by Alexa Riley
The Winter Collection
Alexa Riley
Contents
Christmas Vows
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
Ringing in the New Year
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Epilogue
Beauty Sleeps
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
Snow and Mistletoe
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Read Me Romance
Stalk the Author
Copyright © 2020 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to [email protected]
http://alexariley.com/
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Edited by Aquila Editing
The Winter Collection
by Alexa Riley
This four book holiday bundle is the perfect way to spend a cold winter night.
The Winter Collection has some of our best previously released winter romances including…. Christmas Vows, Beauty Sleeps, Snow and Mistletoe, and Ringing in the New Year!
Get four books for a limited time, and celebrate the holidays with romance.
Christmas Vows
Daniel Black married the woman of his dreams in a whirlwind of love. She’s his entire world and sometimes he’s a little too obsessed with his wife. So when he discovers their marriage license has been deleted from the state’s records, he loses his mind. Someone in their lives is trying to sabotage his relationship with his one and only, and he’ll burn down the city to find out who it is. The only good thing about it is that now he can give his wife the wedding of her dreams.
Blakely loves her husband and everything about their lives. The one thing she can’t seem to make work is her relationship with her father and her stepmother. She tries her best but it’s not good enough, and when they find out that her marriage to Daniel is invalid they jump at the chance for her to finally be rid of him. If there’s one thing she won’t do, it’s give up the man who worships the ground she walks on. She’ll marry him all over again, but will they support her decision?
Warning: Look, it’s Christmas, so we went full-on cheese-fest. This hero is hands down one of the craziest we’ve ever written and he’s so obsessed it’s scary. But during the most wonderful time of the year, isn’t that just perfect? Light up a yule log and cuddle up with this precious quickie!
For everyone who is just trying to make it through the holidays without locking yourself in the bathroom and having a good cry.
* * *
We’re here to help you out!
Chapter 1
Blakely
I sit next to my stepmother, Linda, trying to pay attention to what’s being said. It’s something about an upcoming event and what everyone is wearing. My mind drifts to my husband Daniel like it always does and I wonder what he’s doing right now.
I discreetly look down at my watch to see the time. Our morning makeout session was cut short when Linda showed up two hours early to make sure I was properly dressed, but at that point I wasn’t dressed at all.
If she hurries up, I can catch him before he’s finished with work. I love interrupting his work day more than I should. I can’t help myself. Even after being married a few years I love how I can still easily snag his attention from whatever he’s doing. It makes me feel sexy, but he made me feel that way from the moment he looked at me. I’d never felt truly wanted until that moment.
It makes my heart flutter when I hear people mention how different he is with me. I didn’t know the cold Daniel others talk about because he was never that way with me. All he’s ever been is warm and sweet, but I guess that’s not how he is with everyone else. Even after our getting married, my father and stepmom still don’t care for Daniel. They pretend, but I can feel their tension and hear their quiet comments and it’s growing harder to ignore. My husband doesn’t give a shit what they say or think about him, but it bothers me.
I hate that they don’t see him as I do. If anything they should be happy for me. The problem is that Daniel doesn't fit the mold they had in mind when thinking about who my future husband would be. Daniel has plenty of money, but he’s not educated like they would have liked. To be honest that’s part of the reason why I fell madly in love with him so quickly. He was different than everyone around me. I liked that he didn't care what anyone thought of him. He didn’t play by anyone else’s rules. He does what he wants and makes no apologies if you don’t like it. He is who he is, take it or leave it. Though I’m not sure he’d have that motto if I tried to leave it, and the thought makes me fight a smile.
If he didn't want to wear a suit, he wouldn’t, and if he didn't like you, he wouldn’t be fake and make nice. Everyone knows exactly where they stand with him, and when I first met him it was so refreshing. With him I feel like I belong, unlike right now as I sit in a room with women around me carrying on about what they’re wearing to the next social event. I’ve never felt like I belong here and maybe it’s because I don’t.
It wasn't until I lost my mom that I was introduced to a world I didn’t know was out there. I went from having no dad to having a father and stepmother. My mom was the only family I thought I had and she was gone from this world in the blink of an eye. I learned about losing someone I love early in life and how everything can be completely turned upside down.
