The silver gift sitting below my tree caught my eye. With a cleansing breath, I picked it up and settled into my couch, the gift sitting on my lap.
Tracing the rose-gold ribbon with my fingers, I still feel the surprise I’d felt that morning. Having him standing there, gift in hand, looking nervous for the first time since I’d met him.
Carefully and slowly, I unwrapped the gift. My fingers pried the box open, and my lungs seized in my chest. Tears rushed down my face, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop them as I stared at the most heartfelt gift I had ever received.
A frame.
Not just any frame.
Dark wood.
The ten-by-fourteen frame sat in my hands, filled with what looked like a collage of the most beautiful images I had ever seen. There were images of Zaid and me, probably taken by his assistant while setting up equipment and sets throughout different shoots during the last two years. One at every corner. One where we are frowning at one another, which made me laugh. How many times had we done that? At a standoff of some sort, over something small. Across from it, he was looking at me, while I was oblivious. The longing in his eyes made my breath hitch as my lips pressed together. Below that, we were looking at something on his camera, smiling, and I remembered that day.
It was the first time I had spoken up and suggested a way for him to shoot. He had captured the A-List actress who had just won her battle with breast cancer beautifully.
The last one was of us on a plane. We had sat next to one another countless times through the last twenty-four months, but I recognized that moment. We were flying back to Los Angeles from Australia, where I had caught a cold and he had insisted I nap on his shoulder. When I had woken up, he had been holding me tightly as he’d slept deeply. I had fallen in love on that trip, knowing I was in way over my head and he wasn’t just eye candy I lusted after.
Images of me filled the rest of the space.
Candid images. So many, I wondered how I had never noticed him taking them. The one in the center of the frame, larger than the others, took my breath away. Hair pulled up into a messy bun, flyaway strands all over the place, not a stich of makeup on, my glasses perched on the tip of my nose. I had probably been doing someone’s makeup. Normally, I would be horrified by images of myself, never having felt particularly photogenic, but the way he had captured me, doing what I loved, amazed me.
Looking at the frame, taking in all the smaller images, I smiled. I could tell by what I was wearing and where I was that they had been taken through the span of the last two years. Two years. Two years of candid images he had held on to.
Why?
And why had he made this?
Because he had. Made it, that is.
I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I did. I knew his two hands had put all the images together into a collage. Him. The man who couldn’t be bothered to get his own glass of water had handmade me a gift. Something utterly heartfelt.
Picking up the frame, I felt a piece of paper on the back and turned it. A slip of white paper folded in half was taped to it. Opening it, I couldn’t hold the tears at bay any longer, and a sob ripped from deep within me when I read the words he shared.
Michele,
In case I make a mess of everything today and somehow fail to tell you…
I see you. I see every angle of you. I always have. Because every part of you is beautiful.
Merry Christmas.
Love,
Z
Love, Z.
Love.
Z wasn’t one to say flowery words just to say them. Did he really mean it? Did he love me? Did he really think I was beautiful?
I stood and placed the beautiful frame on my mantle, re-arranging everything around it so that it was sitting in the center. I noticed how perfectly it matched, knowing it wasn’t a coincidence. Nothing he did ever was.
My cell phone rang, and I ran to answer it, disappointed to see Andy’s face flashing on the screen.
“Hi,” I said, hearing the sadness in my tone.
“Hey. I just talked to Zaid. I’m really sorry—”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay,” he slowly spoke. “I was just calling to make sure you were still on board for New Zealand.”
“I…” Was I?
I looked at the frame.
And I knew.
Zaiden
He had tried.
He had tried and failed.
God, he was an idiot.
Holding a glass of bourbon, he brought it up to his lips but couldn’t get himself to drink it. Drinking it would feel like admitting defeat. Fuck that. He was not done. Not after finally getting a taste of her. Her lips, her body, her soft moans and whimpers were all clear as freaking crystal in his mind.
He stood and walked to the backyard, dumping the liquid on the grass and setting the glass on a side table. Rubbing his face, he leaned against the doorjamb, hoping the cold air would somehow enlighten him. When a soft knock sounded from the front door, he frowned. Who the hell could it be? Glancing at his watch, he realized it was after midnight.
Great.
It was officially Christmas.
Shuffling his weary body to the door, he swung it open and held his body still. Like an angel, his angel, she stood there with an expression that rivaled fury and rage all while wearing a gray hoodie he recognized. He had bought it for her in Albuquerque once when they had been caught off guard in a surprise desert storm. Sweater and black leggings, her hair wavy and wild as it touched her shoulders. He wanted to grab her and never let her go.
“I should hate you.” Her first words didn’t give him hope. But he stood there, ready to take whatever she wanted to dish out, more than prepared to somehow prove her wrong.
“You’re the world’s toughest person to work with.”
“I am,” he admitted.
“You’re stubborn and jerky and the grumpiest man on the face of the earth.”
“You’re probably right,” he conceded. Her eyes narrowed on him.
“You’re selfish and ungrateful and—”
“And an asshole. I know.”
