A Christmas Charade

by Jodi Olson

  Only two more days until Christmas Eve and Jillian still hadn’t gotten anything for Nick. They usually exchanged gifts the day before Christmas because Nick was normally on-call at the hospital. The other doctors had families, so Nick volunteered to work.

  Maybe she’d get him that new mystery book he mentioned wanting.

  *****

  Jillian spent the entire day shopping for gifts. She ended up buying him several books about a doctor who solved mysteries. She hoped he’d enjoy them.

  Later that evening, she wrapped Nick’s gifts while watching one of her favorite Christmas cartoons. Nick said the Grinch was his favorite, too. They seemed to have so much in common. By nine o’clock she was beat, so she went to bed, deciding to read a bit. She glanced out the window and saw Nick’s car wasn’t in the driveway.

  After reading for a while, she got up to use the bathroom. She peeked out the window one last time in search of Nick’s car. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she saw him pull into the driveway, get out, and walk to his door. When she went over for dinner and their gift exchange tomorrow, she’d ask him why he got home so late tonight. That reminded her about the ring she still had, so she got it and set it next to his gifts.

  *****

  Nick was beat when he got home. It had been a long surgery day, and on the way home he stopped at the mall to buy Jillian’s gift. Knowing her the way he did, she’d have something for him. He wasn’t about to not have a present for her. It was like this every Christmas with them.

  The mall had been crowded; he should have known better than wait until the last minute. First thing he did was stop at the bookstore and picked out five of the newest best selling romances. He hoped Jillian didn’t have them already.

  While walking through the mall, he spotted a table where some ladies were wrapping gifts for donations so he waited in line for that. He saw a jewelry store and he stopped to browse their glass cases hoping something would catch his eye. He had no idea what else to get her.

  Nick was looking in the ring case when it hit him. He knew exactly what to get her. The heart shaped diamond was perfect. The charade had been over for a couple of days, but now he realized he wanted to make it real. He wanted Jillian in his life forever, as my real wife, no more pretending. He loved everything about her, from her pretty smile to her silly jokes. He was a real jerk for not saying anything back to her when she whispered those three special words after they’d made love. He prayed it wasn’t too late to tell her that he loved her just as much.

  Nick paid for the ring and quickly left the mall. After the special dinner he would make for her, he’d have her to open her gifts, than he’d ask her to marry him. Sleep wouldn’t come easy for him tonight but in the end, it would all be worth it if she said yes.

  *****

  Nick should have told Jillian he wasn’t cooking the Christmas Eve dinner. She was the better cook, but it was a good thing she wasn’t fussy about her food. With the ham in the oven, he didn’t have much else to do for the next hour. His nerves were on edge; Jillian would be there at any moment and everything had to be perfect.

  The radio was playing Christmas music in the background and Nick didn’t hear Jillian call out to him at first; his mind was elsewhere. He turned, and for a few moments, all he could do was stare at her. She wore a red dress that hugged her beautiful curves, her shoulders were bare and she wore no jewelry. In her hands she carried a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies, his favorite. She knew the way to his heart.

  He took the plate out of her hands and placed it on the bar next to him. “These smell so good. I’ve had a craving lately for your cookies, Jillian.”

  “It was only week ago you had them.” She punched his arm, “Remember, I brought them over then you took me to bed?”

  “Yes, I remember those cute little noises you made too,” he laughed when she acted shocked.

  Jillian remembered the ring and handed it back to him. “Uh-I thought you should have this back Nick. Thanks again for everything.”

  “The ring belonged to my mother.”

  “It’s a beautiful ring.”

  During dinner Nick kept the conversation light, and after, Jillian helped him with the dishes. Once the kitchen was clean, they moved to the living room and sat on the couch. He took Jillian’s hands in his. “Jillian, what would you say if told you I wanted to make it real, no more charades, no more lies. I want to marry you as soon as possible.” He paused and took a deep breath, “I love you Jillian Marshall and I was an ass not to tell you back at the condo when I should have.”

  “Oh Nick, I love you with all my heart, and yes I’ll marry you. What a wonderful Christmas this turned out to be. I’m so thankful to have you in my life.”

  Nick picked up the small box from the coffee table and handed it to her. “Merry Christmas,,” he watched her open up the box and heard her gasp., “Do you like it honey?”

  “I love it, Nick, it’s so beautiful. Can you put it on me please? My hands are shaking.”

