Read Online Kissing Santa, A Clover Park Novella (Clover Park, Book 4) Contemporary Romance (The Clover Park Series) by Kylie Gilmore - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kylie Gilmore
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was getting them on a more regular basis, and they were scaring the shit out of him.
Dr. Amoretto went through the usual listen-and-look stuff and seemed pretty casual when he wrote stuff in Rico’s chart. Not like he thought Rico might keel over at any minute. Rico couldn’t take the suspense anymore.
“So am I okay, doc?”
Dr. Amoretto paused in his note taking. “You appear to be a healthy thirty-three-year-old man.”
“Good. Okay.”
The doc scribbled something else and looked up. “Your blood work will be back in a few days, but I don’t anticipate any issues.”
Rico nodded.
The doc set his pen down. “Anything else you’d like to talk about today?”
Rico tensed. Should he mention his heart? It hadn’t bothered him all day. On the other hand, it was the whole reason he’d made the appointment. He probably wouldn’t be back for a while.
Rico stared at the menorah sitting next to a small artificial Christmas tree on the counter. “There is one thing,” he said slowly.
“What is it?”
Rico rubbed his chest and faced the doctor, who peered at him, all business. “I’ve been getting these weird heart palpitations. Kind of painful.”
The doctor raised his pen. “Can you describe the pain?”
“It’s like it skips a beat. Sometimes it squeezes or, I dunno, like, flip-flops.”
Dr. Amoretto stood, put his stethoscope back in his ears, and listened to Rico’s heart again. A few minutes later, he pulled the stethoscope out of his ears. “Sounds okay to me. What were you doing when it happened?”
Rico shrugged. “Last time I was on a date, just standing in a parking lot.”
“And the other times?”
Rico thought about that. “One time was at her house. Once in the truck.”
The corner of the doc’s mouth pulled up. “Were you with the same woman in the truck?”
“Yeah.” He’d been with Samantha, but what did that have to do with anything?
The doc crossed his arms and grinned. “In my professional opinion, you’re in love.”
Rico broke out in a cold sweat despite the fact he always ran hot. Say what?
“Or lust,” the doc went on. “One or the other. It’s definitely the woman.”
He’d been in lust plenty of times without any of this heart weirdness.
It hit him like a slap to the face, left him shocked and stinging, because the last time he’d seen Samantha she’d wanted nothing to do with him. He was in love? He hadn’t felt like this at all with Jamie. She had been familiar, warm, uncomplicated. Samantha was like a jolt to his system. A damn wake-up call to his life. This must be the kind of love that made Trav trail Daisy around like a pathetic lost puppy. He’d laughed at Trav. He wasn’t laughing now.
He had to get Samantha back.
~ ~ ~
Samantha worked on her latest freelance assignment—a book cover for a best-selling unicorn fantasy series—and found herself adding stubble to the unicorn’s cheeks, thinking of Rico’s perpetual stubble. What was wrong with her? When Rico dropped her off two days ago after that very weird showboating date, she’d been sure meeting him was the worst thing to ever happen to her but now…She kept replaying their kiss. Her almost…kiss-gasm. She’d never had one of those.
Of course he was a good kisser; he had plenty of practice.
He was trying too hard.
Still, it was kinda nice to have a guy actually try to impress her. Even if it was misguided and strange and fake.
She picked up her cell to call her sister, Lucia, the only person on the planet she could tell about the man their mother had chosen for her arranged marriage. She shook her head. The entire time with Rico was utterly ridiculous—an arranged marriage, a setup from their mothers. I mean, please! Like any good romance ever started out that way.
She dialed Lucia.
“What?” her sister said.
“Um, hello? It’s Sam.”
“I’ve got dinner about to burn, and Gabriella is using the furniture as her own personal—” Her voice called to the other
Dr. Amoretto went through the usual listen-and-look stuff and seemed pretty casual when he wrote stuff in Rico’s chart. Not like he thought Rico might keel over at any minute. Rico couldn’t take the suspense anymore.
“So am I okay, doc?”
Dr. Amoretto paused in his note taking. “You appear to be a healthy thirty-three-year-old man.”
“Good. Okay.”
The doc scribbled something else and looked up. “Your blood work will be back in a few days, but I don’t anticipate any issues.”
Rico nodded.
The doc set his pen down. “Anything else you’d like to talk about today?”
Rico tensed. Should he mention his heart? It hadn’t bothered him all day. On the other hand, it was the whole reason he’d made the appointment. He probably wouldn’t be back for a while.
Rico stared at the menorah sitting next to a small artificial Christmas tree on the counter. “There is one thing,” he said slowly.
“What is it?”
Rico rubbed his chest and faced the doctor, who peered at him, all business. “I’ve been getting these weird heart palpitations. Kind of painful.”
The doctor raised his pen. “Can you describe the pain?”
“It’s like it skips a beat. Sometimes it squeezes or, I dunno, like, flip-flops.”
Dr. Amoretto stood, put his stethoscope back in his ears, and listened to Rico’s heart again. A few minutes later, he pulled the stethoscope out of his ears. “Sounds okay to me. What were you doing when it happened?”
Rico shrugged. “Last time I was on a date, just standing in a parking lot.”
“And the other times?”
Rico thought about that. “One time was at her house. Once in the truck.”
The corner of the doc’s mouth pulled up. “Were you with the same woman in the truck?”
“Yeah.” He’d been with Samantha, but what did that have to do with anything?
The doc crossed his arms and grinned. “In my professional opinion, you’re in love.”
Rico broke out in a cold sweat despite the fact he always ran hot. Say what?
“Or lust,” the doc went on. “One or the other. It’s definitely the woman.”
He’d been in lust plenty of times without any of this heart weirdness.
It hit him like a slap to the face, left him shocked and stinging, because the last time he’d seen Samantha she’d wanted nothing to do with him. He was in love? He hadn’t felt like this at all with Jamie. She had been familiar, warm, uncomplicated. Samantha was like a jolt to his system. A damn wake-up call to his life. This must be the kind of love that made Trav trail Daisy around like a pathetic lost puppy. He’d laughed at Trav. He wasn’t laughing now.
He had to get Samantha back.
~ ~ ~
Samantha worked on her latest freelance assignment—a book cover for a best-selling unicorn fantasy series—and found herself adding stubble to the unicorn’s cheeks, thinking of Rico’s perpetual stubble. What was wrong with her? When Rico dropped her off two days ago after that very weird showboating date, she’d been sure meeting him was the worst thing to ever happen to her but now…She kept replaying their kiss. Her almost…kiss-gasm. She’d never had one of those.
Of course he was a good kisser; he had plenty of practice.
He was trying too hard.
Still, it was kinda nice to have a guy actually try to impress her. Even if it was misguided and strange and fake.
She picked up her cell to call her sister, Lucia, the only person on the planet she could tell about the man their mother had chosen for her arranged marriage. She shook her head. The entire time with Rico was utterly ridiculous—an arranged marriage, a setup from their mothers. I mean, please! Like any good romance ever started out that way.
She dialed Lucia.
“What?” her sister said.
“Um, hello? It’s Sam.”
“I’ve got dinner about to burn, and Gabriella is using the furniture as her own personal—” Her voice called to the other
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