by M. Malone
After a few more minutes feeling sorry for herself, Kay blew out a breath and wiped her eyes. As tempting as it was, she couldn’t hide back here forever. Julia would wonder where she was, and it would put a damper on the atmosphere if they were all worried about her. They’d done more than enough of that for one holiday.
She opened the door to the hallway slowly. It was empty. Thank God. She didn’t want anyone to see her with her eyes all red and puffy. She went to the bathroom and splashed water on her face, then returned to the family room.
The kids were still playing with their new toys, but the adults were trying to clean up. Mark walked around the room holding out a big black trash bag so they could all throw in the stray bits of wrapping paper.
Kay leaned down and scooped up some stray pieces near her foot. When she turned around, Julia stood next to her, holding Hope. She passed the baby to Kay.
“You look like you could do with a few baby hugs to cheer you up.”
Kay figured everyone had probably figured out what had happened by now. They’d all seen Eli kiss her and then disappear a few minutes later. It had to be obvious that she’d chased him off from his own family celebration.
“You know, Eli found a stray dog when he was a boy,” Julia commented. “He loved that thing. None of the other boys paid it any attention, but Eli spent hours finding him a bed and feeding him from his hand. He was devastated when we found out the dog had heartworms.”
“Oh no. How terrible.” Kay had never had a pet, but she’d always loved dogs. She couldn’t imagine taking care of a pet only to learn that it wouldn’t make it.
“Well, it’s not incurable, but we couldn’t have afforded those kinds of medical bills for a dog. Eli found a wealthy older couple in the church willing to take him on and pay for his treatment. I always wondered how he convinced Margie Herman to do it. She’s hardly the charitable type.” Julia made a face.
Kay smiled. Apparently Julia didn’t like everyone in town.
“My point is, when people look at Eli, they see this big, strong tough guy. A warrior. They don’t see that big heart. He’s always been willing to sacrifice for those he cares about. He wants what’s best for whoever is under his protection.” She squeezed Kay closer and whispered, “Even if he thinks the best is someone or somewhere else.”
Mark called out for Julia, so she gave Kay one last soft smile and crossed the room to where her husband stood with the rest of the family.
Hope pointed at the tree, and Kay moved a little closer so she could stare, enraptured, at the twinkling lights. As she watched her daughter’s awestruck expression, a little bit of the warmth she’d felt earlier returned, seeping through her.
Maybe his mother was right and he’d left because he thought he was protecting her. From what she didn’t know, but didn’t she owe it to herself to find out once and for all?
Hurt feelings aside, Eli had proven he wasn’t unaffected. She hadn’t imagined that kiss nor had she been the instigator. He’d kissed her. And she definitely hadn’t imagined how he’d pulled her closer. Kaylee grinned as she started making a whole new list of New Year’s resolutions.
Ridley had tried to help her get Eli alone once before but Kay hadn’t taken advantage of that situation. She hadn’t been ready to.
But now she was.
As she watched the lights twinkling on the tree, she allowed herself to feel the first stirrings of that magical, elusive emotion that her daughter was named for.
Hope.
THE END
Thank you for making this series such a success! Eli & Kay's story will release in January 2014. I plan to give a special discount to the fans who have supported the series from the beginning. You can sign up for the notification right from your e-reader.
Just click HERE.
If you missed the previous books, stay tuned for a special excerpt of Jackson & Ridley's book, One More Day. Jackson lost everything when his wife died, including his ability to love. Until his neighbor, scared and on the run, reawakens feelings he thought he'd buried years ago.
Christmas with The Alexanders was a holiday tale so the heat level was lower. So, you might need a glass of ice water before you read Jackson & Ridley's story.
Just saying…
One More Day (Jackson + Ridley)
is available now!
On the run from a murderer, Ridley Wells has nowhere else to turn. So when badboy producer Jackson Alexander mistakes her for her twin, she does something she knows is wrong.
She lies.
BUY NOW for Kindle
EXCERPT of One More Day
© October 2012 M. Malone
RIDLEY SNUGGLED DEEPER into the cushions of the couch, watching as the flickering lights from the television played over Jackson’s face. His mood had shifted toward the end of the movie and she wasn’t sure what to make of it. They’d started off laughing like hyenas and throwing popcorn at each other before they’d gotten comfortable enough to put their legs up.
She should have kept her mouth closed. All her talk about how crappy her week had been had probably made him uncomfortable. But she’d wanted to express her gratitude for everything he’d done for her today. Not just letting her stay, but listening to her talk about David and hanging out with her so she didn’t have to be alone.
She closed her eyes, helpless to resist the lure of rest after the hectic pace of traveling for the last few days. Returning to Virginia wasn’t something she’d planned on doing yet. College was supposed to be her chance to escape her past, to branch out into a world where no one knew her. A chance to redefine herself as more than just “Raina’s sister” or the girl with the bitter, chain-smoking mother who worked double shifts at the diner to keep them all fed. She’d had so many plans to make her mark on the world and be successful before she returned.