  Slipping it on her finger, he took her into his arms and kissed her with all the passion in his heart. Drawing away from her lips, he proposed.” Would a week be too soon to become a doctor’s wife?”

  “No Nick, it’s perfect.”

  END

  About the Author

  Jodi Olson has been an avid reader of romances since the age of 14, cowboys being a favorite subject. Taking her love of romantic westerns and cowboys to the next level, she crafts her own short stories featuring the themes, and cowboys, she loves. She has expanded her writing to include sensual multiple partner stories.

  You can contact Jodi at the locations below:

  www.myspace.com/jodiolson

  http://sites.google.com/site/jodiolsonseroticbooks

  groups.yahoo.com/group/JodiOlsonseroticranch

  Other Erotic Romances By Jodi Olson

  Raining on Sunday

  Amelia lost her husband and was now in danger of losing her dream house. The constant rain drenched her, washing away her tears…and hope. Could the answer to her problems lay in becoming the sex slave to the two handsome builders of her dream home? Mike and Kevin could only hope her answer would be “yes.”

  Sinful Delights

  Jenna Mills was forty-two years old—divorced—and seeking solace and a new life in her new candy shoppe, Sinful Delights. She wanted to put her ex, Ted, and her mother behind her, along with their incessant nagging comments about her weight and clothes. When she hires sexy, younger man Kevin, to renovate her shop she cooks up more than penis and tittie-shaped pastries. Will this young hunk make the curvy, older woman melt like the erotic chocolates in her shop? It’s a sweet, and sexy, time at Sinful Delights. Note: Sinful Delights is the sequel to Jodi Olson’s popular Raining on Sunday.

  Naughty Whispers

  What’s a girl to do when she’s got two hot men, willing, able and more than ready to take care of her needs? Gina had almost everything she could ever want: a college degree, money, and a new business - everything except the love of a man; let alone two men. Hudson and Grant, her brother’s best friends, were back in her life. Could they be the ones to accept the challenge?

  Breathless Whispers

  Greg Logan and Chase Stevens had a lot in common, especially their desire for Lacey McKenna. But how is a girl to decide, when she’s courted by two hunks? Can she have her cake – two helpings, it seems – and eat it too? Breathless Whispers is the sexy sequel to Jodi Olson’s Naughty Whispers.

  Hunter’s Possession

  When Travis Hunter dies, his Will brings together his long-lost sons Ryan and Adam, and Travis’s beautiful young widow Brooke. How will they divide Travis’s legacy, the Triple-H ranch? And who will claim the richest prize of all, the ravishing Brooke Hunter? Can they have it all?

  Getting Wild

  Neal Riley gets more then he bargains for when he takes a leave of absence from his job to tend bar for his brother at The Swollen Pussy Club. His life is turned upside down wh
en librarian and would-be erotic novelist Jennifer Logan, takes a job as a stripper to – “research” – her next book. Jennifer’s ex-boyfriend Steve, and hostile erotic dancer Cameo, bring danger to the mix and threaten Neal and Jennifer’s on-again-off-again torrid romance. Only time will tell if her research will bring more than just a great story for her book – and a happy-ever-after ending for herself?

  Seduction - The Riley Way

  Nicole Champagne isn’t bubbly. She’s down and out: locked out of her apartment, out of a job, and definitely down on her ex-boyfriend, Chaz. The light at the end of her tunnel is the neon sign for the Swollen Pussy Club. Can a gentleman’s club, and its hunky owner Nathan Riley be the answer to her prayers? Seduction – The Riley Way is the sequel to Jodi Olson’s erotic romantic romp, Getting Wild.

  Madame Bree and the Sheriff

  Sheriff Caleb Dalton has everything under control in his sleepy western town. Well, everything except renegade Blake Tanner-and Caleb’s yearning for local brothel owner Madame Bree-and one troublesome goat. It’s always romance and mayhem with Madame Bree and the Sheriff.

  Playing House

  What would a woman do to get her inheritance, especially if it required she have a husband? Could she rope the nearest cowboy; and if she caught him…what would she do with him? Kathryn gets more than she bargained for when she starts…PLAYING HOUSE.

  Storm’s Obsession

  The Mexican sun heats up an old love when Private Investigator Storm Mathews takes a divorce case at a Cancun resort. The sleuth digs up a disturbing clue when he discovers that his target’s BFF on this trip is his old flame Kitty. Will the resulting Storm be a tempest, or a drizzle? And will Kitty be the cat who lands on her feet, or gets swept off them?

