Christmas Down Under: Six Sexy New Zealand & Australian Christmas Romances

by Rosalind James

  “Guaranteed to be a storm later.” Dominic lifted his head and sniffed the pure air. “Can’t you smell it?”

  Jilly’s pretty laugh trilled around him. “No, I can’t, but I’ll take your word for it. And yes, it would be nice to have some company.”

  Despite her laugh, he was surprised to see a tear drop from the tip of her long eyelashes. He reached out and used the pad of his thumb to wipe it from her cheek.

  “You okay?”

  She let out an unladylike sniff and wiped her hand over her eyes. “Sorry. First Christmas without my dad. I thought I’d be okay, but I guess I’m not.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about. It’s tough, isn’t it? What about your mum?”

  Jilly shook her head mutely.

  He stared over her head to the ocean and let her gather herself together.

  “I lost both my parents in the same year. It’s hard. Times like Christmas and birthdays really bring it home.”

  “Come on over later. When you’re ready.” A small smile tilted her lips. “I’ll try not to be rude to you this afternoon.’

  Dominic picked up his board, and hitched it beneath his arm. He was reluctant to go back to the cottage; he was enjoying her company. “Okay, sounds like a plan; I’ll see you later.” As he turned away, Dominic allowed himself one lingering glance at the lush curves in the white bikini.

  Yep, she’s drop dead gorgeous.

  Maybe his office rule could take a break too.

  Chapter Seven

  Jilly didn’t spend much longer on the beach before the sun got too hot. With her fair skin, she’d end up looking like a lobster. It took a while to get immersed in her book; the sight of Dominic walking away from her with the board beneath his arm, his strong muscles flexing, had set her heart in a little pitter patter, and it was hard to concentrate. Then she opened her Kindle and tried to focus on one of the romances she had downloaded. For a couple of hours she buried herself in an imaginary world, not giving any thought to Dominic or the sorting out of Dad’s stuff that waited for her back in Sydney.

  Eventually, the heat of the sun—not to mention the steamy scenes in the romance—got too much and she packed up her bag and towel. The erotic romance about a holiday fling had her thoughts heading in an inappropriate direction.

  A holiday fling? Maybe that’s what I need?

  Uh, uh. She shook her head. Not with her boss. Although it was becoming harder to reconcile the Dominic of the surf with Mr Smythe-Phillips of the office. Maybe it would help if he put a shirt on. Too much naked chest for her comfort.

  But what a gorgeous naked chest.

  Jilly grinned as she headed back to the beach house. She paused as she opened the gate to the path that led to the front door. Someone had mowed the grass and cleaned up the garden while she’d been at the beach. The cottage looked prettier with smooth, green lawn surrounding it; more like the photo in the email. The edges had been trimmed and the long grass outside the fence was neatly clipped too. She closed the gate behind her and took two steps before she stopped dead and looked around slowly, her mouth dropping open.

  Her car was gone. Jilly spun on her heel and looked back to the road; no sign of it. She climbed the steps slowly and walked along the verandah to the door and her heart lodged in her throat. The door was wide open and the key she had locked it with was in her beach bag. She put her bag on the table outside the door and poked her head inside cautiously.

  “Hello?” Her voice was husky and she cleared her throat. “Dominic? Are you inside?” Her eyes settled on the small dining table. Her car keys were sitting exactly where she had left them last night. But a small vase filled with pretty summer flowers was in the middle of the table.

  Jilly frowned and backed out through the doorway before walking to the far end of the verandah and peering around the back of the house. She let out the breath she had been holding. Her little red sedan was parked behind the shed in the longer grass. Whoever had mowed had moved her car to the back. Folding her arms, she marched along the verandah and stepped back inside.

  Thoughtful, but presumptuous.

  “Is there anybody here?” Her temper was growing by the minute. If Dominic had wanted her to move her car so he could mow, all he’d had to do was ask. God, he knew she was on the beach; he could have waited till she came back.

