Laura forced herself to stay the entire day at the office. Sam hadn’t disturbed her, but then her very efficient, very observant assistant had probably seen the way Tyler had left the office. No one could possibly mistake his granite look of cold anger for anything but exactly what it was.
Now, in the cold, gray January night, with a freezing rain making everything oh so perfect, Laura climbed into the taxi.
She’d debated ignoring the key, a feat she’d found impossible as the day went on. She’d wanted to messenger the papers over to his apartment, now that she knew his address. But that’d make her truly a coward.
Telling the driver Tyler’s address, she clasped her briefcase to her with cold, stiff fingers and felt mildly nauseous as the taxi pulled into traffic. She’d brought the papers anyway. The sooner they were signed, the better all around.
The cab pulled up to the apartment building far sooner than she’d expected. Or maybe she’d been so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t realized how long it’d taken them to navigate rainy January New York traffic.
Paying the driver, Laura climbed out. Every step felt like she moved through molasses. It hurt to breathe despite the cold night air, but the weight of the papers in her briefcase felt as if they pressed heavily against her chest.
The doorman tipped his hat at her and grinned. “Good evening, Mrs. Kamari.”
Laura stumbled. How the hell did he know that? Surprised, she managed a smile and entered the building.
Her footsteps echoed along the marble tile, and though Laura didn’t see anyone else in the lobby, she felt as if everyone stared at her. The ride up to Tyler’s apartment took forever and felt as long as the thundering beat of her heart.
In front of his door, she paused again. This was it. This was the end. Oh, could she be any more melodramatic? Taking a deep breath, she rang the bell.
Maybe she should’ve stopped for a little liquid courage. No, that would’ve been a terrible idea. It wouldn’t have given her any courage, and Laura knew she’d probably chicken out.
Tyler opened the door. He stepped into the hall, forcing Laura to take a step back. The door remained partly opened behind him, but Laura didn’t care what his apartment looked like. Her entire focus rested on him.
He’d showered and looked completely refreshed. She felt an irrational stab of jealousy as she stood there feeling rumpled and exhausted. There was no trace of the cold anger from earlier, either. No, not anger.
The look he gave her was pure heat. It wrapped around her and trapped her, pulled her to him. Laura swallowed and struggled to breathe.
“You took me by surprise this morning,” he said evenly. “I didn’t expect talk of divorce or for you to say that we were lost in a holiday fling. Is that how you put it?”
Laura managed a nod. He didn’t seem inclined to let her in, instead speaking to her in the hallway like a delivery person or an unwanted guest. Exposed, and feeling even more rumpled, she cleared her throat.
“That’s what it was,” she said slowly. “I didn’t want it to be awkward; we still need to work together.”
“I don’t care about awkward,” Tyler said shortly. “If we have a job to do, we do it. We know how to be professional when we want to be.”
Laura tore her gaze from his and looked around. They were still in the hallway. Fine. If that’s how it was going to be, she could be an adult. Straightening her shoulders, she opened her briefcase and pulled out the manila folder with the papers.
“It’s probably best,” she continued in that slow, even tone, “we remain professional.” Laura absently wondered where that tone had come from but was absurdly grateful for it. The last thing she wanted was to give in to her emotions in Tyler’s hallway.
He took the folder, and she stepped back.
His hand shot out and took hers. “Wait a minute.” He waited until she nodded. “I heard what you wanted; I’m holding the papers in my hand.” His thumb caressed her knuckles, and Laura tried not to melt at that touch.
“How about hearing me out?”
Confused, she nodded. After all, she had sprung this on him. The least she could do was listen to what he had to say. Laura took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and waited. She hoped to hell her walls were thick enough to withstand this conversation.
Tyler silently tugged her into the apartment. The second she stepped over the threshold, she forgot everything.
A huge, gorgeous Christmas tree, completely decked out, sat serenely in the middle of the room. Multicolored lights winked on and off, garland glistened on the branches, and the scent of fresh pine filled the air.
