Read Her Mistletoe Husband Online
Authors: Renee Roszel
Her Mistletoe Husband (18 page)
He shook his head, looking miserable and irresistible. “There's just one problem. I need for my children to beâours.” His eyes drank her up, rueful and passionate. A knot rose in her throat. She had never seen such tender passion in anyone's gaze before. It was a sight she would cherish forever.
The only physical contact they shared was her hand on his wrist. He hadn't made a move to touch her, though he was declaring his love for her, as well as his desire to be the father of her children. She recalled vividly, the last night they'd seen each other, that she'd angrily told him she didn't want him to touch her. How sweet that he was trying to honor her demand.
Glorying in this new knowledge, a surge of womanly power rushed through her. She released his wrist, and he promptly slipped his hand into his jacket pocket. She sensed that he was doing it to keep from taking her into his arms. Joy, hot and heady, bubbled up inside her, but she hid it, lifting her chin a notch. “ Is this your idea of a marriage proposal, Mr. D'Amour?”
The tensing of his jaw displayed deep frustration as raw emotion glittered in his eyes. “It would be if I thought you'd accept.”
At that instant, she was blissfully happy, wholly alive. Alex loved her! The time for playing coy games was over. Why waste another precious second? She threw her arms around his neck.
Taken by surprise, with his hands in his pockets, Alex lost his balance and stumbled backward into the snow. He lay there, the breath knocked out of him, staring up at her. “I didn't see that one coming,” he gritted. “Knee me and get it over.”
With a wily smile, she straddled him. “Don't tell me you're afraid. I thought you were never afraid.”
He frowned, appearing confused by her buoyant tone. “Elissa, what...”
She bent to within an inch of his face. Grazing his jaw with her lips, she trailed her tongue to his ear.
“This isn't karate, is it,” he murmured, a note of wonder edging his voice.
“No...” She nibbled his earlobe. “Have you ever made love in the snowâMr. D'Amour?”
He groaned, sounding like a man who was having a hard time remaining unaffected. “Elissa, Iâ”
“Hmm?” She teased his ear with her tongue.
“What are you doing?”
“I'm accepting your proposal, silly man.”
He drew slightly away to scan her face, and she relished the widening of those remarkable eyes. “Which proposal?” he asked. “The one about marrying me or making love in the snow?”
“No, no,” she said sweetly. “The snow thing was my idea.”
He searched her face, his eyes reaching into her thoughts, her heart, and she could tell the instant he grasped how she felt. With a low moan, his arms came around her, and he pulled her against him. “I don't know what happened here, but I think I'm ready for it.”
Pressed against him the way she was, she could detect his arousal and her heart thrilled. “Oh, yes,” she sighed, “you're definitely ready.”
“Does this mean you'll marry me?” he asked huskily.
“I love you, Alex,” she whispered, his hot, nibbling kisses driving her wild. “And my answer is yes...”
EPILOGUE
CHRISTMAS was special in the Ozark mountains. This Christmas was especially so. Elissa couldn't believe almost a year had passed since that day Alex proposed. A month later, they had been married Alex had surprised her by inviting his parents. And they'd surprised Alex by coming. Though their interactions had been somewhat stiff after years of estrangement, Elissa sensed that Alex's parents truly wanted a reconciliation. Perhaps their advancing years had taught them a lesson or two about the joys of family and children.
Because Alex had been immediately and wholeheartededly welcomed into the Crosby family, Elissa knew that one day, he would also find his way back into his own.
This year, once again, the Crosby girls and their growing family were gathered together to celebrate the holiday. Alex and Elissa hosted the event at the remodeled D'Amour mansion, which would open that coming spring as a posh resort.
The twins, Gilly and Glory, weren't the only children to arrive this trip. Jack and Lucy introduced their five-month-old son, Jonathan Crosby Gallagher, to the Ozark mountains. Damien and Helen delighted the rest of the clan with another set of twins. This time boysâthree month old Jake and Jerod Lord.
