Caribbean Christmas (14 page)

Her breath caught, her eyes going glassy. She blinked, a tear trailing down both cheeks. “Did you practice that part?”

He nodded and tried to swallow, his throat feeling like a golf ball had been lodged in it.

“Good job. Did you write it down, because I want to get it right when I tell Holly.”

He gave a silent laugh, the tension easing ever so slightly. “Actually, I did.”

“I missed you too.” She stepped to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest. He nuzzled into her hair, smelling the crisp scent of her shampoo.

“Thank God.” He held her tight, wanting to squeeze her right into him.

“You are a good man, Johannes. Even when you do the wrong thing, you do it for the right reasons.”

“I couldn’t tell you about Dutch. And I would have mentioned the divorce, eventually. It’s embarrassing to know a woman loved me more for money than for myself. My father got suspicious and had her followed. Sebastian felt the need to tell me at a business meeting with my brothers around a table, watching my humiliation like a lesson. There were photos of her with someone else. He’d even negotiated a financial settlement with her. No fighting, just annulment papers as if the marriage hadn’t even happened.”

“Thank God.” She looked up at him, a warm smile on her full lips.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re very loyal. If she hadn’t left, you would have stayed with her forever. You wouldn’t have been able to help my father, or to be that fairy-tale prince who swept me off my feet. If your world hadn’t fallen apart then, we wouldn’t have been able to fall together now.”

He twisted his finger in a curl of her hair. “So I can come to New York?”

“For a vacation maybe. But most of our things are going to Anguilla.”

He braced his hands on her shoulders and held her away from him so he could see her whole face. “Really?”

“It’s my home. And Holly is coming because it’s a tax haven. She’s sure we’re going to make a mint with Sassy V. We’ll have to go to New York for—”

But she didn’t finish the sentence or the thought. He brought his mouth to hers and claimed it with a kiss. She might not belong to him, but she was his woman, his world, his everything.

Three Months Later

“Guess what I have?” Holly’s sing-song voice didn’t enter the office much before she did.

Saskia had no time to get any distance from Johannes. There they were, with her perched on the glass-top desk and him standing between her legs. Yes, her knee-length skirt was bunched, but she was wearing tights for goodness’ sakes.

“I’m going to sanitize that desk.” Holly held a large brown envelope in front of her as she gave her best caught-you-blushing glare. “You can do that on your own time.”

“She promised she’d be done by lunch.” Finally, Johannes removed his hand and turned, giving her the chance to close her damned legs. Yes, they hadn’t seen each other in three weeks, but he was supposed to have the maturity to wait until they were alone. He’d booked a hotel room for that reason. Only they’d both forgotten as soon as Holly stepped out of the office to see what a courier had brought.

“Joe, we’re going to get along perfectly as long as you remember some of us still work for a living. If you want Sass to retire at thirty-five the way you did, you’re going to have to keep your hands out of her panties.”

“I have on tights. And boots.” Saskia smoothed her hair, realizing her argument bordered on the ridiculous. “What did the delivery fairies bring us this time? By the looks of the envelope, I am guessing ad copy, and you know you’re the only one here who gets excited by that.”

Johannes winked, his pale blue eyes sparkling as he settled onto the pink lip-shaped sofa. Saskia grinned, glad he’d finally gotten used to it. Three months ago, when he’d first seen the office, he’d sworn his ass would never touch it. Of course she’d tricked him by offering to blow him if he did that very thing.

“Hello, earth to Sass?” Holly fanned her with the poster-sized envelope. “If you can’t keep some blood in your brain, I’m going to put him in a chastity belt.”

“What?” They protested in unison.

Holly cleared her throat. “Now that I have your attention, I present to you our next big break.” The envelope slipped to the floor as she held up a large, white-bordered photograph.

Saskia stared, recognizing the crochet flower micro-thong that had brought her such luck. The buxom model holding an arm across her bare breasts and a come-fuck-me grin played second fiddle to the magazine moniker above the photo, along with the swimsuit edition logo.

“Cover?” Saskia sucked in a breath, wondering where all the air in the room had gone.

Holly jumped in her stiletto knee-high boots. “Cover!” She set the photo on the defiled desk and grabbed her friend. They hopped around the room the same way they had when the first suit had made the celebutant calendar, the department store had called and the contract had been signed.

“Ladies?” Johannes rose from the couch. “As hot as it is to see the two of you bouncing, I’m not getting it.”

Saskia went to him and gripped his hands in hers. “We put that suit into production. Everything that is in the swimsuit issue sells out. In minutes. The cover means Sassy V is made.”

She couldn’t help but happy dance, and he joined in, even if it was a bit forced. She didn’t care. This was her moment.

“I have to call my dad. And my mom.” Sass released him and reached for the phone.

Holly covered her hand. “Not so fast.”

“Unless you’re going to tell me the sun has burned out, I’m good. My design is on the cover of the swimsuit issue.”

“There’s more.” Holly’s smile took over her face. “When I told the store we’d made the magazine, they agreed to let us do a location spread for next year’s designs. I went ahead and said Anguilla.”

Saskia let out a scream. Her whole body vibrated with excitement and holding it in would be fatal.

Two of the design assistants they’d hired rushed into the office, concerned and curious. As way of explanation, Holly simply held up the cover. They all squealed and pride and enthusiasm swirled through the loft.

Johannes retreated back to the pink lips. “Does this mean you’re coming home for a while?”

Holly all but cackled. “Joe, sweetie. This means we’ll be doing a catalog shoot on Anguilla. Working. So you can only have her when the sun is set, and if you swear she can keep her eyes open in the morning. Because I think we can gamble a little bit.”

