The Billionaire’s Fake Christmas Engagement: Elkin Brothers Christmas Book Two

by North, Leslie

  Well—he’d made love to her, almost three years ago. A one-night stand, showing up to be his last-minute photographer. How did something like this happen? He knew the broad outlines of how—the man he’d hired bowed out because of a family emergency, and he’d suggested Rachel Alexander. Someone local enough to make the trip to the resort at the last minute. Jonas had been relieved when a replacement was found, so much so that he’d asked her to stay through the New Year to photograph the family events over what could end up being his grandmother’s last Christmas.

  He hadn’t recognized her name.

  But he would never forget her face, or her eyes, or her body. It hit him in waves—she’d never told him her name, and he’d never looked her up. It had been here, at the resort, after the place had been through a precarious year. Jonas wanted one night for himself. A night off to relax.

  One night of bliss and then she’d checked out the next morning. For him, it was back to the daily routine called life and that was the end of it. He’d thought of her. Of course he’d thought of her. He couldn’t stop. But he’d never done anything about it. Chasing down one-night stands wasn’t his role as the oldest Elkin brother, in charge of the resort.

  Until now.

  The rest of his family was ensconced in the living room of his grandmother’s apartment at the opulent Elk Lodge, a fire crackling merrily in the fireplace, and the room staged to perfection by an in-house staff of interior decorators, when Jonas reached the end of his patience.

  Rachel—her name was Rachel—sat quietly at the side of the room, snapping photos of the day every so often. He approached her in what he hoped was a very relaxed manner, but the muscles across his shoulders were tight as could be.

  “Hi, Jonas,” she said, getting up from her seat and looking down at her camera. “Was there another photo you wanted? I can—”

  “Stop pretending,” he said in a low voice.

  Her smile faltered, and her eyes widened.

  “You never told me your name,” Jonas ground out.

  Rachel blushed a deep scarlet and pulled her camera close to her body. “Honestly,” she said softly, “I thought you wouldn’t recognize me. It was a few years ago.” Her glance cut down to the side. “Maybe it’s best if I leave.”

  “Can we talk about this? Because I don’t think—”

  “I didn’t know it was you, but it’s okay.” She waved him off. “You don’t have to worry. The photos are lovely, and I’ll have them to you as soon as I can.” She gathered up her camera bag, waved at his family, and hurried for the door, only stopping briefly to glance back at him. “Thank you for hiring me for the job.” The front door of his grandmother’s apartment opened and shut, hiding her from him again.

  Jonas’s heart wouldn’t settle down. This was how the one-night stand had ended—with a door opening and closing, and Rachel disappearing. Wait—had she just ended the job? He’d hired her through the New Year.

  “Do you like the new sweater?” Gabe’s hand came down on Jonas’s arm, causing him to jump. “Wow. Tense, much?” his brother asked, frowning.

  “The sweater is great,” Jonas said. “I can’t wait to wear it.”

  Gabe looked him in the eye. “Is something wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “You know what, no. No.” No, I can’t let her walk out of here. For one thing, I paid her for all this time. For another, there are things I want to say to her. I’m not sure what, exactly, but I can’t let her walk away. “There were other—other photos I wanted. I’ll talk to the photographer about it before she calls it quits for the day.”

  “It’s Christmas,” chided Gabe. “Aren’t you going to let her have a little time with her son?”

  He’d forgotten about her son. Rachel had wanted to bring him along for the job since it would be over the holiday, and Jonas had agreed, not thinking twice about it. Well, he’d catch her before she and the boy took off. There was plenty for a kid to do at the Elk Lodge.

  “Of course I am,” Jonas said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  He felt Gabe’s eyes on his back as he went out into the hall. The expanse of plush carpet was empty, the elevator humming at one end, and he stabbed at the button impatiently. It was so slow. He couldn’t bear the wait. After fifteen seconds, he hustled for the stairwell, taking them down two at a time. There was a separate elevator for the guest rooms—and she was more than likely headed there.

