“He says he’s in love with you. He says he can’t live without you. He’s ready to throw away our whole working relationship over this.”
Marlee threw up her hands and whirled away. “Aw, God, don’t you start with that stuff. He’s off his rocker. You told me he wouldn’t want anything more. You made a big deal about him never sticking with one woman for long. Now he goes and pulls this.”
Colton shook his head. “I can hardly believe it myself. He says he’s never met anyone like you before and he doesn’t want to lose you. He wants to go all the way with you. He wants you to quit your job in California and move in with him so he can....do whatever with you all the time.”
Marlee collapsed into the nearest chair and hid her face in her hands. “Can we please drop this? I’m not getting involved with him. He told me all this already, and I told him there’s no chance. Can’t we just leave it at that?”
Colton frowned. “When did you talk to him about this?”
She waved her hand. “Just before. I started to...Aw, what the hell. I might as well tell you. I wanted to go out to buy you a Christmas present. I’ve been going crazy trying to figure out what to get you. I was just about to walk out the door when he turns up on your doorstep. He convinced me to go with him to the caroling, and then we’d look for a present for you. It all came out, and I had to shut him down hard. I let him walk away, and I haven’t seen him since.”
Colton stared at her. Then he shook his head. “You really know how to wreck a guy, don’t you? You should see him.”
“I have seen him. That’s the problem. I won’t see him again. That’s for certain.”
“He’s an emotional disaster. He’s all wound up over you. He’s never been like this—ever—not in all the years I’ve known him.”
“That’s because no one ever picked him up the way I did. He’s always been the player, loving and leaving ‘em behind. Now the shoe’s on the other foot. He’ll get over it, and maybe he’ll be nicer to women in the future, now that he knows how it feels.”
Colton smacked his lips. “You can’t honestly be thinking of kicking him in the teeth like that. How can you be so cruel?”
Marlee rounded on him. “Isn’t this what you warned me about? Isn’t this what you were worried about him doing to me?”
Colton shrugged. “I admit I thought he would break your heart. I thought he would screw you and leave you hanging out to dry. I never thought you would be the one to do it to him.”
Marlee stood up. “Look, Colton. I like Ash. I like Ash a lot. He’s exactly the kind of guy I could get involved with—if I were in the market to get involved with somebody—which I’m not. We have no future together, and letting him know that sooner rather than later was the nicest thing I could do for him.”
Colton relaxed. “Yeah, I understand that now. I just hate to see him hurting like this. He’s my best friend. If there’s any way I can make it better for him, I want to do it.”
“Well, there isn’t. I’m not doing anything with him, especially not freakin’ marrying him.”
Colton’s eyes popped. “He wants to marry you?”
“Well, he didn’t actually come right out and say so. He didn’t have to. His face said it all.”
Colton whistled. “Holy hell. I didn’t realize it went as far as that.”
“It didn’t. It never could, and it never will. Now can we please eat something?”
He burst into a grin. “Sure. Why don’t you bring the food in here? We can have a TV dinner.”
“All right.”
She collected all the food and spread it on the coffee table. They watched a little TV. Then Colton turned off the set and switched on the radio. They listened to more carollers on Times Square.
Colton reclined on the couch. “This is the nicest Christmas I’ve had in a long time. I forgot what it’s like having family around. I could almost wish you were moving in with Ash. Then we could spend Christmas together all the time.”
Marlee cocked her head to look at him. “Is what Ash said true that you are having deals going behind the scenes?”
Colton snorted. “He’s not supposed to know about that. He’s supposed to think I can’t live without him. He’s supposed to think we’re joined at the hip.”
“So I’m not the only one giving him the slip.”
“I guess I’m not giving him the slip if he knows about it.”
“So it’s true, isn’t it? You’ve got irons in the fire all over the place.”
“I’d be a pretty shoddy businessman if I didn’t.”
“I’m not so sure Ash doesn’t have his own thing going on the side, too,” she remarked. “Judging by the look of his house, I would say he’s doing pretty well for himself.”
Colton stared at her. “You went back to his house?”
“Sure. What did you think? Did you think I bonked him the alley behind the bar?”
Colton made a face. “I didn’t want to think about what you did. I didn’t think he took you back to his house, though.”
“Doesn’t he usually take his conquests back to his house?”
Colton coughed. “I don’t know what he does with his conquests, and I don’t want to know. I just never thought about him taking somebody to his house before. He seems more like a motel room kinda guy.”
“All right. I won’t talk about it anymore.”
“You’re hardly one of his conquests. It seems to me you conquered him, not the other way around.”
Marlee stole a peek at him where he relaxed on the couch with his eyes half open. “Listen, Colton. I’m really sorry about all this stuff with Ash. I never wanted to mess things up between you two. I should never have screwed around with him in the first place.”
“You didn’t mess things up between us. He came clean to me. He’s sorry he got mixed up with you, too. He doesn’t want this situation to interfere with our friendship. He wishes he’d stayed away from you. Then this never would have happened.”
Marlee hung her head. Neither she nor Ash kept their distance from the other the way they should have. Now they both had to live with the consequences.
