She prayed Dane didn’t see she was bluffing.

He kept his hard stare on her, holding her gaze. Finally, he sighed. “I’m sorry. Of course, I trust you.”

Allyson exhaled, breathing a deep sigh of her own. Relief washed over her. He wasn’t going to check her phone and discover she had been lying. Her secret was safe. For now.

She crossed the room to sit down on the large bed. “I’m sorry I worried you by wandering off.”

When they had been trying to solve the embezzlement case, Dane had been forced to witness Francesca Barnes attacking her with a baseball bat. Disappearing tonight had probably brought back those memories for him.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “What matters is that you’re safe.”

“Thanks for coming to look for me,” she said softly.

Dane gave her a strange look before kicking off his shoes and climbing into bed. “You don’t have to thank me for that. I’m your husband. Protecting you is my job. My number one priority.”

“I know.” She smiled ruefully. “I guess I haven’t exactly made things easy for you this year, have I?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Honestly, I feel guilty.”

“What? What do you have to feel guilty about?” she asked with a gasp.

“You had to call work on your vacation,” he said. “That isn’t fair to you. This is supposed to be your time off.”

“Dane, I’ve seen you take working vacations,” she reminded him.

“I’m the CEO,” he said. “I’ve been working as Prescott’s CEO for years now. I’m expected to work all the time. But you only just started as the head of the women’s division, and you’re already overworked.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it being overworked,” she said slowly.

“You’ve been dealing with a ton of projects, planning Christmas, and all this after you were almost framed for embezzling funds,” he said. “Even I think that’s a hell of a lot of work.”

“But that isn’t your fault,” she said.

“I’m the one who pushed you into taking a senior position in the first place,” he said. “I pushed you too hard and this is the result. You’re miserable, and Christmas is only a few days away.”

“Oh, Dane, I know I was hesitant to take the job at first, but I love working at Prescott,” she said.

“You didn’t have to work this hard when you were my assistant,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, you still worked hard, but not like this. Plus, when you were my assistant we were always together.”

What had she done to deserve a man like him? Many of the high-society men resented having to spend time with their wives. They would rather lose themselves in work. Not Dane. What he wanted most was to spend time with her. That touched her heart. Cheered her despite everything she was keeping inside.

“I know we were always together, but I you were right when you suggested I try a new position,” she said. “You said it yourself, no wife could work as her husband’s assistant.”

“That’s true,” he said. “There’s no way I could have accepted you staying on as an assistant. But working yourself this hard can’t be healthy for you. You’re stressed out. I can tell.”

“I have been stressed out lately,” she admitted slowly. “But I love my job. I get to do so many important things every day. I get to change lives. Get women and girls involved in sports and their community. Do you know how many young girls tell me they finally feel included in sports now? You should see how confident some of these girls are because there’s a company that cares about them and their dreams.”

“If you say so.” He stared at her for a moment, like he was trying to work something out in his head. She thought he might push her to slow down, but instead he said, “I’m going to turn in for the night.”

It had been a long day. No matter how luxurious their private jet was, travel was always grueling. “I’ll probably stay up and watch TV. I can go to the living room if you don’t want to be disturbed—”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m half-asleep already.” He leaned forward to kiss her forehead. The brush of his lips on her skin warmed her. And then her body tensed as the sense of guilt overwhelmed her.

Dane was blaming himself for her mood. She knew that he was such an honorable man that he would try to find a way to take the blame whenever things went wrong. He was the CEO of a major corporation. Her husband had always believed that because he was in charge, everything was his responsibility. Even things that were beyond his control. Not that a man like Dane would ever admit that things were beyond his control.

She watched as he undressed and got into bed. The minute he lay his head down, he was out like a light.

Allyson stared at him, wishing she could sleep that soundly. Nights like that were so rare now. She went to bed anxious, and sometimes the anxiety made her toss and turn. Wake up at odd hours and stare out into the darkness, willing herself to sleep. It was almost always futile.