“I should hate you.” Her lower lip trembled, and he clenched his hands in his pockets to stop them from grabbing her.
“You should,” he bit back, running his tongue over his teeth. “You would have every right to hate me. I can be bossy, dick-ish, not to mention—”
“Do you love me?” she asked, surprising the shit out of him.
“What?” He stilled as his heart unfroze and thundered in his chest.
“I opened your gift,” she announced, making him take a step back in surprise.
“You were supposed to open that on Christmas,” he found himself spouting off, sounding gruffer than he had meant to.
“It’s after midnight, so what does it matter?” she huffed.
“Michele—”
“Earlier, in the cabin and at the picnic, I thought it was all some stupid game and everything. But then you… I opened the gift. The thought and work it took…”—she pressed her lips together—“Do you?” she asked again, and his heart felt like it was going to pop out of his chest. She straightened her back, unknowingly pushing her perfect breasts upward and toward him. He knew that stance. She wasn’t going to let up.
“Because I should hate you.” Her voice cracked. “I should. I should have hated these last two years with you. You are… well, you’re you.” She threw her arms in the air, her face flushed. “But I can’t,” she admitted, wrapping her arms around her waist. “I can’t hate you because I love you. That’s why I stuck around. That’s why—”
Not another word was uttered from her pretty little mouth. She couldn’t. Because the moment her words clicked in his head— that she loved him—he moved forward and took her mouth with his, holding her head with one hand and pulling her hips to his body like he was holding on to a fucking life preserver.
Lips were nipped and bit. Tongues dueled and ravished. He ha
d her so close he doubted a sheet of paper could fit between them.
“Zaid,” she breathed his name, trying to pull away, but he didn’t let her. Deepening the kiss, he picked her up. He loved how she wrapped her legs around his waist without hesitation, her hands tangled in his hair.
He threw the front door shut as he brought them into the house. Knowing his place like the back of his hand, he walked into the living room, his bedroom too fucking far for what he wanted. He took them to the couch and set her down on her feet, breaking away from their kiss.
“Zaid.” Damn, her baby blues killed him. Her eyes were full of questions, but he shook his head before tugging his shirt off and letting it land on the floor.
“I tried.” He swallowed hard. His hands on the hem of her shirt, he tugged it up. She let him. “I tried not to love you. I thought it was lust at the beginning.” His hands were on her jeans now, as he fought his eyes from gluing themselves to her breasts covered in white lace. “Fuck, Michelle.”
“Z—”
“I fought it,” he repeated, tugging her pants off, leaving her standing in a matching lace thong. “But you,” he sneered, “you, with your damn smiles and sugary sweet voice. Always so damn positive.”
“Zaid—”
“You were like the fucking sun, and I couldn’t block you out or push you away. I tried, damn it. I tried harder and harder, to hate you, to find something about you I could despise.”
“Baby.” Her hands trembled over his heart before she hugged him. He held her tightly.
“You were always there, calling me like metal to a damn magnet, and I couldn’t help myself with you.” He pulled back slightly, lifting her chin up with a finger so he could look into her eyes. “I tried to hate you, but I couldn’t because I love you too damn much,” he admitted, cupping her face, and just like that, all his dreams came true in one split second.
She popped up on the tips of her toes and kissed him. She kissed him. He wanted to pump his hands in the air but was distracted when her hands fumbled to undo his belt. Being the gentleman he vowed to be with her, he helped her out. Kicking off the top layer of clothes, leaving him in his boxer briefs, he pulled her down to the couch so she would be on top. “I love you, Michele,” he muttered harshly against her lips, his breathing all out of fucking whack.
“I can’t lose you. Please—” He wasn’t beyond begging her. He couldn’t lose her, especially not after knowing she felt the same way.
“Shh…” Her finger touched his lips, her eyes soft and warm and so damn open. If she hadn’t bulldozed all his walls down, she would have right then and there. “I’m not going anywhere,” she shared, and he didn’t dare look away. “I turned Andy down and gave him Luna’s number. You were right.”
“I was?”
“We are starting this, and I want to be here.”
“I can go with you. You can call him back and—”
“Maybe next time. But not right now.” She said this so confidently he believed every word she spoke as he took a breath of relief.
“Love me, Zaid,” she requested, and he did.
All Christmas Day long.
The End
About The Author
Mayra Statham resides in southern California with her three kids and husband. When she isn’t writing or hanging with family, you can find her hidden behind a romance novel while enjoying a highly caffeinated iced drink.
In the mood for a holiday read?
Cookies & Kismet
A Hope Falls Kindle World
It was kismet…
They met on vacation and fell in love, a world away from their everyday lives.
It was kismet that stepped in once again to help Nathan find his Angie after a misunderstanding pulled them apart. Now, he will stop at nothing to make her realize she is his and his heart belongs to her.
Between baking batches of Christmas cookies, getting tangled up together in twinkle lights, and visiting winter festivals in her hometown of Hope Falls, California, they realize the sparks they felt before are brighter than ever.
Cookies & Kismet is a whirlwind romance that will end up with a happily ever after full of Christmas memories in the baking.