“You’re right, you know,” Colton mused. “I never wanted to think my little sister could have sex with anybody. I never wanted to think of you as an adult before. I wanted to keep you a little kid forever. That’s the main reason I didn’t want you near Ash. I thought he would take advantage of you.”
“Whatever you think of me, Colton,” she replied, “I didn’t take advantage of Ash. I didn’t do anything he didn’t want me to do.”
“Oh, I’m quite certain of that. I’m sure he went ever so willingly to his doom.” He chuckled under his breath. “He loves women. He loves to see how they act and react in bed. He loves hearing their noises and seeing the expressions on their faces when they cum.”
Marlee stared at him. “He told you that?”
“He told me all about it. He tells me more than I ever wanted to know. I’m sure he won’t tell me anything about you, though. He wouldn’t dare. I have to hear that from you.”
“I won’t tell you anything about him or what he does in bed,” Marlee muttered.
“Good. Now let’s get some sleep. There’s only one more shopping day ‘til Christmas.”
Chapter 9
Marlee wadded up her wrapping paper and held up the leather riding crop Colton gave her. “Oh, it’s perfect! It’s exactly what I wanted.”
Colton snorted with laughter. “I’m sure it is. Just wait until you’re out of the room from me before you use it on anybody.”
She jumped up from the floor to kiss him on the cheek. “You’re the best.”
He surveyed the floor scattered with torn paper and boxes wrapped in plastic packaging. “Is there anything left?”
She fished her long present out from behind the tree. “This is for you, from me.”
He kissed her back. “Thanks, sis. You shouldn’t have.”
“Oh, I definitely should have. Just wait
until you see what it is.”
He studied the package from every angle. “As long as it’s not some kinky sex toy, I’m sure I’ll love it.”
“No, the kinky sex toys are for me. This is something different.”
He held off as long as he could. Then he ripped the paper free. He stared at the kite for a long time. Marlee shifted in her seat. “Do you like it?”
He turned to her with his eyes misting over. His voice cracked when he tried to speak. “Only you could come up with something like this. Do you know I forgot all about this until right now? I wanted one of these so bad when I was a kid. I thought I would never be able to afford one, and I got so busy getting rich, I forgot all about it. Now that I can afford one, I never thought about buying one.”
Marlee swallowed down the lump in her throat. “I’m glad you like it. You can take it out to the beach on your off-days and fly it around.”
He sniffed back tears. “Come here, little sister.” He pressed his damp cheeks into her neck. “I love you. Let’s not let so many years go by before we do this again.”
Marlee hugged him tightly. “I never realized how much I missed you. Let’s do this every year from now on.”
He pushed her back. “Deal.”
He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and turned his attention back to his precious kite. “Ash is gonna hate you for this. I’m going to have to spend a lot more time out of the office on nice days. This is gonna be my new obsession.”
Marlee couldn’t stop smiling. It was the best Christmas ever. She started to gather up the wasted paper. She balled it all up in her hands to throw it in the recycling bin when something heavy fell to the floor next to her knee.
She set the ball of paper aside to see what it was. She picked up a tiny square wrapped in plain brown paper. Scribbled across the top in black pen she read the words, Merry Christmas, Marlee.
She turned the box over in her fingers. “What’s this?”
She looked up to see Colton watching her. “Open it and find out.”
She shook her head. She didn’t need another mystery to solve. She tore the paper off to reveal a small box in bright blue velvet. Across the top, gold swirls spelled out the word Tiffany’s. Marlee’s eyes popped open. “This isn’t from you, is it, Colton?”
Before he could answer, she pried off the top. It snapped back. Nestled in a pillow of white silk sat a white gold ring with a stunning diamond solitaire fixed in the center. The stone gleamed up at her. It whispered its secrets for only her to hear.
Marlee’s head shot up. “Colton!”
“I don’t have to tell you who it’s from. He wanted me to put it under the tree for you to find on Christmas morning.”
Marlee stared down at the ring. “I can’t accept this.”
“You better tell him that. He spent a lot of money on that ring. He’s serious about you. I’ve never seen him this serious about anything since we first went into business together. I don’t see him walking away from this.”
Marlee opened her mouth, but she couldn’t form the words. That ring spoke to her in ways she couldn’t understand. It spoke to her heart. Could Ash really feel this way about her? How could she accept this? She couldn’t. She never let herself feel anything for him, but now she found herself staring her own feelings in the face.
What if.....? What if she did let herself feel something for him? What if she let herself be convinced—not by the ring. The ring didn’t mean anything. It was just a vehicle. No, his actions and his face and his words and his kiss convinced her. Nothing else.
What if she did quit her job in California to move out here to be with him? Could she honestly be considering this? Could this really be happening?
Colton stood up. “I’m getting breakfast.”
He wandered out of the room and left her staring at that ring. So this was how Ash felt about her. It had nothing to do with sex, not for her or him. It went so far beyond sex she couldn’t believe it, further than she could have imagined.