Where the hell had he found a giant real Christmas tree two weeks after New Year’s?
“If you think my feelings for you were only because it was Christmas,” Tyler began in a low voice, his mouth so close to her ear she shivered, “then I’ll have Christmas every day of the year.”
Her heart flipped. Those walls she’d worked so hard to shore up vanished. Laura couldn’t move. Or was she trembling? Turning, she looked up at him, stunned, her mouth unattractively agape, but she couldn’t seem to close it.
“I don’t want a divorce.” He tossed the papers aside without looking. “And I hope you don’t want one, either.”
Tyler’s hands gripped her shoulders and turned her to fully face him. His eyes were intense, his entire being taut with tension, but his fingers were gentle on her shoulders, his thumbs slowly caressing the sides of her neck.
“What is this really about, Laura?” he asked quietly. “You don’t strike me as a woman to doubt herself this intensely.”
She almost laughed at that, but couldn’t seem to do more than stare up at Tyler. Doubt herself? In every aspect of her life except work, that was all she did. In work, however, she was confident and sure. And that was all Tyler had ever seen in her, her work.
Swallowing heavily, she answered as honestly as she could. “You deserve better,” she admitted.
A flash of anger darkened his eyes, and his hands tightened on her shoulders. Not painfully so, but clearly in reaction to her words. “And what do you think is better?” he demanded. “Because I don’t see anyone out there who could possibly be better.”
“What about Amy Dunbar?” The question slipped out and Laura wanted to snatch it back then bite her tongue off.
“Who?” Tyler asked and there was no earthly way he could hide the pure confusion on his face, in his voice.
Oh. Damn. “Amy Dunbar,” Laura repeated slowly. “Jacob’s assistant at Gideon International. She said she was with you at Thanksgiving.”
Still frowning, he said slowly, “I was at a Gideon holiday party around Thanksgiving,” he admitted. “I remember you being invited, too, but you didn’t show. The one over at Clouds at the Gideon Manhattan.”
He frowned again then shook his head. “There were a few women who spoke to me, but I paid them no mind.”
Laura forgot how to breathe. The intensity with which he looked at her not only stole her breath but burned away all remaining questions about Amy. Clearly the woman lied—or immensely exaggerated the truth of their meeting.
Doubts pounded through her. Laura wanted to fidget, to shift in his grasp, to shift from his touch. Her fingers tangled together, and only then did she look down. She still held her briefcase in her gloved hands.
With a gentleness that belied his previous angry words, Tyler’s long fingers slipped around hers and took her briefcase from her grasp. He tossed it aside, but Laura didn’t bother to see where it landed.
“There are women who’d be more suited to you,” she whispered. Clearing her throat, with her hands tightly clasped together, she raised her gaze to his.
“What?” he asked, clearly confused. “Women with darker skin?”
“No!” she shot back. That had never even occurred to her. Tyler came from a mixed background, but his heritage meant nothing to her. Only he did. “I meant skinnier!” she told him harshly, as if it were obvious and he should’ve f
igured it out eons ago. Which, frankly, she thought he should’ve. “Prettier!”
Tyler shook his head and blinked. Laura clearly saw that that hadn’t occurred to him. She didn’t understand why; it was so, so obvious to her.
He moved slowly, as if afraid of scaring her away. His hands slipped around her waist, up her back. He leaned over, his mouth inches from hers. “There’s no one who’s more beautiful to me than you.” Tyler shook his head and she saw him grin. “We both have our insecurities, apparently. But they can’t be a reason why we can’t have happiness with each other. I love you just as you are.”
Laura’s heart flipped and her stomach swooped at his words. Then he pressed his mouth to hers.
“Every bit of you drives me crazy,” Tyler said against her lips.
She took in a deep breath and tried to find her logic, her slow step-by-step logic, but that had vanished the moment she’d taken his hand and they’d gone ice skating.
“Will you stay with me?” he asked, still barely brushing his lips against hers.