Except for last night, when she had slept so soundly at the hotel in Colorado. That night had been one of the best night’s sleep she had ever had. Probably because she had thought they’d be able to get to New York in time.

Grabbing the remote, she turned on the flat screen TV and settled on one of the weather channels. It was probably torture so sit here and listen to the weatherman say there was virtually no hope of getting to New York before Christmas Day, but hope was all she had.

She tried to tell herself that even though they would miss Christmas in New York, there would still be other days. Other holidays that she and Dane could celebrate with family. Other days that would be special. Just not as special as the Christmas she had been planning for this year.

Watching the weather report didn’t change the fact that this secret she carried was always in danger of slipping out. Because she wanted nothing more than to tell her husband.

As she stared at the TV screen, she didn’t know how she would handle the truth being revealed. All she knew was that her marriage was about to change forever.

~~*~~

SHE WOKE UP TO THE sound of Christmas carols blaring in her ears. The sheets beside her were rumpled. Running her hand down Dane’s side of the bed, she realized that the spot was cold. Which meant her husband had been out of bed for some time.

Stretching, she rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Even with the bathroom door shut and the shower on at full blast, she could still hear the Christmas carols. After taking a quick shower, she brushed her teeth and put on a loose-fitting sundress that had been taken out of storage. It was a little big for her, but most of her own clothes were inappropriate for the climate, so the slightly oversized dress would have to do.

After making the bed Allyson headed downstairs, following the sound of the Christmas carols until she stopped in the kitchen. Dane was sitting at the island, a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

“How’s the weather?” she asked loudly.

Her husband looked up at her quizzically. Clearly, he couldn’t hear her.

“Can you turn that off?” she asked, pitching her voice higher.

Nodding, Dane walked over to turn down the volume of the radio. “What did you say?”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “I was asking about the weather in New York.” Frowning, she pointed. “Why was the radio so loud?”

“Mrs. McKenzie turned the sound up so the carols would fill the whole house,” he said. “After last night, she thought we could use some Christmas cheer. I didn’t have the heart to ask her to turn it down. Besides, you’re up late anyway. It’s almost eleven.”

Her eyes widened. It had taken her ages to finally fall asleep last night, so it made sense that she’d get out of bed late. Still, she hadn’t gotten up this late in a long time. Not even on weekends.

She looked around the expansive kitchen. “Where is Mrs. McKenzie, anyway?”

“Cleaning up the living room,” he said. “I was going to start helping her take the Christmas decorations out of storage once I was done with breakfast.”

“Aren’t you eating breakfast kind of late?” she asked.

“That’s because I went on an early morning run. After that I helped the gardener, Mr. Bell, with some of the yard work,” Dane replied.

“You sure have been busy,” she said. “You’ve done all this work already while I’ve been sleeping the day away.”

“You’ve been working hard enough as it is,” he said pointedly. “Anyway, yard work is good exercise. And exercise in this weather is a hell of a lot better than taking a jog in the middle of a New York winter.”

“Speaking of winter, has the snowstorm died down?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I checked the weather report less than an hour ago. It still looks like flights will be grounded well into Christmas Day.”

“Even for private jets?” She hated flaunting their wealth unnecessarily, but at this point she didn’t care. All she wanted for Christmas was to get home to New York City. Her sleepless night had reminded her of that much.

“Even for private jets,” he replied. “Do you want to call your family and tell them Christmas plans are cancelled? Or the caterers?”

She pursed her lips. “I’ll get in touch with my brother to let him know we won’t make it to his place today. But I’m not ready to cancel Christmas Day just yet.” She squared her shoulders in determination. “I’m going to hold off on calling the caterers to cancel, but I’ve already let them know I won’t be at the tasting today, for obvious reasons.”

Dane set his coffee cup down and glanced at her. “Are you sure you don’t want to cancel? The weather looks grim. You might be setting yourself up for false hope, Allyson.”

Throwing her hands up in frustration, she said, “It’s Christmas. This is exactly the time for false hope.”

