She woke up bright and early to say goodbye to Cameron. Allyson knew Dane wouldn’t like it, so she slipped out of their room while he was still asleep. After dashing down to Cameron’s room to say a quick goodbye, she headed back to their room.

Seeing he was still asleep made her exhale a sigh of relief. Guilt coursed through her. She hated going behind Dane’s back like this. Hated keeping a secret from him. When he had discovered her in Cameron’s arms yesterday, he had looked so upset.

Worse, she had rebuffed his advances last night. She really had been too exhausted for sex. But the truth was, she was also distracted. This business with Cameron riddled her with guilt.

Determined to get rid of her jitters, she went into the bathroom to take a warm shower. The hot blast of water soothed her. By the time she stepped back into the bedroom, her nerves had calmed somewhat.

“Good morning.” Dane’s deep voice, gruff from sleep, made her stomach do flips. 

He lifted his head from the pillow, his wavy blond hair falling over his eyes. She always marveled at the fact that he managed to look gorgeous even in the morning.

“Morning.” She padded over the plush carpet to plant a kiss on his cheek.

Dane smiled against the pillow. There was something so dangerously masculine, yet vulnerable, about him in the early morning.

“Did you sleep well?” She caressed his stubbled jaw, desire taking hold.

“I’m so jet-lagged I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks,” he murmured.

With a groan, her husband sat up suddenly. Then he sauntered past her and headed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

“Figures,” she mumbled to herself. Of course, he would walk right by her when he looked so delicious. After she had rejected him last night, she supposed she was getting a little taste of what he had felt.

Body tingling all over, she tried her best to shove aside her desire and get dressed.

“I’m going to have a brief meeting with some of the town officials this morning.” He walked back into the bedroom, his shirt unbuttoned. “Then we can fly out early in the afternoon.”

One glimpse of his hard, muscular chest already had her salivating. “Do you have to meet the town officials right away?”

His eyebrow quirked up. “Why? Do you want me to stay for some reason?”

Beckoning him to her, she said, “Yes.”

A smile played on his lips as he approached her. “Is it a good reason?” 

“You tell me.” Wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, she brushed her lips against his. The contact made her tremble. Longing consumed her.

She knew she had only just put her clothes on, but having her body pinned to his made her want to take them off again. Now. Angling her head to deepen the kiss, Dane’s tongue pried her mouth open. A moan escaped her throat as she invited him in. Melted against him as his strong arms tightened around her waist.

All her doubts started to slip away. She hadn’t been held like this in ages. Hadn’t been kissed this fiercely. Usually their trysts were quick, with how hectic their lives had gotten. But Dane was kissing her like he had all the time in the world. Like he never wanted to leave the room.

With their lips still locked he guided her toward the edge of the bed, and they tumbled down together. Allyson landed on the soft, rumpled flannel sheets. It felt so good to be under the weight of his body.

He groaned and tore his lips from hers. “You’re not too tired, are you?”

“No,” she replied softly. “I was exhausted last night, but I’m up for anything this morning.” She flashed him a saucy smile.

“So that’s all it was last night?” he asked. “You were tired?”

“Yes.” She frowned. “What’s wrong, Dane?”

His gaze held hers, concern flashing in his blue eyes. “Nothing. No, that’s not exactly true... I thought it might have been something I said or did.” 

“Of course, it wasn’t something you did.” She ran a hand through his wavy blond hair.

“I’m glad. Because if there’s anything you need from me, just say the word,” he said. “I never want you to feel like you can’t tell me things.”

There it was again. The guilt. Eating away at her. Making her chest tighten and her heart pound even faster. No, she refused to give in to it. Revealing her secret would have to wait. Right now, all she wanted was to be with him. Be under him.

Her lips found his again and he ravished her mouth with his tongue. Seduced her utterly with just a kiss. Until he left her trembling and craving more.

Dane pulled his lips away from hers again, and started to kiss a hot trail down the column of her neck. Each brush of his mouth set her skin on fire. Made her body blaze out of control.

