Beautiful Temptation (So This is Christmas Book 2)

by Christina Lee

  “Will you listen today?” he asked in an earnest tone, and I nodded, wondering why it was important to him that I tune in to his weekly show when I didn’t know a thing about sports. But I would anyway just to hear his voice. I was definitely a goner.

  He leaned over to peck my lips, and I had the urge to pull him back in bed with me. “See you later.”

  Once I showered and dressed, I took some business calls, answered emails, and updated my social media. I had a couple of messages from skincare companies wanting to pay me as an influencer for product placement. Maybe I’d even start my own YouTube channel featuring makeup and fashion tips. Or even think more about that agency idea Tabitha mentioned. It made me hopeful I could finally put modeling behind me one way or another.

  When it was Caden’s time on air, I pulled the station up on my laptop and tried to follow the discussion about the basketball season—realization soon dawning on me how fucking smart and engaging he was with his audience. But my mind eventually wandered until I heard the words kiss cam. Huh? I turned up the volume.

  “I’ve been getting messages about what happened at a hockey game during my holiday trip to Florida,” he was saying, “and not all of them have been kind.”

  I froze in place. Why the hell hadn’t he told me? Every time I asked, he acted like all was cool, so I figured the speculation had died down.

  “And it’s been disconcerting to deal with the rumors, even though it’s really none of anybody’s business,” he added. Fucking right. Still, I couldn’t help wondering where the hell this was leading and whether he was jeopardizing his job or workplace relationships. That was always a risk even if you thought the people around you were supportive. But damn, I assumed he’d wait it out a bit more and we’d pretend to be just friends in public for a while longer.

  “So, I decided to finally put it out there because it’s hard to hide the truest parts of yourself.” I heard the catch in his voice and wanted to hit Pause, reach over the radio waves and comfort him. But before I could focus on that thought, he forged ahead, like a badass. “I’m bisexual. And I’m cool if you want to stop listening to my show because of it. I won’t try and change your mind or defend any misconceptions you might have about what my sexuality means. That’s on you. I am who I am, no different than the guy you’ve been listening to all this time. Well, maybe a little different. I’m surer of myself. More me than ever before. And that feels pretty darn good.”

  He paused, as if to let that thought settle in the listeners’ minds. Or maybe his own. My pulse was going crazy as I shifted on the couch, trying to get more comfortable.

  “Anyway, I’m dating my brother’s best friend, a guy I’ve known since grade school, the same person you saw on the video. Though at the time we really were only playing around for the camera.”

  My heartbeat thrummed in my ears, and my eyes pricked with tears. Christ, was he really doing this? I felt like I was crawling out of my goddamned skin not being able to see him and touch him right then.

  But maybe he needed to do this on his own. It was his story to tell, after all.

  “B, if you’re listening…I love you. And I’m proud to be your boyfriend.” I swiped at my eyes as the waterworks began. Holy shit. “Now let’s get back to sports.”

  I heard my phone ping with texts, and I knew it was about to become a whirlwind again, but I couldn’t move. I sat motionless, staring out at the lake, as a realization clicked solidly in my gut—I wanted to be a better person because of Caden, because of who he was and how much he believed in me. And that awareness brought a fresh round of tears dousing my cheeks.

  Our meeting over the holiday was pure happenstance, but ended up being the sweetest serendipity.

  Once I got my swirling thoughts together, I reached for my phone, knowing he was still on air and wouldn’t see my message until the end of his broadcast.

  I’m so fucking proud of you, Cady. And I love you too.

  Thank you for Reading Beautiful Temptation

  I hope you enjoyed it!

  Reviews help other readers find books. So if you feel compelled to leave a sentence or two on a retail site, I appreciate it!

  Read on to view a short excerpt from Finn and Garrett’s book, Beautiful Dreamer.

  **Make sure to join my author NEWSLETTER for a bonus scene from this series in December.

  About Christina Lee

  Once upon a time, Christina Lee lived in New York City and was a wardrobe stylist. She spent her days getting in cabs, shopping for photo shoots, eating amazing food, and drinking coffee at her favorite hangouts.

  Now she lives in the Midwest with her husband and son—her two favorite guys. She’s been a clinical social worker and a special education teacher. But it wasn't until she wrote a weekly column for the local newspaper that she realized she could turn the fairy tales inside her head into the reality of writing fiction.

  She's addicted to lip balm, coffee, and kissing. Because everything is better with kissing.

  She mostly writes MM Contemporary as well as Adult and New Adult Romance. She believes in happily-ever-afters for all, so reading and writing romance for everybody under the rainbow helps quench her soul.

