Santa's Secret (21 page)

He hadn’t known about her phobia at the
time, and the last thing he expected the spirited, lively girl to have was panic
attacks. Alarm shot through him when she turned white and started shaking, her
eyes widening with fear. But when Sean reacted not by making fun of her but by
announcing he’d take her home, Dion realised the seriousness of the situation.
He walked with them without asking, and they both held her hand the whole way.

When she got home, she thanked him and
cried, and he hugged her. Her hair had smelled of strawberries, and his lips
had lingered as he kissed the top of her head for a few seconds longer than he
should have.

Was that when his obsession about her had
started? All those years ago?

“It got bad for a while,” Sean added,
“around the time she broke up with Cody. She told you about that in Prague,
didn’t she?”

“Yeah.”

So Sean definitely knew they’d met up the
Christmas before. For the first time in his life Dion thought he might be
blushing. Not banging your best mate’s sister was rule number one. No wonder
Sean had been cool when he got in the car.

“But she’s worked at it,” Sean continued.
“She has counselling, and they’ve taught her breathing techniques, that sort of
thing. She copes.”

“That’s good to know. I’m looking forward
to seeing her again.”

That was the understatement of the year.
Their coming together in Prague had been brief but momentous—like a
once-in-a-thousand-years alignment of two planets. He’d tried not to dwell on
her too much after they parted, but he’d spent more nights than he cared to
remember lying awake thinking about that night before Christmas. He couldn’t
deny to himself that he’d chosen to recuperate in New Zealand with the hope of
seeing her again.

“She’s at the house,” Sean said. “We’re
nearly there.”

Dion’s heart rate sped up at the thought of
seeing her again. For the first time since he left the UK, real pleasure surged
through him that he’d made the decision to go away. All the worries and stress
of the past few months faded. He had two whole weeks here to unwind, to catch
up with his mates and rediscover the friendships he hadn’t realised he’d missed
until he needed them. Two whole weeks to spend with Megan, maybe to explore
that relationship a little more.

Sean signalled at the turnoff for the
marina, drove about ten yards and then turned left into a tiny drive. The road
led steeply upward, and then the car crested the top of the rise.

Dion gasped. The long wooden house below
them lay at the top of a small bay. The hills surrounding the bay were
encrusted with palms, manuka trees and bush. A pair of brightly coloured
rosella parrots flew in front of the car, and when Sean pulled up outside and
Dion got out, he heard the tuis up high in the trees, their distinctive call
sounding as if they were saying
George! George!

“Wow.” He stared at the house. “You built
this?”

“Yep.” Sean practically burst with pride.
“You like?”

“It’s fantastic.” He hadn’t realised the
building business paid so well. “How much land do you have?”

“A couple of hectares. Not much.”

Not much? Dion tried not to exclaim out
loud. He considered himself fairly well off, but he’d only been able to afford
a small apartment in London. Although situated in Islington, one of the newly
transformed parts of the city, it had only a few rooms and no view to speak of.
It didn’t come close to what Sean had.

The front door opened and out came the
dark-haired woman he’d seen with Sean on Facebook. She looked less glamorous
than in her wedding photos, her hair pulled back in a ponytail and her face
free of makeup, but she was a pretty girl, with eyes creased into laughter
lines.

“You must be Gaby,” he said. Used to years
of meeting and greeting through the business, he smiled, walked up and extended
his hand. “I’m Dion.”

“Hey, Dion! I’m so glad you came.” She
ignored his hand and gave him a hug. Taken by surprise—how English had he
become?— he stood there awkwardly for a moment before putting his arms around
her and giving her a quick hug back. “It’s lovely to have you here,” she
continued. “Sean’s been so looking forward to it, and he’s told me so much
about you.”

“All good things I hope,” he said.

“Of course.” She grinned, then flicked Sean
a quick look. “Everything okay?”

“Yep. Lead on.” He gave a mysterious nod.

Was it his imagination, or did they both
look nervous?

