A Bad Boy for Christmas

by Jessica Lemmon

  Especially Faith.

  “I’ll be back,” she told him.

  They came apart and Connor rolled onto his back, hand resting on his chest. She kissed him lightly on the side of the mouth as he closed his eyes and tried not to think.

  But it was no use. He thought.

  He thought about how things had been with Maya when he was too young to know anything about anything. How things had been on the handful of encounters he’d had with women since. Women who knew the deal. Knew he was military and he would leave. Women who, while they cared about his general well-being, had no interest in being there for him when he came back. Women he didn’t want more from than a night, maybe a few nights. Women who didn’t want any more than that from him.

  Those relationships were nothing like the nights he’d spent with Faith.

  And when he thought about what he’d experienced overseas, what he’d experienced here during the interim, and what he’d experienced so far with the blonde about to crawl back into bed with him, he knew. This was different. What they had wasn’t something to toss to the side.

  She wasn’t someone he’d soon forget.

  Again this brought thoughts of Maya. How deeply embedded he’d been. How she’d broken him in two, both body and soul. Shattering his heart to the point he couldn’t bear to be in the same country as her, so he’d enlisted in the army. She’d betrayed him in the worst possible way.

  “All yours.” Faith gestured toward the bathroom, her long, lean body gliding across the room like she’d floated in instead.

  All mine.

  She had been through the same thing he had. No, there wasn’t a pregnancy involved, but her dipshit ex had betrayed her in the worst possible way, too. She didn’t feel the same way Connor felt about it—so lost she ran away. Instead, she’d dug in. Decided to become tough and deal with the unavoidable things right in front of her. Where he’d spent years pretending Maya didn’t exist. Prioritizing basic needs. Food, shelter, water. Fighting and defending himself from enemies who’d sooner kill him than look at him. Fearing he might die and watching his friends die. All those years spent apart from anything good and pure and whole made him an expert on what was.

  That’s why his landscaping business thrived. That’s why he knew to savor each moment. That’s why he knew what he and Faith had, and what they had wasn’t something he could find just anywhere.

  Heavy.

  He was accustomed to his thoughts being heavy in the middle of the night. But usually they were locked on a memory. Now they were locked on the woman next to him.

  “Gonna grab a bite to eat,” he told her, kissing her forehead. “Want anything?”

  “Bottomless pit.”

  In the dark, he grinned. “Sex kitten.”

  “Mmm.” Her smile faded as she breathed deep.

  Connor pulled on his jeans, made his way to the bathroom, then to the kitchen. He didn’t end up going back to bed. His mind was too full to think.

  * * *

  That next week flew. Faith and Connor with the help of Sofie and Donovan, who were back in town, finished decorating the mansion. Every square foot (all umpteen-thousand of them) was draped either in twinkle lights, pine garland, red ribbons, or mistletoe.

  Faith had gotten acquainted with the mistletoe in the dining room repeatedly. Connor grabbed her every time she passed through the doorway.

  Donny had walked in on one mistletoe kiss this morning and pointed out that “payback was hell” before walking back into the kitchen. Connor had smiled, then deepened the kiss and pressed her against the wall for good measure. Yeah, he was A-Okay with PDA.

  She tried not to question whatever this was they were exploring. She had promised to be all in, and after he’d made it clear how important that was, she refused to rethink it.

  They’d been taking turns staying at her apartment or his. Save for tonight—Friday—they’d agreed to sleep in their own beds. For one, he had his mysterious “appointment” he had not explained the origins of, and she happened to have her own appointment this evening.

  He’d kissed her good-bye at the mansion—under the mistletoe, no less—saying, “Have an errand. See you tomorrow, Cupcake.”

  Tonight was wine night with the girls. But tonight, they weren’t going to Charlie’s house with the fabulous porch or Faith’s apartment. Reason being, Gloria Shields was in town and had rented a cabin. And by “cabin,” Faith saw as she pulled into the driveway, Gloria must have meant “mansion.”