Laura barely heard him over the pounding of her heart. She couldn’t find words, couldn’t make her throat work over the lump of happiness in her throat. All she could do was nod. Nod and kiss him.
She breathed out a sigh against his lips and held him close, deepening the kiss. Laura didn’t have an answer for him, but then she didn’t know if she had the mental capacity to think it all through logically.
All she knew was Tyler’s mouth on hers, the press of his body through her layers of clothing. And then his hands moved to her coat, his fingers slipping the buttons free one by one until the wool fell to the floor. Laura didn’t care and yanked off her gloves.
“Missed you,” she confessed.
“Laura,” he breathed against her throat, his fingers now working on her blouse. “Never do this to me again.”
Laura nodded, unable not to; she’d agree to anything just then. She worked on the buttons of his shirt, suddenly desperate to feel his skin beneath her touch. Shoving it off his shoulders, Laura let the material fall to the floor and kissed down his chest. He tasted just as she remembered.
Something deep inside her snapped. Tyler was right, he did want her. They’d made love so often during the near month they’d been together. How could he have faked that want? And how could she have forgotten it?
Shoving all her doubts away, Laura stepped back, took his hand. She couldn’t believe how easily she melted under his gaze, more how much she wanted him. She looked up at him, the way his blue eyes darkened, the way the Christmas lights flashed over his skin. All right, so they had tons and tons to talk about. And so she wasn’t quite over her doubts.
Laura knew one thing in this moment, and that was that she loved this man. Okay, two things: She wanted him. Badly. It beat through her, a desperate throb that heated her blood.
Pulling him around the tree, she pushed him onto the couch. Before he said a word, she unbuttoned her skirt and let it drop to the floor, then stepped out of her panties. Tyler’s gaze followed her movements. His hands fisted on the couch but his gaze lingered on her body.
Hungry. Hungry and hot and if that didn’t tell her how much he wanted her, Laura would have to be blind.
She straddled him, her mouth hard on his, and rocked against his hard cock. She felt him groan, the sound a spear of lust that had her grinding her hips harder against him. Tyler cupped her breasts, his fingers rolling her already aching nipples. Laura arched back, her orgasm curling tighter and tighter within her.
Fumbling with his trousers, she shoved them down, pushing his boxer briefs with them. She wanted to feel his body against hers, feel him moving within her.
“Wait,” Tyler said and she whimpered.
“Tyler,” she breathed against his mouth, still rocking against his cock. Each movement sent sparks along her skin, anticipation winding through her until she thought she’d come from this alone.
He slipped on a condom, and Laura took hold of his cock, guiding him into her. The instant he was seated in her body, Laura sighed his name. Or whimpered it.
Then she moved. It was perfect and it was messy. She couldn’t kiss enough of him, couldn’t touch enough of him, but didn’t want to move. Only wanted to feel him stretching her, wanted his hands on her body, stroking and caressing.
His lips closed over one nipple, and Laura moved faster. Her hand slipped between their bodies, only to feel his long fingers wind around hers. Together they stroked her. His teeth closed over her nipple, their fingers on her clit, and suddenly she came.
Laura rocked her hips against his, drawing out her orgasm, gasping for breath. Tyler’s hands flexed on her hips, his thrusts more erratic. He kissed up her chest, along her shoulder, moving harder and faster. Bursts of pleasure sparked over her skin and she shuddered again. Suddenly his teeth clamped on her shoulder and she felt him shudder out his release.
She dropped her head to the crook of his neck and breathed him in, her hips still rocking against his. Laura wanted this to go on forever, this imperfect embrace with the man she loved.
Lifting her head just slightly, she looked into his gaze. One hand cupped his cheek and she gently kissed him. Words tumbled in her brain, but they seemed clichéd and corny compared to the emotion bubbling within her.
Finally, finally she moved; she had vague ideas about getting up, moving. Tyler’s hands held her still. Laura smiled down at him, her heart thudding in sated arousal and the thick warmth of love.
