Secret Santa Read online

  “Give it back, Christian.” She used a firm, no-nonsense tone that usually got her exactly what she wanted.

  Not today and not with Christian. “If you want it that badly, you’ll have to get it yourself.” He slid the folded list down the front of his pants, his gaze brimming with a wicked challenge. “That is, if you dare.”

  Stunned by his audacity, she gaped at him, though she couldn’t deny that the tips of her fingers tingled at the thought of chasing after that paper. Heat flushed across her cheeks and down her body, making her wool coat feel suffocating and unbearably warm.

  He laughed, a low, rich chuckle that slid down her spine like a silky caress and increased her awareness of him. “I didn’t think so. Afraid you might just get more than you bargained for?”

  Oh, yeah. “You’re a cad.”

  “I’ve certainly been called worse.” He crossed his arms over his chest and regarded her with mild curiosity. “But you, Ms. Creighton, are a tease. What was that tie and note about, anyway?”

  The shocking truth lodged in her throat, and thankfully a quick, logical explanation popped into her head. “It was a joke, okay?” One that had taken a turn she never would have anticipated.

  “A joke,” he said, repeating her words and looking as though he were mulling over her response. “Was it because you wanted to get me all hot and bothered?”

  Her heart skipped a beat at his too-accurate guess. “Of course not!” she managed to sputter. For a woman who always kept her emotions in check, especially at work, this man had a way of flustering her from head to toe.

  You wouldn’t be in this situation if you’d just listened to me, Angie whispered. But nooo, you were weak and let Desiree lead you over to the dark side.

  “Well, just in case you’re curious, it did get me all hot and bothered,” he said, humor and something far sexier lacing his voice. “That is, until the possibility crossed my mind that either Stacey or Drew had given me such a provocative gift.” He shuddered for effect, telling Amanda without words how he felt about those two scenarios.

  A burst of laughter escaped her before she could stop it, relieving a bit of the nervous tension pulling tight within her. In a way she’d never admit to him, she now better understood his desperate need to find out who his Secret Santa was.

  “You find that funny?” He tried to appear stern, but couldn’t hide the mirth flickering in his gaze.

  She pressed her fingers to her lips to hold in her laughter, but couldn’t stop another residual chuckle. “It really is funny when you think about it. Especially with Drew.”

  “I’m glad you’re so amused.” Pushing away from the file cabinet, he moved toward her and stopped less than a foot away. “As for me, I’m much more intrigued by the fact that you sent me that tie, and wrote me that note.” Lifting his hand, he grazed his thumb along the line of her jaw, while his fingers dipped just inside the high collar of her sweater and caressed the side of her neck. “Why did you do it, Amanda?” he asked huskily.

  Her pulse tripped all over itself at his sensual touch, and her nipples tightened into hard peaks, aching for the same kind of intimate attention. She inched backward to break the contact, and her bottom connected with the edge of her desk.

  “I told you, it was a joke,” she said lightly. “A gag gift.”

  “Liar,” he chided softly. Slowly, he closed the distance between them once again, and she knew just by looking into his dark, determined eyes that he wouldn’t let her escape him so easily a second time. “I think you’re secretly attracted to me.”

  Instinctively, she pressed a hand to his chest to hold him off, and immediately realized her mistake when she felt the solid heat and strength of his body beneath her fingers. Her attraction, the one she was just about to deny, flared into full-blown desire. She struggled to breathe, and when she finally did manage to inhale, she drew in the heady scent of sandalwood and aroused male.

  She swallowed back a needy groan. Feeling her physical response to him slipping a few critical notches, she kept her hand splayed on his chest and grasped for control. “Don’t flatter yourself, Casanova,” she said with a sassy toss of her head. “Attraction has nothing to do with it.”

  “Oh, really?” A too-perceptive smile eased up the corner of his tempting mouth as he slipped his hand inside her coat and boldly settled his large palm on her hip. “If you’re not attracted to me, then why are you trembling?”