  The huge house was perched upon Peak Point, one wall completely glass, the rest of the structure concrete and modern lines. Firs, pines, and maples tucked around the house, making the glass wall almost private. A light dusting of snow had fallen today, but the brown grass poked through the meager accumulation. They’d been lucky so far. Normally, winters in the Cove were harsh, dumping inches upon inches and burying the residents in a mountain of white.

  The toy drive was next weekend, and the girls agreed, they all needed a break from the planning. Since Gloria had flown in for the occasion, they opted to get together here before the formal event.

  After everyone had arrived, Glo gave the grand tour. The spacious, clean layout on the inside was as impressive as the outside. Finishing the tour, they reconvened in the kitchen where Faith took the familiar position in front of a bottle of wine, corkscrew in hand. “Now this one,” she said, “I have been saving for a special occasion.”

  She craned an eyebrow at Gloria, handing her the floor. Glo had an impish smile on her full, red lips. The literary agent represented both tattoo artist/illustrator Evan Downey as well as rock god/writer Asher Knight and their children’s book phenomenon. Based in Chicago, Glo had clients scattered throughout the country. She had even represented Charlie a few years back when she sold a few photographs to Rolling Stone magazine.

  “Special occasion?” Sofie raised her eyebrows, propped a fist on one rounded hip, and fixed her bright green eyes on Gloria. Her eyes fettered to Faith, briefly, as if she’d been betrayed.

  “I know nothing,” Faith said as she twisted the screw. “Only that there is news.” When Glo texted her to invite her over, she’d asked her to bring a special bottle of wine for some secret, special news.

  “She’s right. I didn’t tell her details,” Glo said as the cork popped from the neck of the bottle.

  “Did you sign someone famous?” This from Charlie, who accepted her glass of wine. She looked pretty today, dressed in a thick sweater, jeans, and knee-high leather boots.

  “Ohhh, good guess.” Sofie snapped her fingers, then accepted her glass of wine. She wore a similar outfit to Charlie, save the fact her boots were black, not brown, and had heels. Impractical, but pretty. Kind of like Sofie herself. She raised her glass of red. “Cheers to signing Beyoncé!”

  Faith chuckled as she poured her own glass.

  Gloria, cheeks full of red wine swallowed and licked her lips. “Not Beyoncé, sorry.”

  “Jay Z?” Charlie guessed.

  “No,” Glo answered.

  “I think they come as a set,” Faith put in.

  “The news”—Gloria interrupted their banter, rubbing her hands together, her expression both nervous and excited—“is that the Cove is about to have a new resident.”

  “Who?” Charlie’s eyes grew wide.

  Glo raised her eyebrows.

  “You?” Charlie squealed, ran to the other side of the breakfast bar, and wrapped the other woman in her arms.

  “Oh my gosh, I am so excited!” Sofie ran over to Gloria next and threw her arms around her.

  After they let her go, Faith took her turn giving her friend a hug. Gloria wasn’t in town very often, but every time she was, the girls tried to get together with her. Glo was blunt, sassy, and downright fun to be around. She had a hard edge that Faith admired. An edge she wished she could replicate. It’d be easier to protect her heart if she had that edge. Glo was bulletproof. Enviably bulletproof.

  “What made you decide to mo
ve here?” Faith asked.

  “Well…” Gloria let go of Faith and filled her wineglass, which was not all that unfilled, and took a sip before answering.

  “Oh, should we sit?” Charlie pulled out a high-backed chair.

  Gloria gestured into the living room, filled with white and black leather furniture. “Let’s go in there. Get comfortable.” After they were settled on the cushy furniture of her rental, she continued. “I have lived in Chicago for a long time. Built my career there. Made friends”—she gestured at nothing—“you know Kimber.”

  Kimber Downey had married Evan’s oldest brother, Landon, and they had a son, Caleb. She’d crashed a wine night once before, as well as came to the charity dinner last year. Faith liked her. The redhead was spunky and sharp—no surprise she was Gloria’s bestie.

  “I travel a lot more with work than I used to,” Glo said. “Kimber is busy with the kiddo and her two stores. I want out of the city. I want to be based where I feel at home. Much as I love Chicago, it feels too busy for me lately.” She wrinkled her nose and Faith could tell she was about to be funny. “Do you think I’m getting old? Needing to settle down?”