How telling that, for all her hope of being independent, the place she’d run to at the first sign of trouble was right back to her sister.
The final credits rolled and the screen went blank for a few seconds before the opening menu screen flashed. Ridley yawned so widely it felt like the sides of her face might crack. The clock on the wall to her left told her it was almost two in the morning. She thought of the soft, decadent bed upstairs in the guest room she was using and almost whimpered. It was way past time for her to go upstairs and get some sleep.
Instead she turned her head and looked at Jackson again.
He was such a puzzle. Men who looked like him weren’t nice for no reason, yet he hadn’t asked her for anything. He’d just been there when she had no one else. Why, she couldn’t even begin to guess.
His features were relaxed in sleep, the long, sharp blade of his nose more prominent now that it didn’t have to compete with his killer smile. His lashes rested against the tops of his cheekbones and she had to resist the urge to run a hand over his curly hair. It wasn’t fair that he looked so beautiful and guileless in sleep when he carried such a lethal sexiness when fully awake.
“I would say ‘penny for your thoughts’ but I have a feeling that thought would cost more than I’m worth.”
Ridley ripped her gaze from the curve of his lips up to his now wide-open eyes.
Oops.
“Hi. I was just…” She decided not to even address her blatant staring. “…wondering if I could borrow something to sleep in?”
“Sure, sure. Of course.” He got up slowly, unfolding his long legs from the couch one at a time. “Follow me. Sorry I conked out at the end there. I guess I was more tired than I thought.” He waved for her to follow him up the stairs and she did, keeping her eyes on her own feet so she couldn’t ogle the way his jeans fit him as he walked.
She was in his room before she’d realized what she’d done. “Oh, I’ll just wait out in the hall,” she stammered.
“No. Stay.” Those two simple words halted her in her tracks. He smiled a slow, sexy grin before pulling open the second drawer in his bureau. He rummaged for a while, pulling out shirts an
d then pushing them back in. “I’m trying to find one of my shorter ones so it won’t swallow you up.”
“Oh, I like them longer. It’ll hang lower and cover my legs like a nightgown.”
He stopped digging and glanced at her. Then his eyes dipped lower to take in her bare legs exposed by the mid-thigh, terry-cloth shorts she wore. “Right.”
He held out a shirt and Ridley took it carefully, making sure their fingers didn’t touch.
“Well, thanks again. Good night.” She fled the room, racing down the darkened hallway, not stopping until she reached the door of the guest room. She turned the handle and opened the door, but before she entered she looked back.
She had to.
Jackson stood in the same position next to his dresser. The heat of his gaze burned over her entire body and she shivered as her nipples peaked against her shirt. She didn’t know him well enough to interpret the look on his face but she could interpret her body’s response.
God, she wanted him.
He’d been nothing but a gentleman all day, seeing to her every need, listening to her vent and keeping her company. He hadn’t made any moves on her, hadn’t done anything suggestive or said anything provocative. Was he just being a good host and making sure she made it to her room?
Or was he imagining what she would look like when she stripped off her clothes and went to bed wearing nothing but his shirt?
* * * * *
JACKSON WASN’T SURE who moved first, but a second later he was down the hall and Ridley was in his arms. Her hair flowed over them as he held her against the wall. He buried his face in her neck and inhaled, his libido instantly going haywire at the warm, seductive scent of her skin. There were no words spoken between them, just the unspoken desires in their eyes.
I want you.
I know.
I want you, too.
When he finally anchored a hand in her hair and tilted her face up for his kiss, it was both a pain and a relief. Her lips opened under his with a breathy little moan. He would kick himself later for his angry assault on her mouth. There was no gentleness, no finesse. He held her captive against him as he took her mouth, capturing her tongue and sliding it against his own.
She was warm and soft in his arms, her breasts pressing against his chest as he held her against him. He was holding her too tightly but she didn’t push away. She clung to him, her long legs snaking around his waist to hold him in the cradle of her thighs.
“Jackson,” she pleaded.
“Hold on, baby. Just wait.”
He groaned as she arched in his arms, rubbing her core against him. She was perfect, so soft and responsive. He worked her, angling so he could rub right against her sweet spot. Damn if she didn’t catch his rhythm right away, rocking her hips up as he ground against her.
“Jackson. Please, please, please—” She broke off with a strangled cry when he slid her down so she was riding his thigh.
She went rigid in his arms before her head fell back against the wall. Her eyelids drifted down as she shuddered beneath him.
“Oh yeah, that’s it,” he whispered.
That look. Damn if she wasn’t the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen with her head thrown back, ecstasy all over her face as her most intimate muscles clenched against his thigh.
