Making Merry: A Christmas Romance Read online

  “No. Oddly enough, when we’ve been naked together, talking hasn’t been high on our list of things to do,” he said. But she wasn’t looking at him any longer. Her eyes had drifted to the roses, her brows arched in question. “I really was an asshole today. I’m sorry, Holly.”

  She moved deeper into the room, reaching up to touch the petals of one of the roses. “I do understand, you know? If it had been the other way around and I’d seen some floozy trying to flirt with you, I’d have been mad too,” she admitted. “But it’s not just us. We can’t do anything that will jeopardize the success of Bishop’s or shake people’s faith in how capable you are of saving it.”

  Nathan sat down on the edge of the bed, staring up at the woman who’d made it possible for him to save the company. “You know it wouldn’t have happened without you. The marketing experts, all the analysts that I’ve talked to, the ones that Elizabeth hired… None of them came up with an idea half as inventive as yours. If we turn this around, and Bishop’s survives, it’ll be because of you.”

  “It was my grandmother. She loved weddings. I watched so many of those stupid reality shows I think I could plan a wedding in my sleep.” The rueful smile on her face hadn’t totally wiped away the sadness.

  Noting her melancholy expression, he knew that only part of that was thoughts of her grandmother. It killed him to know that he was even partially responsible for it.

  “Come here.”

  She glanced at him, at his extended hand, and then moved toward him, sliding her fingers between his. He tugged her down, until she was on the bed with him. “I am sorry, Holly. I don’t want to hurt you ever.”

  “So don’t.”

  “It’s a little late for that. I already did... thoughtlessly, carelessly.”

  She laughed. “Stupidly, idiotically, in true dumb ass fashion... I mean, Jesus, could you have more of a bonehead?”

  Laying back on the bed, he held his hands up in mock surrender. “Okay. You’ve made your point.”

  She moved beside him, laying down and resting her head on his bare chest. That simple touch twisted in his gut, made him ache for her until the pain was almost unbearable. It stirred other feelings as well, the damp towel draped over his hips tenting as his erection swelled.

  “I could go on,” she said. “But I won’t. I don’t know where this is going any more than you do. I do know that if you’re going to be with somebody, you’re going to hurt one another... it’s inevitable. The question is how badly. Right now, I’m still pretty intact. But if this gets to a point where the cost of it is more than the gain, then we’ll reconsider.”

  He tightened his arms around her, not wanting to let go. “That’s a pretty cut and dried way of looking at it.”

  “Not really,” she said sadly. “There’s a whole lot of gray area.”

  Turning her onto her back, he levered himself over her. “Maybe I need to work on tipping the scales a bit.”

  Nathan unbuttoned only the top button of her blouse, kissing the small ‘v’ of skin that was exposed. He lavished attention on her, one inch at a time. Every bit of her that was bared as he slowly stripped her clothes away was treated to the same luxurious attention. With lips, teeth and tongue, he worshipped her until she was straining against him. “I want you, Holly. Tonight. Tomorrow. The day after. Next year. Next century,” he said the last with a smile. “Don’t ever think that will change.”

  “How can you be so sure?” she asked.

  “Because sometimes, you just know… you meet that person, the one who’s it for you, and that’s it. You just know. I tried to talk myself out of it. I found a dozen excuses not to pursue this. Then fate, and Barbara, intervened.”

  She smiled up at him. “I wish I had your certainty.”

  “Then kiss me… because that’s what sealed the deal for me.”

  * * *

  Holly closed her eyes, raised her head slightly and pressed her lips to his. She kissed him with all the longing, with all the desperation she felt. And he was right. When they were kissing, when he was touching her, all doubts fled. Everything that made her think they were being reckless and crazy, it all just melted into nothing.

  And then the kiss shifted. He took control of it, seducing her. And she was so willing to be seduced. As he stripped her, removing one article of clothing at a time until she was naked too, she gloried in that feeling of being alive, of being with him.

