by Layla Hagen
Two hours later, the entire gang arrived. Hunter with my parents, Amelia and Mick with Ryker and Cole. I loved having a full house, and by the looks of it, so did Hunter. In fact, I was pretty sure he was conspiring with Dad right now. Not just whispering. Conspiring. How I knew? They looked more than a little guilty. Plus, from time to time, one of them glanced over his shoulder.
I snuck up on them. They stopped talking abruptly upon seeing me.
I batted my eyelashes, looking from one to the other. Surely one of them had to give in to my charms, right?
“What are my two favorite men in the world plotting?”
“Nothing,” Dad said a little too quickly.
“You think I’m buying that?”
Hunter cupped my cheek, feathering his thumb just under my lower lip.
“Planning the next get-together.”
“Already?” My voice was a little uneven, overcome by sudden emotion. This man. What did he have in mind? Fly them over for every holiday?
Oh, God. I had a hunch that was exactly what he planned. I had to make a concerted effort to keep my hands at my side and not jump right in his arms.
“You’ve got a great man here,” Dad said.
“I do, don’t I?”
I left them to their secrets and made the rounds, smiling from ear to ear. I’d had no idea it was actually possible to be this blissful, and just... content.
I found Ryker and Amelia inspecting the stockings hanging from the mantelpiece.
“Got to say, these look lovely. Any chance we’ll have an extra stocking next year?” Amelia asked.
I beamed. Here she went again.
“We’re working on that,” Hunter said, appearing next to me seemingly out of thin air.
I half turned to him, narrowing my eyes. “I think what you meant to say was, we’re still negotiating.”
I was working hard on establishing my law practice. So far, so good. I’d managed to lure my colleagues into it, and we were taking on as many cases as possible. Some of my clients had left the old firm, insisting that they wanted to work with me, and they didn’t care about my run-in with the immigration services.
It would take a while to create a steady income stream, and the fact that I didn’t have a paycheck deposited in my account every single month sometimes kept me up at night, but I had full confidence I’d figure everything out. And even when I didn’t have confidence, my sexy man made sure to build it for me, one hot chocolate and one foot rub at a time.
A naughty twinkle appeared in his eyes. What else did he have in store for me? Clearing my throat, I looked around for a change of subject... and found a scapegoat instead. Poor Ryker.
“Maybe we will have an extra stocking.” I patted Ryker’s cheek. “You’d make a handsome groom.”
Amelia grinned. “You really would.”
“It’ll take a lot to tame the flirt. But I’m sure the right woman will be up for the task,” I teased.
Ryker looked as if he’d swallowed his tongue as Amelia, Hunter, and I burst out laughing. Our amusement attracted attention. Tess joined our group, studying us.
“What’s everyone gossiping about?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Ryker said quickly, which, of course, made his sister even more curious. I felt a little guilty, since I was the one who’d gotten him in hot water.
“How about we open the presents?” I suggested.
“Before dinner?” Amelia asked.
“I’ve already caught some of the family trying to peek into the stockings. All the stockings,” I emphasized.
Tess’s cheeks turned pink. “It’s your fault for not putting a name tag on each.”
“I did that on purpose, so no one would peek. Clearly, I underestimated you.”
She grinned, rubbing her palms. “So, which one’s mine?”
As the group gathered around the fireplace, I indicated which one belonged to whom. I loved giving presents, watching everyone’s expression light up once they opened their stocking.
I knew what was in each stocking except mine, of course. Hunter had done that one, and I couldn’t wait to see what he had in store for me.
I nearly broke a nail in my enthusiasm to open it. The two of us sat next to the tree, inspecting the gifts. I’d gotten him a set of cuff links—a little something to remind him of me when he was at work. He’d gotten us plane tickets. We were going to the Maldives again, where we’d fallen in love. He didn’t know how to do things any other way except on a grand scale.
He grinned when I looked up at him, then held his palms up in defense. We were leaving at the end of February.
“You said things move slowly in the industry around then,” he said.
I threw my head back, laughing. He’d asked me that out of the blue one evening while we were relaxing in the Jacuzzi. I should have known it wasn’t just a random question.
“Sneaky husband. What will I do with you? Thank you for the tickets. I can’t wait to go. I’m going to book a scuba diving instructor as soon as I get a chance.”
“For me too.”
I felt my eyes widen. “Wow. You want to come again? Wasn’t expecting it.”
“Can’t let the instructor steal you, can I?”
“Really? That old excuse again? Why not just admit you liked it?”