  He burst into the vaulted lobby a few moments later, into the swirl of elegant Christmas decorations and soft music. Glancing around, he caught sight of Rachel by the enormous Christmas tree, tucking a length of jet-black hair behind her ear. She was grinning down at something he couldn’t see because of a huge leather sofa blocking his view.

  Another woman stood close by, her red hair piled on top of her head in a loose bun. Lisa, the resort babysitter, who was on call for any family who needed one. He blinked, moving closer without thinking.

  And then he came to an abrupt halt.

  The little boy had come into view, and—he was a miniature version of Jonas. Rachel had black hair and blue eyes, but this little boy had Jonas’s dark blonde hair and his chin, too.

  His heart stuttered to a start again.

  Her son. The little boy couldn’t have been much more than two, and he pulled gently at Lisa’s hand as they stood, swaying toward the tree and back again.

  Oh, God. No wonder she wanted to leave. If what he suspected was true—if this was his son. “Rachel,” he called out, before he’d thought about what to say.

  She straightened, turning to meet his gaze.

  “Mr. Elkin.” Lisa gave him a nod and said something he couldn’t hear to Rachel, and then turned to leave. “Merry Christmas,” she told them all, waving until she was out of sight around the corridor.

  Jonas wanted to talk to Rachel about the one-night stand, but that seemed insignificant now—laughably so. He went to where she stood with the little boy, irresistibly drawn to them both. It was an awkward moment and he stuck his hands in his pockets to cover any sign of nervousness.

  Rachel bit her lip.

  The little boy stared up at them, small lips pursed.

  Outside, the Colorado snow came down in gentle flakes, the cool light tempering the golden glow from the hundreds of lights inside the lobby. It was as though time stood still.

  “I was going to tell you—” Jonas racked his brain for what he’d come to tell her. “I was going to say that I didn’t want you to leave on account of what happened between us. Before.” He dragged his eyes from the boy’s and back to Rachel’s—a lighter blue than his own. “But I think there’s something else I should know. Something more important.”

  The rest of the room disappeared. It was only the three of them and the Christmas tree. Everything else—the tinsel and the music and the other people in the lobby—they were gone, and Jonas braced for the words that would change his life. One way or the other, things would be different.

  “He’s yours,” Rachel said, her voice calm and matter-of-fact.

  Yours. The word echoed in his mind until it was big enough to fill the entire lobby of the Elk Lodge, bouncing around in a thousand echoes of itself. “Mine.”

  “Yes.” Rachel was at ease with her son, letting him step from side to side, but her shoulders were tensed up to her ears. “It happened after we were—were together that one time.” Her cheeks went a deeper red. “I thought you were another guest. I didn’t know you were Jonas Elkin.”

  “And I never told you.” It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. The night had lifted the weight from his shoulders long enough for him to catch his breath. Jonas wasn’t in the habit of asking—he was used to telling people what to do as part of his job as CEO. Nobody wanted a CEO without leadership ability. But Rachel didn’t technically work for him—not for the Elk Lodge, anyway. “You don’t need to leave.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure? Because this is a huge thing to find out, and I�
�m sure you’re…” Her voice softened, the sentence petering out. “I’d understand if you didn’t want me here at a time like this.”

  His emotions were so huge he thought he might burst. Guilt. A flash of anger. A lightning bolt of fear. Over it all, a layer of shock. He had a son, and the son was this boy, and his mother was Rachel. “What’s his name?”

  “Scott,” Rachel offered. “Scott Alexander.”

  There was too much to decide at that moment. He hadn’t been there to take care of his own child. Neglected his responsibility. It didn’t matter that there was no way he could have known. Jonas felt like he was falling. It was a terrifying sensation. But he wasn’t going to fire Rachel—no way.

  For one thing, the photography job she was working on was his gift to his grandmother and to the rest of his family. If he sent Rachel away now, there would be no replacement photographer. And then he’d have to explain it to his grandmother, which would require a lie—something he didn’t want to do. Not while she was dealing with cancer. Not now, when they might not have much time left.

