Give Me a Christmas

by Zoe Ann Wood

  Then a message pinged on her phone.

  Did you find the computer?

  Iris stared at the three dots that indicated he was still writing. Why was he texting her during his meeting?

  Please don’t leave.

  Iris’ throat constricted. Finn was so attuned to her. He’d seen how uncomfortable she’d been, even though Lena and Peter were perfectly nice company.

  Thank you, she typed back. And then, knowing it would hurt her in the long run, she added, I’m not going anywhere.

  Ten

  Finn

  Lausanne, Switzerland, December 21

  “She’s lovely,” Lena remarked.

  Finn glanced up from his phone. They’d finished the meeting a couple of minutes ago, and Peter had already scampered off to his room. Lena sat across from him in the small conference room the hotel had been more than happy to offer them. She pointed at his phone, where he’d been checking whether Iris had written anything else.

  Finn put it away, guilt sinking in his stomach. “Sorry about that.” He cleared his throat. “We’re not, ah, together.”

  Lena lifted a dark eyebrow. “Oh no? So you fly halfway around the world for random women?”

  Groaning, Finn let his head fall back against the headrest of the comfortable leather office chair. “It’s complicated.”

  “She’s the Iris, isn’t she? Your Iris?”

  That brought him up short. He snapped his eyes open and frowned at Lena. “How do you know about her?”

  She shrugged, the picture of serenity. “Did you think I wouldn’t do a background check on you before our first date? I figured she must have been a big part of your life back then.”

  Finn opened his mouth, then closed it again. He and Lena had dated briefly several years ago, and after she’d dumped him—that seemed to be the theme in his life—they’d remained civil. It never hurt to be friendly with competition, and Lena’s tech empire was even more successful than his. She was incredibly smart and driven, and now she wanted to buy his company.

  Finn groaned and rubbed his face with his hands. “I’m sorry.” He glanced at her—she was so perfectly poised, so in control of her life. “I’m going crazy,” he admitted. “I have no idea what I’m doing, and I keep thinking I’m on the verge of messing up again.”

  Her lips tipped up in a small smile. “Well, she’d be mad not to fall for you.”

  He grinned back. “Careful, Lena, that almost sounded kind.”

  “Oh, don’t start.” She waved a manicured hand in the air. “You’re a different man now than you were when we dated, Finn. You’ve changed, and it has done you good.”

  That surprised him. He still looked the same, apart from a gray hair or two, and his company was doing better than ever. “What do you mean?”

  Lena shrugged and stood. “The Finn I knew would never have taken so much time off work to see after his family. Or any woman.”

  “That’s…” He trailed off and swallowed. He wanted to claim it wasn’t true, that he’d always been more than ready to help his loved ones, but found he couldn’t. He hadn’t even known about his mother’s relapse until after it was much too late. And Iris had said much the same thing when she’d explained why she’d left him.

  Lena offered him a sad smile. “It’s a good thing, you know. The change. Don’t waste it.”

  Finn nodded, then shook her hand when she offered it. “Thanks. I, uh, I’ll think about your offer.”

  It was more than generous, and selling his company would mean he would be free to move to the East Coast to spend time with his parents. And Iris, if she would give him another chance.

  It would also mean pausing his career, and since that was what he’d been focused on the past fifteen years, it wasn’t a decision he could make lightly.

  Lena inclined her head to the door. “Go find her,” she said softly. “And don’t mess up.”

  Lena’s words echoed in his head as he rode the elevator to the fourth floor, where Iris’ room was located next to his suite. He stood in front of her door, thinking of all the ways that this could go wrong, until a bellboy found him there and asked him whether he could help him find his room.

  Embarrassed, Finn tipped the man, thanked him, and watched him hurry away down the corridor.

  Then he knocked on Iris’ door.

  She opened it a minute later, and Finn nearly swallowed his tongue. She was wearing a fluffy bathrobe that bore the hotel’s logo and fell past her knees. Her feet were bare, and Finn had to force his gaze upward again. She had a towel wrapped around her head like a turban, and her face was pink.

