Naughty Christmas Nights

by Tawny Weber

  “You must be really close to your brother, then.”

  So much for a subject change.

  “At the moment, I’m almost tied. But by next year, I’ll be ahead,” he murmured absently.

  Damned right he would. Devon had used his two-year advantage most of their life to stay in the lead, but a year off with no Milano emergency demands, and Gage was sure he was gonna sprint into first place.

  “What?” Hailey shook her head. “What do you mean? Ahead?”

  “You know, ahead. As in, which one of us is winning. Devon and I compete. Best grades, higher SATs, board support, bigger piece of the wishbone.” He grinned, remembering. “That Grinch costume? I lost the wishbone bet at Thanksgiving and that’s the price I paid. That’s the kind of thing we do.”

  She squinted, as if trying to see through his words to the truth beneath. Why? He didn’t understand her confusion.

  “You’re trying to tell me that the entire basis for your relationship with your brother is competition?”

  Gage frowned. She made it sound so unhealthy.

  “Sure.”

  “C’mon. No fraternal bond? No shared interests? Not even sibling rivalry?” She shook her head as if that were impossible to believe.

  “Isn’t sibling rivalry basically the same thing as competition?” After she gave a slow, considering nod, he shrugged and said, “Sure, we’ve got that. And we’ve got plenty of mutual interests. I check out his investments, advise him on marketing. He checks out mine, advises me on expansion options.”

  “That’s it?” she asked.

  He didn’t know why she looked so horrified. Since it made him feel a little defensive, he racked his brain trying to find other examples for her.

  “We aren’t friends, like the kind who hang out together, but we respect each other. Family loyalty goes a long way, too. Shared life experiences, heritage, that kind of thing. But the bottom line is, we both want success. We both want to be a part of the family business, but we want it on our own, too. We both want to win.”

  He could see she wasn’t buying his assurance that he wasn’t emotionally scarred or harboring some hidden resentment of family-centered holidays. Rather than trying to convince her that, yes, he really was that shallow, he turned the tables.

  “What about you? Now, granted, I was mostly focused on other things at your apartment the other night. Like your naked body and how incredible you felt under my fingers.” He waited, then gave a satisfied smile when she blushed. “But I didn’t see that you had a tree up.”

  Her expression changed, the frown seeming to turn inward before she slipped on a smile.

  “I was waiting for my mom. It used to be our special tradition, and since she was visiting this holiday, I wanted to do it together. When I was little, we always decorated together as a family the weekend after Thanksgiving. After my parents divorced, I spent Thanksgiving with my father, so my mom waited until I was home and we did the tree together.”

  He tried to imagine her as a little girl, those flaxen curls in pigtails and some cute footsie pajamas on while she hung candy canes from the low-hanging boughs. He’d bet she’d been adorable.

  “So you got to do two trees? No wonder you love this kind of thing.”

  “No. Just the one tree. My dad married the same year as the divorce, and Gina, my stepmom, liked to wait until closer to the holiday.”

  Leave it to the stepmom to shove the kid out. Gage had seen enough of it growing up to recognize the signs. He didn’t even need Hailey’s stiff upper lip, lifted chin or downcast eyes. And while he’d learned by seven to shrug it off, she was still carrying it around.

  Time to quit bitching about the decorations, he decided. If a tree made her happy, they’d decorate. Hell, he’d take her to his father’s place and she could decorate there, too.

  “When’s your mom arriving so you can do your tree?” I.e., how long was she available for freewheeling, wild and constant sex before family nabbed a portion of her attention?

  On tiptoes, trying to wrap a thread around a high branch, Hailey went board stiff, dropping back to the flats of her feet. The snowflake was still in her hand, though. Its ripping sound was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Loud, invasive and painful. She grimaced, then crumpled the ruined decoration in her fist before shrugging.

  “No mom this year. She called Friday and left a message. Something came up and she can’t make it.”

  Did everyone let her down?

  Underneath the hurt in her eyes, Gage could see acceptance. As though this kind of thing happened all the time.

  “Well, hey, we’ll go decorate your tree after this, okay? Just you and me. I’ll bet you have actual decorations and stuff, right? So we can eat the popcorn instead of tossing it on the branches?”

  As soon as the words were out, he realized he’d just volunteered to step in and play family. That was a serious thing. A way past let’s get naked and slide all over each other thing. For a second, he wanted to grab the words back. Or change the subject. Then, as he watched her face melt into a beautiful smile, he realized he kinda liked it. Liked her trusting him. Believing in him.

  “So what do you think?” he asked, gesturing to the tree. “Am I assistant material?”

  “You’re a great assistant.” Her words were a little husky and her smile a little shaky, but—thank God—she didn’t do anything crazy, like cry.

  Whether because she wasn’t a teary kind of gal, or because she could see how uncomfortable he was, she put on a bright face instead and looked at the tree.

  “It still needs something,” she decided, tilting her head to the side, as if she were critiquing an outfit about to hit the runway. Gage figured it must be a girl thing, since the tree looked fine to him. “Do you have anything shiny? Old jewelry, CDs, anything foil?”