  She rolled her eyes, pretending indifference, which wasn’t an easy feat when everything about Christian made her acutely sensitive to just how alone the two of them were in the office building. “You’re obviously imagining things.”

  “Am I?” He tipped his head, studying her like a man who had all the time in the world, and planned to use every minute to make her squirm. “Maybe we ought to put the attraction theory to a little test.”

  She frowned, immediately wary. “What kind of test?”

  Instead of responding verbally, he used the slow, gradual press of his body against hers to make his point, proving he was a man of action rather than words when it came to getting a woman’s attention. Their hips and thighs met, and the curve of her bottom caught on the edge of her desk. Sliding the fingers of his free hand into her hair, he cupped the back of her head in his palm. He gave a small, light, arousing tug on the strands tangled around his fingers, forcing her face to tip up toward his.

  His gaze was hypnotic as it stared into hers. Dark and hot, and filled with all kinds of sinful intent.

  The heat alone was enough to make her melt from the inside out. Between the hard, powerful body aligned against hers like a familiar lover, and the strong male hands anchoring her even more securely to the spot, she felt breathlessly excited, and a whole lot out of her element when it came to this kind of situation.

  “What…” Her voice rasped, and she swallowed to clear her throat, though it was impossible to steady her erratic pulse. “What are you doing?”

  “That should be obvious.” His lashes fell half-mast over his eyes, and his mouth eased into a slumberous smile, making him all the more sexy and appealing. “I’m putting your ‘I’m-not-attracted-to-you’ claim to the test. So far, you seem to be failing.”

  He lowered his head toward hers, and a swell of panic rose within her. She curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, knowing that if his lips so much as touched hers, she’d be a goner. Putty in his hands to do with as he wished. She knew he was just playing with her, attempting to get even for the gift and note she’d given him, and that was reason enough to put a halt to this crazy situation.

  “Christian,” she said firmly, trying to put him off, except a soft, sultry, telltale moan followed his name.

  His lips skimmed along her cheek to her ear, and nuzzled that sensitive spot beneath the lobe that made her shiver and increased the rapid beat of her heart. “Shhh,” he whispered, his breath feathering warm and damp against her skin. “This test won’t hurt a bit. I promise.”

  That was what she was most afraid of—receiving too much pleasure only to have him leave her craving so much more.

  Go for it, Amanda. Desiree urged, her enthusiasm unmistakable. You know you want to.

  Oh, yes, I do. So why was she fighting what she wanted so badly? Who cared that he was out to extract a bit of retribution, especially when he was offering such an erotic form of revenge? Tossing aside any last misgivings, she decided to seize the moment, enjoy the kiss and whatever else Christian was willing to give.

  Closing her eyes, she turned her head, seeking the warmth of his mouth with her own. Their lips met, his firm and sensual as they claimed hers and took control of the kiss. Reaching up, she tunneled her fingers into his thick, silky hair and opened to him, to the dampness and heat and the slow, deep stroke of his tongue.

  The hands on her hips tightened as he pressed his lower body closer, harder, against hers in a slow, grinding thrust that made her moan deep in her throat. Shamelessly, she strained beneath the delicious assault, and
as if knowing exactly what she needed, he slid his hands around to her bottom and lifted her so that she was sitting on the surface of her desk. He nudged her knees wide apart and moved in between her legs, branding her with the unmistakable pressure and friction of his rock-hard erection rubbing against the sensitive place between her thighs.

  His mouth slanted across hers in a more provocative, dominating kiss, dragging her deeper under his spell and possessing her in a primitive, sexual way that was new and exciting to her. She was used to polite, courteous sex, not this explosion of aggression and heat that threatened to consume her.

  She wrapped her legs around the back of his thighs and embraced the electrifying sensation. Desire began to flow through her veins, liquid and hot. Down to her aching breasts. Swirling in her belly. Making her sex weep for the pulsing, driving force of him sliding deep, deep inside her. Seemingly of their own accord, her hands slid down his chest and grazed the belt buckle securing the front of his pants.