  Sofie spoke first. “No. I think you want to be around your friends. And we are all your friends. I, for one, am thrilled beyond belief to have you here. Are you going to work out of your home?”

  “Do you have a home?” Charlie’s brow creased with concern.

  “Much as I like this place, I’m not sure it’s my style.” It was true. The place was opulent but almost in an off-putting way. “And I’m not sure the owner would go from rental to sale. But, I have been looking. I’m hoping to make a decision within the next six months.”

  “Six months?” Faith felt her eyebrows rise. “You are really doing this. You are moving to Evergreen Cove.”

  “I really am.” Gloria’s smile was genuine and relaxed. She wanted this. Good for her. Recognizing something wasn’t right was one thing. Changing it was another. Faith wondered if she wasn’t failing in those endeavors for herself.

  “Have you considered renting a storefront downtown?” Sofie asked. “I think the space for Make It an Event is open.”

  “I thought an accountant moved in there,” Charlie said.

  “He did,” Faith put in. “But only for a few months, then he left.”

  “Okay, I have sucked up enough of the attention for the evening,” the no-nonsense agent said. “Everyone tell me what you’ve been up to.”

  Charlie regaled a tale about her ten-year-old stepson, Lyon. Ten. The last few years had flown by.

  Sofie talked about the upcoming toy drive (proving herself incapable of truly taking a day off) and the very, very wealthy people who had RSVP’d. “I must have reminded Donny nine times the event is black tie. He wants to wear jeans.”

  “Of course he does.” Faith snorted. Their guys were jeans guys. All there was to it. She took a hearty sip as she realized she’d just thought of Connor as “her guy.” Hmm.

  “I can’t imagine him in a tuxedo,” Sofie said.

  “I can.” Glo trilled her tongue. But her smile was warm when she said, “You two really worked things out, didn’t you? I knew it. There’s something about him I really like.”

  “His ass?” Charlie asked wryly, and the room exploded with laughter. Since she had married Evan, her comments had become cheekier. So to speak.

  “He does have a great ass.” Sofie raised her wineglass and they drank to Donovan’s great ass.

  Glo lifted her chin. “What about you, Faith? You have been quiet this evening.”

  “She went to Thanksgiving dinner with Connor.” Sofie waggled her eyebrows, happily ratting her out.

  “Sexy military landscaper,” Gloria said with panache. “Those arms. That chest.”

  “And he’s funny,” Sofie added diplomatically.

  “Also, great ass,” Charlie lifted her glass.

  “Great ass,” the rest of them chimed in unison.

  Charlie climbed out of the chair she was lounging in. “More wine, anyone?”

  “More wine, everyone!” Sofie called after her, then pegged Faith with a meaningful stare. “So…spill.”

  Under her friends’ scrutiny, she didn’t know quite where to start. “He found out I never had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and he invited me to his parents’ house. That’s it.”

  “Never?” Glo sounded surprised. “My childhood was totally fucked up and even I had a few traditional holiday dinners.”

  “My mom and traditional don’t really go together,” Faith said. Understatement of the millennium.

  “Connor’s older sisters kidnapped her and shared a family secret of some sort.” Sofie sipped from her glass.

  “You had better spill, sister.” Gloria looked serious. Faith knew better than to challenge the raven-haired agent when she was serious.

  “Okay, fine.”

  “Wait for me!” Charlie scuttled into the living room with a fresh bottle and filled everyone’s glasses while Faith told the story of “Wishbone Attic,” then at Glo’s further prompting, she told of Michael’s break-in, Connor’s insistence to watch over her and keep her safe. How they kissed over ice cream. Then kissed in the indoor greenhouse…

  “Mm-hmm, Donovan told me he caught you guys. Serves Connor right.” Sofie chuffed. “He’s overheard plenty where Donny and I are concerned.”

  “You two still can’t keep your hands off each other,” Faith accused.

  “Me? Connor has pulled you under the mistletoe more times than I can count!”