“Laura.” Tyler stopped and shook his head, shifting their positions until they lay on the couch. She lay half over him, his hands warm and gentle on her back, his heart a soothing beat beneath her ear.
“Please don’t doubt us,” he whispered against the top of her head, his hands still moving in their slow caress over her body. “There are times in life when you just know, right away. It might seem crazy and illogical, and you might not have enough graphs and reports, or charts on it, but it is right.”
Laura pressed a kiss to his chest and leaned up to see him. “It hardly feels real,” she admitted.
Taking a deep breath, she hesitated but needed to say this. Right now, it was the most important thing she could say. “I don’t know how I fell in love with you so completely, but I did.”
Tyler grinned at her, that slow wicked grin that spiked heat and need through her and was illegal the world over. His hands moved to her hips, shifting her until she lay over him. “Because I’m such a charming guy,” he said in that voice that dripped with need. And with love, she realized, and she wondered how she could’ve doubted that.
He pressed his lips to hers and added softly, “Your charming guy.”
Deepening the kiss slightly, she pulled back. Tyler took her hand, his long fingers playing with her wedding band.
“We should probably do this again,” he said, looking directly at her. “So you know it’s real.”
Eyes wide, she stared at him. “My parents,” she said on a breath of shock. Once more, she’d forgotten about them.
Tyler’s free hand cupped the back of her head and brought her down for another kiss. She’d think about her parents after tonight.
Epilogue
One year later
Smiling widely, Laura walked into the suite she’d shared with Tyler last Christmas. She didn’t know how he’d managed to secure it during the Christmas holidays, but didn’t care. Probably a bit of Cynthia magic, now that she’d found out about the matchmaking conspiracy.
It didn’t matter; the rooms were just as she remembered. She smiled as Tyler’s laugh echoed from the doorway where he spoke with the bellman, but Laura’s eyes were drawn to the dining table by the windows. A brightly wrapped package sat in the center.
Quickly crossing the room, she looked over her shoulder to where Tyler and the other man continued to speak and picked up the card on the package. It simply said “Laura.” Tearing open the wrapping paper, and wondering what present Tyler had smuggled into their room, she opened
the box and stopped, stunned.
A pair of tickets to the sleigh ride, reservations to Clyde’s for Christmas Eve and to Horatio’s for Christmas brunch, suggestions for dessert (the bakery in town, By the Fire) and to the ice skating rink. And a note from Cynthia, Sabrina’s assistant—and her errant matchmaker.
Laura,
Here are the reservations and tickets, and everything you need for a magical Christmas holiday. On the coffee table, you’ll find a box of your favorite hot chocolate from Switzerland. I hope you enjoy!
And a solemn promise I’ll never put you in one of my betting pools. Now that is a gift to remember. And thank you. Thank you for setting me up with my own Christmas beau. I guess turnaround really is fair play.
Merry Christmas and all the best,
Cynthia (and Max)
Laura laughed and rested her hand lightly on her baby bump. Tyler came up behind her and looked at the note over her shoulder, his own hands resting on her belly, and chuckled. His breath brushed over the side of her neck and she shivered.
Angling her head just enough to kiss his jaw, Laura turned to look at him. “You’re a sneaky one, Tyler Kamari. I mean, really.” She shook her head, but couldn’t stop the smile. “I should’ve guessed last year you had a fairy god-matchmaker.”
He just grinned happily at her, completely unrepentant. “If I told you, what fun would it have been?” His hands slipped up from her belly to her face, cupping her cheeks gently. “I almost got caught a couple times. I just knew what I wanted.”
Slipping her hands around his neck, she pulled him closer. “I know what I want now,” she said invitingly and brushed her lips along his cheek. “And we only have a couple days here; everyone wants us home for New Year’s.”
In fact, her parents and Tyler’s family had got on extremely well once they’d confessed what they’d done last Christmas. It was scary how well their families had all embraced the whirlwind courtship and the wedding none of them had been invited to. Or how well they’d embraced it once Laura and Tyler told them they got to plan the next one.
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