  Find Christina:

  THE SWOON ROOM

  (Her Facebook Reader Group)

  INSTAGRAM

  WEBSITE

  NEWSLETTER

  Other Books by Christina Lee

  Standalones:

  A Breath Apart

  Love Me Louder

  Kickflip

  Roadmap to Your Heart series

  (A spinoff from Kickflip):

  The Darkest Flame

  The Faintest Spark

  The Deepest Blue

  The Hardest Fall

  The Sweetest Goodbye

  Under My Skin series:

  Regret

  Reawaken

  Reclaim

  Redeem

  So this is Christmas Series:

  Beautiful Dreamer

  Beautiful Temptation

  Co-written with Felice Stevens:

  Last Call (MMM)

  First Light (MM)

  Co-written with Riley Hart (AKA Nyrae Dawn):

  Free Fall series:

  TOUCH THE SKY

  CHASE THE SUN

  PAINT THE STARS

  Spinoff from Free Fall series:

  LIVING OUT LOUD

  Standalones:

  EVER AFTER: A GAY FAIRY TALE

  Forever Moore: A Gay Fairy Tale

  Of Sunlight and Stardust

  Science & Jockstraps

  M/F books that can all standalone:

  All of You

  Before You Break

  Whisper to Me

  Promise Me This

  Two of Hearts

  Three Sacred Words

  Twelve Truths and a Lie

  Have You Read Beautiful Dreamer?

  Garrett Coleman spent most of his adolescence crushing on Finn Sweeney—until that Ultimate Dream Guy image got obliterated during senior year. Garrett’s since gone out of his way to avoid the sexy ginger, instead throwing his energy behind his dance career while supporting his mother through her cancer diagnosis.

  Finn Sweeney used to think of Garrett as just his kid brother’s best friend, but after an intense exchange at a high school party, things got a little…weird. Despite that, when their two families decide to get together for the holidays for the first time in years, Finn can’t say no. But he’s fully prepared for this to be awkward as hell.

  When Finn and Garrett lay eyes on each other for the first time in their adult lives, all bets are off. Finn is completely captivated by Garrett and getting to know the man he’s become is now his top priority. Playing catch-up with Finn makes Garrett truly see him beyond the childhood fantasy he’s held onto all these years. Finn is real and vulnerable…and hot as hell.

  Garrett and Finn can’t seem to keep their hands off each other, so they decide to bury the hatchet between them for the remaind
er of the visit.

  After all, it’s only a holiday fling.

  Until it becomes something more.

  An Excerpt From Beautiful Dreamer

  Garrett

  Chapter One

  “We’re almost there,” Mom exclaimed, and I barely held back my groan. Maya and I were in the back seat, Mom and Dad in the front, and there were enough suitcases and bags surrounding us to keep us packed in like sardines. It was certainly reminiscent of the ski trips from my childhood, except now I was well out of college and could’ve driven up by myself if Mom hadn’t insisted we all arrive together at Crystal Creek near the Allegheny Mountains.

  “Oh good, maybe I’ll get some feeling back in my legs,” I griped as I sat wedged between two packages Mom swore needed to be held precisely upright so the contents wouldn’t be ruined. From the scent wafting up my nose, Mom had purchased some bakery to go along with the strong coffee she loved to serve.

  When my stomach rumbled, Maya smirked. She was always the more cheerful and optimistic one of the family but also the baby, or should I say babied. We bickered daily as kids, but now that she was in college and called frequently for updates, she’d become one of my best friends.

  “The Sweeneys probably beat us here,” Maya said, looking past Dad’s shoulder as he turned down the snow-covered street toward the chalet my best friend’s family rented. Mom and Mrs. Sweeney had been thick as thieves since they were in grade school, and bonded even more when they got pregnant with me and Rory at the same time. We’d been invited to the charming cabin getaway every year during winter break for as long as I could remember. Then our lives changed about six years ago when Mom was diagnosed with stage three non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She ran a fever for weeks, and they had tested her for everything from TB to HIV, finally settling on the right diagnosis. One that rocked our world.

  She got to ring the bell two years ago after officially completing chemotherapy, and then last month, when her annual test came back negative, we all breathed more easily.

  I’d been in my senior year of high school when we first got the earth-shattering news that the cancer was aggressive and present not only in her lymph nodes, but also in her lungs. I had basically gone off the rails, vacillating between sorrow and anger. I considered deferring college a year, but she insisted I continue with my plans. The only shard of hope I held on to my freshman and sophomore years of college was that this cancer was one of the most treatable.

  I knew how much this time together over the holidays meant to her, and I didn’t plan to take it for granted. Even if I was feeling a bit uncomfortable about the circumstances.

  Gotta bite the bullet sometime, Garrett.

  Mom adjusted the knit hat with an embroidered flower on the front that covered her short, wispy hair, which had never quite grown in as thick after chemo. Dad complimented her every chance he got, and damn, I loved him for that. He and Mrs. Sweeney had also arranged a secret vow renewal on this trip, for nostalgia’s sake — just a small private ceremony in a place my mom loved. Mrs. Sweeney had gotten ordained through an online program and would be performing the ritual in front of family and friends on Christmas night.

  It’d been hard to keep it from Mom, but no question she was going to flip—her emotions were right at the surface these days. All of ours were, to be honest. It would be everything she’d want for Christmas.

  And I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was glad for the break from my whirlwind life. I was in between productions, and the dance studio where I taught classes was on winter break as well.

  “I’m thrilled we’ll all be together again,” she said from the front seat. “Just like old times.”

