The Assistant's Christmas Wish (The Christmas Wish Series Book 1)

by Lexi Ostrow

  “So, what are you doing?”

  “Going blind in your old age, Jake? Being the senior DeMarco and all, I could understand.”

  “Haha very funny. Fine, how about, do you want some help? I love the tree part. I think Anna and Nick make fun of me for it behind my back. Second best part of Christmas.”

  He had her attention now. “What’s the first?”

  “Christmas light looking.” He almost sounded wistful, like he was upset they clearly couldn’t this year. “Paris does dress it up for the tourists but not the same way as right here at home.”

  Her heart did a little flip flop. Why couldn’t Nick be more like Jake about Christmas?

  “Well I won’t tell you that’s my favorite part too.” It was her turn to wink at him. “Now, about that help you were giving me. Don’t think I’m fun and games. I run your brother’s half of the company no matter what he tells you and I like my trees perfect.”

  He laughed and moved over the pile of crystal clear icicles. “So does that mean I can’t just throw it on a branch?” She nodded. “Good, I hate people that do that.”

  He was flirting shamelessly with her and he couldn’t help it. The moment he’d walked in and saw her, he’d been reminded of how much he admired her. She was hot in that tight red sweater and black pant combination, but it was how interested in doing the tree before he closed the door that he liked.

  Everything was always perfect with her, right down to the detail. Even when she was teasing his brother, he noticed she had to have the last bit of snark or the more powerful tease. She was competitive, but very passive aggressive about it.

  He noted her comment about already getting her DeMarco brother and something inside him simply snapped. He hadn’t intended on letting his past interest in Leena get to him. The whole fucking trip down he’d been telling himself to just back off, even if his brother didn’t want her. And now what was he doing? Flirting with her and wondering how difficult it would be to get her from where they were to under the mistletoe before his brother got home. If she rejected him, he’d back off. But he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to try to get the girl his little brother was too slow to snatch up.

  He watched as she hooked all the green balls and stood up to put them on the tree. He’d already done half a dozen of the thirty icicles and picked some off the floor and got up and went to the tree next to her. His body stopped a few inches back, but still crowded her between himself and the tree. He inhaled and smelled a hint of peppermint and wondered if she had a special Christmas perfume or if she’d been sucking on one today.

  The image of her mouth wrapped and sucking on anything made him groan inwardly and push his hips back in case too much blood flowed to his dick. He deliberately reached an arm around her to hang an icicle just next to her head. Being this close to her was maddening and he had no idea how his brother hadn’t made a move ten and half years ago; and why he hadn’t done more than kiss her that night six years ago.

  They worked, singing the songs and laughing each time they collided, for the next hour.

  “Hmmm.” She titled her head up and backwards to look at him because he was standing beside her.

  “What ‘hmm’? It’s perfect. What could you possibly see wrong?”

  It was pretty damn close to perfect. Gold, green and red glass balls mixed with the crystal icicles and glittery red bows she’d tied to branches. After almost dropping the porcelain angel, they’d gotten it up on the tree too. The ornaments were all so carefully hung, alternating between the deep reds and greens as well as shapes. The lights twinkled off the ornaments on the tree and reflected onto the walls.

  But there was one thing his mother never would have let them do to her beautiful tree if she was there.

  “Popcorn garland. Every tree needs popcorn garland.” He stepped back and raced into the kitchen. Standing in front of the white cabinets he tapped his chin and opened the wrong one three times before seeing the popcorn.

  “Do you have string?”

  He jumped at the sound of her voice, not having expected she would come into the kitchen after him.

  “I didn’t see any.”

  “That’s because mother would kill me if she knew we were about to do this.” The microwave went off and he carefully took it out and opened it, the heat wafting the buttery goodness into his face. “Think it has to cool first?” He hadn’t ever done it, even at his flat in Paris.

  He popped a handful in his mouth and turned to see her glowering at him.

  “What?” he asked as two pieces fell onto the floor.

  She laughed and rolled her eyes, so he did the only mature thing for a man in his mid thirties; he threw some at her. Her squeal made him grin harder and she knocked the bag from his hands when she violently thrust her hand into the bad to get her own to throw.

  It dropped to the floor and popcorn scattered everywhere, as did a few yellow drips of greasy butter, all over the marble floor. He didn’t have a chance to wipe the mess up. He watched as she walked behind him, but was totally unprepared when she pulled back his shirt and smashed popcorn down his back. The breaking felt like sandpaper or toothpicks poking him and he reached behind him to grab her and got nothing but air.

  “You’ll have to be a bit faster if you’re looking for any sort of payback, Mr. DeMarco senior.”

  “Oh please, Leena. I’m hardly that much older.”

  She took off with a sprint back in the direction of the living room. Twice his hand almost wrapped around her wrist and she darted out of the way. He lost his balance the second time and almost crashed into the tree.

  “Jake, be careful!” Leena chided him and threw a few small kernels at him and scampered down the hall.

  He didn’t really think about what he was doing as he launched himself across the room at her. His fingers latched onto her left ankle as he hit the plush floor and she shrieked as he grabbed the other and tugged her down. He crawled up her body and realized he didn’t have any popcorn to smash into her.

