The Billionaire’s Fake Christmas Engagement: Elkin Brothers Christmas Book Two

by North, Leslie

He pushed open the door to their suite only to discover she was gone.

  Disappointment punched him in the chest. Gabe rubbed absently at his ribs, trying to dispel an ache that he didn’t want to feel. Anna didn’t have to be at his side every second for the full duration of the vacation. That wasn’t the deal they had.

  A note waited for him on the narrow kitchen counter where they’d spent so much time baking cookies.

  Gabe

  Chase and Tana invited me to take a ski lesson. I’ve only been once, and it was a long time ago, so I’ll probably make a fool of myself. See you in a bit!

  Anna

  He threw the note down on the counter, smoothed it out with his hands, and read it again. Chase and Tana. Of course. They liked Anna, and the Elk Lodge was a luxury ski resort. It would only be right for them to invite her to a lesson.

  What was wrong with him?

  Gabe went to the window and looked out at the slopes, trying to pick her out her slender form. Not spotting her, he had to shove down the urge to run out after her and bring her back. He’d come here to tell her everything and ask for her support, but clearly, that wasn’t going to happen.

  He shook it off, stepping away from the view and striding back into the suite. He’d find something to do. Gabe had always been able to find something to do—he’d never needed another person the way he needed Anna now. In fact, he couldn’t keep needing her this way. It was entirely outside the bounds of what they’d agreed to, and no matter how many times she kissed him back, there was no guarantee—

  Maybe it will be okay. The thought came paired with an image of Anna sitting close to him on the couch, cuddled into his side. If she listened to what he had to say, and if she told him it would all be okay, if she laughed—then maybe it would be.

  12

  Anna had told a small fib in her note to Gabe. She’d been to a ski hill once but hadn’t done more than a couple of runs. Her parents had fought and cut the visit short, never mind that they’d driven up into the mountains just for the experience. And wow, had things changed since she was a kid. Her knees felt wobbly, and her butt burned after a single trip down the bunny slope.

  “You’re doing great,” Tana called out as she made an excruciatingly slow snowplow move to stay close to Anna.

  They’d gone down again and again, and Anna noticed it was getting smoother on the descent, even if it was slow. It wasn’t enough to keep up with everybody else on the slope. Tiny kids went by on either side of her, Tana cheering them on by name. More than a few of the children had jingle bells clipped to the zippers of their jackets, identifying the students so the ski staff would be there to offer extra cheer on the slopes.

  The perfection of the scene in front of her made her want to shrink into her ski coat and disappear. Not because she thought Tana shouldn’t cheer for them—she should. She was a great teacher, and the cheerleading was part of it. But Anna simply couldn’t fathom a childhood where she’d have had regular vacations like this, with enough ski lessons to be incredibly good at it. It embarrassed her.

  If she and Gabe stayed together—which they wouldn’t—she might be able to find that kind of time. She would have the ease of all the others. Eventually, people wouldn’t be able to tell her apart from the rest of the family, or the guests.

  That was the dream, wasn’t it? It hadn’t been when they’d taken off from Vegas, but now that she was in the middle of it, it was tantalizing. A sense of belonging and home. To have no more connection to her childhood.

  It was like movie theater popcorn. She never thought about the wildly expensive treat until she was standing in line to buy a ticket. Then she found it nearly irresistible. Unlike the popcorn, obviously, she couldn’t buy a little taste of being Gabe’s wife. This was it. This was the taste, and it was all she would ever get.

  Chase came down and cut by on the left, moving down the bunny slope in a slow, broad curve.

  “Head up, Elkin,” Tana hollered, causing him to throw back his head and laugh.

  He’d taken skiing so far that he’d gone pro, and after a terrible accident, ended up here. The Elk Lodge was his fallback plan—the place he’d always be able to come home to if he wanted. A home. “What’s on your mind?” Tana asked. She’d turned her full attention back to Anna and slowed down even more to match her speed. “You look distracted.”

