I started to get up, but Ronan stopped me. “Let her be. She’ll be fine until we’ve finished. Then, I’ll carry her upstairs and help you get her cleaned up.”
“I’m going to have to give you a raise. This goes way beyond the call of duty.”
“That’s not why I’m doing it, Jacquelyn. You should know that by now.”
I cleared my throat and shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, well…” I stammered, unsure of what to say. I had a knack for being well-spoken in any given situation, and this man had me stumbling all over my words like a little girl at her first boy-girl party.
“All right, I’ll bring her upstairs if you want to go ahead and get a washcloth for her face and hands.” Together, we tucked her into bed and told her goodnight. My heart melted, even more, when Ronan leaned over and kissed her forehead.
“Are you turning in for the night?” Ronan asked once we were in the hallway.
“I was going to go to my room, but it’s too early for me to fall asleep despite how tired I am.”
“Good. Come with me. I want to show you something,” he said and didn’t wait for me to agree.
I followed him down the stairs and to the door to the garage, where he handed me my coat. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“You’ll see,” he said and went out into the garage.
“Ronan, I can’t leave Gabby in the house alone,” I protested.
He gave me a look that could only be described as “Really Jacquelyn?” and proceeded to open the garage door.
Seth stepped inside and silently nodded at Ronan. “He’s going to stay with Gabby in case she wakes up. We won’t be gone long,” he reassured me.
I trusted Seth completely and Gabby was very comfortable with everyone on my security team as well as my driver, so I shrugged and sat down in the golf cart beside Ronan.
“Close your eyes.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Close them, or no surprise for you,” he said playfully, though I didn’t think he was joking.
“Fine,” I huffed in mock annoyance and dutifully closed my eyes.
“Don’t open them until I tell you to,” he said as the cart slowed to a stop. With an extended hand, he helped me to my feet and carefully led me to where he wanted me to go. “Okay. Open!”
I gasped at the sight before me. The lights we’d worked on all day were on for the first time. Our little village was twinkling in the night and it looked positively magical. “It’s perfect!” I breathed.
“I hate that Gabby isn’t here, but I couldn’t wait for you to see it,” he said softly and took a step closer.
I turned to face him with a smile so wide my cheeks were starting to ache. “I still can’t believe how much we’ve accomplished in a few short days. It’s simply amazing.”
He took two steps closer, effectively closing the distance between us. “Jacquelyn.” Just one word. My name. But by the way he said it, I knew it meant so much more.
“Ronan,” I whispered with a very subtle nod.
And that was all he needed. My permission. My acquiescence. His large hands cupped my cheeks while his soft lips landed on mine before I could blink. There was no refusing the demand of his kiss and I melted into him. Years of denying my feelings for him, his feelings for me, the passion that was always crackling beneath the surface whenever we were near one another. All of it poured out as the sparks flew between us.
When he finally broke the kiss, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to remain standing on my own. Thankfully, he kept his arms around me and held me close while he said, “If I don’t stop now, I won’t. And that’s not what this is about.”
My body shivered at the conviction in his tone. With my head resting against his chest, I nodded. “Okay.”
We stood for a few more minutes, taking in the village, before going back to the house. Then, he walked me to my room, gave me a chaste kiss on the lips, and told me goodnight, leaving me swooning against my bedroom door before I climbed into bed and replayed the feel of his lips on mine over and over until I fell asleep.
7
Ronan
Everything was coming together perfectly. Jacquelyn never ceased to amaze me. She only stopped working when she was sleeping, yet she still made sure Gabby was having fun and she even had time to prepare and host Thanksgiving dinner, which provided a much-needed break for her before the village was set to open over the weekend.
While Keegan and Jacquelyn were in the kitchen and Gabby was with her grandfather in the living room, Jacob took a seat in the chair beside me where I was positioned so that I could still see Jacquelyn without invading her privacy. “Do you ever stop working?”
I chuckled. “You already know the answer to that.”
“I spoke with the estate attorney earlier this week. As of yesterday, you are technically working for me, not my mother,” he said quietly. “That may or may not change anything in your eyes, but I wanted to let you know.”
“What about Seth and Ian?” I asked. Technically, they worked for me, even though my security firm’s only client was Jacquelyn Marks.
“The only thing that changed was who was paying your company.”
“Thanks, I appreciate you doing that for—” my words were cut off when Keegan bolted from the kitchen and sprinted to the bathroom with her hand over her mouth.
I was on my feet and moving to the kitchen when Jacquelyn came out and ran right into me. “What happened?” I demanded.
“I think she’s sick,” Jacquelyn said worriedly.
Jacob returned, sans Keegan, a few moments later. “She’s okay,” he said and laughed lightly. “She has a weak stomach and touched something that looked like ‘turkey guts.’”
“There are no turkey guts in my kitchen,” Jacquelyn huffed.
Jacob doubled over laughing. “No one said there was, Mom. I said looked like.”