  “Sorry, I was just…” She pointed her thumb to the bathroom.

  Finn cleared his throat. “Yeah. Of course. I wanted to, um…”

  He couldn’t keep her gaze. She was too lovely, too familiar, and all he wanted was to step into her personal space to inhale her skin. Which had him feeling like a complete creep. He glanced at the ceiling, praying for the earth to open up and swallow him on the spot. What a mess.

  “Was your meeting successful?” Iris asked.

  She didn’t seem to have a problem with him, so Finn dragged his thoughts out of the gutter and focused on her.

  “Yeah, it was good. If you’d like, I can tell you about it. Over dinner?”

  Wait, what? Finn stifled a groan. He hadn’t just invited her to dinner to tell her about his business meeting with another woman, had he? He imagined Lena smacking him upside the head.

  “I mean… Would you like to have dinner with me?”

  That was marginally better. It would have been better still if he’d caught her dressed.

  “I’d like that,” Iris said. “But maybe…a little less formal than our lunch? I don’t have anything to wear to a fancy dinner. I mostly brought winter gear and leggings.”

  Relief flooded through him. “Yeah, no problem. You could come to my room. We can order room service.” He paused and replayed that in his head. “Or not. I didn’t mean anything by—”

  Iris stepped closer to him, went on her tiptoes, and kissed his cheek. For a brief second, Finn felt her warmth against him, smelled the sweet scent of her shampoo. Wordlessly, he stared at her. If he didn’t walk away now, he would follow her into her room and…

  “Your room, then,” Iris said. Her cheeks colored an even brighter pink than before, and she wouldn’t meet his gaze.

  Finn nodded. “At seven?”

  She backed into the room and flashed him a smile. “Okay.” Then she closed the door in his face.

  “You can wear those leggings,” he called after her.

  Still stunned, he turned and marched down the corridor to his suite. He had three hours to plan the perfect date. Iris had given him hope, and he wasn’t about to waste it. If there was a chance he could win her back, he would grab it with both hands and never let go.

  Eleven

  Iris

  She tried to work. She really did. But there was no forgetting that she’d kissed Finn, and that she was due in his room for dinner in half an hour.

  Iris groaned and flopped back on her bed. She wouldn’t have opened her door if she’d known it was Finn on the other side—she’d thought he was in the meeting, and she’d ordered coffee from room service. So she’d answered the knock expecting a hotel employee and found Finn in all his glory. He’d seemed as surprised to see her, which was weird, considering he knew full well this was her room. But the heated expression in his eyes had been something else…

  The coffee had arrived two minutes after Finn’s departure, but Iris didn’t drink a sip. She was too keyed up. Her lips had barely brushed Finn’s cheek, but she’d felt the rough stubble, the heat of him.

  You can wear those leggings.

  Why did she have to tell him that she didn’t have anything nice to wear? That meant she couldn’t slip out and get herself a cute dress—he expected her to look casual. Maybe it was for the best. Obsessing over her appearance had never been her favorite pastime. But sure
ly dinner with her ex-boyfriend warranted some effort.

  In the end, she braided her hair into a crown and put on a touch of mascara. She skipped blush; her cheeks were already pink enough. Her date night outfit consisted of soft gray leggings and a tunic that hugged her curves in all the right places.

  Then she checked in with Sam, who seemed to be doing better, and called the nursing home to speak with her grandpa. He was napping, so she told the nurse not to disturb him. With nothing else to do, she opened her shiny new laptop and set up all her accounts.

  At five minutes to seven, she couldn’t stand it anymore. She put on the hotel slippers, grabbed her cardigan, and padded down the hall to Finn’s room.

  He opened the door immediately and invited her in, and Iris gasped at her first sight of the scene.