Saskia tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Since we’ll have the photographers, the models and the prototypes…why not pay them to extend their stay and get new web content. Maybe even enough for our own calendar with vintage Sassy V designs. We can still sell those.” Her best friend’s eyes sparkled with dollar signs.

“And we can work from home.” Saskia cast a glance at Johannes as he stretched his muscled arms over the humps of the lips. She missed him violently when she was in New York. They worked crazy-long busy days, but they still had to sleep at night. Which was when Saskia felt like a part of her was missing.

He grinned back at her, no doubt reading her mind. The idea of marrying where they both worked was as titillating as the idea of getting married itself. Not that he’d asked.

Saskia winked at him and turned back to Holly. If he hadn’t asked her by the time the photo shoots were completed, she’d ask him. No way was she letting him get away.

“You’re going to love it. There’s no place like the Caribbean.”

About the Author

Jenna Bayley-Burke is known for her fun, sexy romance novels
, baking banana bread and over-volunteering. She thinks she has the best jobs in the world–mother, wife and author. When she’s not lost in her latest story, she can be found pursuing whatever hobby her characters are enamored with–photography, gemology, sh
oes, gardening, crafts and cooking up a storm. For more on Jenna check out her website
www.jennabayleyburke.com
.

Look for these titles by Jenna Bayley-Burke

Now Available:

Her Cinderella Complex

Par For The Course

Compromising Positions

Pride & Passion

Private Scandal

For Kicks

Drive Me Crazy

Coming Soon:

Caribbean Casanova

The quickest way to love isn’t always a straight line.

Drive Me Crazy

© 2012 Jenna Bayley-Burke

This was supposed to be Xavier Moreau’s long-awaited vacation. A few precious weeks away from his over-scheduled career to see the America his mother loved and still make it to his best friend’s wedding in time. Instead, he’s ferrying the bridezilla’s sister to the nuptials. The luscious Jaime Cruz makes his mouth water, but her near-frenzy to get to Oregon
now
would scrape on his last nerve—if he didn’t sense that she needs the break as much as he does.

Fresh off a teaching assignment in D.C., Jaime’s white knuckling it. She’s got only three weeks to get home, find a job and a place to live, and ensure her sister’s big day comes off without a hitch. Except Xavier tosses her three-days-or-bust itinerary out the window. Even more annoying, Jaime finds herself succumbing to his relentless determination to make sure she enjoys every minute of the trip. And falling under the spell of his sizzling touch.

Three weeks and three thousand miles later, Jaime’s feet are on home ground, but her heart is pulling her in a completely unexpected direction. Toward Xavier and a new journey that will require the ultimate leap of faith.

Caution! Dangerous curves ahead. Do not enter if you might be spooked by haunted hotels, embarrassed by sex in the great outdoors, or fear you might yield to a devastating Frenchman willing to drive you to distraction.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Drive Me Crazy:

She plopped down on the bed next to him. “Does
suce moi, fumer le cigar
mean what I think it means?”

He coughed, his eyes widening. “
Excusez-moi?
”

“That’s why I got a ticket. You talk in your sleep, and I was trying to figure out what you were dreaming about, and who. Since you’re being all high and mighty, tell me, what did you dream about?”

He shook his head. “You can’t exactly blame me. You’ve been taunting me for days, the way you move, the way you look at me, the way you keep flipping your hair over your shoulder so I’ll notice it.”

She so did not flip her hair. “I could say the same thing. All these unexpected stops and dallying could just be your way of keeping us on the road until you get me into bed.”

With lightning quickness, he rolled her onto her back, his large frame looming over her. “Mission accomplished.”

She squirmed beneath him, raising her knee slightly, just in case he tried anything funny. Being surrounded by the scent of sandalwood and sin might be tempting, if she didn’t want to shake some sense into his block head. “This is not helping.”

“No?” He dipped his head and grazed his lips over one temple, then the other. “Is it helping you forget how angry you want to be?”

Her body betrayed her. Her nipples tightened and heat swirled low in her belly.

His gaze moved down her body and then back to her face. “See, it’s working already. All the problems will be there in the morning, just waiting for you to worry about them then.” The sensual contours of his lips caressed the tension from her forehead, easing her eyes closed as his kiss continued downward.

“This will make one more thing for me to worry about.” Her protests sounded weak even to her. There was something about proximity to this man that drugged her, released her inhibitions along with her higher-order thought processes.

“You won’t, I promise.”

“I’ll worry about what my sister will say.” She turned her head to the side, which he took as an invitation to plant a scathing row of kisses along the column of her neck. Her libido fluttered and stretched like a butterfly about to take flight.

“Don’t tell her anything you don’t want to.”

Why was she protesting? She wanted him with an intensity that terrified her. Maybe that was the real problem. Their bodies had been buzzing with attraction for three days. If she kept fighting it she might spontaneously combust. “You won’t tell Trent?”

“He doesn’t want to know that his sister-in-law has an amazing ass, trust me.” His hand roved down her body, grazing the side of her breast, the soft swell of her stomach, the curve of her hip.

She giggled and shifted as he tugged the nightgown up over her thighs. “You think my ass is amazing?”

“I’m dying to find out, but you’ve been so busy hating me I haven’t had a chance.” His fingers snaked below the hem of the nightdress, reaching around to cup her bottom.

“You’ve been so busy driving me crazy, I haven’t wanted to let you.” She had, but she didn’t want to give in too easily.