  If anyone understood, it would be Tana. From what Anna had learned about her, she knew Tana was in a similar situation—though. “They had a good childhood, didn’t they? The Elkin boys,” she clarified, nodding her head in Chase’s direction. “He looks happy.”

  Tana smiled. “He looks happy now, but there was a long while there where he wasn’t skiing, and happiness was in short supply.”

  Anna had a brief flashback of a news item she’d seen one day on her morning stroll. It had featured Chase and his accident and buzzed with a kind of hopefulness she hadn’t quite trusted. They’d seemed confident he would overcome his injuries and return to competition. So far, he’d recovered, but he hadn’t said anything about competing again.

  “And... growing up wasn’t the happiest of times either for them.” Tana shook her head. “Losing both parents is a blow even if you’re wealthy. And trust me—I did not grow up wealthy.” Tana sighed a little. “My parents were comfortable, but home was nothing like this.” She gave Anna a sheepish grin. “I shouldn’t be speaking for the guys, but I’ve never heard Chase complain about his younger years.”

  “Their grandmother loves them,” Anna said softly. No matter how high her standards were, she could see that love in Elin’s eyes whenever she looked at her grandsons.

  “She does.” Tana sounded a little choked up, but when she spoke again, it was in her regular voice. “You know, I think their grandparents tried to make up for the loss of their parents by being close.”

  “Strict, though.”

  “They had high standards,” Tana conceded. “But there was a lot of love, too. There still is. It’s what matters here.”

  Tana’s words were a blow to her heart. Love was not what had mattered when she was growing up, and as for high standards…that was a fat zero. Her past was rife with poverty and criminal activity. Anna had worked hard to leave the stigma of that behind, but she still felt like it clung to her no matter where she went. It would mean that she was always the odd one out at a place like the Elk Lodge, and maybe everywhere, if her ex had been any indication of her place in the world.

  Anna came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, cheeks burning.

  “Are you calling it quits?” Tana asked, coming to a stop next to her, a wide smile on her face. “You did an awesome job. First lesson, too.”

  “It was wonderful.” Anna smiled back. “I just need a few minutes to warm up inside the lodge.”

  Tana offered to take her skis back to the rental building. Anna unclipped them and handed them to her, more than ready for a break. “They’ll be waiting for you at the rental building if you want to come out again,” Tana said with a wink as she folded them under her arm. “Any time, okay?”

  “Perfect.” Anna clomped inside the building, her ski boots making it awkward. They were so heavy when she wasn’t actually in skis, dragging her down again and again. But she relished the struggle of picking up her feet every time. Her life had been like that once. She had fought for every step. Now, all she had to do was take off these boots...if she wanted. She was strong enough to make it back to the room.

  It was good, in a way, because she had to walk slower and process her feelings about the ski hill conversation. Anna would never fit in at the Elk Lodge. That was true. But that didn’t mean she had to feel bad about it. She could still hold her head up high. Lift your chin, lovely. She did.

  Back in the suite, she found Gabe sitting on the sofa, one hand along the back. He’d gone completely still, but the air around him crackled with unreleased energy. It sent a shiver over her skin. He wasn’t in a good mood. Anna couldn’t describe how she knew, except that t
hey’d worked closely together for weeks. It was the way he sat, she decided—it telegraphed everything.

  Gabe turned his head to the side as she worked her ski boots off her feet and lined them up on the floor. “I’m glad you’re back from your lesson,” he said, sounding flat. The tone didn’t surprise her. She’d heard this one, too, and it was the tone he used when he was trying to hide his irritation. Better to get it out in the open now. The meeting—it had to do with the meeting. He’d been fine when they got out of the tub, and now he wasn’t.

  “How was your meeting with Jonas?” Anna padded through the room and fell into the spot on the sofa next to him. She didn’t miss the way he inched closer, or the way his shoulders dropped a little. Gabe still wore an expression that was somewhere between anger and resignation. Anna followed his gaze out toward the slopes and traced the path of a figure in a purple coat coming down in a series of lazy curves. It looked good. She probably hadn’t looked that good, but at least she’d tried.