I went from having a mom who was a little wild and free with her parenting to a world filled with rules and structure. I’d heard my stepmother say not long after I came to live with them that she was trying to fix me and break the bad habits I developed in my old life. I let her because I wanted to feel like I fit somewhere. I was molded into what they wanted and it wasn't until Daniel came barreling into my life that I realized what I lost. I didn't even know who I was anymore and he showed me that. With him he let me find myself. There were no wrong answers or rules I had to follow, and it didn't matter what other people thought of us.
I fight another smile thinking about the rules we do have and how they only come out when other men are getting too close to me. I love watching my husband get jealous. It’s adorable, but
I wouldn't ever tell him. I also don’t think anyone else would call him adorable.
My stepmother nudges me in the side, making me sit up straight. The movement brings me back to reality and out of the daydream I’d fallen into. I look over at her and she gives me a look that makes me feel like a naughty child. She’s always good at that.
I give an apologetic smile to the woman who helped raise me. How she called my husband cold, I’ll never understand. She’s the one with the chill to her, even when I try to get close. She has her sweet moments every now and again, but for the most part it’s a chilled distance that separates us. It probably has something to do with the fact that she and my father have been married over thirty years, which is longer than I’ve been alive. I was clearly the product of an affair—a living, breathing mistake for everyone to see. I’m a blemish on their reputation and she’s tried her best to make me into one of them as a way to erase my father’s transgressions. I can't blame her if looking at me doesn't conjure the warmest affection, but how long am I meant to repay this emotional debt?
I’m pretty sure she never wanted children herself, but she did take me in. I have to give her credit for doing her best with the situation. I get it. It would destroy me if I found out Daniel cheated on me and had a child with another woman. The thought alone makes my stomach tighten with nervous disgust.
I peek over at Linda and then to my watch once more. There’s still time. When I hear my name I look up and try to pay attention.
“I’m sorry, what?” I ask Carmela.
She’s a few years older than me and is the queen bee of the group. I don't care who’s in charge because I’m only here for one reason and I’m failing at it. After all these years I’m still trying to have a relationship with Linda because I want everyone to be one big happy family.
“I asked if you and Daniel will be joining us. You still haven't sent an RSVP to the invitation,” she says, smiling sweetly at me.
I don’t know why she bothers, because we all know it’s fake. If Daniel were here it would make his jaw tighten and he might even answer for me with a “fuck no.” I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what he said when he opened the invitation and threw it in the trash. I just laughed and forgot about it until now.
“Or course they are,” Linda answers as she tilts her head towards me and gives me a look.
“Of course,” I add.
I’ll pay for that one when I tell Daniel we’re going to the Vine event. He’ll have me on my back in the most delicious way, but he’ll come with me. He wouldn’t let me go alone and he never tells me no if I’m truly asking.
“Good.” Carmela gives a small excited clap.
She’s not excited that we’re coming but that my husband is coming. I’m pretty sure it’s not because she has a thing for him. It’s more that she wants his checkbook. It if wasn't for that, I’m sure we wouldn't be invited. It helps that while some might call him rude and lacking manners, the people who work with him love him. He’s straightforward and honest and that’s a rare trait in these circles.
Having Carmela fawn all over him would annoy me if I didn't already know Daniel loathes her. Every time he meets her he introduces himself as if he doesn’t know who she is. Either he really forgets or he does it to piss her off. Neither would shock me, but I do love the irritated look she gets on her face when he does it.
Luckily, after the guest list conversation is over the meeting breaks up.
“I’m going to grab a cab, I need to go to Daniel’s office.” I straighten the blouse Linda picked out for me. I’m pretty sure the fabric irritates my skin.
“The man is working, Blakely. Leave him be.” She shakes her head and doesn’t understand how we are. He wouldn’t want me to leave him be, nor do I want to. She and my father are nothing like us.
It took me a moment to understand there’s nothing wrong with showing affection to your significant other once Daniel bulldozed through all of that. We still get head shakes from others when Daniel pulls me down into his lap. He openly kisses my neck and tells me he loves me. He doesn’t even care if he’s in the middle of a meeting or at a dinner table with other people. If he wants to kiss or touch me, he’s going to do it.