Check out the Right Men Series
Lie
Box office sensation, Marcus Wright is ready to take on the role of director. Romance author and single mom, Grace Rivera, is shocked when the sexiest man alive knocks on her door with the intent to bring her book to life.
He is willing to do anything to get what he wants, even use his charms on the beautiful, curvy woman standing in his way. Only it doesn’t take long for the shy woman to unknowingly embed herself under his skin.
In a world where one plays make believe and the other writes it, will they determine everything between them is a LIE? Or will they be able to LIE in one another’s arms when the truth comes out?
Steal
Never steal. But if you must steal, steal away from bad company.
Divorced police detective, Bryan Wright, let his life revolve around nothing but work after his marriage all but imploded. Now he is ready to hit play on living again; as long as love and commitment are off the table. But the curvy blond goddess who happens to be his new roommate cracks the veneer of his walls with her sassy mouth and shy smiles.
ER nurse, Valerie Duncan, isn’t one to trust easily. When she discovers she has a sinfully handsome new roomie, she is more than cautious. After all, nothing good can come out of being around a man who drips testosterone and masculinity with every breath he takes.
Heat and desire collide, breaching their walls, leaving each of them vulnerable to love, though they stubbornly deny it. When the past spills into the present, will they admit to stealing each other’s heart? Will they be brave enough to steal away from the bad company that comes knocking at their door?
Cheat
Coming Spring 2018
Never cheat. But if you must cheat, cheat death.
Veteran Army Medic Garrett Wright has cheated death more than once. Through the horrors of war, he witnessed the darkness and ugliness of humanity, and let it consume him from the inside out.
Stefanie Banks knows all too well how dark and ugly the world can be. She lives her life determined to make every moment better than the last for her and those around her.
In a dive bar in the middle of nowhere, Stefanie and Garrett collide. Smartass against grouch face off, sunshine versus darkness, face off and sparks fly.
Can a war-torn soul and one who never felt loved trust one another enough to cheat the curveballs life throws at them and find love at the end?
Read all the titles in the Scrooged Christmas Anthology
Braxton – A Scrooged Christmas
By BSM Stoneking
When his parents die in a car crash just before Christmas, and the abusive orphanage he’s sent to grow up in kicks him out the day before Christmas Eve, Braxton Scrooge chooses to leave the one person who completes him, leaving her in tears on Christmas Day, to become a cold big-shot million-dollar business owner.
Forget the Ghost of Christmas Past. With a history like Braxton Scrooge’s, how could one ever enjoy the Christmas season?
Braxton regrets nothing—until his true love, Gemma, re-enters his life. Only the Ghost of Christmas Future can give him the reality check he needs to stop being such a vengeful scrooge—before he loses her forever.
When it comes to love, the real question to ask yourself is, how far are you willing to go to ensure your partner still feels your love even after you’ve left her side? Because the love Braxton and Gemma rekindle will turn out to be the most unconventional love you’ll ever find.
Brendan – A Scrooged Christmas
By Jennifer Domenico
I hate Christmas. Hate. I have my reasons, none of which I talk about. Ever. It suits me just fine to wallow in misery every year from late November to January. I just want to be left alone in my quiet home far away from the nonsense of the season.
; Unfortunately, one of Santa’s elves just bought the unit next to mine, sprinkling her ridiculous festive spirit all over my perfectly insulated existence. But she can spread all the Christmas cheer she wants. It has no effect on me.
At least that’s what I keep telling myself
Daxton – A Scrooged Christmas
By Julia Goda
Daxton McArthur is a successful but cold businessman. For reasons he never discusses, he has no time for the frivolities the Christmas season brings. A surly man normally, he turns it up a notch when Santa’s elves come out to play. This year, that personality flaw might cost him.
Instead of finding joy by helping a friend, Emersyn Moore finds herself bearing the brunt of Daxton McArthur’s disdain. Usually a good-natured person, Emersyn is pushed to the end of her patience by his scowls and sneers.
When he’s stranded in the middle of a snowstorm, she feels obligated to take him in. It is Christmas Eve, after all.
What happens when two worlds collide and they’re not as different as they thought? Will the light Emersyn’s smile promises be enough to bring Dax back to life, or will he run, forever hiding in the darkness of his past mistakes?
Grayson – A Scrooged Christmas
By Regina Frame
Grayson Decker is a man with many titles. New York’s Man of the Year. New York’s Most Eligible Bachelor, but when he meets the feisty Aubree Lane, he earns the title of Scrooge. When Grayson’s parents push him to marry and even force to assist in finding the perfect wife, Grayson takes matters into his own hands.
Aubree Lane is a college dropout, working part-time in a coffee shop, desperate to make ends meet, but finds herself in danger of eviction from her run-down apartment in a sketchy neighborhood. When Grayson Decker sets his sights on her, he makes her an offer she can’t refuse or is it the other way around? When he offers her $50K to be his fake fiancée for three weeks, she throws a wrench into his plan. She’ll go along with his idea, but it will cost him $100K and Christmas Dinner with her family.
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