He’d be seeing that look in his dreams.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he gasped, then took her mouth in another crushing kiss, kissing her deeply until he again had to pull away just to breathe.
He ripped his mouth from hers, the sight of her swollen lips almost making him dizzy.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to do this. You need someone to lend a helping hand, not take advantage.” He pressed his forehead against hers and took a deep breath.
It should have been better when he couldn’t see the way she looked up at him, so soft and trusting. But even with his eyes closed, he could still see her face. The way she looked at him made him feel powerless. He could literally feel his self-control oozing out, drop by drop.
“Oh, that’s right. You’re supposed to stay away from me. I’m a vulture, remember?” She licked his bottom lip and he groaned.
When she kissed a trail from his jaw down to his neck, he flinched and set her down. “That was my brother talking. I know better. But that doesn’t make this a good idea.”
“You really are a nice guy, aren’t you?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” he grumbled.
“Well, the fact that you don’t seem any happier about it than I do…” She stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck, brushing her body against his, inch by inch. “…makes me feel a little better. My ego anyway.”
He stopped thinking the instant she plastered herself against him. It took a moment for him to direct enough blood to his brain to translate what she was saying.
“I’m definitely not happy about it, beautiful. I’m just trying not to be what you think I am.”
She pulled back and looked him in the eye. “Jackson—”
He cut her off before she could continue. “I have a family picnic tomorrow, so there’s going to be a lot of people around. But we always have tons of food and good music. You’re welcome to join us. I want you to make yourself at home while you’re here.”
It was asking for trouble, but he couldn’t stop himself from taking another kiss, bending her back over his arm until she was forced to cling to his shoulders to stay on her feet. Then, while she was still dazed, he turned and walked off.
There was a cold shower calling his name.
Download One More Day for Kindle now
THE ALEXANDERS SERIES
Reading Order
Book 0.5 - Teasing Trent: the prequel
Book 1 - One More Day ~ Jackson & Ridley
Book 2 - The Things I Do for You ~ Nick & Raina
Book 3 - He's the Man ~ Matt & Penny
Book 3.5 - Christmas with The Alexanders
Book 4 - All I Need is You ~ Eli & Kay (Jan' 2014)
Book 5 - Say You Will ~ Trent & Mara (May 2014)
Book 6 - Just One Thing ~ Bennett & Katie (Sept' 2014)
For sale pricing on all new Alexander books:
Just click HERE
TEASING TRENT - the PREQUEL
Free at most e-bookstores!
Ever since Mara walked into her brother's dorm room freshman year and came face to face with a shirtless Trent, she's known he was The One. She finally has a plan to get him exactly where she wants him. In her bed.
ONE MORE DAY - BOOK 1
On the run from a murderer, Ridley Wells has nowhere else to turn. So when badboy producer Jackson Alexander mistakes her for her twin, she does something she knows is wrong. She lies.
THE THINGS I DO FOR YOU - BOOK 2
Raina Winters doesn’t believe in love. There's only one thing she wants from marriage. A baby. After months of rejection, Nicholas Alexander finally has something she needs, so he offers her a deal. He’ll give her a baby if she gives him what he wants. Her.
HE'S THE MAN - BOOK 3
Matt Simmons is over Army doctors poking him until he realizes that his old babysitter, now a physical therapist, is h-o-t. Suddenly he's seeing the benefits. But Penny thinks of him as the bratty kid she used to babysit.
Suddenly he has a new mission in life…
CHRISTMAS with the ALEXANDERS - BOOK 3.5
Free at most e-bookstores!
When Kay’s car skids out of control on Christmas Eve, she’s forced to reach out to the only man she trusts to save her. Eli’s a protector, so she knows he’ll come for her, but this Christmas Kay is hoping for a little bit more.
ALL I NEED IS YOU - BOOK 4
Elliott Alexander & Kaylee Wilhelm
Coming in January 2014!
Sign up for the pre-order notification
HERE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
National Bestselling author M. Malone lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with her three favorite guys: her husband
and their two sons. She likes dramatic opera music, staid old men wearing suspenders, claw-foot bathtubs, and unexpected surprises. The thing she likes best is getting to make up stuff for a living.
She writes steamy contemporary romance and family sagas.
www.MMaloneBooks.com
For sale pricing on all new Alexander books:
Just click HERE
CHRISTMAS WITH THE ALEXANDERS
Copyright © November 2013 M. Malone
Editor: Anne Victory - Victory Editing
CrushStar Romance
An Imprint of CrushStar Multimedia LLC
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address CrushStar Romance, 2885 Sanford Ave SW #16301, Grandville, MI 49418
[1. Contemporary Romance - Fiction. 2. Holiday Romance - Fiction. 3. Coming of Age - Fiction.]