  Decide.

  Jonas was the one who had to make a choice. It was his job. It had been his job for years, and nothing had ever been as important as this. “Let me take you back to your suite.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want us to head out?”

  “I’m sure.” There. Decision made. “Let’s walk together.”

  He could almost feel time ticking by. Up in his grandmother’s apartment, his family would be wondering where he’d gone. They might try to call down to the front desk to see if something happened at the resort that demanded his attention. They might try any number of things if he didn’t return to the Christmas celebration soon.

  In the elevator, Rachel lifted Scott up to push the buttons, guiding his small finger with her hand. “Floor number three,” she told him.

  “Tree,” Scott repeated, his son’s baby voice striking straight to Jonas’s heart.

  They rode the elevator up, questions crowding Jonas’s mind. How was he going to fix this situation? Scott looked happy, oblivious to the fact that he was seeing his father for the first time. It didn’t change the problem they faced.

  Rachel slipped the key card into her door, and the lock clicked, driving home the reality of the situation.

  What had he been thinking? That he’d go back to her room with her and they’d hash everything out while his family waited upstairs? It would have to wait a little longer. He didn’t want his family to come looking for him. And he didn’t want his son to disappear while his back was turned.

  But before they did anything, he needed to get his thoughts in order. There were so many variables in this situation. So many people to consider. So many factors. He’d always been proud of the way he could make decisions, keep things moving. Now Jonas felt like he was treading water in the middle of the ocean.

  Scott toddled into the suite, and Rachel turned back. “Thank you for letting us stay.” It sounded hopeful, like a question—one last chance for him to change his mind.

  “I’m glad you’re staying.” He cleared his throat. “I have to head back upstairs and visit with my family for a short while, but will you meet me in my office later to talk? It’s on the fourth floor.” She was willowy and gorgeous, and he felt a certain desperation rise in him—don’t let her get away. And a competing pull—don’t let this holiday become a disaster.

  Rachel took a deep breath. “If you’re sure.”

  “I’m very sure,” Jonas said. “Meet me there in an hour.”

  Grab your copy of The Billionaire’s Christmas Son

  Available December 17th, 2020

  www.LeslieNorthBooks.com

  BLURB

  It’s the Christmas season in the tiny Kingdom of Maatkare, and the royal family needs a chef. Desperate to prove herself after her first restaurant failed, Ana Rizzo jumps at this chance for redemption and nabs the high-paying, short-term job. The opportunity couldn’t be more perfect. Ana will be able to stretch her culinary skills, earn enough money to open another restaurant, and still be able to give her adopted daughter the attention she needs. Her biggest challenge will be winning over the family’s elderly cook and getting Noel Yared, the middle son, to give her food his stamp of approval. She only cares about Noel’s palate, not his soulful brown eyes, his gorgeous runner’s body, and his amazing kisses. An avid runner herself, Ana pushes herself to keep up with Noel during their daily runs. But she’s finding the biggest challenge is resisting Noel’s charm.

  Noel finds Ana endlessly fascinating and incredibly sexy. With a bit of charming persuasion from him, the two begin what they both know is a short-term affair. No rules, no heartache, just great sex and a bit of fun. So when he believes Ana has betrayed his family’s trust, he’s glad his heart wasn’t involved. Glad she’s gone. Glad he’ll never see her again. Until he realizes a couple terrible truths too late: Ana was actually the one who was betrayed, and somehow he’s fallen hard for her. Now he needs a bit of Christmas magic to prove he’s worthy of her love.

  Grab your copy of The Sheikh’s Christmas Fling (Christmas with the Yard Sheikhs Book One) from www.LeslieNorthBooks.com

  * * *

  EXCERPT

  Chapter One

  Ana hiked her daughter higher up on her hip, wiping away a few strands of chocolate brown hair that had slipped out from her headband. This was their first full day in the palace, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to navigate without a full color map.

