A Taste For Kandy Read online

  A Taste For Kandy

  Rhian Cahill

  www.escapepublishing.com.au

  A Taste For Kandy

  Rhian Cahill

  For her, Christmas has always been about family, which is why it hurts so much not to have one of her own…

  It’s Christmas, the happiest time of the year, and everyone around Kandy is pairing off. She should be excited for her friends but another year has gone by and she’s no closer to finding her own happy ending. When an opportunity arises to go after what she wants, Kandy grabs it with both hands.

  Parker Jones has been in love with Kandy Cane since he was fifteen. Finally having Kandy’s undivided attention is a dream come true and he knows he has to work quickly to get under her skin and into her heart and stay there. But Kandy has a secret, one that could lead to a different kind of connection than Parker was hoping for.

  Happy endings can’t be forced, but if Parker can convince Kandy of his love, they just might have a Christmas with all the trimmings.

  About the Author

  Rhian Cahill is the alter ego of a stay-at-home mother of four. With motherly duties rapidly dwindling Rhian is able to make use of the fertile imagination she used to keep herself sane for all those years of slavery. Having spent some years living overseas and visiting tropical climates has helped inspire some steamy stories. Multi-published in erotic romance and contemporary romance, Rhian, with the help of Mr Muse, spends her days and nights writing.

  When not glued to the keyboard you’ll find her book in hand avoiding any and all housework as much as possible. For more on Rhian visit her website www.rhiancahill.com or you can contact her at [email protected] or connect on Twitter https://twitter.com/RhianCahill or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RhianCahillAuthor

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks to Ainslie Paton for being a great friend, a great sounding board, a lunch date, a dinner date and for generally being great. Without you my friend I’d have gone off the edge a long time ago.

  And to Kate for doing this with me again and not killing me. I know you wanted to. Damn those fragments!

  For those of us still ‘young’ enough to believe in magic.

  Contents

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  A Taste For Kandy

  Bestselling Titles by Escape Publishing…

  A Taste For Kandy

  Kandy held the two scallywags by the scruff of their shirts and tried not to laugh. She shouldn’t find the situation funny, but she dared anyone not to laugh.

  The identical rascals in her grip had decided it would be fun to drop a pile of snow down the pants of one of her elves. Unfortunately they chose a spritely eighty-two-year-old who had a mouth worse than a trucker and was currently putting the Olympic gymnastic team to shame.

  The elf also happened to be Kandy’s grandmother.

  Shoving her laughter down, Kandy pitched her voice in a manner designed not to draw any one’s attention but her gran’s, even though the woman was doing her best to draw every eye in the Village her way. “Grammy!”

  It was a testament to Grammy that she shot upright, her eyes wide and scanning the area to find the trouble. In seconds, Kandy’s grandmother registered their surroundings and panic flared in her gaze before she did what Grammy always did, and smiled.

  The two little boys stopped trying to wiggle out of Kandy’s hold and stared at the tiny woman in front of them. Mesmerised, they gazed at Grammy in stunned silence, reminding Kandy of her own childhood, where the woman in front of them had held her enthralled with only a smile.

  “Joshua. Jason. What have you done now?”

  Kandy turned to find a frazzled woman, a baby strapped to her chest, rushing towards them.

  “You promised to behave.” The woman breathed hard. “I left you alone for two minutes while I changed your brother’s diaper and you vanish. Poof. Thin air. Gone.” Her voice wobbled on the last word and her anxious gaze searched the boys from head to toe and back.

  It wasn’t the first time Kandy had seen that face — the flash of fear in a parent’s eyes, the terrifying possibilities flickering like a marathon of horror movies.

  “They’re fine,” Kandy reassured with a smile as she moved her hand to cup the back of each beanie-covered head. “We were waiting for you so they could ask if they could go to Santa’s workshop and help the elves make toys,” she fibbed.