  Abruptly, he broke the kiss and jerked back, his expression stunned. He was breathing hard, his eyes dark and glazed with lust, and it took extreme effort on Amanda’s part not to pull him back and make him finish what he’d just started.

  From her left shoulder, Desiree applauded her efforts. It’s about time. I was starting to worry about you.

  Christian swore beneath his breath and stepped farther away from Amanda, breaking all physical contact and leaving her sitting on the desk. A dark, troubled frown creased his brows and a muscle in his jaw ticked. In a carefully controlled voice that still held an underlying rasp of arousal, he said, “I need to get the hell out of here before we do something we’ll both regret.”

  With that, he turned and walked out of her office, leaving her alone and very confused about what had just happened between them. Considering their working relationship, and Christian’s love ’em and leave ’em reputation, she ought to be grateful that at least he’d been thinking clearly enough to stop things before they’d escalated to the point of no return.

  But she wasn’t grateful. She was disappointed.

  Wow, the man certainly knows how to kiss, among other things, Desiree said breathlessly.

  Even Angie fanned herself, a pink blush sweeping across her cheeks. Despite that, she still managed to put everything back into perspective, as was her job as Amanda’s guardian angel. Of course he does. He’s had a whole lot of experience.

  Experience is a very good thing, Desiree retorted with a sly smile.

  Amanda dragged a shaky hand through her hair and stood on less-than-steady legs. “Yeah, well, it doesn’t seem to matter now. He got exactly what he wanted, and now it’s over.”

  He’d taken the list for safekeeping, and a kiss for revenge. An erotic, bone-melting kiss that would haunt her dreams for a long time to come.

  3

  CHRISTIAN SLID the blue-and-gray striped tie between his fingers as he paced a restless path in his living room and thought about what had happened between him and Amanda just a few hours ago, a kiss that had literally rocked his world and left him wanting her with an intensity he couldn’t shake.

  He’d only meant to teach Amanda a lesson. To show her that when you teased a bear with something he wanted, you were bound to get bitten. But instead, all he’d managed to do was unleash a desire that she clearly felt as well, and it had taken every ounce of strength he possessed not to take her right then and there on her desk.Lord knew, she’d been soft and warm and more than willing. Just remembering the way she’d wrapped her legs around his hips and responded so wantonly to their embrace made him rock-hard all over again.

  The big question was, what was he going to do about their mutual lust? Absolutely nothing, should have been his immediate response. He’d walked away from her earlier with every intention of never touching her again. He’d meant what he’d said about regrets, and they did have their working relationship to consider, not to mention his promotion that was still up in the air.

  But now, after rereading her sexy note and contemplating all the sensual pleasures the two of them could no doubt share, he couldn’t help but wonder if making love to Amanda, and taking her up on her Secret Santa gift, was worth the possible risks.

  Yes. That particular answer came much too easily, and he wasn’t about to refuse something he wanted so badly. After all, they were consenting adults and were completely capable of indulging in a brief, private affair outside of the office. Judging by Amanda’s attempt to keep her gift to him a secret, he was certain she’d welcome a mutual agreement to keep their relationship just between the two of them.

  For the first time in hours, Christian grinned, feeling like a man on a mission. Amanda wanted to tie him up and have her way with him? No problem, he thought, as he slipped the tie she’d given him around the collar of his shirt and secured it into a loose knot against his throat.

  He was up for any kind of erotic, sexual games she wanted to play.

  I T REALLY IS FOR THE BEST that Christian walked away before things went too far between the two of you.

  Neither Angie’s voice of reason nor the pint of Ben Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream she was spooning into her mouth could console Amanda and her dismal mood. Even the new, sexy, bright red Jimmy Choo heels she’d slipped on after a long, hot bath did nothing to lift her spirits. More depressed than before, she tucked her legs beneath her on the couch so she didn’t have to stare at the pretty strappy shoes that would most likely never see the light of day. Just like all the others in her collection.She closed her eyes and groaned. If Ben Jerry’s and a beautiful pair of expensive shoes couldn’t cure Amanda’s blues, she was in worse shape than she’d realized. Sure, she’d been devastated when Christian had kissed her senseless then dismissed the incident because he was afraid of regrets, but she never would have imagined that she’d feel so rejected. So alone and wondering if any other man would ever live up to that amazingly seductive kiss.