  “So is he bossy in bed?” Glo’s smile was deviant. “Slap your ass? Order you around?”

  Faith bit her lip but couldn’t hide her smile. “No, he’s not bossy. Well, he’s kind of bossy. He wouldn’t go home.”

  “You wanted him to go home?” Charlie looked as concerned as she sounded.

  “I…” How should she put this? “I didn’t want him to go home per se, I just didn’t want to become overly reliant on him since we’re just…we’re just…” She waved a hand, trying to think of a delicate way of putting it.

  “Screwing,” Glo said. Indelicately. “Makes sense to me.” She’d put on her serious face again. “I didn’t make it a habit to cuddle with Asher after, and it’s a good thing I didn’t since he banged that skank.”

  Charlie winced.

  Glo pointed at her. “Don’t.”

  “I didn’t say anything.” But Charlie sure looked like she had something to say.

  “I know Ash and Evan are bros, and I know Ash has a story about that night, one that makes him sound like he was an innocent bystander, but you can’t tell me he didn’t take advantage of a chick crawling in his window.” Glo had gone from serious to seriously perturbed.

  Charlie pressed her lips together before murmuring, “I believe him.”

  Gloria’s frown intensified. The room was silent for a few awkward beats.

  “Sorry. We don’t have to talk about this.” Glo polished off her wine in a few generous chugs, which had to have burned her throat, then reached for the bottle and topped off her glass. “So after Connor wouldn’t leave, what happened?”

  Hoping to smooth over the previous conversation, Faith said, “He made me see stars. I mean it, entire cosmos exploded behind the lids of my eyes.”

  “Oh, that’s the best,” Sofie put in wholeheartedly. Tipsy now, her eyelids drooped to half-mast.

  Charlie sighed, the sound wistful. “I love young love.”

  Gloria wagged her finger. “You and Evan are an exception.” Before Sofie could open her mouth, Gloria turned that wagging finger at her. “And I don’t even know what to make of you and Donovan Pate. You have some sort of Fate thing going on that surpasses space and time. When are you two getting married anyway?”

  “Soon.” Sofie went a pretty shade of pink. “Probably soon.”

  “And she plans weddings now. So that’s convenient.” Faith winked and Sofie smiled at her lap. She loved how happy her friend was. Loved ho
w things had worked out for Charlie and Evan, too. But in this foursome, she definitely had more in common with hardened Gloria than her other two floating-on-air friends.

  Glo, clearly done being serious, lifted her glass. “To Connor and his massive man parts.” She cocked her head at Faith. “I assume all of his parts are massive?”

  Faith didn’t know whether it was the wine or the fact that she kind of liked being envied for her fine taste in men, but she lifted her glass in cheers and agreed, “Massive.”

  “This calls for more wine,” Charlie announced, and stood from her chair again.

  CHAPTER 16

  Connor was able to convince Jonas to come with him to the mansion instead of hanging out in his bleak apartment. The women were staying at Gloria’s rental house, so Donovan was having poker night.

  When Connor challenged him—Donovan didn’t play poker—he admitted the poker was an excuse to drink. Deck of cards optional.

  Evan had not only brought a deck of cards, but also classic poker chips. Heavy resin instead of cheap plastic, one side of each chip was engraved with—of all things—dogs playing poker.

  Jonas wore his poker face, as well as sunglasses, and lazily stroked the dog’s head. Gertie seem contented to get an ear rub, and didn’t give any of them a clue as to what was in Jonas’s hand. Shame. Connor had a lot riding on this hand.

  “Call,” Donny said, throwing in the remainder of his chips.

  Evan, who’d folded about ten minutes ago, eyed the pile representing real cash and muttered, “Damn.”

  “Me too, I’m in.” Connor chucked in the rest of his chips, figuring what the hell. At this point, he needed to see if what Jonas had in his hand outweighed Connor’s three of a kind.

  Jonas tossed his cards on the table.

  Fuck if it wasn’t a full house. A round of curse words lifted into the air.

  A horrible winner, Jonas promptly patted himself on the back while scraping his spoils to his side of the table.