  The large space served as the living area, and two doors led from it, one to the bedroom and the other to the bathroom. A blazing fireplace stood in the far corner, casting a warm glow over them. Iris stepped forward to get a better look and realized it burned gas, not wood, yet the cozy effect was in no way diminished. Finn had dimmed the lights and set up a picnic in front of the fireplace.

  Iris turned to him. He stood behind her, by the closed door, and watched her every move.

  He smiled at her. “Do you like it?”

  Iris nodded, lost for words. He was wearing a pair of soft sweatpants and a t-shirt, and his hair was still damp from the shower. He’d shaved, too. Iris wanted to run her palms over his smooth cheeks.

  “I didn’t know what you wanted to eat, so I got a bit of everything,” he said, pointing at the spread at their feet.

  Iris took a seat on one of the cushions he’d placed on the floor. “It looks amazing, Finn. Thank you for putting it together.”

  He shrugged. “It’s not exactly a Michelin-starred dinner.”

  She glanced up at him. “I didn’t want a Michelin-starred dinner.”

  “I know,” he replied with a smile. “It’s what I’ve always liked about you.”

  Iris studied the various plates and cups in front of her. There was fresh fruit, crusty bread rolls, and a cheese spread. White wine was served in stemless glasses, and sparkling water sat chilling in a silver tub filled with ice.

  “Thank you,” she said. Her voice came out low, too intimate, so she took a piece of bread and speared a pickle instead of looking at Finn. “Want to tell me about your meeting?”

  He was quiet for a moment, long enough so she couldn’t ignore the silence anymore. She glanced at him and found him staring into the fire, the light throwing shadows on his sharp profile.

  “Lena offered to buy my company,” he said at last. “And I’m going to sell it to her.”

  Iris blinked. “You will?”

  Finn seemed to snap out of it and crouched next to her. “Yeah. I’ve been thinking about it. My mom…isn’t doing well.”

  That caught her attention. “Oh no,” she said. “Is it…?”

  “Cancer. Yep.” A muscle jumped in Finn’s jaw, and he busied himself with building a sandwich.

  Iris put down her fork. Would it be too much if she hugged him? He seemed like he needed a hug. Badly.

  “Finn,” she said tentatively. “What can I do to help?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing. It’s not… They’re doing their best to keep her comfortable. I picked up some meds for her here in Lausanne before I went to visit you.”

  To keep her comfortable. Oh. That meant the treatments had failed, and Finn’s mother was dying. Iris’ heart broke for him. Losing a parent was terrible, but seeing them suffer was worse.

  “Is that why you’re selling?” she asked. Maybe she could get him talking about something else. Take his mind off his hurt.

  “I’ve been in Providence for two months now,” he told her. “And I’m in no hurry to go back to my job. I want to spend as much time with Mom as possible.”

  “And your company won’t wait?” Iris frowned. “Can’t somebody run it in your absence?”

  Finn shrugged. “Sure. But I’ve been thinking about it for a while. There’s nothing keeping me there.”

  That cleared up any questions she might have about his other relationships. Not that she thought Finn would have spent so much time and energy on her if he had a girlfriend back home. He’d never do that.

  “And Lena?” Iris bit her tongue, but the words had already left her mouth. In a hurry, she added, “Was her offer good?”

  There, that was a perfectly innocuous, professional question.

  But Finn saw right through her. His lips tipped up at the corners. “We used to date.”

  This didn’t come as a surprise to Iris. She’d felt an undercurrent of history between them at lunch, and Lena was as beautiful as Finn was handsome. Still, imagining the elegant, professional woman with Finn was torture—Lena would be much more capable of keeping up with Finn’s billionaire lifestyle than Iris was.

  Iris swallowed. “Why did you break up?” she asked, proud of herself for how calm she sounded.

  Finn’s eyes burned with a fire she remembered so well. “Because I wasn’t in love with her.”

  “Ah.” Iris’ insides unclenched, and she wanted to kick herself for feeling relief. For being irrationally jealous of Lena, who’d likely come into Finn’s life long after Iris had left him.