  A Christmas Wish

  Spencer Martin was a workaholic who hated Christmas ever since his girlfriend was killed on that day five years ago. When Spencer’s sister invites him to spend Christmas with her the idea of a ‘family’ Christmas doesn’t sit well with him. But he has a change of heart when he hears that his first love, Maggie Sinclair, would be there. Maggie loved Christmas, from her snowman decorations to baking cookies for her elementary class and everything in between. Could Maggie make Spencer love Christmas again? Could she make him fall in love again?

  A Christmas Charade

  Jillian Marshall was dreading her ten-year high school reunion. She’d told catty classmate Regan Walters that she was married to the top heart surgeon in San Francisco. Now…could she persuade hunky doctor Christian St. Nicholas to attend the reunion? As the husband she didn’t have? Was it going to be the best Christmas ever – or A Christmas Charade?

  Claiming Lauren

  After ditching her ex, Lauren Chandler heads back home. She'd left ten years earlier, unable to face her desire to be with both Luke and Max. She was ready now, if Luke Parker and his friend Max were still there—and willing. Luke had moved on, finding fame as a bronc rider and horse breeder, but now the time was right for him to begin, Claiming Lauren.

  Now in print from Romance Divine LLC.

  Tempting Pleasures

  ISBN: 978-1-934446-48-5

  by Jodi Olson

  Tempting Pleasures is the first erotic romance short story collection by romance author Jodi Olson. Jodi has sold thousands of e-books, and this anthology contains the sexy short stories that have delighted her legion of fans and readers.

  Naughty Whispers, her best-selling threesome erotic romance, rose to number six on the AllRomanceeBooks.com Top 10 Best Seller list.

  Storm's Obsession was number one, and Seduction - The Riley Way was number two on the All Romance E-Books Reader Rated Top 10 list. Getting Wild was number four on the AllRomanceeBooks.com Reader Rated Top 10 list.

  In addition to those short stories, Tempting Pleasures also includes the sexy romance Playing House and the hot multiple partner threesomes: Hunter's Possession, Raining On Sunday, and Breathless Whispers, the sequel to her best-selling work, Naughty Whispers.

  Tempting Pleasures contains over three hundred pages of hot couples and sexy threesomes, eight stories in all. Open the pages - and let yourself be tempted.

  Sensuous Pleasures

  ISBN: 978-1-934446-87-4

  by Jodi Olson

  From Romance Divine best-selling author Jodi Olson come three complete romance novellas. Claiming Lauren is an erotic multiple partner tale that remained on the BookStrand ‘Featured Title’ list for over six weeks and also made the All Romance E-Books ‘What’s Hot’ list. Madame Bree and the Sheriff is a sexy, and often humorous, western romance. The spicy Sinful Delights simmers as a sensual story of a Rubenesque older woman and a younger man.

  Madame Bree and the Sheriff: Sheriff Caleb Dalton has everything under control in his sleepy western town. Well, everything except renegade Blake Tanner-and Caleb’s yearning for local brothel owner Madame Bree…and one troublesome goat! It’s always romance and mayhem with Madame Bree and the Sheriff.

  Sinful Delights: Jenna Mills was forty-two years old—divorced—and seeking solace and a new life in her new candy shoppe, Sinful Delights. She wanted to put her ex, Ted, and her mother behind her, along with their incessant nagging comments about her weight and clothes. When she hires sexy, younger man Kevin, to renovate her shop she cooks up more than penis and tittie-shaped pastries. Will this young hunk make the curvy, older woman melt like the erotic chocolates in her shop? It’s a sweet, and sexy, time at Sinful Delights. Note: Sinful Delights is the sequel to Jodi Olson’s popular Raining on Sunday.

  Claiming Lauren: After ditching her ex, Lauren Chandler heads back home. She'd left ten years earlier, unable to face her desire to be with both Luke and Max. She was ready now, if Luke Parker and his friend Max were still there—and willing. Luke had moved on, finding fame as a bronc rider and horse breeder, but now the time was right for him to begin, Claiming Lauren.

  Author Jodi Olson has sold thousands of e-books and this is the first time these three stories have been in print. For more romance from Jodi, check out her Tempting Pleasures, with eight stories of love and romance.

  Also Available From Romance Divine LLC

  at:

  www.romancedivine.cm

  and

  Other fine e-book and print book retailers.

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