“No, I really should. Plus, I have to tell him we’re going to the Vine event.” I add in the last part hoping that will work. She rolls her eyes at me but finally agrees. We part with air kisses to each cheek and I watch her slip into the back of her town car. I give Luke her driver a small wave as he shuts the door behind her.
“Do you need a ride, Mrs. Black?” he asks.
“I’m catching a cab,” I tell him, which earns me an eyebrow lift. “His office is five minutes away by car. I’ll be fine.”
“Be careful, I don’t need your husband on my ass.”
“I promise,” I say with a laugh as I signal for a cab.
When one stops, I get in excitedly, more than ready to see my husband. The mood from the afternoon still bothers me and I’ve made no progress with my family. I know Daniel will be able to shake me out of my mood while I try to come up with another idea.
Chapter 2
Daniel
I lean back in my chair staring at my lawyer who looks like he’s about to throw up. His worry makes unease creep inside me. He’s the best at what he does and it’s why I pay him a fuck ton of money to be at my beck and call. But I’ve never seen the man break a sweat before. He’s a cocky bastard, but I can’t even give him shit about it because he has every reason to be.
Like him, I don’t break a sweat either. If something isn’t going to work, fuck it and on to the next. There’s no time to worry over things when you can move to the next project and make up ground. It’s how I’ve always been and why I’ve done so well in my life. There’s one exception to that rule and that’s my wife.
When it comes to her, I lose all of my calm, collected and cool demeanor. Moving to the next doesn't apply to her and it never will. It was her or death, and I made those vows the day we were married. I’ll go down with a fight before I leave her behind, but I’ll face that battle when death tries to take me from her.
“Spit it out, this should be easy,” I remind him as I glance at the clock wondering when Blakely will be done with her meeting. “We’re just crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s.”
I’m doing all of this to put my wife at ease. She’s got it in that beautiful mind of hers that her family and I need to be close. She wants them to like me and wants me to like them, too. That’s never going to happen, but for her I’ll fake it and I don’t fake shit.
I don’t know why I bother because they’d never do the same for her benefit. I know who they really are, and if it weren’t for the fact that I saved her father from losing everything, I’m sure he would have been more vocal about me walking in and taking his only daughter. He was lucky I didn’t take everything he owned. The only thing that stopped me was Blakely. They should be kissing her ass, not treating her like someone they’re stuck with. She doesn’t have it in her to be angry, but I do. I could be angry enough for the both of us.
Anger flares in me like it does every time I think about her family. It’s more often than I should allow it, but seeing her unhappy goes against everything I want and I’ll do anything to change that.
“There’s actually a problem.” Brent’s words interrupt my thoughts and my eyes go to his.
I lean forward, putting my elbows on my desk. “How is there a problem? There was no prenup and she gets everything. I just want to make sure no one can try and manipulate my Blakely. I want to know that our children will be fine and they will never end up in her parents’ hands. They’ll go to my dad or my brother and I want all of that in black and white.” I say the same words I put in the email I sent him when I set up this meeting.
Brent audibly swallows.
Blakely has been putting off having children. She tells herself it’s because she wants me and her family to get along first, but I know the real reason. She’s afraid s
omething might happen to us and our child would be left alone or handed over to someone like she was. Yeah, it might have been her biological father she was given to, but he wasn’t a father.
I haven’t pushed her on the issue because I knew we had time for children. I want them, which is something I didn’t know until she came into my life. I’m okay with waiting and enjoying having my wife to myself, but lately I’ve seen the way she looks at every baby that passes her. When we walk down the baby aisles in stores her eyes light up. I’d be liar if I didn’t admit to doing the same, though mine happens more when my hands or eyes go to her hips. I think about her growing our baby that I put there. It’s barbaric to think, but I don’t give a shit. I’m used to barbaric now after being with my wife. I don’t fight it because that ship has sailed.
Brent clears his throat and shuffles his papers.
“Last night I was making sure everything was lined out and—” He pauses, taking a deep breath, and I level him with a look.