  “My brother had other ideas about what I should be doing with my life.”

  Anna blinked. Jonas seemed like the type to have lots of thoughts about what other people should do, but it had clearly gotten Gabe’s goat at this meeting. For a horrible moment, she thought Jonas might be talking about her—maybe he’d discovered the truth about the two of them. That would be bad. That was not something she wanted for Elin or Gabe. Any of them. “Really?” Her tongue felt dry. “He wanted you to—what, to do something else?” She should be straightforward—is this about me? But it felt wrong to ask. Selfish.

  “Yes. Jonas’s expectations are as high as they ever were in my family, and now…” He let out a huff. “Now, I know my business will never be enough for them. I thought if I showed them I was happy, they would change their minds. Clearly, that’s not going to happen. I’m still a disappointment.”

  Anna reached out and took his hand, and he squeezed tight. It kept her grounded, though the rest of her seemed unsettled. Unmoored. “I don’t think that’s true,” she finally managed. “Chase looks up to you. He spent a good chunk of our lesson talking about how smart you are.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re not the outsider. You just have a different outlook on life. They want to be here at the lodge, and you want something else. It doesn’t mean your family thinks less of you.”

  He stiffened, cutting a glance at her out of the corner of his eye. “How can you be sure of that? You don’t really even know my family.” That hurt. It was true, yeah, but that was probably why it hurt so much. “My job has never been good enough because it’s not here. My girlfriends have never measured up to my grandmother’s standards.” Gabe stared straight ahead, and Anna’s heart threatened to break for him.

  The comment stung because it lumped her in with all the other girlfriends Gabe had brought here. How could Anna ever begin to fit in here? She could barely ski. And she definitely couldn’t pretend to be from a wealthy, stable family. Okay—she could pretend that, but eventually, the truth would come out.

  Or maybe it wouldn’t because they wouldn’t be together. They would return home and keep working together at a careful distance. As professionals. And she wouldn’t get to fall into bed with him again. She would not.

  The trick was to stay focused.

  What she would do was work extra hard to win the family over tonight. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d felt like a complete imposter while doing a job, but no matter what she felt, she’d do the job to the best of her ability. Beyond the best of her ability. That was how she’d positioned herself for this moment, hadn’t she?

  Anna took a deep breath and reached for Gabe. She held him close and kissed his cheek.

  He laughed. “What’s that for?”

  “I know what I know,” she told him. “You’re good enough for your family. More than good enough. If you want to do something different, then that’s up to you.” His muscular shoulders felt good in her arms. “But in the meantime, you know what we’re going to do?”

  “What?”

  “Be the best-engaged couple at this resort.”

  Gabe’s hand came up, and he stroked the side of her face, his eyes finally landing on hers. They flicked down over her lips and lingered there. “How should we do that?”

  “Oh, I’m not sure,” she said primly. “Do you think we should practice first? Do some exercises to get closer together before our next public appearance?”

  He made a low noise in the back of his throat. “I can think of a few exercises for that.” His gray-green eyes warmed. “I have to warn you, though—they involve significantly less clothing.”

  “Try me,” she said, all too happy when he took her up on the offer.

  13

  When they climbed out of bed an hour later, Gabe felt closer to Anna. Much closer. It still stung, the way she’d brushed over his worry about not belonging with his family, but it stung a lot less. He’d take that for now.

  They stepped into the shower together, and he tried to put his heart back inside his body as he ran the washcloth down her curves, circling her breasts and tickling her hips. She leaned back against him, her head on his chest. “No more,” she said. “Or I’ll be too tired to go to dinner with you.”

  “With me, Jonas, and Chase,” he said, clearly not entirely over her earlier defection to his family’s way of thinking.

  She stiffened. She hadn’t been prepared for this extra performance. “I didn’t know we were going to dinner with them tonight.”