  She shouldn’t lie in front of the kids, but she couldn’t stomach seeing this woman suffer any more distress. Obviously, she was struggling to keep the older children within reach and Kandy could tell the boys beside her were mischievous. One look at the pair and you just knew they were trouble with a capital T.

  “C’mon boys.” Grammy held out both hands. “Let’s go see what Santa and the elves are building today.”

  “It’s okay, I —”

  “You too, Mum,” Grammy said with a smile. “I’m pretty sure Mrs Claus has a pot of tea on.”

  “Oh.” The woman’s shoulders sagged, a heavy sigh rushing through her lips. “A cup of tea would be wonderful.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” Grammy winked at Kandy. “I could do with a break myself and these two hellions need something to corral some of their enthusiasm.”

  She couldn’t help grinning as Grammy led the little troupe away. As they disappeared inside Santa’s workshop she turned away, Elle and Jack catching her eye. The smile on Kandy’s face froze.

  They were standing off to the side of Santa’s house, near the barn where Santa housed his reindeer. Elle leaned into Jack, his hand lovingly caressing the rounded curve of her belly as he spoke in her ear.

  Kandy didn’t want to feel pain when she looked at her childhood friend and his wife. Didn’t want to have envy — sorrow — slice through her, but it did. It cut deep. Stabbed right through the middle of her heart.

  She wanted that. A family.

  She felt like an ungrateful bitch whenever these hateful emotions took her over because she had a family. A large loving one with a multitude of extended members, blood and not, except…it wasn’t enough.

  She wanted her own, children with a mixture of features from her and the man she loved.

  And there in lay the problem.

  She didn’t have a man to love — who loved her.

  She wanted what Jack and Elle had, what Chris had found with Leah.

  At thirty-six, she felt in jeopardy of never finding it. That fear had brutally impaled her last month when Jack and Elle had announced their impending arrival. Then came the realisation that Christmas, and her birthday, were right around the corner.

  She’d stared with horror at her rapidly approaching thirty-seventh birthday with no prospects in sight and she’d panicked. Freaked out. Cried and screamed and thrown things.

  And then she’d done something stupid.

  So, so stupid.

  Monumentally stupid.

  Mind-bogglingly stupid.

  Stupidest stupid in the history of stupid.

  Two weeks ago, after one too many glasses of champagne at the annual Frosty’s Snowmen Christmas party, Kandy found herself falling under the spell of someone she’d known most of her life.

  Parker Jones.

  Falling into his bed and spending a night of unprecedented pleasure with him wasn’t her stupid move though. It wasn’t smart — he worked for her after all — but it definitely wasn’t the stupid part of their night together.

  No that rested solely on her newfound penchant for lying.

  She’d lied to Parker.

  Looked him straight in the eyes and told the biggest lie of her life.

  Smoothing a hand over her stomach as it dropped to her toes, she sucked in a breath.

&
nbsp; A life-changing lie.

  ***

  Parker watched from the staff entrance as Kandy dealt with a couple of rowdy boys. They couldn’t be more than five and they’d just given one of his favourite elves the surprise of her life. He could imagine what Grammy was saying right about now. Mainly because he knew what words he’d use if he’d had a handful of snow shoved down the back of his pants.

  Grinning, he leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, one ankle over the other, and waited to see what happened next.

  Kandy was trying not to laugh and he wished she wouldn’t hold back. He loved her laughter, the way she cut loose, the sound rich and bottomless as though it came from the deepest part of her.

  He’d known her his whole life — or more like she’d known him. At eight years his senior she’d been aware of him long before he was of her. Except not the way he wanted her to be aware.

  He remembered the moment he fell headfirst in love with Kandy Cane.

  How a day thirteen years ago could be so clear in his mind when he couldn’t remember what he’d eaten for breakfast, he didn’t understand, but there was no denying the vivid memories that rolled through his head at least once a day.

