Yule Love Her

By Jodi Hutchins

Being late for work turns out to be a stroke of luck for personal assistant Bec Strom when she catches the later metro bus and meets the alluring artist Joy Stevens. She's just what Bec needs to distract herself from her overbearing boss and the holiday buzz.

For over a year, Joy has been in a relationship hiatus due to the infidelity of her past lover, opting for impersonal trysts in lieu of an actual connection. She's grown comfortable with this way of life until Bec steps into her world. Two days before Christmas, the women make a shocking discovery, a metaphorical wrench being thrown into their blossoming relationship. Will they overcome this obstacle and find a happily ever after or will they let a misunderstanding thwart their romance?

• Language: English
• Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
• Release date: Nov 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781949909395

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A NineStar Press Publication

Published by NineStar Press

P.O. Box 91792,

Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87199 USA.

www.ninestarpress.com

Yule Love Her

Copyright © 2018 by Jodi Hutchins

Cover Art by Natasha Snow Copyright © 2018

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact NineStar Press at the physical or web addresses above or at [e-mail].

Printed in the USA

First Edition

November, 2018

eBook ISBN: 978-1-949909-39-5

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content, which may only be suitable for mature readers.

Yule Love Her

Jodi Hutchins

Table of Contents

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Epilogue

About the Author

To my wife, Leslie.

Chapter One

BEC WAS LATE for work. Snow flittered throughout the streets in front of her, obscuring her field of vision as she hurried down the sidewalk to catch the next metro bus. She chewed nervously on her lower lip as she clambered up the stairs, paid her toll, and found an empty aisle seat. The vehicle smelled of burnt dust, sweat, and coffee, the familiar morning aroma swirling around her. The phone in her coat pocket buzzed, making her curse under her breath before plucking it from its hiding spot to check the screen. It was her boss, of course. She answered with great reluctance. Bec Strom.

Where the hell are you, Becca? Christina Macre snapped. Bec could visualize her boss sitting behind her desk, heeled feet propped on the surface among the paperwork with her hands wringing the strawberry-shaped stress ball as she scowled at the Bluetooth speaker. Bec took a deep breath and readied her excuse.

I’ll be there in five, Chris. I’m sorry. The idiots above my apartment flooded their bathroom again, and the place was a mess. I had to move all my crap to the unit across the hall so it wouldn’t get ruined. The disaster made me miss my bus. Bec had hoped Christina was in a good mood that day, but from the sound of her response, she was anything but.

I don’t give a shit what your excuse is today. You should’ve been here twenty minutes ago, and I needed that report an hour ago. You better hurry. She disconnected the call. Bec sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. In hindsight, she should’ve taken a damn Uber, but with her metro card paid through work, she felt a car service was a waste of money. She had to take in the scant benefits her employment offered so she wouldn’t quit on the spot.

Sounds like a rough start to your day, a voice beside her said. Bec shot her head up, having not realized another person occupied the window seat in her haste to answer the phone call. The woman smiled, obsidian eyes meeting hers and tanned cheeks holding a pink tinge from the cold. Her black hair was pulled back into an adorable messy bun and a thick scarf adorned her neck.

Bec chuckled lightly. Oh, yeah. It’s one hell of a way to start a Monday. She looked down at her phone as she received a text from Christina.

I hope you stop by Starbucks on the way up. I’m going to need caffeine to get through today.

Why the hell did she continue to put up with Chris’s horrible attitude? Oh, yeah, money and quite a bit of it; plus, her boss wasn’t always a raging monster. Bec shook her head before slipping her phone into the pocket of her wool coat. She met the woman’s gaze again. It’s such a lie about the holiday season, the woman began. Bec found the woman more striking the longer she stared at her. Little flecks of gold shimmered in her eyes as the sunlight filtered in through the windows of the moving bus, dark freckles scattered over her bronze cheeks and nose.

What’s a lie?

People are nicer during the holidays. It’s the opposite. Have you been to the South Center mall this month? Absolute insanity. Even the little boutiques downtown are crawling with rude and inconsiderate people. I’m thankful in this day and age we can order stuff online and have it delivered to our doorsteps, she said.

Bec laughed because the woman was right. I can’t say I’ve ever willingly gone to the mall, but the last time I was there, it was still nuts and it was July. I’m sure last Friday was hell on Earth, though. Bec paused before extending her hand. I’m Bec.

The woman laughed as she reached out a gloved hand. Joy. You wouldn’t catch me dead anywhere near the mall on Black Friday.

Me either. The bus halted abruptly, their handshake cut short as they both grabbed hold of the seats in front of them to stifle the jolt forward.

Joy looked out the window, frowning. This is my stop. It was nice to meet you, Bec. I hope you have a better Tuesday. Bec stood and stepped into the aisle to allow Joy to pass. She didn’t sit back in her seat until the woman exited the door, her eyes lingering on the woman’s lean figure and long legs. She admitted to herself that she wasn’t at all upset about missing her usual bus.

The line at the Starbucks beside her office building was long, much to her dismay, and the Christmas music made the wait that much worse. Bec tried to ignore the numerous text messages, no doubt from Chris, as she ordered her boss’s usual soy latte and a muffin. The elevator was cramped as she rode it to the eighteenth floor and when she exited, she nearly bumped into a coworker. Hey, Becca! How are you?

Hey, Kenny. I’m good; kind of running late though. I don’t have time for this, Bec thought as she smiled at him. Her fellow assistant was usually in good cheer and they traded stories about their equally crazy bosses with