Her Frog Prince Holiday (Snow Globe Magic Book 2)

By Cara Marsi

The gift of a magical snow globe from a mysterious stranger paints the scene for romance between a Manhattan art gallery manager and a sexy man who isn’t what he seems.

At a Halloween party, uptight gallery manager Bella Cassani lets her friends goad her into kissing a handsome stranger. Yes, a girl has to kiss a lot of frogs to find her prince, but Bella prefers “frogs.” They’re safer than the sexy-but-unfaithful kind. When fate brings the knock-her-hat-off-with-a-kiss guy back into her life, things get complicated.

Chad Prince likes his life just as it is. Working in art galleries, he travels the world with no complicated relationships or family entanglements. There’s more to life than the money and success that were so important to his father, and no woman will betray him again like the last one did. Falling for sexy Bella Cassani is the last thing he wants.

Bella thinks Chad is just too good looking. Handsome men remind her of her ne’er-do- well father and a childhood that often left her hungry and insecure. But Chad’s kiss awakens a whole new kind of hunger in Bella. Can a woman who thought she wanted a frog learn to love a prince?

This 22,000 word novella is included in Season of Surprises Holiday Box Set

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cara Marsi
• Release date: Apr 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310098581

Cara Marsi

An award-winning and eclectic author, Cara Marsi is published in romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. She loves a good love story, and believes that everyone deserves a second chance at love. Sexy, sweet, thrilling, or magical, Cara’s stories are first and foremost about the love. Treat yourself today, with a taste of romance. When not traveling or dreaming of traveling, Cara and her husband live on the East Coast in a house ruled by two spoiled cats who compete for attention. Read excerpts of all Cara's books and sign up for her newsletter at www.caramarsi.com

Book preview

Her Frog Prince Holiday

By

Cara Marsi

Her Frog Prince Holiday

Copyright © 2015 Carolyn Matkowsky

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from Carolyn Matkowsky.

Published by The Painted Lady Press

United States of America

Electronic Edition: October, 2015; April, 2016

Second Edition

This book is a work of fiction and all characters exist solely in the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any references to places, events or locales are used in a fictitious manner.

Cover by Harris Channing

Formatting by Aileen Fish

The gift of a magical snow globe from a mysterious stranger paints the scene for romance between a Manhattan art gallery manager and a sexy man who isn’t what he seems.

At a Halloween party, uptight gallery manager Bella Cassani lets her friends goad her into kissing a handsome stranger. Yes, a girl has to kiss a lot of frogs to find her prince, but Bella prefers frogs. They’re safer than the sexy-but-unfaithful kind. When fate brings the knock-her-hat-off-with-a-kiss guy back into her life, things get complicated.

Chad Prince likes his life just as it is. Working in art galleries, he travels the world with no complicated relationships or family entanglements. There’s more to life than the money and success that were so important to his father, and no woman will betray him again like the last one did. Falling for sexy Bella Cassani is the last thing he wants.

Bella thinks Chad is just too good looking. Handsome men remind her of her ne’er-do-well father and a childhood that often left her hungry and insecure. But Chad’s kiss awakens a whole new kind of hunger in Bella. Can a woman who thought she wanted a frog learn to love a prince?

PROLOGUE

Ten days before Christmas, Long Island, New York

Isabella Cassani reached for the snow globe with the grinning snowman inside. I like this one.

No, dearie, this is for you. The eccentric elderly woman with orange hair in a shade not found in nature and piled high in a sixties beehive style, squinted at Bella through green-framed-cats-eye glasses. The red sequins on the woman’s Christmas-themed sweater sparkled in the overhead lights as she handed Bella a snow globe.

When Bella took the globe from the woman, their hands touched. A shock ran up Bella’s arm and a wave of dizziness hit her. The happy babel of voices in the cavernous school gym that housed the Christmas craft show faded. Even her two friends, Avery and Carlyn, standing next to her, seemed to disappear.