  How dare he just walk in, pick up her keys and move her car as though he owned the place? Well, in a way, he did. The place belonged to his family, but she was a tenant and she didn’t feel at all comfortable with him having free access to where she was staying. She was tempted to march up and front him straight away, but she’d wait until he came down later.

  Jilly picked up her Kindle, raided the fridge for a healthy snack and wandered back outside. She narrowed her eyes. In between the door and the shower halfway along the verandah, a small hammock chair hung from a hook. She walked up to it and gave it a gentle push as she looked around. She was sure that chair hadn’t been there last night when she’d had her shower. She shrugged; it looked inviting, calico macramé knots held it together and colourful cushions invited her to sink in and curl her legs up.

  Jilly backed into the hammock and sat cross-legged, testing the weight, before she leaned back against the soft cushions.

  Okay, putting up a chair like this for her to chill in, maybe she could forgive him for coming by while she was at the beach. It was thoughtful to mow the lawn and move her car so it didn’t get chipped. Maybe he was just trying to make amends for being so insistent that she move to a motel.

  Not a chance. She could see herself spending the rest of the week rocking in this chair reading. Putting one foot against the wooden rail at the edge of the verandah, she pushed hard and the hammock rocked gently from side to side.

  Bliss. Just what she needed.

  Jilly flipped open the Kindle and began to read. She took a deep breath as the sex scenes got hotter and hotter.

  Oh, my.

  She read until her eyelids began to droop, keen to keep reading as the story came to a searing climax. Finally she put her Kindle aside and snuggled into the cushions for an afternoon nap. The only problem with the hammock was it wouldn’t swing unless you pushed it but Jilly was too comfy and she closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.

  Creak, creak, creak. The gentle swinging of the hammock chair soothed her as she surfaced from the delicious realms of sleep a while later. She stretched and rubbed her eyes as the chair rocked from side to side; she’d had the most explicit dream about Dominic. A smile crossed her face; that’s what she got for reading erotic romance novels. As she came fully awake, she stiffened. The chair was swinging from side to side as someone pushed it from behind.

  God, I dream about him and he turns up.

  “Dominic?”

  No reply. The hammock swung away and she had to hang onto the side to avoid falling out.

  “That’s so not funny.” Jilly waited until the swinging slowed and putting her feet to the ground, she slid out of the chair. She really wasn’t appreciating her boss’s sense of humour. Putting her hands on her hips, she opened her mouth and stepped to the back of the chair. Goose bumps pricked her arms and the hair on the back of her neck rose as a coldness swept along the verandah.

  There was nobody there. The chair was rocking by itself. Jilly closed her mouth and put her hand on the chair to stop it swinging. Deep in thought, she walked to the end of the small porch and looked up the road. There was no sign of anyone. The sky was clouding over but the air outside was still with the expectant hush before a storm. There was no birdsong and only the sound of the gentle whoosh of the waves breaking on the sand reached her.

  It must have been the wind.

  But there is none.

  Maybe she’d done it herself as she’d been waking up?

  Jilly turned as the silence was broken by the purr of a motor and Dominic’s silver Audi cruised past. He lifted his arm in a wave but kept driving to his house further up the road.

  ##


  Dominic narrowed his eyes as he waved to Jilly. The garden around the cottage had been cleaned up and the lawn mowed.

  Nice of her to do that. He’d intended offering to do it tomorrow but she’d obviously found the old push mower in the shed while he’d been in town getting some snacks; he had a few beers in the fridge. Luckily the service station where he’d run into her last night had opened for a few hours on the public holiday, and it had been deserted today. He drove into the small covered lean to. The sky to the southwest was black with tinges of green with the promise of hail. They were in for a pearler of a storm this afternoon.

  After taking a quick shower, he grabbed the six pack of beer he’d bought and sauntered down the road. Anticipation filled him at the prospect of spending some time with Jilly.

  Maybe getting to know her a bit better. He could hear the shower running on the verandah and he looked up as he crossed the newly mown grass. A pink towel was hanging on the hook outside the door.