  “This place,” she hissed as a palace servant led her and Charlie, her best friend and sous chef, from their wing toward the kitchen, “is bigger than the state of Montana.”

  Charlie snorted. They’d been friends for over ten years, practically long-lost siblings. And if she was going to take anyone on this crazy trip halfway around the world to start a new job as head chef at a palace in a tiny Christian country just a month and a half before Christmas, it was him.

  Linh kicked her legs, clocking the back of Ana’s thighs. She inhaled sharply. “Linh, baby. Not now. Mommy is trying to navigate.”

  “This is kitchen,” the servant said, pushing open a swinging door. A gust of cool air billowed out. Ana grinned, catching sight of the interior.

  “Well look what we have here.” She breezed inside, hiking Linh higher on her hip one more time. The three-year-old was heavier by the week and liked to be held more than Ana’s body could always physically manage. But she couldn’t blame the girl—Ana worked a lot. And with all the recent travel and upheaval in living situations, she wasn’t sure her daughter would detach herself anytime soon from her hip.

  Inside the kitchen, everything gleamed stainless steel and spacious. This was the type of kitchen she’d only ever fantasized about. Enough deep sinks to wash a thousand pounds of potatoes. Wide aisles between work stations, so no hips or butts would knock together.

  And the pans. Oh heavens, the pans. Skillets and sauté pans hung from steel hooks above a center marble island. She ran a finger over the cool edge of a skillet. Charlie whistled low.

  “Looks like we stepped into paradise,” he murmured.

  “You got that right.” Ana smiled at the servant. “Thank you for your help. We’ll be in here for a while. Can you make sure nobody bothers us?” This was part of her process. Isolation in her work space. Enough time to get acquainted with the nooks and crannies of the space that would become her colleague. The palace had a smaller kitchen for prepping daily meals. This one was for the occasions: the banquets and feasts and state dinners. And it was all hers.

  The servant bowed slightly and took his leave. Once the kitchen door clanged shut, Ana and Charlie grinned at each other.

  “Can you believe this?” Ana drew a deep breath as Linh wriggled in her arms to be let down. She slid to the ground and headed toward a cabinet nearby. “Even Linh likes it.”

  “And that’s the deciding factor, isn’t it?” Charlie smiled, ruffling Linh’s jet-black hair. Linh grunted as she tug
ged at the cabinet door, revealing an entire stock of rubber spatulas. She plopped down on the ground and began pulling them out, one by one.

  “I think this was the right choice.” Ana’s words rang hollow to her ears, even though she’d tried to insert all the conviction she wished she felt. Truth was, she didn’t know what the right choice was anymore. “I’ve been looking for a challenge, you know?”

  Charlie lifted a brow as he strolled down the line of work stations. “A challenge? Or an escape after He Who Will Not Be Named?”

  Ana fought to keep her face neutral. Of course Charlie was right. After her ex, Reggie, drove their joint restaurant into the ground in LA, a spectacle worthy of newspaper editorials and even a brief stint as a trending hashtag, Ana had been struggling to find her balance again.

  “What better way to disconnect than four thousand miles of distance?” She forced a smile. “Even better if it’s with an all-consuming job that might very well make me go gray at age thirty.”

  “That would happen anyway, with the type of kitchens you tend to create,” Charlie cracked.

  Ana rolled her eyes, but she didn’t argue with him. She was an exacting professional. Beyond that, she was a trained chef, and she wanted to own her own restaurant again. But before the latter could occur, she needed financial stability.

  Maatkare was her ticket to debt freedom and investment money toward her next business endeavor. All she had to do was make it through to the other side. Forty-three days of elaborate vegan meals in the name of Christmas.

  Piece of vegan cake.

  Except vegan cake usually sucked.

  “Well this needs to be good, Charlie.” Ana sent him a warning look. “I can’t handle another failure. Not after what happened with the restaurant.” She drew a shaky breath, trying to imagine this expansive kitchen filled with waitstaff and cooks. “I need this to go off without a hitch.”