She never met anyone like him, either. She never met anybody she wanted to give in to so much, body and soul. She never met anyone she cared so much about caring for.
No. She couldn’t let herself start thinking that way or she would give in. She snapped the box closed and stuffed it into her pocket in an attempt to put this whole thing to the back of her mind, and went to the kitchen to help Colton make breakfast. That guy needed help scrambling an egg. He needed a wife a lot more than Ash did.
She read the comics while she ate and he did the dishes. She got lost in space until the doorbell rang. Her head shot up. Colton hurried down the hall to answer it. She heard voices, and her nerves prickled. She sensed a noose closing around her neck.
Colton strolled back into the kitchen. Sure enough, Ash trailed behind him. Colton tossed his dish towel on the counter. “I’ve got to run down to the corner and get some more milk. You two talk amongst yourselves while I’m gone.” He slammed the door behind him.
Marlee closed the paper and pushed back her stool. She fixed her eyes on Ash. “I suppose you two cooked this whole thing up, didn’t you?”
He leaned against the counter. “How do you like the ring?”
“It’s beautiful, but I can’t accept it. I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “I’m sorry to hear you say that.”
She jabbed a finger into his face. “That’s the negotiator talking. You’re sorry to hear me say that, but you don’t accept my rejection.”
“Why should I accept it when you don’t accept it yourself?”
“What makes you think I don’t accept it? I just said I don’t accept it.”
“We could be great, you and me,” Ash replied. “We could be better than great. We could be amazing together. I don’t want to let this slip away. We can’t let it.”
Marlee laughed, nervously. “Epic—kind of like that ring?”
He took a step closer. “Give it a shot, Marlee. You know you want to.”
She threw up her hands and turned her back on him. “You just don’t know when to take no for an answer, do you?”
He followed her out to the living room. She glared out the windows with her hands on her hips.
He came up behind her so close she stiffened. “You tried to avoid me. The only reason you would have done that is if you felt something for me, too. You didn’t want to admit it. You didn’t want to get involved with me because you planned to leave town. That can change. You don’t have to leave.”
She faced him. “I have other reasons for not wanting to get involved with you. I don’t want to get stuck with one man. I like variety. I like my freedom.”
He waved his hand. “You can go downtown and get yourself a young buck every night of the week for all I care. You can even bring him back to my house, and I’ll watch you crawl all over the floor for him. Just stick around. Don’t walk out on what could be the greatest thing in both our lives.”
She snorted. “ You expect me to believe that? Besides, it’s clear that you think a lot of yourself. You think you could be the greatest thing in my life. ”
He didn’t flinch. He accepted her eyes drilling into his face. He came one step nearer. “I know I could. Tell me the truth. Have you ever had a night as great as we had together? Have you ever had a fling like that with anybody else?”
She looked away. “That has nothing to do with this. I didn’t come here for this.”
He cupped her chin lovingly in one hand and turned her face toward him. He stared down at her with his crisp grey eyes. She could not break away. “Don’t walk away from this, Marlee. Don’t hide from me. Let it happen. It will be good. It will be better than good. You don’t have to hide from it. It might be scary, but we can help each other through this. We can be together.”
Her breath caught in her throat, but she couldn’t answer. She had no choice but to fall into his overpowering presence. He pulled her toward him by the chin. He guided her face up to his lips.
Those lips closed over
her. They blotted out the whole world until nothing existed but him. He was right. It had nothing to do with sex—or maybe it had everything to do with sex. Maybe sex and love and destiny got all mixed up together until no distinction remained between on the next.
His kiss took her breath away, and his granite arms closed around her. Her head sank down on his chest, and her voice broke out of her constricted throat. “Why do you have to be so annoying?”
He squeezed her in his powerful grip. He twisted her spine so her head tilted back. She found herself caught in the undertow of his gaze. “Don’t fight it. Let it happen.”
His mouth covered hers. She had to let it happen. It had already happened in spite of all her efforts. She succumbed to his kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and he lifted her off the ground. Her body sizzled down his chest.
He fell back on the couch with her on top of him. His tongue excited her in quivering ecstasy. She crawled up to straddle his hips. She couldn’t stop kissing him, faster and harder, deeper and deeper. What was he doing to her? No man had ever got her under his spell like this.
He leaned his head on the couch back and let her kiss him. He stroked his hands up her back to her neck. He massaged her neck and shoulders and glided down her waist to her hips gyrating on his lap. His breath filled her mind and her soul and her life with his being.
He pushed her back. “Where’s your ring?”
Her eyes popped open. She’d forgotten all about it. She took the box out of her pocket, and he plucked it from her fingers. He tugged the ring out of its bed, took her hand and slipped it on her finger. Marlee held her breath. Was this real? Was that diamond sitting on her finger like it never left?
She glanced up at his face and found his deep eyes burning into her. “That’s where it belongs.”
She couldn’t speak. He was right. It did belong there. It weighed down her hand with its stunning mystic power, but it belonged there. It filled her mind and heart with tales of the future—their future, their future together. Whatever happened, they would face it together.
She broke away from his kiss. “What if Colton comes back?”
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