She went into the house and Dion followed,
puzzling over their secret communication. But he forgot it instantly as he
found himself in a huge, open plan kitchen and living area with high ceilings
and shiny, kauri wood floors, the far wall completely made of large windows
that looked out over the small bay. “Wow!”

“I know.” Gaby laughed. “It took my breath
away when I first walked in. Sean wouldn’t let me see it until he’d finished
it.”

 “It’s fantastic.” He opened his mouth to
ask her to show him around, but the words failed to come as his attention
focused on the person standing on the deck outside, overlooking the bay.

She hadn’t noticed him come in. He could
hear her singing, and it made him smile. She’d always been the same, her brain
like an iPod on shuffle. Now she was singing an old Dylan song,
I’ll be your
baby tonight
. Her husky voice sent a shiver down his spine. He remembered
that voice in his ear whispering erotic things he’d never have dreamed she’d be
brave enough to say to him.

He walked across the floor to the open
sliding doors. As he approached, she turned around, obviously hearing his shoes
on the wood.

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in an
almost comical expression of shock and surprise. Obviously, she hadn’t expected
him. Sean hadn’t told her he was coming.

Fuck.
Why?

He stopped walking and stared at her, his
heart hammering. She hadn’t changed much over the past year. Her hair shone the
light chestnut colour it had always been, and she’d pinned it up in an elegant
clip, leaving curly strands to frame her face.

She’d lost a little weight. She wore denim
cut-offs and a pink vest that clung to her breasts, and sparkly flip-flops, or
jandals as the Kiwis called them. She looked pretty and sexy, and an image shot
through his head of her that moment he’d spotted her Prague, stunning in the
scarlet coat, with the saddest look on her face he’d ever seen on anyone.

No, she didn’t look any different.

What
was
different was the baby she
held in her arms.

Buy from
Amazon

White-Hot
Christmas
from Samhain
Publishing is also available from
Amazon
.

When lust turns to love, it’s one fire he can’t extinguish…

Merle Cameron’s not looking for love. Between her job as a university
lecturer and caring for a mother recovering from breast cancer, she has no room
in her schedule for a demanding relationship.

While visiting her sister in New Zealand, however, she’s happy to indulge
in some hot holiday sex with kind, hunky firefighter Neon Carter. After all,
they live on opposite sides of the world. There’s no chance things will turn
serious.

Neon Carter is a catch. At least, that’s what the ladies apparently
think. All they seem to want is a quick trip down the aisle, but Neon’s in no
rush to settle down. Light-hearted summer loving with a sexy blonde is
something different, though, and Neon’s happy to offer his services until Merle
has to return to England.

The weather’s hot, the sex even hotter. But when it’s time for Merle to
go home, they both realize they’re in deeper than they thought. And there’s no
solution that won’t break someone’s heart.

Warning: Please do not read if you are allergic to any of the following:
love at first sight, one-night stands in a one-man tent, rugby hakas, firemen
rescuing children, and rough caveman sex guaranteed to put hairs on your chest.
May contain nuts.

Holly’s First Noel
from Entangled Publishing is available on
Amazon
, under the name Faye
Robertson.

Music teacher Holly Jones is in a festive predicament. Her boyfriend just
dumped her the week before Christmas, so why is she only depressed he made off
with the mince pies? When the charming science teacher next door overhears the
dreaded call and suggests she accompany him on his Scottish holiday retreat to
Loch Ness, she accepts, eager to spend a quiet week rediscovering herself.

Noel Coward’s wife died on Christmas Eve three years ago. To bury the
memories of that day, he spends the holidays getting drunk and watching action
movies, which makes him perfect company for a fellow teacher in need of
solitude. Except, instead of wallowing in his grief, Noel finds himself
comforted by Holly’s presence, fascinated by her mind, and after one innocent
kiss, on fire for her touch. As the snow piles up outside, the temperature
inside soars, while together, they discover the human heart’s amazing capacity
to heal...and love.