Bella stared down at the small snow globe in her hand. A frog? Inside the glass orb, a smiling frog wearing a golden crown sat atop a rock. Glittering flakes fell on him, coating his green body in sparkling white.

Your true love will find you. So it is fated, the elderly woman said in a sing-song voice.

The strange woman had already chosen a snow globe for Avery, with the words, That which you don’t seek will find you. And now she handed a globe to Bella with equally enigmatic words. Bella shivered.

What a cute frog! Carlyn’s words snapped Bella out of her strange spell. The noises in the gym reappeared again.

Clutching her snow globe with a Christmas tree and Santa encased in the glass, Avery peered at the one in Bella’s hand. It’s different.

Why a frog? Bella mused.

Carlyn shrugged. Why not a frog? You have to kiss a lot of them before you find your prince.

Bella snorted. You know I don’t believe in any of that fairy-tale stuff.

CHAPTER ONE

Halloween, the following year, Manhattan

His lips softened over Bella’s—teasing, cajoling, seductive. He tasted of wine and passion. Lost in his heat, wanting more, she curled her arms around his neck. Tiny sounds of pleasure she barely recognized escaped her lips. A slow ache began to build inside her, and she forgot everything but the feel of his lips and his body, hot and demanding. He cradled the back of her head, burying his fingers in her hair. Her cone-shaped witch’s hat slipped off her head, brushing her shoulders on its way to the floor. She’d never been kissed like this before, with an urgency and expertise that turned her insides to liquid. He did more than kiss her. He possessed her.

The thunderous sounds of clapping and shouts of more, more, rose around them, releasing Bella from her delicious haze and bringing her back to Earth like a witch who’d fallen off her broom. Embarrassment swirled through her and she jumped back.

Her breathing harsh, she stared at the man in front of her. His ragged breathing matched hers. The intensity in his blue eyes behind the black half-mask made her shift uncomfortably. With his black cowboy hat pulled low over his head, she had a glimpse of dark hair brushing the collar of his western shirt.

What’s your name? he asked.

She held up her hand and shook her head. Face burning, with all the composure she could summon, she adjusted her own half-mask and picked up her hat. Then she strolled slowly away, fighting the urge to grab her long black skirt and run through the open door of the bar.

She headed across the room toward Carlyn, Avery, and Josh, Avery’s fiancé, who were clapping their hands and inciting the crowd into even louder claps and cheers. Calls for more reverberated throughout the raucous bar, filled with patrons celebrating Halloween.

Wait!

She turned to see the cowboy striding toward her, his long legs eating up the distance.

Don’t go, he said. Tell me your name.

The Mad Witch of Manhattan.

He threw back his head and laughed.

The absurdity of the whole thing hit Bella and she laughed too. Isabella Cassani, uptight art gallery manager, had let her friends goad her into kissing a stranger. Too much wine, celibacy, loneliness, and seeing Avery so happy with Josh, had all burned past Bella’s natural reticence, and she’d accepted her friends’ silly dare.

No big deal. On Halloween, everyone pretended to be someone else, and inhibitions flew out the door.

With her mortification beginning to dissipate into the alcohol-laden air, she couldn’t help but once again appreciate the stranger’s blatant sex appeal. His black leather vest fit snugly over a tan western shirt that stretched across his broad chest. Black jeans hugged his long legs. He looked like every woman’s fantasy of the gunslinger come to town. His blue eyes held a teasing glint. She fought the sudden urge to whip the mask from his face and lean in for another kiss.

As if he read her thoughts, his full lips tilted in a sexy grin and he moved closer to whisper in her ear. I’ve always found mad witches very sexy, especially ones from Manhattan. This cowboy’s already under your spell.

Bella put her hand on her hip. I’ll undo the spell because this mad witch isn’t interested in any cowboy.

Say that like you mean it.

Arrogant male. With a toss of her head, she strode back to