A Christmas Kiss: BWWM Interracial Romance (Holiday Happiness Book 1)
Page 7
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
He straightened. “Another hot bath?”
She laughed, picked up his shirt, and put it on. “Maybe…we’ll see.”
As she got off the bed and padded off, Cole found himself smiling. He could get used to her presence pretty quickly. It was good to wake up next to a woman he loved and admired. And she was a delight.
Lost as he was in his daydreams, her piercing scream brought him out of his reverie, and he ran full speed towards the bathroom. She wasn’t there. Another scream sounded. He lunged towards the kitchen and was horrified when he saw his ex-fiancée holding a knife that was directed towards Lexi. A coldness hit him at his core.
He simply couldn’t let anything happen to Lexi. Cole walked slowly, purposefully. “Arianna! You don’t want to do this.”
“This bitch took my place.”
“You left me,” he reminded her. Cole could hear his heart pounding as he made his way towards the two women. The knife was short and blunt, but if driven into a body with enough force, it could do a lot of damage. The idea of Lexi getting hurt filled him with fear. But he willed himself to remain calm.
“Let’s talk,” he told his ex-fiancée. How could he have planned to spend his life with someone who was so unstable? But this wasn’t the time to wonder about his past mistakes. He would do anything to make sure Lexi didn’t get hurt. “Come on. We’ll talk. Just the two of us. Put that down.”
Much to his relief, Arianna took a step back from Lexi. Her hand trembled as she put the knife down on the table. “I didn’t mean anything.” Her lower lip quivered and tears sprouted from her eyes. They were her favorite weapon. She could turn on the tap at the drop of a hat. Crocodile tears! Why hadn’t he realized that before?
He strode over and stood in front of Arianna. “Let’s go in the living room.”
“Once upon a time, all you wanted to do was take me in the bedroom.” She sniffed. “And now you’ve got this bitch installed in there. She ruined our wedding so that she can take my place.”
Was she suffering from amnesia? How could she say something like that? She left him at the altar. He didn’t see her for months after that and yet, here she was, acting as if she was the injured party. He considered calling the police. He would have to do so at some point. This had gone on for too long. He could forget the intrusion in his house and the pain she’d caused him, but he couldn’t risk her threatening Lexi. And this was the second time she’d done so. She hadn’t admitted it yet, but her presence here today and what she’d done to Lexi confirmed that she was the one who vandalized Lexi’s home. And that was nothing short of an attack.
“I’ll go inside,” said Lexi. Clearly, she didn’t lose her mind in a crisis. Their best hope was to calm Arianna down and send her out. Later, they could complain to the police. He and Lexi would have to get a restraining order against her.
Cole picked up the knife and put it inside a cabinet. He touched Arianna’s arm. “Let’s go in the living room.”
Without warning, she lunged at Lexi and began to claw at her with her fingernails. Her fingers speared through her hair and pulled. Lexi screamed. She grabbed Arianna around her waist and hurled her off. Cole stood between the two women. Enough was enough! He could see blood streaming down a shallow cut on Lexi’s arm where she got scratched.
“Get out of my house now!” he ordered. If Arianna wasn’t a woman, he would have beaten her black and blue for touching Lexi. Rage coursed through his veins. “Or else I’ll call the police.”
“Fine,” she huffed. “I’m going.”
And then picking up a saucepan, she hurled it towards his head. Cole moved his arm but he was too slow. The pan hit his head. A cloak of darkness seemed to shroud him for a few seconds. And then he felt it. The pain. He swayed on his feet. Even then, he made sure that he remained between the two women. Lexi moved to hold him while Arianna ran for the door. She opened it, sprinted out, and slammed the door behind her.
Cole leaned against the counter.. At least, Lexi was safe.
“Oh my God! You’re bleeding,” her voice quivered as she touched his head in a gentle manner. “Let me call an ambulance.”
“I’m fine.” He grabbed her arm before she could get up. “Really, I…” Whatever he was about to say was cut off when he passed out.
****
When Cole opened his eyes, he could see a whitewash wall. It took him a few seconds to realize that it wasn’t a wall but rather the ceiling of an ambulance that was speeding along the streets.
He turned his head slightly and a fresh wave of pain hit him. The wound was apparently graver than he realized. Lexi sat by his side. She held his hand in a firm grip. Tears pooled in her dark eyes when he locked his gaze on her.
“Oh God! You’re…I can’t believe.…” Her finger caressed his cheek. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes,” he whispered.
“I love you,” she said as her lips trembled. “I love you…and I thought I was going to lose you…and…”
“Shhh!” he answered. “I love you too.”