  He made love to her. And there was no question for her that it was just sex, that it was just something physical. He was too tender, too gentle and caring with her. With every touch, he made her feel cherished. He made her feel loved. And that was a word neither of them had spoken aloud yet. She was too afraid to say it, but she felt it. It was there, always hovering on the tip of her tongue.

  Pushing thoughts of their future, of where things might lead or how they might end, far from her mind, Holly focused only on what he was doing. On how he touched her and how he made her feel. It was enough.

  10

  Holly moved through the crowd, enjoying the bustle of activity. It was strange, as much time as she spent in a crowded store, that she still loved shopping, or at the very least, browsing. Her income and her sister’s tuition didn’t leave much room in the budget for actual purchasing. But New Year’s Eve was approaching and Nathan had insisted that she come with him to a party. There would be no one from the store there and it was just old friends of his. He’d been incredibly persuasive, too.

  Heading toward the clearance rack, she began perusing the items that were on sale. There was a black lace dress that was calling her name. A glance at the price tag showed her it was still a bit steep for her.

  “This shop has the loveliest things. Apparently my stepson has increased the wages at Bishop’s dramatically.”

  Placing the garment back on the rack, Holly sighed. Closing her eyes for a moment, she summoned all her restraint and turned to face her former employer. Elizabeth Bishop was a force to be reckoned with. Pasting a thin smile on her face, Holly turned toward her. “Hello, Mrs. Bishop.”

  “Hello to you, Ms. Merriweather. Tell me, dear, how are things at Bishop’s these days?”

  Holly took in the elegant, ivory suit that Elizabeth wore. It was her signature color. Cool, blonde and always perfectly coifed, she looked every inch the trophy wife. Which she had been, and she’d done it remarkably well.

  Addressing the question, she replied, “Things are going quite well at Bishop’s.”

  Elizabeth trailed her fingers along the top of a hanger, her red lacquered nails a stark contrast to the pale fabric. “The rumor is that big changes are coming to Bishop's...and that some big changes have already come, as well. Shopping for a special someone?”

  A prickle of unease hit her then. It was no accident that Elizabeth Bishop happened to be in the same store. Recalling her encounter earlier in the week with Kurt Bedwell, a sinking suspicion filled her then. “Is there something I can help you with, Ms. Bishop?”

  Elizabeth smiled, a perfectly cultivated lift of her lips that did not reach her eyes and caused no creasing of her meticulously maintained face. “You’re a very smart girl, Holly. How astute of you to suspect that I had an ulterior motive for arranging this little tete a tete... I know, you see.”

  “Know what?” Holly demanded. She wasn’t going to walk into any traps. Elizabeth would have to spell it out precisely.

  “About you and Nathan, of course. Arranging to get yourself locked in with him was simply genius.”

  Holly refused to take the bait. “Our being locked in was an unfortunate misunderstanding and he was a perfect gentleman. Whatever it is that you think you know, you’re clearly wrong.”

  Elizabeth Bishop stepped closer to her, close enough that Holly could see the ice in her eyes. The words hissed out of her, “He’ll never marry you. He’s not like his father. His divorce soured him on the institution of marriage, you know? And Lisa was a much more suitable wife than a little shop girl like you could eve
r be. I’d encourage you to take any expensive gifts he throws your way and parlay them into an income.”

  “Mr. Bishop has no reason to buy expensive gifts for an employee...and while I can’t speak to his being anything like his father, I can speak to the fact that I am nothing like you. Cold, avaricious and utterly without morals.”

  Elizabeth lifted the black dress that she’d looked at and passed it off to a nearby salesgirl. “Put that on my account and gift wrap it for this lovely young woman.”

  “Certainly, Mrs. Bishop.”

  “That won’t be necessary!” Holly said. “I really don’t want anything from this woman. Good day, Mrs. Bishop.”

  “I’ll just send it round to Nathan’s, then. I imagine the dear boy is quite fond of black lace.”

  Holly leveled a cold stare at Elizabeth. “I have a very good idea what you can do with it, but I’m too much of a lady to say so.”