  Even now, hours after the fact, she still felt on edge and restless in a way that would no doubt keep her tossing and turning for the entire night. Christian had started a craving in her, then had left her aroused and wanting more. More of his drugging kisses, his sensual touch, his strong, hard body pressed against hers. Preferably with both of them completely naked.

  But that wasn’t going to happen, she knew, and shoveled another bite of chocolate fudge brownie into her mouth. He’d made his feelings about the situation abundantly clear, and just like every other woman he tangled with, she was yet another casualty of his charm.

  Well, that was what she got for ignoring Angie’s warning and sending Christian that Secret Santa gift in the first place. She truly had no one but herself to blame for the entire fiasco.

  Her apartment phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. The distinct ring tone told her it was the doorman downstairs calling. Picking up the extension on the end table next to the couch, she answered with the most upbeat voice she could muster. “Hello?”

  “Good evening, Ms. Creighton,” William replied in his normal businesslike tone. “There’s a gentleman by the name of Christian Miller here to see you. Shall I send him up to your place?”

  Shocked by the unexpected announcement, Amanda’s mind spun. He’d obviously gotten her address from the company roster, but after the tense way they’d parted company at the office, she couldn’t begin to imagine his reasons for being at her place now. To apologize, maybe? To return the tie he had no intention of ever wearing?

  “Ms. Creighton?” William prompted after too many silent seconds had passed.

  She shook herself from her stupor and replied. “I, uh, yes, of course. Send him on up.”

  She hung up the phone, not sure what to do first. She had about a minute before he arrived. Quickly, she took her Ben Jerry’s back to the kitchen and put the rest of the pint into the freezer. Then she ran her fingers through her still-damp and tousled hair, wishing she’d dried it tonight. Wishing, too, that she had more time to prepare herself, mentally and p
hysically, for Christian’s spontaneous visit.

  But she didn’t. Her doorbell rang and a dozen butterflies took flight in her stomach as she headed toward the entryway. The heels of her Jimmy Choos clicked on the marble floor, and she groaned when she thought about how odd she probably looked in her drawstring pajama pants imprinted with bright red lips, a matching cotton camisole top…and a pair of racy red shoes with a four-inch heel.

  The doorbell rang again, followed by a brisk, impatient knock, leaving her no time to unfasten the double straps wrapped around each ankle to take the shoes off. So, she opened the door and faced the man who’d rejected her just a few hours before.

  He stood on the other side of the threshold, looking incredibly gorgeous, with his dark, disheveled hair and those deep blue eyes that took in her pajamas in a slow, sweeping glance. The sensual heat in his gaze made her toes curl in her Jimmy Choos. He’d changed into a pair of fitted jeans and pale blue knit shirt, and it didn’t escape her notice that he was wearing the tie she’d given him, which not only looked ridiculous with his informal outfit, but it also added to her confusion as to why he was there.

  When she continued to stare at him, he tipped his head and offered her a friendly smile. “Can I come in?”

  Amanda’s curiosity prompted her to step back so he could enter her apartment. “Sure.”

  He walked past her and into her living room, and she followed behind with a resounding click, click, click of her heels on the floor, which made her acutely aware of how equally ridiculous she looked in her pajamas and heels.

  He took in her upscale Manhattan apartment and contemporary furnishings, then turned back around to look at her. “Nice place.”

  “Thanks.” Unable to bear a string of polite chitchat, she decided to get right down to business. “Christian…what are you doing here?”

  He casually slid his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, but his expression reflected something far more direct and purposeful. “I’m wearing the tie you gave me.”