They smiled at each other. Before he could say anything else, the ambulance came to a stop and he was wheeled out. For a few minutes, he lost her in the hustle and bustle of the hospital and then everything went blank.
He didn’t know how long he was out, but when he opened his eyes, Lexi was by his bedside.
“Hi, you handsome man.” She kissed him lightly on the mouth. “How are you feeling?”
How could anyone not feel good when he was with the woman he intended to spend the rest of his life with? “Never felt better!” Her laughter filled his ears. It was the most delightful sound he’d heard in a long time.
“I’m glad to hear that because you’ve been out for over three hours. You’ve got a concussion.”
“Damn!”
“But the doctors said that you’d be fine once you woke up. Any pain?”
“It’s bearable, nothing like before.”
She rested her hand on his forehead. “I guess this Christmas Day is ruined, too. And I didn’t even get a chance to give you your gift.”
“You’ve already given it. Didn’t you tell me that you loved me?” His heart rate quickened. What if it was a hallucination? “Or did I imagine it?”
A smile bloomed across her face. “No, you didn’t. I love you.”
“That’s the best Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten in my life. I love you too.”
“Now, rest.”
“What about…?”
She put her finger on his lips before he could finish asking his question. “Don’t worry about her. I’ve made a complaint. The police caught her, and she’s in their custody, even as we speak,” she assured him.
“So why that look on your face?”
Lexi grimaced. “I should have listened to you when you said we needed to go to the police, but…I…”
Cole put his finger against her lips, echoing her earlier action. “Let’s not worry about her anymore, okay?”
Lexi nodded. Her slow smile melted his heart.
Cole didn’t feel any pity for his ex-fiancée. She earned what was coming to her because of her behavior. And now at least, he wouldn’t have to worry about another attack on Lexi. “I’ve had the worst luck with women,” he told her. “But now it seems that things have turned out brilliantly because I’ve got you…and you’re the best thing to have happened to me in a long time.”
And with that, everything fell into place. Together, they could face any storm and ride their way through any obstacle. And to think it all began with a Christmas kiss.
***THE END***
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THANK YOU!
Thank you fo
r buying and reading this book and trusting me to give you an hour or two of enjoyment.
I’d be delighted if I hear from you about what you thought of A Christmas Kiss. Just go to my website/blog, and click on the Contact Roxy button. Alternatively, you may send an email to roxywilson@rocketmail.com. That’s how our friendship will begin, if we aren’t friends already.
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Kind regards, always!
Roxy
COMING IN DECEMBER…
Sensual IR Christmas Romance
Second Chance Christmas (Brielle & Toby)
The Christmas Cupid (Janay & Randy)
A Bundle of Joy Series
Secret Baby Seduction (Dayna & Aron)
This Time, Baby (Tasha & Heath)
Other books by Roxy Wilson…
Baby Wanted (A Bundle of Joy, Book 1)
The Baby Proposal (A Bundle of Joy, Book 2)
Baby, You’re Mine (A Bundle of Joy, Book 3)
Work It Out
The Right Kind of Love (Loving A Morrison)
He’s So Into You (Healing Hearts)
About the Author
Roxy Wilson, a self-professed book junkie, was born and bred in a beautiful island in the Caribbean.
As a graduate with a degree in Education, she writes blogs which help readers to think critically about and appreciate poetry. Recently, however, she decided to delve into the world of writing interracial and multicultural romance stories. Her debut novel is the Right Kind of Love and was published by Secret Cravings Publishing. Roxy is also the Reviews Coordinator of Romance Novels in Color (RNIC).
When Roxy isn’t reading or writing, she spends her time trying out recipes with her daughter, designing and dress making, listening to music of the 80’s and 90’s or engaging in her favorite workout routine, which is 1-clicking a new book to read, to her heart’s content.
To find out more about Roxy Wilson, check her out:
on her Website/Blog
on Facebook
on her Facebook fan page
by following her on Twitter
BESTSELLING
AFRICAN AMERICAN, INTERRACIAL
AND
MULTICULTURAL ROMANCE…
Ruined: Loving an Alpha Male – S.K. Lessly
Somebody Else’s Husband – Patti Doss
Big Daddy Sinatra 2: If I Can’t Have You – Mallory Monroe
Sometimes Money Ain’t Enough – Stacy-Deanne
Shelby’s Proxy – Jordyn Tracey
Broken – Teona Bell
Geek Bearing Gifts – Milly Taiden
Her Purrfect Match – Milly Taiden
Alpha Wolves – Paige Cooper & Esther Banks
Cougar’s First Christmas – Jessie Donovan
The Tycoon’s Temporary Bride – Ana E. Ross