  “Iris…” Finn moved closer and knelt beside her.

  She stared up at him. “What are we doing, Finn?” Her heart thudded behind her ribs, and her hands ached from the strain of holding back. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold on, seek comfort and give it to him in return.

  “I want to kiss you,” he murmured, his gaze dipping to her lips. “I never should have let you go. I should have fought for you.”

  Iris exhaled, a trembling sigh tearing itself from her. Finn raised his hand to caress her cheek, and she leaned into it. His touch was so familiar, yet new.

  “Kiss me,” she whispered. “Please.”

  Finn groaned and lowered his lips to hers. With gentle pressure, he tipped her head back, his palms warm on her cheeks. He deepened the kiss, and Iris responded with all she had. She moved one hand up his arm, to his shoulder, and speared her fingers into his thick hair. Wrapped around him, she heard his every inhale, felt his racing heartbeat against her other palm as she pressed it to his chest.

  This was Finn, the first boy she’d ever kissed, the first man she’d ever loved. The only one. He was so achingly hers, yet there was a new urgency to his touch, a fresh power in his embrace.

  She gasped as he trailed hot, impatient kisses over her jaw, her neck, and held her breath when he unraveled her braid until her hair fell to her shoulders.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said, then kissed her again, as though he couldn’t get enough of her.

  Through their kisses, she tried to tell him how she’d missed him. How good it felt now to be in his arms. He must have understood, because he said her name with such reverence, her heart skipped a beat. “Iris…”

  At last, he broke away from her, breathing hard.

  She laughed, the sound a bit shaky. “Wow.” Her lips tingled, and she pressed her fingers to her mouth.

  Finn sat back and buried his face in his hands. “Give me a moment.”

  Iris flushed and busied herself with fixing her hair. Finn had done a number on it, so the elaborate crown braid was out of the question, but she pulled it back into a ponytail and hoped she looked presentable.

  Finn’s hair stuck up in odd angles where she’d messed it up. A shot of satisfaction pulsed through her at the sight: she’d left her mark on him, just as he had on her.

  Finally, he lifted his head and grinned at her. “That was even better than I imagined.”

  Iris chuckled. “So you’ve been imagining this?”

  “All the time.”

  Every trace of humor left his face, and he gazed at her with such intensity, Iris shivered.

  “Finn…”

  He closed the di
stance between them again and took her hand. “Can we just…see where this goes?” he asked. “I want you. I want to take you out on dates and do it right.”

  Iris stared into his eyes. He was offering her everything she wanted. He’d changed, and she didn’t doubt that he was serious about selling his company. But what if another business opportunity came up for him? Would he expect her to drop her life and follow him?

  “You don’t need to commit to anything just now.” He dropped her hand and moved to his cushion. “But I promise, I won’t make the same mistakes again.”

  Iris couldn’t stand being away from him anymore, not after she’d had a reminder of how great they could be together.

  She got to her feet, picked up her cushion, and carried it to his side. Then she sat next to him and made herself comfortable as his arm came around her shoulder.

  “I’d be happy to go on a date with you,” she said.

  Finn’s answering smile was gorgeous. “Thank you.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Mm, how could I say no to the man who made sure there’s hot chocolate at the picnic?”

  “This is me you’re talking about, remember?” Finn reached over for the silver pitcher filled with thick, creamy chocolate. He poured her a cup and added a fistful of tiny marshmallows. “I know the way to your heart.”

  He laughed as he said it, but at his words, a shiver ran through Iris’ body. She suspected he was right and hoped he wouldn’t break it again.

  Twelve

  Finn

  This was both the best and longest day he’d had in a very long time.

  Finn yawned, covering his mouth with his hand, then kissed the top of Iris’ head. She was nestled in the crook of his arm, covered with a blanket. Blinking sleepily at him, she smiled, and Finn’s heart swelled. She was so real, so beautiful, and she was here.