After dinner on Christmas Eve, all the children were finally asleep. The family toured the mansion, but Elissa's mind was preoccupied. She promised herself that after everybody was in bed, she would give Alex his Christmas gift. She would present him with a brand-new cashmere sweater, to announce the impending birth of Baby Alex Junior or Alexandra, due in the fall.
“I can't get over how fabulous this place turned out!” Helen said as she returned to the downstairs parlor. Elissa watched her baby sister gaze around the room. With pride, she glanced around, too. She loved the new decor, so light and airy.
A tinted glaze brought depth to the freshly painted yellow walls and a hand-woven rug brightened the hardwood floor. Wide green bands woven into the rug complemented the many plants Elissa had added. The furniture was large-scale and comfortable in this private wing, reserved for family and friends.
“And to think, I climbed through that window on my twenty-first birthday.” Helen pointed to one of two tall, arched windows, now unobscured by heavy velvet drapes. Outside, a light snow drifted silently down, the newly landscaped grounds inspiring awe, even blanketed in white. “It seems like an eternity ago.”
Damien took her hand and led her to a linen sofa, embellished with a cheerful fern design. “I'm glad you broke in that night,” Damien murmured, hugging her against him. “Without you, where would I be today?”
Helen snuggled into his protective warmth, waving Jack and Lucy into the room. “Damien, my love, you'd be a sad, lonely man with more money, women and leisure time than you'd know what to do with.”
He laughed. “What a tragic figure I would have been.”
Jack and Lucy sat down in a pair of armchairs across from Helen and Damien. “We owe this place a lot,” Lucy murmured, touching Jack's arm with affection.
Elissa stood before the stone fireplace. Relishing the fire's warmth and Alex's sheltering arm around her waist, she met her sister's gaze and grinned.
“Lis?” Lucy asked, “I hope you have a room set aside someplace for single girls to sleep in on their birthdays. Even though you don't believe in the myth, you wouldn't keep other women from giving it a try, would you?”
Elissa hugged Alex to her, wondering if she would ever tire of his scent, his texture, the melting beauty of his smile. “Actually...” She cleared her throat. “There is
one
little thing I've been meaning to tell you allâ” She slanted a sheepish look at her husband. “I'm afraid it's about the mythâand it affects you, honey...”
one
little thing I've been meaning to tell you allâ” She slanted a sheepish look at her husband. “I'm afraid it's about the mythâand it affects you, honey...”
Alex cocked his head. “Really? How?”
She stretched up on tiptoe and kissed his smiling lips. “You won't get mad?”
His silver eyes shone with mischief. “Only if you tell me you slept in the damned place on your birthday, then you came out and kneed me in the groin as a reward for being the first man you saw that day.”
Stunned, she backed far enough away to get a good look at his face. “How did you know?”
“I didn'tânot really.” He dragged her into his loving embrace, his gentle gaze full of devotion. “I only know, darling, that my love for you is mythic in its proportions.”
Jack chuckled wickedly, “Get a room before you show it to her.”
The rest of the family burst out laughing and Elissa was reminded once again of the joys of a close family. She had so much to be thankful for she hardly knew where to start. That wasn't totally true. She knew where she
intended
to start. Taking her husband by the hand, she tugged him toward the door. “If you folks will excuse us, Alex and I have somethingâto do.”
intended
to start. Taking her husband by the hand, she tugged him toward the door. “If you folks will excuse us, Alex and I have somethingâto do.”
Noticing her sisters' stunned expressions at her revelation about sleeping in the mansion, she asided, “I'll explain later. Trust meâI'm a believer.”
Alex squeezed her fingers, setting sparks of electricity shooting through her. His subtle touch telegraphed delightful lovers' secrets that made her sizzle with need.
Moments later he took her into his capable arms, his touch and his kiss stealing her from the world, as wonderful as it was, and soaring with her to their own private heaven.
ISBN : 978-1-4592-6315-4
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HER MISTLETOE HUSBAND
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First North American Publication 1998.
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Copyright © 1998 by Renee Roszel Wilson.
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All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
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