  He’d gone to work with his dad hoping to score a part-time job at Frosty’s Snowmen to work alongside his old man and learn all he could about the machinery that allowed them to make a winter wonderland anywhere — in any climate — they chose. They’d been there all of five minutes when she’d strolled into the warehouse and hijacked his synapses.

  She’d walked beside her father, her long legs eating up the floor, her hands moving in graceful, hypnotising arcs as she talked. Mr Cane said something that made her laugh, and Kandy had thrown back her head, long waves of shiny brown hair flowing down her back, the smooth curve of her neck exposed…and Parker had gotten his first instant-boner.

  He’d tripped over his own feet and fallen. Hard.

  Literally and figuratively.

  He’d been fifteen.

  Embarrassed beyond reason, he’d tried to brush off everyone’s concern. Of course no one believed he was all right, not with a lump the size of a golf ball on his forehead. He’d been forced to suffer through a trip to the ER just to get them to leave him alone.

  In spite of the humiliation, he’d remained infatuated with her, seeking her out whenever he could over the years. And he’d never forgotten the way she looked when she laughed — when she was happy.

  She glowed.

  His eyes narrowed. She wasn’t glowing now. He watched as the smile on her face morphed to a frown, her gaze locked on something he couldn’t see.

  It wasn’t a look that said there was trouble. Instead she looked gutted, as though she’d never be able to smile again.

  Forgetting about her elusiveness over the last two weeks, he pushed off the wall and strode towards her.

  ***

  Kandy saw him coming and spun around, headed in the opposite direction. She’d avoided crossing paths with Parker since the morning she snuck out of his bed before dawn, a huge load of guilt sitting on her shoulders and churning her belly. It was the worst kind of walk of shame.

  After arriving home she’d aimlessly wandered around her apartment until the guilt had just about eaten a hole in her stomach. As the sun came up and shone the bright light of day on her deception, she’d realised it would continue to plague her until she set things right.

  She’d gotten in her car, driven to the nearest pharmacy and purchased the morning after pill, made up some bullshit about a broken condom to smooth out the disapproving frown on the face of the older lady behind the counter and driven home again.

  Except she hadn’t been able to take it.

  She had the glass of water, the tablet in her hand and no matter how smart it was to pop that little pill into her mouth and swallow, she couldn’t.

  And until she knew for sure whether her lie had consequences, she couldn’t face Parker.

  “No you don’t.” Parker gripped her elbow and steered her around the back of the ice slide.

  Kandy jerked her arm in an attempt to break his hold. “Let me go.”

  “Nope.”

  She glanced up; saw the stubborn set of his jaw — Dammit! — and gave up trying to escape.

  Finding a relatively quiet corner out of the way, he turned her to face him, caged her against the wall with his big, warm body. “What’s wrong?”

  Glaring up at him, she muttered, “Other than being manhandled?”

  “Cut the crap, K, I saw your face. You looked like someone ripped your heart out.”

  Her jaw dropped. He’d seen her? Seen that deeply inside her?

  She needed to school her face better in future. She’d hate for Jack or Elle to see her emotions that clearly. Snapping her mouth closed, she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him as hard as she could, hoping it would make him go away.

  “C’mon. Talk to me.” His big hands cupped her upper arms, sliding up and down in a soothing touch that had her wanting to lean in, rest her head on his chest, and cry her eyes out. “Kandy.”

  She wasn’t sure if it was the way he said her name or the look in his eyes, but she felt the tell-tale sting of tears and, blinking quickly, sucked in a breath as every one of her defences began to crumble. “Parker.” She had no idea what she wanted to say other than his name.

  Pulling her in, he cradled her against him, tucked her head beneath his chin. He didn’t talk, didn’t push her for answers, he just held her close, his hands caressing up and down her back in sweeping strokes that comforted and frustrated.

  God. She wanted to tell him. That she’d lied. That she’d done it on purpose. That she’d tried to take something from him he hadn’t offered — wouldn’t have agreed to if asked.