  He worked the shampoo through her hair and helped rinse it out again. “Well, that’s what we’re here for—family dinners.” Gabe turned her to face him, but her dark eyes slipped away from his. He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face toward his. “You’ve been amazing at the dinners. What’s wrong?”

  “It’s nothing.” She smiled, the nervousness disappearing from her face. But it didn’t disappear from her body. Her shoulders seemed tense as she dried her hair and put on her makeup. If she didn’t want to talk about it, he wouldn’t press. Not when they were about to walk out the door.

  The hotel’s restaurant was on the opposite side of the building, a five-star affair with low lighting and white tablecloths.

  “Is your grandmother going to eat with us tonight?” Anna murmured as they breezed by the hostess.

  “No. Jonas sent a message saying she was still too tired.” Gabe squeezed her hand. “I thought you had a good time with Chase and Tana today.”

  “Of course,” she said as if she was trying to convince herself, too. “It was a great lesson, and they’re good teachers.”

  “Then—” It was too late to finish the question, so he stopped himself. They had come to the round table where Tana, Chase, and Jonas were waiting. Jonas and Chase stood up to shake hands with him. It was all very formal. Tana came around to embrace Anna, and then they all took their seats. “Lindsey’s at a friend’s house,” Tana said, explaining her absence.

  “Now that the lovebirds are here, we can order,” Chase said, shooting Anna a wink.

  She laughed, the sound too loud and bright for the moment, and an intense awkwardness flooded over Gabe. “What are you going to have, Jonas?”

  “Steak,” his brother’s answer came without a second’s hesitation. “It’s my favorite thing on the menu.”

  “You don’t want to broaden your horizons?” Chase needled. “Anna did. She’s basically never been skiing before, and she spent a good two hours on the slopes today.”

  “Will I lose all my credibility if I also order steak?” Anna asked, her smile too full. Almost forced.

  Chase and Jonas chuckled, seeming not to notice.

  “Because it sounds good after all that exercise.” She glanced at Gabe as she said it, her cheeks going pink, and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what she was trying to do. Could his brothers tell? That was the key at this moment.

  Tana said something about roast chicken, and the rest of them chattered about it until the waiter came back and
took the orders.

  “Now that that’s done,” Chase said, folding his hands on the table, “what do you two have in mind for the wedding? Because I have some ideas.”

  This earned him a look from Tana. “You have ideas? About weddings?”

  “Yeah.” Chase grinned. “But I want to hear what the plans are first before I jump in with suggestions.”

  “Oh, we—” Anna glanced at Gabe. “We haven’t had time to talk about plans for the big event yet, what with the holidays, and the engagement.”

  “What’s your dream wedding?” Tana said, reaching for a roll in the basket at the center of the table. Those rolls were one of Gabe’s favorite things in the restaurant, but he didn’t want one now.

  Something had gone horribly wrong, and the direction the conversation was headed left him reeling. He should get up and make some excuse. But then his brothers would know something was wrong, and their questions would only intensify.

  “I always thought I’d like a summer wedding,” Tana mused, stealing a glance at Chase. “But winter weddings can be beautiful, too. All those warm wraps...”

  “I can’t see us getting married before the summer. Right, Gabe?” Anna’s gaze landed on him, looking for confirmation, her eyes wide with panic. Gabe grabbed her hand.

  They hadn’t come up with a fake wedding plan, but the conversation shouldn’t send her into a tailspin. Unless there was something else about wedding planning that he was missing completely. “That’s right. Not before summer at the earliest.”

  The waiter stepped in with their salad course. He’d never seen Anna look so relieved. She seemed to be intently focused on dressing the salad, and he was grateful for the lull in conversation while everyone else did the same. Except for Jonas, who didn’t like dressing.

  “What about your family, Anna?” Jonas asked.

  Anna’s eyes snapped back up to meet Jonas’s, her fork freezing in midair over her salad. The smile flickered away from her face and then reappeared seconds later. But Gabe noticed the slip. “What about them?”