“Might give you ideas.”
“You mean more than I already have?”
He smiled devilishly, pulling me just behind the tree and out of sight, giving me a kiss that was definitely not PG-rated.
Once he let go, I sighed, snuggling up to him, just breathing him in for a few moments, right until, Ryker said loudly, “We know you’re there, FYI.”
Grinning like Cheshire cats, we stepped out from behind the tree. Everyone besides Ryker was minding their own business, enjoying the presents.
“I think we did great with the gifts,” I whispered to Hunter.
“That’s because my wife’s a genius.” He pulled me in a half hug, kissing my temple, which was innocent enough... except for that hand on my back that kept traveling south. I pushed him away playfully, shaking my head.
He always said I was the one with ideas, but he could top me when he put his mind to it. He grinned at me, lifting a brow. I loved our first Christmas as husband and wife, and I couldn’t wait for the rest.
***
The end
Dear Reader,
This is the end of Hunter and Josie’s story. Ryker Winchester’s story will be released on April 14th, and you can preorder it HERE.
Money, power plays, negotiations...it's what I'm good at. In the boardroom, I get exactly what I want. In the bedroom, there's no difference.
When I meet Heather, the feisty, single mom, who's hanging by a thread, I can’t get enough of her. The way she gives in to me is intoxicating, but I need more than hot nights and sexy dates.
When she introduces me to her daughter, I fall for that little girl hook, line and sinker. Now, I know I'm in this for the long haul.
Heather’s had her heart broken before, but I want more than just some fun. Can I prove that we're about to build something incredible together?
Preorder it HERE.
Please sign up HERE to my NEWSLETTER to receive news about upcoming releases and giveaways.
You can also join my READER GROUP on Facebook HERE.
***
Other books by Layla Hagen
If you want to meet the Bennett family, you can find a link to the series HERE.
They are a fun family, the romances are HOT and SWOONWORTHY. That series is complete, and each book can be read as a standalone.
Links to THE ENTIRE BENNETT FAMILY SERIES:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
All other retailers & countries
Links to individual books in the Bennett Family Series:
Book 1: Your Irresistible Love (Sebastian & Ava)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audio
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etailers & countries
Book 2: Your Captivating Love (Logan & Nadine)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audio
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Book 3: Your Forever Love (Pippa & Eric)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audio
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Book 4: Your Inescapable Love (Max & Emilia)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audio
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Book 5: Your Tempting Love (Christopher & Victoria)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audio
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Book 6: Your Alluring Love (Alice & Nate)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audio
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Book 7: Your Fierce Love (Blake & Clara)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audio
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Book 8: Your One True Love (Daniel & Caroline)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audio
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Book 9: Your Endless Love (Summer & Alex)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audio
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The Connor Family series is also complete. You can find the link to the entire series HERE.
Here are the individual books:
ANYTHING FOR YOU (Landon & Maddie)
WILD WITH YOU (Lori & Graham)
MEANT FOR YOU (Will & Paige)
ONLY WITH YOU (Valentina & Carter)
FIGHTING FOR YOU (Jace & Brooke)
ALWAYS WITH YOU (HAILEY & REID)
Standalone USA TODAY BESTSELLER
Withering Hope
Aimee’s wedding is supposed to turn out perfect. Her dress, her fiancé and the location—the idyllic holiday ranch in Brazil—are perfect.
But all Aimee’s plans come crashing down when the private jet that’s taking her from the U.S. to the ranch—where her fiancé awaits her—defects mid-flight and the pilot is forced to perform an emergency landing in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
With no way to reach civilization, being rescued is Aimee and Tristan’s—the pilot—only hope. A slim one that slowly withers away, desperation taking its place. Because death wanders in the jungle under many forms: starvation, diseases. Beasts.
As Aimee and Tristan fight to find ways to survive, they grow closer. Together they discover that facing old, inner agonies carved by painful pasts takes just as much courage, if not even more, than facing the rainforest.
Despite her devotion to her fiancé, Aimee can’t hide her feelings for Tristan—the man for whom she’s slowly becoming everything. You can hide many things in the rainforest. But not lies. Or love.
Withering Hope is the story of a man who desperately needs forgiveness and the woman who brings him hope. It is a story in which hope births wings and blooms into a love that is as beautiful and intense as it is forbidden.
AVAILABLE ON ALL RETAILERS. You can find the links HERE.
You’re The One
Copyright © 2020 Layla Hagen
Published by Layla Hagen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Published: Layla Hagen 2019