  Seriously?

  He gave her a look, then glanced at the tree, then back at her. She had that stubborn tilt to her chin again, and her eyes were all soft and sweet.

  Dammit.

  “Let me see what I can find.”

  * * *

  THAT WAS ABOUT the weirdest tree she’d ever seen. And given that there was one in her warehouse right now made of coat hangers and bras, that was saying something.

  Gage’s arms loose around her waist, Hailey leaned back against his chest and sighed.

  “It’s perfect,” she decided.

  “Okay.”

  “It is.” Laughing, she turned in his arms, cupping her hands behind his neck and giving him a quick, smacking kiss. “You done good.”

  He cast a doubtful eye over her shoulder, clearly seeing the actual tree and not the sentiment hanging from its boughs.

  “Okay,” he said again.

  Then, as if there was nothing else to say about a tree covered in foil condom wrappers, popcorn and paper snowflakes, he laughed, shook his head, then took her mouth.

  Hailey let the power of his kiss take her over, pull her down, permeate her being.

  Being with Gage was like being wrapped in warmth. Not just the fiery heat of passion, although that was a constant and definitely keeping her excited.

  But the laughter. The kisses. The gentle teasing and constant interest in her.

  Her views. Her ideas. Her past and her present. What she wanted in the future, even. She’d never had anyone so focused on her. Just...her.

  As though he really cared about her.

  Breathing in deep, she pushed away the sudden tears that thought brought and focused on the kiss.

  Her lips danced over his, her hands sliding gently, oh so gently, over his naked skin. Satin over steel.

  They fell into the lovemaking with a gentle sigh.

  Every move was a whisper. A breath of skin against skin. A tease of a kiss, a wash of warm air, wrapping the
m together in a sweet, dreamy sort of passion.

  As Gage’s body ranged over hers, Hailey stared up into the endless depths of his eyes and opened herself, welcoming him in.

  As he moved, slowly sliding in and out, she held his gaze. She let everything she felt shine in her own.

  The delight.

  The desire.

  The deep, intense emotions that she couldn’t even put a name to herself.

  He never looked away.

  Even as she tightened, as passion caught her in its needy web, her body demanding total focus, complete attention, he still watched.

  And when she went over, the desire pounding and swirling through her in deliciously hypnotic waves, he smiled.

  A slow, satisfied smile.

  And then with a low moan, he joined her.

  Two hours later, wrapped together in front of the fire, Hailey was still trying to come to grips with the power of their lovemaking.

  Her eyes fixed on the flickering flames, the lights of the Christmas tree a soft glow against the wall, she tried to identify the feelings inside her.

  Peace. Joy. Love.

  Scary.

  “Look,” Gage finally said, shifting onto his elbow. “Next year, I’ll have a lot going on. I’m going to be really pushing to get my own business solid fast. It’s going to take focus and time.”

  Hailey froze, body and heart.

  Well, at least he was being honest, she told herself, wrapping the sheet closer, trying to stave off the shivers. Still, she’d never been blown off while naked before.

  “I’m going to take care of this whole thing with Rudolph, with saving your company. I don’t want you to worry about it anymore,” he said, his words quiet, measured. Her heart thumped a few extra beats before Hailey could catch her breath and turn in Gage’s arms to face him. “I’ll fix everything, okay?”

  For a brief second, Hailey wanted to protest. She didn’t need favors. She could win the contract on her own, without him stepping aside for her. But Rudy had already made it clear that if it were only up to him, he’d go with Milano. And she couldn’t afford to put all her faith in Cherry, or to let pride stand in the way of saving her business.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. Totally sure.”

  “And the presentation on Tuesday? Should we cancel?”

  His frown flashed for a second. “Nah, it’s more professional to keep it. I’m sure I’ll have everything taken care of, but it’s a good fallback just in case, too.”

  Just in case.

  Her heart melted, the entire world taking on a rosy glow.

  He really was taking care of her.

  “And us?” she asked, feeling as if it were Christmas morning and Santa had not only brought her entire list, but had doubled up on the things she hadn’t even thought to ask for.

  “After this deal with Rudolph is done, I want to make us a priority,” he said, brushing the hair off her cheek and giving her a tender look. “It’s going to be hard, but I want to make sure we get time together. It might take some juggling, maybe a few cancellations or rescheduled dates here and there. Are you okay with that?”

  Hailey blinked.

  “What?”

  “I want us to be together. I want to build on this, to see where we go,” he said, gesturing between their bodies before sliding his hand into her hair to caress the back of her head. “I want to give us a chance.”

  A chance.

  He wanted her. Them.

  Without any prodding or girlie manipulation, he’d straight-up claimed them a couple.

  Hailey’s smile started slow, tremulous, since she refused to cry. But then the giggles took over and she pressed her free hand to his cheek, pulling his face close for a kiss.

  Then another.

  And yet another, this one turning hot.

  Sweet passion poured over them. She shifted, pressing his body down against the floor, the warmth of the fire flickering over their entwined forms.

  Gentle kisses, soft caresses gave way to heat.