Something flashed in his blue eyes. It looked like irritation. “I just don’t want you setting yourself up for major disappointment.”

The look on his face was making her grind her teeth. “I’m already disappointed.”

He crossed his arms. “Meaning?”

“Meaning, this isn’t how I want to spend Christmas,” she said. “And I’m not accepting it.”

“I know being with family is important to you, but you’re going to have to let this one go,” he said. “There’s always next Christmas—”

“No, there isn’t,” she snapped. “This is our first Christmas as a married couple. We’re not going to get a do-over. If we miss this Christmas, we’ll never have another first Christmas again. This is too important. And I’m really annoyed that you don’t seem to be taking it seriously.”

“What do you expect me to do?” he demanded. “Change the weather?”

“Why are you trying to make me look unreasonable?” she shot back.

“I’m not. But things cannot be perfect,” he said. “Sometimes things just don’t work out. At least we’re together.”

That hurt. Did he really believe that she didn’t want to be with him during the holidays? Dane was the only thing keeping her together. Keeping her sane. Now all she wanted to do was cry.

Oh crap. Too late.

Hot tears were rolling down her cheeks. She hadn’t even realized that she was on the verge of tears. As she gasped for air, it was like her lungs were being squeezed. Stubbornly, she started to brush her tears aside and then she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her.

Dane was holding her. Kissing the top of her head as she cried openly. So many conflicting emotions bombarded her. Guilt at keeping the truth from her husband. Despair at missing her appointment. At missing their first Christmas with their families. After all her hard work and her weeks of planning, everything was ruined.

Her shoulders heaved as she let out a shuddering sob. “I just wanted us to spend Christmas together. As a family. Why don’t you understand?”

His hold on her tightened, and he started to murmur into her ear. “I might not understand everything, but I’m here, Allyson. I’m here.”

“Everything comes so easily to you,” she choked out. “You don’t see how hard I try to fit in. I’m not some blue-blood heiress. Everyone in high society expects me to fail. That’s why this Christmas is so important.”

All she wanted was to make Dane and their families proud. Show them that even though she hadn’t started off wealthy, she really did belong.

“But I don’t expect you to fit in with all those heiresses,” he said gently. “Nothing has to change. I love you just as you are.”

“Do you?” she asked. “You said it yourself: you’re the one who wanted me to change my job, after all. So, on some level, you know that things have changed. Especially for me. Out of the two of us, it’s my life that has changed the most.”

He pulled away from her to cup her face. “I do love you the way you are. But when I brought up feeling guilty about asking you to take on a more senior position, you brushed that aside. You don’t have to tell me what I want to hear, Allyson. It’s okay if you regret taking the job—”

“I don’t,” she interrupted. “That’s just it. I like some of the changes in my life. It’s just that things have changed so much so fast.”

“That must be overwhelming for you,” he said.

“It has been,” she said. “Last year, right before I went to my parents’ house for Christmas, I was sitting in front of the TV eating bad pizza with an old college roommate. Talking about how boring my love life was. And my hopeless crush on my boss...” Warmth crept up her cheeks and she gave him a shaky smile.

“What a difference a year makes.” Slowly, Dane brushed her tears away with his thumb.

There was something calming about her husband being so tender with her. Even when they didn’t see eye to eye, Dane’s love for her was so obvious. So overwhelming. “All I wanted was to prove myself this Christmas,” she said. “Prove that I was worthy. That the Prescott family name was in good hands with me.”

She knew it was probably a frivolous thing to want, but she wanted to be the perfect society hostess. Show the world that Dane hadn’t married down. Show her parents that she worked hard, and wasn’t just depending on her husband’s money. She had always been caught between not caring what high society thought of her, and wanting to live up to the Prescott name. It was such a contradictory position to be in.

Dane leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. The warm kiss awakened her senses. Reminded her that she was tired of kissing her husband and feeling guilty every time. This had to end. Maybe not in the way she had planned, but she needed to tackle her secret head-on. Even if, right now, she had to do one last dishonest thing.