  “Hey, Parker.” The shout came from behind him.

  Kandy stiffened, attempted to pull free, but he held her immobile, curled one hand around the back of her head to hold her in place.

  “What’s up?” The words rumbled through his chest beneath her cheek.

  “Frank sent me to find you. He needs the keys to the truck.”

  Kandy wasn’t sure which of Frosty’s Snowmen’s employees was talking. She knew who Frank was though. He was the man in charge of equipment and maintenance, the boss Parker answered to. Parker’s father. Her employee.

  Parker’s hand left the back of her head and slipped into the front pocket of his jeans. With a twist of his body that didn’t release her, he said, “Here,” and the clinking sound of keys being caught hit her ears half a second later.

  “Thanks.”

  She held her breath for what felt like an hour, but could only be a few seconds. She’d never been good at swimming under water, never managed more than a few metres of distance before having to surface and suck in air. She hated that Jack and Chris could go the whole length of Grammy’s pool without needing to come up once.

  And why was she thinking about that when she’d just been caught wrapped up in Parker’s embrace by an employee? Her fractured thoughts were evidence of her recent wonky brain function.

  Tearing herself from his warmth, she took a step away. Two. “We can’t do this here.”

  “Okay. Later then. After work.”

  Kandy nodded. “Sure.”

  He eyed her for a moment then blew out a breath. With a half smirk and a chuckle, he said, “You’re going to skip out on me again.”

  How did he read her so well? “I…”

  “Don’t.” He held up a hand. “It won’t matter. I’ll find you.”

  Before she could argue, he leaned in and dropped a kiss on her mouth. A quick press of lips that warmed and tingled and reminded her of the hours spent naked in his arms. Her eyelids fluttered up — when had she closed them? — to see Parker striding away.

  “Hey!” Why she was calling out when she wanted to stay away from him was anyone’s guess, but dammit. “Parker!”

  He threw a hand up over his head and waved. Then
he was gone.

  “Well shit.” She sucked in a breath, blew it out fast. “Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.”

  ***

  Parker pulled into a parking spot and spied the pizza guy getting out of a van two spaces down. Scrambling, he managed to get out of his car and up the path and reach the door of Kandy’s building at the same time the delivery guy did.

  He watched the kid — he couldn’t be more than eighteen — punch the button for Kandy’s place. Grinning, Parker waited for her to answer.

  To his surprise, her voice didn’t come through the speaker. Instead, the security door buzzed and the pizza guy pushed it open.

  Frowning, Parker followed. He’d have to talk to her about that. She had no idea who she was letting in. He might be happy he could get inside and to her front door without an argument, but he was pissed too. Anyone could be heading up to see her.

  Speaking of heading to her door…

  “Hey, kid, that my pizza you got there? Apartment 6?” Parker called out.

  “Huh.” The kid glanced over his shoulder. “Um, yeah. Cane, right?”

  “Yep. Perfect timing too. I’m starving.” Parker pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. “How much?”

  “Ah.” The kid frowned. “It’s already paid for.”

  Parker smiled. “Gotta love it when your girl knows the first thing you’ll want to do when you get home is eat.” He was laying it on, but the kid didn’t need to see him go postal on Kandy’s arse about letting any old fucker in the front door. Holding out a ten dollar note, he said, “Here’s a tip then.”

  “Oh. Hey.” The kid grabbed the money with a grin then ripped open the Velcro flap on the pizza bag. “Thanks man.”

  “No, thank you.” Parker took the box with a nod.

  He waited until the kid disappeared out the front door before turning towards the stairs. Kandy’s place was on the top floor and he took the steps two at a time until he stood outside her door.

  He didn’t get a chance to knock before the door swung open and Kandy stood there in a pair of shorts that had short confused with non-existent and a tank top that revealed a strip of tanned belly, hugged her gorgeous breasts and showcased her tight little nipples.