  Elizabeth laughed. “We’ll see how much of a lady you are when the press gets through with you. How will they spin it? Conniving, gold digging upstart or lecherous, deviant villain taking advantage of the poor, little shop girl?”

  “You have a vivid imagination and nothing to support your wild claims.”

  “On the contrary... With the right incentive even the most trusted of employees can be swayed to violate confidences. Especially with pensions at stake.”

  A spark of real fear touched Holly then. Rather than continue the conversation and perhaps inadvertently give up some bit of information that Elizabeth could use, Holly left the store. While her first instinct was to go to Nathan’s, she feared that would be the worst course of action. Instead, she returned to her small house, constantly checking the rear view mirror during the drive to be sure she wasn’t followed.

  Once in the safety of her home, she texted Nathan a list of explicit instructions and waited. Her nerves were frayed from the encounter with Elizabeth Bishop and all its many implications.

  * * *

  Nathan eased the car into park, and surveyed the narrow residential street. From the texts he’d gotten, he’d expected to see the men in black lined up in front of the house. They hadn’t been together at Holly’s house since Christmas Day. Not because he didn’t love it there, but because he’d needed to work at least some of the time on a preliminary proposal for Bruxton Aumiller. The mysterious texts and paranoia were unlike her, so he knew something was wrong.

  Moving up the sidewalk, he didn’t have to knock before the door was opened and he was unceremoniously yanked inside. The door slammed behind him immediately and was locked. Holly peered past him, through the narrow window beside the door, looking frazzled and worried.

  “Did anyone see you?”

  Nathan raised an eyebrow at her strange behavior. “What the hell is going on, Holly?”

  She seemed to deflate at that point, her shoulders sagging. Turning to him with worried eyes, she told him everything. “Elizabeth knows about us, but I don’t know how. She confronted me in a store today while I was out shopping, so she must be keeping tabs on us somehow. You didn’t use your car?”

  “No, I borrowed a friend’s, like you suggested. Are you sure she wasn’t just fishing?”

  Holly shook her head. “She said that even loyal and trusted employees could be swayed with the right incentive and then she mentioned pensions. So, someone at Bishop’s is feeding her information...it's probably Kurt Bedwell, but I don’t know what information he’s gleaned from other people working there. I know he’s not above threatening Hank to get it.”

  Nathan thought back to their only encounter in the store, on Christmas Eve. When he’d they’d shared a single kiss there on the couch, in full view of the cameras. “I’ll get to the bottom of this. It’ll be all right.” Hank had promised him. And Kurt Bedwell didn’t have the authority to fire anyone unless he agreed to it. “And I’ll handle that weasel Bedwell. He’s not as indispensable as he thinks.”

  “No! It won’t! What about the investors? What about me having to face everyone in the store when it becomes common knowledge that I’m sleeping with you?”

  Nathan sighed. “A, we’re not just sleeping together. We’re in a relationship. B, I’ll talk to the investors and explain the situation. This isn’t some Victorian melodrama. We can make it work.”

  “How?”

  Taking her hands in his, he held them. “I don’t know yet. But I’ll find a way.”

  She looked fragile in that moment. Scared. “I don’t want to have to quit my job. I know it’s not much to most people, but I like what I do. I like the people I work with. That store is part of my history...it's a connection to my grandfather.”

  “I know that. I know.” Taking her into his arms, he held onto her. “I’ll make this work.”

  Connections. Those were important to her, vital even. It was something that had been missing from his own life for way too long. Looking over the top of her head, he took stock of the small house. Neat as a pin, family photos on every surface, it was so very different from the cold and austere penthouse where he lived. But even then, with Holly at the penthouse, it didn’t feel cold. In fact, wherever she was, it felt like home. That thought both buoyed him and scared him half to death.

  “I’m sorry,” she said on a little sniff. “I didn’t mean to fall apart, but Elizabeth just terrifies me. That woman is evil.”

  “Evil is a strong word, but in this case, probably accurate. Trust me, Holly.”