  But it would be far from old times as far as I was concerned, and I felt the familiar tension as the large, wooden structure came into view with its floor-to-ceiling windows in the picturesque setting of a snowy Crystal Creek. I wasn’t that naive teen anymore. The one who crushed so hard on my best friend’s brother that I wore rose-colored glasses around him most of my life.

  The last night we ever spoke ruined all that. The summer before college.

  Mortification heated my cheeks as I recalled the incident. It made me slide even farther down in my seat.

  My gut cramped as I remembered Mom’s diagnosis for the hundredth time that week. The two beers I’d downed to try to forget threatened to crawl back up my throat. It was the weekend before my eighteenth birthday, and I’d dragged Rory to some baseball jock’s party. And though we weren’t technically invited, it was all cool because Rory was Finn’s brother—former star wrestling captain. Please. I might’ve gone regardless because I was feeling reckless tonight. Nothing seemed to matter—not final grades or my dance scholarship. Nothing. I could tell Rory was worried about me, and he stuck near me all night, watching me like a hawk. I told him to cut it out, but he pretended not to hear me.

  A dude I secretly hooked up with junior year gave me a hit of his joint, and I inhaled deeply, begging my brain to fade into oblivion. When he offered me a ride to another party in a rougher part of town, I stumbled my way to the door behind him.

  Rory pleaded with me not to go, but I wouldn’t listen to reason. “Stop this, Gar. This is not you.”

  “It is tonight,” I replied and pushed past him.

  As soon as we got to the bridge, I knew I was in over my head. Someone had lit a fire in a barrel, and the gravel was littered with empty whiskey bottles. A couple of guys were passing out drugs like they were candy. After some dude handed me a pill to swallow, I pocketed it instead, the first rational thing I’d done that night.

  I didn’t even know how I was getting home, but no way would I be calling Rory to pick me up, only to have him lecture me some more. I loved him like a brother, but he didn’t understand what the hell I was feeling. My mom had cancer, and it was very possible she would die. I reached for a cheap beer sitting in a crate, cracked the lid, and downed half of it.

  When Finn Sweeney stepped out of his truck like some knight in shining armor, I wasn’t impressed. Instead, I was pissed at Rory for calling his brother to rescue me. This might’ve not been my crowd, but no way would I be humiliated in front of them.

  Finn made eye contact with me right before placing a firm grip on my arm, and I tried to shrug him off. I knew when I was being treated like a kid, and I didn’t like it one damned bit. Didn’t matter if it was Finn or not. He could go fuck himself.

  But Finn was stronger, always had been, and his grasp tightened as he dragged me toward his truck.

  “Think you’re a tough guy?” he grunted. “I saw you pocket that Molly. Why not swallow it in front of me? I’ll wait.”

  I hesitated, feeling the smooth pill in my hoodie pocket with the edge of my fingers. I’d planned to flush it as soon as I got home. He knew I wasn’t into that shit. But I almost wanted to show him I could handle it. Be as much of a hard-ass as he always was, sliding through life with tons of friends and enough confidence to choke a horse.

  “Just as I thought. Clueless.” He spat on the ground. “Do you even know where that stuff came from? It could be dangerous.”

  “What do you care?” I glowered.

  “I don’t, you little shit,” he replied, shrugging. “I’m just doing this for Rory.”

  Fuck, that had hurt.

  “Why do you look nervous?” Maya whispered in my direction as Dad pulled into the long driveway leading to the chalet. She could always read me so well. “Is this because of the falling out between you and Finn? What happened back then, anyway?”

  I groaned. “Nothing. Like I told you, he just embarrassed me in front of friends.”

  Okay, they weren’t actually friends. But that wasn’t the point.

  “He probably doesn’t even remember,” she replied.

  “Yeah, right,” I mumbled. But I certainly did and had avoided him ever since.

  Fortunately, I rarely saw Finn again. College made life busy, as did caring for my mom as she battled cancer. I’d also had enough hook
ups to help me get over my first real crush.

  But you know what they say—you never truly forget.

  As we exited the car and I was finally able to stretch my legs, the crisp winter air filled my lungs, making me feel instantly calmer. I can do this.

  “You guys head inside. I can manage the luggage,” I said, waving off my family as Mom reached for the bakery boxes and Dad grabbed one of the heavier bags from the back seat.

  Squeals could be heard from the front stoop as Mom was greeted by her best friend. Seeing them together always warmed my heart.

  Trunk opened, I began unloading the suitcases and placing them down in the snow-covered driveway.

  “Let me give you a hand.” Rory’s voice drifted from the front porch.

  “Hey, you,” I said, patting his shoulder when he met me near the rear of the car to grab a heavy bag. Damn, I was glad to see him. His girlfriend would be joining him tomorrow, and while I really liked Kate as well, it would be cool to catch up with him before the house became too crowded. Not that we didn’t text or email most days and live in the same area of town, but time and responsibilities had a funny way of getting in the way of meaningful connection.

  My stomach tightened as I wondered if his brother, Finn, was here alone. Fuck, I wished I’d had someone to bring. But it was just my luck that it ended with the last guy over two months ago. Not that I was heartbroken about it. Still, he would’ve made a good buffer.