“There’s nothing that even resembles turkey guts in my kitchen. I ordered the turkey because I didn’t have time to cook one this year. And I probably will do that from now on because I didn’t for one second miss dealing with necks, gizzards, and giblets,” she said and shook her hands as if she had actually just touched them herself.
“What’d you do to my grandbaby, boy?” Ranger rumbled from behind Jacob.
“The baby makes her sick,” Gabby said as if everyone should already know this.
Jacquelyn was still so close to me that I felt her body stiffen immediately. Jacob sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Ranger’s eyes widened comically as he glanced from Jacob to the bathroom door that opened as if on cue.
Keegan’s steps faltered when she took in the sight of us all standing frozen in the hallway. “Um, if this is about me, I’m fine.” Then, after one look at her husband, her eyes shot to her little sister. “Gabby,” she groaned in exasperation.
Gabby slapped her hand over her mouth and started to cry. “I didn’t mean to, Sissy. I’m sorry,” she wailed.
“You’re pregnant?” Jacquelyn all but screeched and took a flying leap for Keegan.
Ranger scooped Gabby into his arms and tried to soothe her, but she wasn’t having any of it unless it came from Keegan. I walked over and placed my hands on Jacquelyn’s shoulders to carefully pry her away from her daughter-in-law.
“Gabby,” I whispered.
“Oh, no,” Jacquelyn murmured as Keegan took her little sister into her arms. Within a few minutes of whispered words and reassurances, Gabby’s tears had run dry. “They’re great parents,” she said proudly.
Keegan looked up and grinned. “Surprise!” she exclaimed, which cued the hugs and cheers all over again.
“I can’t believe I’m going to have another grandchild,” Jacquelyn beamed.
“I can’t believe you’ve gone and made me a great-grandfather. Didn’t we talk about this? I don’t want people thinking I’m old enough to have a great-grandkid.” He grinned and turned his attention to Jacob. “I ought to whoop your ass for this.”
“Papa!” Gabby scolded. “You promised to be nice to Shaky Jakey.”
Ranger rubbed his chin and looked to the sky. “I did? I don’t remember that.”
Gabby giggled. “You say that every time.”
“Bet it has something to do with your age,” Jacob added.
“When we’re not in the presence of ladies, you better run, boy,” Ranger said, but he was smiling from ear-to-ear.
Jacquelyn clapped her hands together. “Well, I have a surprise of my own, and I think now is the perfect time to share it. Get your coats and gloves and meet me in the garage.”
Jacquelyn and I went on to the garage while everyone else was rounding up jackets and shoes. “Congratulations,” I told her as I pulled her into my arms and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
“Thank you. I’m beyond excited.” And she was; it was written all over her face.
The sound of footsteps nearing had us stepping away from each other, which I did not care for one bit, but I understood it. We needed time to actually start a relationship before we announced it to her family.
Once everyone was situated, I drove us down to the village. While Jacquelyn ushered everyone to what she had deemed the perfect spot, I went around behind one of the sheds and flipped the lights on. Gabby’s shriek of excitement echoed through the quiet night, followed by chatter from the rest of the crowd.
“Mom,” Jacob said in awe. “This is amazing.”
“It really is, Jacquelyn,” Keegan added. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“You both saw it just a few days ago,” she said dismissively.
“Don’t try to be modest. You’ve worked your fingers to the bone over the last few days and you deserve to be proud of it,” I told her.
“Well, then, you need to take your own advice, because you worked just as hard as I did. And so did Gabby.”
“Mmmm! These are the best cookies I’ve ever had,” Ranger announced as he shoved the last half of a gingerbread cookie into his mouth.
“Papa! Those aren’t for you!” Gabby said and marched over with her hands on her hips.
“They’re not?” he asked in mock surprise. “But it says ‘Free Cookies’ right there.”
“For the kids,” she added and then grinned. “Can I have a cookie, Gigi?”
“They are going to have their hands full with her when she hits her teen years,” I said loud enough for only Jacquelyn to hear.
“I have no doubt about that,” she agreed.
“You better go show them the rest of the village before Ranger and Gabby eat all the cookies,” I said, only half-joking.
Jacquelyn led the group from shed to shed, explaining the plan for each one. “I’m still looking for one of Santa’s helpers to stop by a few times before Christmas, but other than that, everything else is good to go.”
“You found enough people to help run each village house?” Jacob asked.
“I didn’t, but Ronan did. He won’t tell me how, but he rounded up about thirty college kids who were looking for temporary jobs over their winter break.”
“When does it open?” Keegan asked.
“Tomorrow night,” Jacquelyn said nervously. “I wanted Gabby to be here for opening night before she has to go back to school.”
“Sorry,” Keegan laughed. “Pregnancy brain. I meant, when, as in hours of operation.”
“Oh, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from six to ten until the week of Christmas. Then, it will be open on the twenty-third. We’ll be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then open the weekend after Christmas.”
“We should probably get back to the house and turn in early since we have such a big day tomorrow,” I suggested.
“Let me just grab one of these for the road,” Ranger said and snagged another cookie.
“You’re on cookie patrol tomorrow,” I told Jacob.