  “Well shit.”

  Leena grinned cheekily up at him. “Execution problems, Jake?”

  She wriggled in an attempt to get out from under him and it had the worst possible reaction. His dick decided it liked the motion of her scrambling underneath him.

  “Leena, stop for a second.” He gritted his teeth together and fought back an urge to curse at her as she of course did the exact opposite. He realized that if he didn’t sit up and get off of her, there was going to be very little about him she didn’t know and if she was with his brother that probably wasn’t going to go down so well.

  As he was trying to push himself back, he looked up and saw the most wonderful decoration ever to be invented. The mistletoe. His eyes closed briefly and he took a deep breath. He would do this, with the excuse of the mistletoe. Just to know what it was like to kiss her, or at least that’s what he told himself as he slowly leaned back down and pressed his lips to hers.

  He’d intended it to be nothing more than a friendly peck. But his mouth had other ideas. Their lips met and shock of static passed between them, probably from her running in socks on the carpet. But it caused her mouth to part and he slipped his tongue in without a thought. He groaned at the sensation that ran through him as her tongue unabashedly met his, stroke for stroke. She knew how to kiss. He didn’t push for more, only deepened the kiss. She tasted like hot chocolate, sweet and delicious. Her lips however tasted like candy cane, she must have some lip balm or something on.

  She nipped at his bottom lip and blood went rushing straight to his cock. He pulled back from her and placed a kiss on her neck, just below her chin.

  “What the fuck is going on here?” His brother’s voice shattered the moment and had not only him, but Leena scrambling as well. He’d been so involved in kissing her he hadn’t even heard the door open.

  But he heard it as it slammed and Nick walked up to them. He pushed off the floor to his feet and extended a hand to Leena to tug her up. Her cheeks we
re flushed and he had a feeling it wasn’t just from embarrassment, but now was not the time to point it out. He’d messed up and stepped over the line between brothers and possibly screwed all three of them up.

  “Nick, calm down, it’s not what it looked like. We were-”

  “Under the mistletoe? Yea I see that. Kind of amusing since that’s where I first kissed her last night too. I guess we are brother’s after all.”

  His voice was venomous and yet, it didn’t catapult him any further into a guilty pit than it should have. He felt horrible, but he realized, only because he may have hurt Leena. He knew his brother had feelings for her, but no clue how serious, so there was no way to assume that he wouldn’t have gotten bored with her and moved on.

  “Well it did start that way. But honestly, it was a caught up in the moment thing. Besides, it’s not like I knew you were with her.” He prayed silently that Leena wouldn’t chime in and she thankfully didn’t.

  “You’re a real jackass, you know that right? With her or not, I’ve been telling you I thought I had feelings for her.”

  His brother had on his cold, CEO mask of steel and it was impossible to read just how angry he was. Which only pushed Jake further because if he really cared he’d be unable to hold an emotionless stance.

  “Yea for about the past five years without doing a damn thing about it. The problem is you never bothered to realize, or maybe remember, that I told you I wanted to ask her out the night of the gala you so rudely left her at by finding a new date halfway through.”

  Nick’s face had a break of emotion then, confusion. He’d never mentioned it since that night, but he’d never forgotten Nick warned him off asking Leena out. It wasn’t till a year later he learned that Nick had feelings for her too.

  “You do realize you’re both speaking about me like I’m not a foot behind you correct?”

  Jake shifted his head behind him and saw Leena standing now. Anger radiated out of her eyes at both Nick and himself. Her tone matched, she certainly wasn’t built to go up against his brother, who could block most things out to win.

  “That’s not the point right now, Leena.” Nick’s gaze never bothered to turn to her.

  “Oh? Isn’t it?” This time the rage in her voice was controlled and it scared the shit of him.

  “No, Leena. It’s about brotherly loyalty. Not that I’m thrilled you were wriggling beneath him like you loved it.” Nick was apparently done because he spun around and stalked past both of them. The slam of his bedroom door was the only further announcement he was pissed.

  “Leena, I’m-”

  “Just don’t, Jake. I don’t even want to try and comprehend what happened back there, but you certainly weren’t alone. I didn’t stop you and I know I egged you on. But I’ve been in love with Nick since I was a teen. I’m sorry, Jake. I don’t care what that kiss just did to me.” She paused for a second and then walked down the hallway, presumably after Nick.

  But all he could process was one sentence of it. The part where she outright said she’d been affected by his kiss. He knew he needed to apologize to Nick later. But for now he needed to let them hash it out before he went to talk to Leena about them.

  The one thing he never thought he’d get for Christmas? A love triangle staring him and his brother.

  Chapter 5

  She stood in front of Nick’s door, her hand raised as if she was going to knock, but she hadn’t. Jake hadn’t come down the hall after her and she was embarrassed to admit she’d wanted him too. That was partly why she hadn’t been able to knock on the door yet. Because she was just as much to blame as Jake was. When his body had pinned on top of hers, she’d felt a rush of desire that she couldn’t explain. He was every bit as handsome as Nick, and possibly a teeny bit more enjoyable to be around because he was laid back all the time. But she wasn’t in love with him. She was in love with Nick. Or at least she thought she was for the last eight years.