He kissed all the way down to her cleavage; her tight sweater’s neckline had left a little hint of skin. When he got to the valley between her breasts, she moaned softly.

As his lips set her on fire, wetness pooled in her panties. She wanted out of her clothes. Desire made her desperate to be touched more intimately.

As if he could read her mind, Dane pulled away to start undressing her. His big hands skimmed across her body as he lowered them to peel off her pants. Then, she helped him tug off her sweater. Now she was down to her underwear.

A fire raged in his blue eyes. His gaze swept over her—hungry, possessive. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” she said breathlessly. Allyson hadn’t even realized that she had been breathing so hard. Anticipation sent a tingle down her spine.

Then, his hands lifted and unhooked her bra. Next, he focused his attention on her panties, slowly pulling them off like he was unwrapping a gift.

In the blink of an eye his clothes seemed to melt away, and she wrapped her arms around him again. Sighed against his mouth as his lips brushed hers again.

His hands wandered down her naked body, igniting her blood. Her skin flushed with desire as he caressed down her neck, brushing over her hardened nipples. He caressed down her torso, across her stomach, and stopped at the place between her legs.

“Are you ready for me?” he asked. His voice was thick with emotion. Like he was holding back his lust, ignoring his primal instincts while he focused on satisfying her.

“Yes,” she breathed out, unable to hide her desperation.

Wantonly, she spread her legs for him.

He kissed her lips gently, the touch feather-light. When he positioned himself between her legs and entered her wetness, delicious sparks of pleasure rippled through her core.

A groan tore from his throat as he rocked into her slowly. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper inside her. Their eyes met, and she bit back a cry.

It had been weeks since they had taken the time to make love slowly like this. Each powerful thrust was hard, but his pace was leisurely. His gaze never left hers, the fire in his eyes making her entire body tremble.

The way he looked at her, as the pleasure was consuming them both, made her heart race. Made the ecstasy he was giving her so intense. With their eyes locked, it was like he was staring into her soul and she was staring back into his. The wall she had put up since his arrival crumbled, and in its place was raw, aching need.

She lifted her hips to meet each one of his strokes, and they moved to a rhythm all their own. Delicious bliss made her see stars. Her sex clenched around him, making him a part of her.

When he ground out her name, she unraveled. As she climaxed, she felt like she was floating, her body weightless under his. He came right after her with a groan.

Her heart was racing as she struggled to catch her breath. There was a sheen of sweat on her flushed skin. His hair was damp with sweat and he pressed his forehead to hers, breathing hard.

They held on to each other for what felt like ages, neither of them wanting to let go.

Finally, she gasped out, “That was amazing.”

He laughed, and kissed her forehead. “It was, wasn’t it?”

“Do you still have to go to your meeting?” Now that they had made up, she wanted him all to herself for the morning. Especially since they had a long flight ahead of them later in the afternoon.

“Yes,” he said.

She pouted. “Okay.”

“How about we have breakfast together before I head out?” He kissed her forehead again, making her stomach quiver. “I can order room service.”

She smiled. “That sounds great.”

Breakfast came up to their room within twenty minutes.

Dane had gotten dressed again, while she had thrown on a bathrobe.

When she got a look at the special holiday-themed breakfast, her stomach growled. There were scones, pancakes shaped like reindeer and Christmas trees, cinnamon rolls, French toast, and crispy bacon. She hadn’t been eating right these last few weeks. Mostly she had scarfed down fast food or donuts from a local coffee shop. And some nights, she was so exhausted she just got into bed without eating dinner. Like she had last night. No wonder she was so famished.

They took their breakfast trays to bed, and Allyson took a bite of her warm cranberry scone. “This is heavenly.”

“We should have breakfast in bed more often.”

“There won’t be time for any of that when we get back to New York,” she said. “I have to focus on making sure everything is perfect.”

He frowned. “Why don’t you let me help you?”

“Because I’m good at planning events,” she reminded him. “Besides, I want to make a good impression for our first Christmas. You mother will be watching to make sure I’m the perfect society hostess. Plus, having a good Christmas means I can repair my relationship with my sister and parents.”