“I have a plan for that,” Jacquelyn said. “I baked a batch of his favorite brownies this morning and hid them in the safe.”
I couldn’t contain my laughter. “In the safe?”
“It was the only surefire way to make sure he couldn’t get to them,” she insisted.
After years in the security business, my senses were finely honed, and I knew when something wasn’t right, even in my sleep. In the interest of time, I quickly slipped on a pair of drawstring pants and palmed my gun. Quietly stepping into the hallway, I paused and listened. Almost immediately, I heard the sound of something rustling in the kitchen.
I moved quickly and silently, with years of practiced precision. I stepped into the kitchen ready to take aim and promptly felt like an asshole when I saw the fear on Jacquelyn’s face.
Placing my gun on top of the refrigerator, I went right over and wrapped my arms around her. “I’m so sorry for scaring you. You never get up in the middle of the night. Is something wrong?”
“No,” she said and cleared her throat. “Nothing’s wrong. I just can’t seem to fall asleep. Nerves and excitement, I guess. I thought maybe some warm milk might help.”
I arched an eyebrow. “In all the years I’ve known you, I have never seen you drink plain milk.”
She shrugged. “I was going to put a little chocolate in it.”
I shook my head and almost snorted. “That will just make it harder to fall asleep.” Then, I met her eyes and studied them for a beat. “Do you trust me?”
She didn’t hesitate in the slightest. “Of course, I do.”
“Good,” I said and took her hand. “Come with me.”
Surprisingly, she didn’t argue. I retrieved my gun from the top of the fridge and led her to my section of the house, which was basically the equivalent of a one-bedroom apartment. She didn’t utter a word until we arrived in my bedroom.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“First, I’m putting my gun away. Then, I’m helping you fall asleep.”
“But—”
“But nothing. You said you trusted me. You need a good night’s rest and so do I.” It was clear she still needed reassurance. “Even as sinful as you look in that nightgown, I promise nothing other than sleep will happen between us…tonight.”
She gave me a coy look. “Sinful?” she asked and smoothed her hands down over the black silk encasing the lower half of her body.
“Yes, sinful. Now, I’m a man of my word, so don’t make this any harder for me. Stop running your hands over the places I want mine to be and get in the bed.”
“I don’t believe you’ve ever spoken to me in such a tone,” she observed. “I think I might like it.”
“Damn it, Jacquelyn,” I growled.
“Okay, okay,” she conceded and blessedly covered her beautiful body with a blanket. “Now what?”
“Now,” I said and turned off the light as I slid under the covers with her, “I help you fall asleep.” With that, I slid my arm underneath her shoulders and pulled her against my chest. Then, I began slowly running my fingers through her hair.
“No one has played with my hair since I was a teenager. I used to love it,” she said as she started to yawn.
I smiled. My sister once told me there wasn’t a female in existence who didn’t like having their hair played with. While I’m sure there were some out there in the world, it seemed to be a valid statement for the majority of the women in the world.
I continued to run my fingers through her silky strands. Soon, her body relaxed and her breathing evened out. Within minutes, we were both sound asleep.
8
Jacquelyn
True to his word, nothing happened between Ronan and I other than sleep. And it was the best night of sleep I’d had in years. Thankfully, Ronan was an early riser and woke me long before anyone else in the house was awake. Part of me knew how silly it was to be sneaking around in my own home, especially when I wasn’t doing anything wrong, but another part of me was enjoying the excitement of it all. But, with a full day ahead of us, I didn’t have much time to dwell on it.
He shrugged. “We didn’t have time to order T-shirts for them.”
After going over their roles and the general plan for the evening, I left Ronan in charge while I went back to the house to get ready for the grand opening. Since I attended so many formal events, it was more convenient to have the necessities already in my home and have the stylists come to me.
After a quick shower, I slipped into my robe and met Bianca, Deanna, and Nadine in what I liked to call my styling room. Keegan was already having her hair done and Gabby was having her nails painted with a glittery red polish.
“My dears! It’s so lovely to see you again,” I greeted.
“Keegan was about to send out a search party for you,” Bianca joked and patted the seat of her chair.
I dropped into my seat and sighed at how wonderful it felt to be off of my feet for a few minutes. I opened my mouth to explain, but she shook her head and handed me a glass of champagne. “I’m just teasing. Keegan and Gabby have been telling us all about Tinsel Town. Did you really get it all set up within a week?”
For the next hour, we told the girls everything they could ever want to know about Tinsel Town while they worked. I did have to get changed into my outfit before Deanna styled my hair since I wasn’t wearing a formal gown I could step into. For the grand opening, I opted to wear a sparkly red sweater lined with white faux-fur and black leggings paired with knee-high boots.
“You look like a sexy Mrs. Claus,” Nadine exclaimed.
“Is it too much?” I gasped and ran my hands over my outfit.
Keegan grinned. “It’s perfect,” she emphasized, repeating the exact words I’d said to her once in a very similar situation.
Christmas in Tinsel Town Page 4