  Grateful for his resourcefulness, she stretched over, tugging one of the glinting foil condom packages from the tree. She quickly sheathed him, then before he could do more than moan, she slid onto the hard length of his erection.

  Together, with her taking the lead, they made slow, sweet love again. This time, he came first. The feeling of him, throbbing and pulsing inside her, sent Hailey over, too. She collapsed, breathless, onto his chest and gave a purr of satisfaction.

  “I take it that’s a yes?” he murmured against her hair as they were shivering with orgasmic aftershocks.

  He didn’t elaborate. He didn’t have to. She knew he was asking if she wanted to give them a chance.

  Hailey’s laugh was a whisper, nuzzled close against his throat.

  “Yes. Definitely yes,” she agreed.

  With just the flickering warmth of the fire, and Gage’s body, covering hers, Hailey drifted off to sleep. Her last thought before sliding under was to wonder if she should be happy that the contract was hers. Or terrified that she’d had to fall in love to get it.

  * * *

  HAILEY WAS ALMOST skipping as she made her way up the steps of the Rudolph building.

  This was it. The last presentation.

  She and Gage had told Rudy Friday night, before their delicious weekend together, that they’d meet on Tuesday for one final time.

  Each would bring the designs they felt most represented the line, a marketing plan they planned to implement to support the Rudolph debut, and their final pitch. Even though it wasn’t going to be necessary, since Gage was backing out of the contract, Hailey had still prepared as if this was the most important day of her life. And, she thought, bubbling over with optimism, it just might be.

  As she exited the elevator and headed for the boardroom where they were to meet, Gage came hurrying toward her. She melted a little at the sight of him and that gorgeous smile.

  “Hey, you,” she said, brushing her fingers over his cheek as if it’d been weeks since they’d been together instead of that morning. “I missed you.”

  “Ditto,” he said with a grin. Then he tilted his head toward the double doors at the end of the hall. “I tried to reach you. Didn’t you get my message?”

  “No, what’s up?”

  “I came in early, met with Rudy.” Tucking his hand under her elbow, Gage led her toward the boardroom doors as he spoke. “We’re good to go. So I borrowed his boardroom to show you the setup.”

  Setup? He’d set things up for her?

  Hailey all but clapped her hands together, she was so excited.

  Together, they stepped into the boardroom. There, to one side by a set of open doors, were the samples she’d sent ahead for her presentation.

  On the opposite end was a huge whiteboard. On it was a list of company names, some she recognized as huge. A marketing schematic covered one half of the board. She squinted. The schematic had her name at the top.

  Trepidation started to overtake excitement in her stomach.

  “What is this?”

  “Rudy’s going with Milano for the spring account, of course. He wanted to all along, but knew Cherry was leaning toward Merry Widow. But she’s been so out of the loop, he’s decided not to depend on her input any longer.”

  He said that as though he hadn’t sold her out. As if just because Rudy would have chosen him in a head-on battle, that meant it was okay that he hadn’t stepped down like he’d promised.

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Nope. No joke. I got this all put together for you. You’ve got guaranteed orders, double the clientele as I’d suggested earlier and enough interest in your lingerie to translate into a fat load of new business.” He pointed to the two-dozen na
mes he’d listed on the board. Next to each was a dollar figure. Not shabby figures, either.

  Hailey’s head was buzzing.

  “I put together a marketing plan for you. Now, granted, this is a first draft since we haven’t talked it through and I don’t have your actual figures or your business plan to integrate into it. But with it, and the prospectus I created, you have enough to take to the bank and get a big enough loan to stave off those greedy assholes.”

  His smile was huge, his eyes dancing. He looked as if he’d just handed her a pony covered in glitter with rainbow ribbons tied to its mane.

  Instead of killing her dreams and stomping all over them.

  “I can’t believe you did this.” Her head spinning, she shook it and hoped everything would shift. Change. Turn out to be a big fat hot-chocolate-induced mirage.

  But it didn’t.

  Nope. Still there, on the board in bright colors, was proof that Gage had screwed her over.

  And there he stood, grinning and looking as if he expected a thank-you note.

  13

  HAILEY WAS PACING the boardroom, from one end piled high with lingerie samples to the other with its whiteboard and presentation details.

  As gorgeous as she was, with her skirt swishing to show a tempting length of thigh with each turn, he didn’t think she was happy.

  “What’s up?” he asked, grabbing one of the leather chairs and pulling it out from the table so he could sit.

  Then he caught the look on her face.

  Pure fury, wrapped in a layer of hurt.

  Nope. He was better standing.

  “You stabbed me in the back.” The accusation was made through clenched teeth.

  “What the hell?” He reared back, shocked at both the accusation and the fact that his sweet Hailey could pull together this much anger.

  “I thought you said you were going to let me have the contract.”

  “I said I was going to make sure you were taken care of,” Gage countered. “I offered this before, and now it’s an even better deal. I’ve got a dozen stores, venues and even a TV show all lined up, each one ready to make huge purchases. The revenue in a year will be as much, if not even more, than the Rudolph deal.”