  Good. No funny business this afternoon. Keep it that way.

  Dominic put the beer on the table and walked down the stairs toward the back shed to see if their old boards were still in there. A grin crossed his face as Jilly’s out of tune voice followed him down the steps as she sang in the shower.

  Shake your booty? The picture that came to his mind kept the grin on his face. He’d never be able to look at Miss Henderson across the boardroom table again without thinking of her in a white bikini and shaking her booty. The hard on was swift and not unexpected. Maybe he needed another cold shower. He’d turned the water down as cold as he could after he’d got back from the beach this morning but it hadn’t damped down the desire that had heated his blood since last night.

  Opening the door of the old shed, he pushed aside the cobwebs and poked around until he came across the old kneeboards in the rafters. Still in their cloth bags and secured safely for ten years. Good on you, Derro.

  Dominic lifted the dark green board down—that one had been his favourite when he’d been learning to surf—and carried it up to the verandah; it was waxed ready to go. Strange that the wax hadn’t dried up; must have been a good brand.

  The singing had been replaced by a muttering and a strange rattling noise.

  “Jilly? Are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not. What the fu...what the heck are you playing at?”

  He hurried along the verandah to the shower. The pink towel was still hanging on the hook. “Are you still in the shower?”

  “Of course I am. Now unlock the door and stop playing silly buggers.”

  Dominic stood outside the shower and rolled his eyes. The bolt high on the outside of the shower door was drawn, effectively locking her in.

  How am I going to explain that?

  “Heh heh.” The soft chuckle came from behind him and Dominic whirled around but of course there was nobody there.

  “Stop laughing and unlock the bloody door.” Jilly was very unimpressed if the tone of her voice was any indication. He’d heard that exact tone when she’d been on the phone to the trading floor each time the share market fell.

  He reached and up and slid the bolt open. “It’s unlocked now, but Jilly, I swear I didn’t lock it.”

  “So who did?”

  “It must have jiggled its way along when you were singing?”

  Dead silence.

  “Go away, until I get out of here.” Her voice was a bit softer. “Please, just go for a walk or something.”

  The door pushed open slowly and Dominic took off back to the shed. He would do as instructed.

  Jilly’s turn to be the boss.

  Chapter Eight

  After she dried off in the bedroom, Jilly pulled on a clean pair of shorts and singlet top before she tied her purple sarong in a fancy twist around her neck so it looked like a dress. Her temper was simmering; she was fairly unimpressed with Dominic’s juvenile antics.

  What was his problem? Nice to her face, and offering to take her for a surf?

  Have a chat? Have a beer together? And then play stupid pranks on her?

  So different to her serious boss from work. She shrugged before she ran a brush though her hair and twisted it up in a clip. He could come clean about the silly practical joke and they could laugh about it. All she wanted was honesty.

  Staring at herself in the mirror, she frowned. If she was honest, she had to admit that the sight of Dominic was making her want more than that.

  She ran a smudge of lip gloss across her lips before she stepped outside. He was at the far end of the porch watching the clouds swirl above the beach. The storm was building from the south and lightning lit the late afternoon sky. He turned as she walked along the wooden floor, her bare feet silent on the timber.

  Jilly stood in front of him with her arms folded. He could talk first and explain what he was up to. He smiled but didn’t speak.

  She couldn’t help herself. “So?”

  The smile got wider and irritation buzzed through her.

  “So what?” he said. Was this guy really second-in-charge of a multi-billion dollar trading bank?

  “So what’s with the teenage boy pranks? And while I’m saying my piece, I thought you’d agreed last night to stay out of my cottage while I was here.”

  This time Dominic frowned back at her. “What do you mean? I haven’t been here today…not until now anyway. What pranks?”

  “Like mow the lawn? And move my car?” Jilly leaned back against the verandah rail while she waited for him to answer, but all she got was a shake of his head. “And push my chair?” Her voice was softer now because she knew he couldn’t have done that. He’d driven past a few seconds later.

