Dating in Mercy Springs was a joke. And she was the butt of most of the jokes said. Everyone in this small town tried their best to set Kresley up with the “perfect” guy. But she knew that “perfect” didn’t exist. At least for her it didn’t. The guys that had been pushed on her in the last few years were in no way princes. Kresley snorted again, softly this time. Hell, they weren’t even at the equivalent of frogs. Maybe slugs though. The date from hell that last happened was this past weekend. Kresley knew that it wasn’t going to end well when the guy, let’s call him Steve, sat down and proceeded to pull out the top 5 of his Pez dispenser collection to sit table top and have dinner with he and Kresley. The Pez characters were all of his favorite superheroes. Kres had no issues with Superman, Iron Man, Thor, Batman and Wonder Woman, but not on a first date. Thus, there was no second date.
Kresley had grown up with most of the men in her hometown, so they all knew her quite well and saw her more as a pseudo-sister or cousin than they did a potential love interest. So, when some new man arrived in Mercy Springs with intentions to stay more than a day or two, Kresley or one of her sisters always seemed to become a focal point for town gossip and the awkward “meeting” that would happen “by accident”. Just this morning she had been stopped by Ms. Mae Grantham so she could introduce Kresley to her nephew, who had just moved to Mercy Springs. Kresley had been standing near the edge of the curb in front of the police station, where she had just dropped off her weekly contribution of sugar and calories to the police department. They always appreciated the several boxes of fresh donuts she gifted them with to say thanks. As for Ms. Mae, Kresley held affection for the older adults in Mercy Springs. They had such wonderful stories to tell and seemed to all know her parents. Kresley had learned more about her mom and dad after they passed away from wonderful people like Ms. Grantham. So, when Ms. Mae asked her to stop for a moment so she could introduce her to her “wonderfully handsome” nephew, Kresley felt bound by good southern manners and a love for Ms. Mae to patiently take the time. As Ms. Mae explained that her nephew Cade had gone inside the post office for her and would be right out, Kresley took the time to talk to her about an upcoming wedding event she had on the books. She wanted to ask for a recipe for a punch that she knew Ms. Mae had served several hundred times in her life. The punch was so good and was perfect for a summer, outdoor wedding. But Kresley could not find the recipe anywhere in her notes. She knew Ms. Mae would have it and hopefully would share it with her to add to the menu. Kresley was in the midst of an animated conversation with Ms. Mae about lime and pineapple juices, gesturing with her hands about how frustrating this wedding couple she was helping plan for was, when a shadow came across both the women’s faces.
The sun was bright in the morning sky and as Kresley looked up, at first all she could see was a tall body and head, the face masked in shadow. The sun was shining brightly behind him like a halo. Wow, he was tall. He towered over Kres by at least 8 inches. The top of her head came to his broad and muscled shoulders. Seriously muscled shoulders. Those shoulders connected with powerful arms with big, bulging biceps and forearms that could make a woman weak in her knees. His sleeves were rolled up on a button-down shirt and Kresley couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from his forearms. A light dusting of hair covered tanned skin that stretched over muscles and veins that rolled with every little movement. Kresley had never been a female who was into the “arm candy”, as her sister Francie had called it, but now she understood. She would love to see some tattoo sleeves on this man. She couldn’t help but imagine her lips tracing over those forearms, leaving small, soft kisses as she worked her way up to his biceps. Since Kresley was a good mannered, southern woman, she didn’t venture her eyes south to his legs and pelvic region. Kresley Anderson was no floosy. But maybe a little naughty. She grinned internally at that.
A deep, masculine clearing of the throat pulled her back to reality and pulled her eyes back up from his arms and chest to his face. Their bodies had shifted a bit during Kresley’s rude perusal and now she could see his face much more clearly than before. OH. MY. GOSH. If someone had told her that she would meet a man that could literally make her panties drop with just a look, she would call that person crazy. Well, let the record show, panties are dropping now. Literally. Kresley’s underwear that she had put on that morning were on their last piece of elastic to keep held up over her generous hips and butt. And as she stood there, gaping at the gorgeous man before her, Kres felt that last small piece of elastic pop against her waist and down her panties began to slide, a small unknown movement to anyone but Kresley.
