Fake Christmas

“She nailed it?”

“Yup. The crowd went nuts,” Allyson replied. “The press was all over her, and you should have seen the look on all the kids’ faces.”

He smiled. “Folks around town really love Nadia. It’s good to hear she made them proud today.”

“Sales went well,” she said. “We’ll be getting the final numbers tomorrow, but from what I saw at the exhibits a lot of women and girls showed up to buy gear and sign up for lessons. I couldn’t have pulled this off without your advice.”

“Getting Nadia to agree to do that final stunt was all you,” he said. “You got through your first winter sports show all by yourself.”

“It wasn’t all by myself,” she insisted. “You were a huge help, even though you had your own stuff to worry about. Plus, there were all the exhibitors, senior staff at Prescott, your dad, everyone in town, and Cameron.”

He groaned inwardly. Every time someone brought up Cameron, he got more and more annoyed. It was probably ridiculous but, damn it, he couldn’t help it. Being away from Allyson made him crazy, and seeing how much time she was spending with another man was bound to make him jealous. Still, he trusted his wife; he wasn’t going to insult her by bringing up his unease again.

“I’m proud of you,” he said finally. “You’ve done so much in the brief time you’ve been in a senior position at Prescott. Not to mention, these past several months have been difficult.”

She nodded. “It has been hard, but as long as I have you I can do anything. Besides, this Christmas is going to be perfect. Everything will be wonderful, and we can end the year on a high note.”

The truth was, she had worked so hard this past year. Too hard, if he was being honest. The holidays should have been a time for her to relax. Dane didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm, so he said, “Let me know if you need help with anything.”

“Just be your loveable self.” She paused. “How has your day been anyway?”

“Things finally slowed down today,” he said. “But next time, remind me to never approve of an office opening at the end of the year.”

“That bad, huh?” She got to her feet, walked over to him, and curled up on the sofa beside him.

“I’ll get over it,” he said, pulling her close.

It felt good to have her in his arms again. Allyson snuggled up against him, her dark hair brushing against his face. He inhaled the feminine scent of her shampoo. When she planted a kiss on his lips he leaned back in the sofa, not letting her go.

Dane had missed having quiet moments like this with her. Their lives had gotten far too hectic too quickly. When they got back to New York, he was going to insist on them spending more time together. So many couples in their line of work ended up drifting apart because of long work hours. He refused to put his marriage in jeopardy.

She wove her hand in his and sighed. “I’ve missed you. I’ve missed us.”

“So have I.” He kissed the top of her head.

They lounged on the sofa together and talked about their day. She filled him in on all the details of the winter sports show, while he updated her on what was going on in the new Detroit office.

Afterwards, she slipped away to get ready for bed while he called his parents. When he got off the phone he found her in the bedroom, brushing her hair. She was sitting on the bed, dressed in a silky negligee that skimmed over the curves of her breathtaking body.

It took every ounce of strength he had to not interrupt her and kiss her senseless. Instead, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get undressed.

When he stepped back into the bedroom, she was getting under the sheets. He turned off the bedroom light, climbed onto the bed, and lay down beside her. There was an intoxicating scent in the air. Her shampoo and something else. Lotion? Perfume? He didn’t know what it was, but it was already driving him wild with desire.

Running his hand down her hip, he said, “You look so sexy in that negligee.”

His eyes were still adjusting to the darkness in the room, but he could still see her arch her back to wrap her arms and legs around him. He was already hard. Aching to be inside her.