, “but…I told you so.”

  “Mmm.” His warm breath fanned over her skin as he dropped a kiss on her brow. She’d have liked a more thorough, much lower, congratulatory kiss but she could wait.