  He seemed to be thinking for a moment and Jilly narrowed her eyes waiting for his latest excuse.

  “No. I’ve been in town.”

  “So who mowed the lawn?”

  He shrugged. “My aunt organizes the upkeep of the place. The handyman must have come while we were at the beach.”

  “On Christmas Day?”

  He shrugged. “This is the north coast, not the city.”

  Her temper eased a little. “So you didn’t move my car and leave the house door open?”

  “No. I didn’t and I wouldn’t do that without checking with you.” He smiled at her and the crinkles around his eyes made him look even sexier.

  “Okay then…and you say the shower locked itself.” Just as well he’d been here to get her out because there was no one else within calling distance and she would have been stuck in there.

  “I’ll have to prop it open next time I have a shower.”

  “I can hang around if you want to lock it.” Dominic ran his hand through his hair and stared at her. Jilly’s gaze dropped to his lips and a warm tremor ran though her as she remembered the dream she’d had about him. Followed instantly by heat flooding her cheeks.

  He screwed his face up into a strange expression, opened his mouth, shook his head and then closed his mouth again. Jilly had never seen this confident man at a loss before. Finally he ran his hand through his hair. “You can’t stay here. I’m not going to say anymore because I don’t want you to think I’m bat shit crazy but...”

  She waited for him to finish but Dominic held out his hand. “Come on. That beer’s getting warm. We are going to have a Christmas drink and you can tell me a bit about yourself. Why you came up here for a holiday.”

  Jilly hesitated and then reached out and took his hand. Pleasant warmth tingled up her arm, and headed south as he led her to the outdoor table and pulled out the chair. He popped the top of a beer and passed it to her and she tipped it to her mouth, appreciating the cold liquid. The beer soothed her parched throat but the effect of one drink zinged thought her whole body. She peeped from beneath half-closed lids as Dominic lifted his bottle but he was looking at her. His gaze travelled slowly over her bare shoulders, down to the knot where her sarong was tied. It had been a long time since anyone had looked at her like that and a small thrill ran th
rough her. She took another sip of beer; she needed to do something to ignore the rapid beat of her heat. She knew a flirtatious look; it might have been a long time between drinks but she could read his mind.

  “Not quite the Hilton where the firm held the Christmas drinks.” He smiled as she leaned back on the padded vinyl chair that was beneath the scarred wooden table. “I didn’t see you there?”

  A bolt of grief shot up from her chest and lodged in her throat. Jilly looked down at the table. The pre-Christmas function had been the same day as Dad’s funeral. The girls couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t go, but she’d told no one about her Dad until she’d come back to work the day after the funeral. Finally she lifted her head. “I was at a …a funeral. I wasn’t being anti-social.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  She lifted her head and he was looking curiously at her.

  “You didn’t miss much. A lot of silliness, too much drinking and some sore heads the next day.”

  “I heard how Shaz got Mr Burns up on the dance floor.’ She let out a little giggle. “Apparently he can tango with the best of them.”

  The lump in her threat eased as a sexy smile crossed Dominic’s face. “The rose she put between his teeth was a nice touch.”

  “She’s a mad character. Lightens the place up, doesn’t she?” She was a good friend to Jilly, but despite that, Jilly didn’t share much personal stuff with any of her work friends.

  “She is. I often wonder why people let their hair down at work functions.”

  Jilly shrugged. “I know what you mean. Everyone is formal and on their best behaviour all year, and one night in the festive season can bring it all undone.” She smiled at him ruefully. “And there speaks the voice of experience.”

  It was at last year’s Christmas party that she’d met Phil’s wife. That had been the last social work do she’d been to.

  “You too?” Sympathy filled his expression. “I learned very early that work and pleasure don’t mix.” This time his laugh was rueful. “About ten years back, in my first position as a trader at the Federal Bank, I discovered too late that the lady who had me bailed up under the mistletoe was the Chairman’s wife.”