Her sister, Monica, still resented her for achieving success. Not to mention she had to mend fences with her parents after the embezzlement scandal. Her mother had apologized for thinking she had committed a crime, but they hadn’t had time to really have a heart to heart. Her brother, James, and her sister-in-law, Holly, had just had their new baby, Owen, so that had sidetracked any kind of reconciliation. Christmas was the perfect time to bring their two families together and heal old wounds.

Dane sighed. “If you’re sure this is what you want.”

“It is,” she said confidently. “I’m going to make sure this is a Christmas we’ll never forget.”

~~*~~

AFTER MEETING WITH some of Snow Canyon’s public officials, Dane headed back to the hotel. He found Allyson packing her bags when he returned to their room.

She greeted him with a quick kiss. “I got a call from your mother.”

He groaned. “What now?”

“Dane, you always think the worst of her,” she scolded.

His eyebrow went up. “We’re talking about my mother, right? I know you two are getting along much better than before, but she doesn’t exactly make idle conversation when she calls.”

“Mostly some gossip,” she said.

“Wow. My mother doesn’t gossip with just anyone.”

“I can’t tell if that’s sarcasm or not,” she murmured.

He laughed. “It’s not. She only gossips with people she likes. Which means she doesn’t do it often. It sounds like she trusts you to keep a secret. A secret she should probably not be sharing with you, but I guess that’s beside the point with her.”

“She also called with some big news,” Allyson said.

“What is it?”

“Francesca Barnes has basically confessed,” his wife replied. “Which means there won’t be a long, drawn-out trial. If she takes this plea deal, she’ll be out in a few years.”

“What rotten luck,” he muttered. He didn’t give a damn how harsh that sounded. As far as he was concerned, Francesca Barnes deserved to rot in prison for the rest of her miserable life. There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in Hell of him forgiving her for her despicable acts. She had framed Allyson, attacked her, and had nearly gotten away with it. When she had finally been arrested, her one regret seemed to have been the fact that she hadn’t killed Allyson.

“Dane, that’s not very nice,” she said sharply. “Where’s your sense of charity? Your Christmas spirit?”

“She beat you with a baseball bat,” he replied. “I think I’ll save my Christmas charity for people who deserve it. The poor, the sick, and the elderly. Not some spoiled, deranged heiress who tried to ruin our lives.”

“It means that she’ll have a chance to get out and live her life with the man that she loves,” she said. “Your mother said that it looks like Nicholas Handel is willing to wait for her.”

“So, what do you want me to do? Send her a Christmas gift? A card?”

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Her entire face lit up.

He gritted his teeth. “I was joking.”

“We can at least send a card to Nicholas this Christmas,” she said. “I know it’s a bit late, but we can still try. I’ll message your mother, asking her to send him one on our behalf.”

“What in Heaven’s name are you going to include in the card? ‘Merry Christmas, hope you and your criminal wife enjoy the holidays apart’? ‘Hope the jail decorations are festive’?”

She laughed, though from the way her brow furrowed it looked like she was trying her best to hold stop herself. “We shouldn’t joke. It’s not funny.” Her lips twitched, and she crossed her arms.

“You’re right, it’s not.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. “But I’d rather have the real criminal behind bars than ever have to face losing you. If that makes me a bad person, then so be it.”

She bit her lip and gazed up at him. “It doesn’t. It makes you a man in love.”

“You’re damn right it does.” He captured her mouth with his, giving her demanding kiss. “You know, Allyson, you are the craziest, kindest, most loving woman on earth. You’re too good for the Handels, if you ask me.”

“If you keep buttering me up like this I’ll never finish packing.” She smiled. “Come on. Let’s get our things together and go home.”

Part of him wanted her to stop packing and decide to spend the rest of the holidays cooped up in this hotel room. With a heavy sigh, he nodded. As much as he wanted to stay locked up with her, for the next few days the outside world wasn’t going to let him have the one thing he wanted for Christmas: time alone with his wife.