  Taking a deep breath she let her hand rap on the door. “Nick?”

  No response from the inside. She’d seen him after he’d lost plenty of business deals. He would shut off entirely. His whole body from his demander to his tone would turn icy. It had never been directed at her before and she had no idea how to handle it now.

  “Nick, please open the door.”

  It flew open a second after she finished. He was in front of her. His eyes burned with anger and his mouth was set in such a firm line she wondered if he would break his teeth from the pressure. He didn’t say anything to her, but he did step to the side and allow her to walk in.

  She wasn’t afraid to be alone with him. She’d seen him in this mood plenty and he was a gentleman. But the premise of being alone in his room, something she’d wanted forever, and maybe just fucked up, set her nerves on edge.

  “Nick, it really wasn’t what it looked like. I take full responsibility. I was egging him on. Pushing him past the edge of control just like I do with you sometimes to get you to make business decisions. And come on, you two look an awful lot a like and he’s charming. I’m not saying it was right-”

  “We didn’t define anything.” His voice was clipped and his eyes bored into hers.

  She flinched in confusion. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “You and I, last night. We didn’t define anything. Didn’t even really talk about it.” His eyes shifted away from hers as he sat down on the bed and looked around the room. “So how about we define something now? Not my brother. Kiss anyone else you want, but not fucking Jake. He’s been interested in you for years.”

  He blew out a breath and she walked up to him and stepped in-between his spread legs and look down at him. She wasn’t sure whether to tease him about his comment that she could kiss anyone but Jake, or the admission that Jake had been interested in her before.

  “You realize the flaw in telling me I can kiss other people is I’m going to get the distinct impression I am an office booty call that you suddenly want because it’s the holidays and you haven’t been laid in awhile.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “Let’s rephrase that then. How about, I’ve wanted to kiss you for years and if you feel the same and kiss anyone else I’ll send the corporate lawyers after them to take them down?” He wiggled his brows at her and she felt some of the animosity melting away.

  She leaned down and put her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. It was nice, the way their lips fit together and the desire began to heat her body. It was like the slide of warm soup through her, quick to heat and immediately felt good. She pulled back a moment.

  Did she really want to make a kiss related to hot soup? Her brow scrunched up and he took her hands from around his neck and just held them. Tingles went through her body and she shuddered at the sensation.

  “You need to know something about me, Leena.” His voice was deadly serious again.

  “How can there possibly be something I don’t know, Nick? We spend like ten hours a day together.”

  “Because there’s a side me of that only comes out when I’m in bed.” His voice was deep and she could certainly sense the undercurrent of lust running behind his words.

  A chill passed over her, a sensual chill. Not at what might come, but at the idea that right here, right now, while the snow came down in waves, he was going to finally sleep with her.

  Her voice a whisper, she asked, “What, Nick?”

  His eyes were looking at the floor. She wasn’t sure what could possibly shame a man as magnificent as him. But her mind briefly touched on the idea of impotence and said a silent prayer it wasn’t that.

  “I’m controlling.”

  She choked out a laugh so hard she almost swallowed wrong. “Nick, darling Nick. When are you not controlling?” She ran a hand through his hair, swirling patterns to try and soothe him.

  He reached up and grabbed her hands back. The look in his eyes was so intense, she felt liquid desire pooling between her legs and shifted, trying to ease some of the tension in her body.
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  “Not like that, Leena. Like in control. In complete control of every single action. Every ounce of desire. Every position, every movement.” His words were doing nothing to cool her down.

  “I want an example, Nick. I’m ready for an example.”

  “My brother’s kiss turned you on that much?”

  She couldn’t tell if he was playing or not. But the truth was it had sent her nerves on fire and his words were amping up the flames. “Bite me, Nick.”

  “Only if I say I will.” His hands went behind her head at that moment and tugged her down into him. His mouth latched over hers, hot and hungry. So much different than a moment ago.

  Heat licked a path through her body and she moaned. He pulled back, his tongue slipping out of her mouth and leaving her empty. “Not unless I say so, Leena.”

  His words rushed over her and she bit her lower lip. She’d never been with a man like Nick; powerful, smart, and handsome. This side of him thrilled her. Her body ached to be touched, but she had a feeling lowering herself onto his lap and grinding would only make him delay the act and she didn’t need any foreplay. She was wet and ready for him. Had been for years.

  When his arms moved to her hips and jerked her down she saw stars as she came into contact with his cock through their clothes. Her black sweat pants were thin, but his jeans weren’t.

  Slowly he moved her hips with his hands, guided her body across his as his tongue danced in her mouth and filled her with desire. Her hands itched to move in his hair, but she left them around his neck where he had put them. When his hips began to move faster under hers she almost screamed with pleasure.

  He pulled back and tugged her top over her head, his hands immediately massaging her breasts as he placed a kiss on each nipple and then blew over the peaked nubs.

  “Let me know how I’m doing, Leena. Moan for me.” His mouth suckled one breast as his hands made quick work of the ties on her pants.

  Her moan tore past her lips, loud and heated from being pent up for so many minutes.