  She sighed and pressed herself against him more tightly. “I do... Stay with me tonight?”

  Placing one finger beneath her chin, he turned her face up to his, “There’s no place I’d rather be...but first I want to see what looks like a very embarrassing photo of you in a tiny, little cheerleading outfit. How did I miss this the other day?”

  “Snow blindness?” She gave a watery chuckle. “It was a Halloween costume. I was never that coordinated in real life.”

  Quirking one brow, he asked, “Do you happen to still have that costume?”

  She frowned. “No. And if a black lace evening dress is delivered to your house tomorrow, send it back to the store. It’s from Elizabeth.”

  He shuddered. “I’m afraid to even ask.”

  “Let’s just go to bed. I don’t want to think about her any more tonight.”

  “Agreed... Any other costumes?” Of course, she could wear a potato sack and be the sexiest woman alive to him, but if she wanted to put on some skimpy little bit of nothing for him, he would not complain.

  She laughed, so the teasing comment had the desired result.

  “Let me check my closet... I might have something that you’d like.”

  Nathan followed her up the stairs, thoroughly enjoying the view.

  11

  Nathan awoke early, silvery light filtering in through the lace covered windows of Holly’s bedroom. The furniture was antique, burled mahogany with inlay, the deco lines elegant and stately. He could see touches of the girl she’d been in the room. A curio in one corner held a porcelain doll and other trinkets from her childhood. Pictures on a bulletin board told the story of a happy childhood.

  She’d been raised by her grandparents, and he noted that they were in most of her pictures. He saw no photos of her mother, but based on what she’d told her about the woman, he couldn’t blame her there. He rose from the bed and she made a sound of protest, but snuggled back into the pillow without waking. Retrieving his boxers and his phone, he made his way downstairs to the kitchen. After a few false starts, he found the coffee and started a pot. He knew he’d probably done it wrong, but he figured the effort counted for something.

  While the coffee brewed, he composed a text.

  It’s Nathan Bishop, confirming our meeting for today.

  It was only seconds before the reply come.

  Come to the house at ten.

  Responding with an affirmative, he looked at the time. It was just after seven. The coffee pot slowed and he retrieved two cups from the hooks above the si
nk, filling them. He heard Holly enter, her bare feet nearly silent on the hardwood, except for one squeaky floorboard.

  “Bet that made sneaking in and out of the house difficult.”

  She offered a sleepy smile. Wearing only a long T-shirt, with her hair mussed, she looked young and undeniably sexy. There was nothing he wanted more than to spend the entire day in bed with her, but there were other matters that had to be seen to. “I wouldn’t know. I never tried. I’ll ask Stephanie. She had lots of practice.”

  He chuckled, passing her the cup of coffee. “Thought I’d serve you for a change.” Nathan moved forward and kissed her soundly. “Good morning.”

  “And to you too.” She took a sip and winced. “I think maybe I’ll just get some juice.”

  Nathan took a sip of his own and with a grimace placed it back on the counter. “Okay. So maybe I shouldn’t make coffee... I have to go. I’m meeting with a potential investor today.”

  “Is it really that important to keep his name a secret?”

  “Yes. That’s what he wanted, at least until we know something for certain. But hopefully, after today, that’s the only secret I’ll have to keep.”

  Holly stopped in the midst of pouring the glass of orange juice, some of it splashing onto the counter. “You don’t mean... I thought—”

  “Keeping our relationship, and it is a relationship, was your idea because you thought it would hurt my chances to land this deal. But I’m done keeping secrets. If we just come out in the open, Holly, that takes all of Elizabeth’s power away.”

  She chewed her lip, that same habit he’d noticed she engaged in whenever she was worried. “You’re sure? They’ll never just let it be the truth… that we both wanted this. I’ll be a gold digger or you’ll be a sexual harassing scumbag.”

  “Don’t care,” he said. “I realized something… I could lose Bishop’s. Whether this deal goes through or not—it’s not guaranteed. But I won’t lose you.”