Christmas Ever After

“Oh, for—” He bit off the word and inhaled deeply. “Skylar Tempest, will you marry me?”

“Again, no!” Her voice sounded strangely flat. “And I can’t believe you’re still asking after the conversation we’ve just had. You wanted me to choose. I’ve chosen. Now get out.”

He swore under his breath. “My flight leaves tomorrow and I have to be back in DC on Monday. I don’t have time to play games. I want to spend the next few hours celebrating, not fighting. All I want to hear is two words, that’s all. Yes, Richard.”

“I’m not playing games. We don’t want the same things. Apparently we never did, but I’m only now realizing that. And even if we did have a single thing in common, I can’t be with someone who is so rude about the friends I love. They’re too important to me. It’s over, Richard.”

Her words fell into a simmering silence.

She saw the change in him and her heart kicked hard against her chest. She’d been with him long enough to be familiar with every shift in his mood. It was like watching the sky darken over Puffin Island, heralding an approaching storm.

His temper was the thing she’d liked least about him.

“I propose to you in public and your response is to break up with me? That’s not happening.” His tone was thickened. “You will not humiliate me. Next time we step out there it will be together and you’ll be smiling. This time you are going to make the right decision.”

“If you really knew me, you’d know that being proposed to in public would be the last thing I’d ever want. I don’t believe in fairy tales, Richard, but I do believe two people should be together because they love each other, not because it suits their career ambitions or because it’s part of a five-year plan.” She saw him take a step forward but she stood her ground, refusing to be intimidated. “You need to go now. If you’re worried about being seen then you can use the rear exit.”

“I’m virtually a member of your family.” His voice was an ugly growl. “Your father loves me.”

“Then marry my father and I hope you’ll be very happy.” She was calm, trying to diffuse a situation that was threatening to explode, but it was too late and she saw the moment his anger snapped the leash and bolted.

In the past she’d handled every incendiary moment with care, never allowing it to reach this point. She’d soothed, placated and occasionally walked out, putting distance between them.

But it was too late for any of those options now.

The pin was out of the grenade.

His shoulders hunched. His features were contorted and ugly and in that single split second she wondered how she ever could have thought him handsome. On the outside he was perfectly wrapped, but on the inside …

“Richard, you need to get control of yourself.” Her voice was sharp. “Take some breaths.”

“You are a spoiled bitch.”

She flinched as if he’d hit her and then realized in a moment of suspended disbelief that he actually was going to hit her.

His hand came up and instinctively she sidestepped to evade the blow. Her heel caught on the edge of a box and she fell heavily, smacking her head on the corner of the table.

Pain exploded in her skull. Her vision went dark and there was a distant humming in her head. Something warm and wet trickled down her face and she opened her eyes dizzily, trying to see through the pain.

He stood over her, hands raised to ward off the accusation he was clearly afraid she might make. “I didn’t touch you.” There was a hint of panic in his voice. “I didn’t touch you.”

He made no move to help her.

Showed no concern for her well-being, only his own.

Her sense of betrayal deepened.

“Get out, or I swear I will damage more than your career.” Her voice sounded strange and distant. The world around her had blurred edges.

Oh, God, she was going to pass out. Just when she needed to be strong and kick his ass, she was going to faint.

“It was an accident, Sky, a stupid accident because you didn’t look where you were going. You know how dreamy you are …”

“You wanted two words? I’ve got two perfect words for you. Fuck off.” She lifted her fingers to her head and they came away sticky. “Go. Now.”

Crap. Forget ketchup—she was going to get blood on her new dress.

“The press are out there.” He growled the words, his eyes wild as his brain computed the potential PR nightmare. “They’re supposed to be reporting our engagement. Instead you give them this? Damn you, Skylar. You did this, you deal with it. Maybe a blow to the head will wake you up. When you come to your senses, call me. I’ll think about whether or not you’re really what I want.”

Without looking back he strode out of the side entrance and into the night, leaving Skylar lying in her own blood.

WHAT THE HELL were they doing in that room?

Alec prowled round the exhibition, ignoring the other guests. The crowd was thinning out, people melting away, some speculating on the romantic scene that was going on behind closed doors.

The public proposal had taken him by surprise.

Brittany had described him as the “rat boyfriend,” which hadn’t sounded to him like a relationship on the edge of happy-ever-after.

He’d found the proposal uncomfortable to witness, but judging from the oohs and ahhs from the women in the audience, he was alone with that feeling. That was probably why he was single. What did he know about romance? According to his ex-wife, nothing. She’d wanted sweeping gestures and frequent public demonstrations of his love.

Her insecurities and endless demands had made him feel as if he’d been given a life sentence for a crime he’d never committed.

Trying to delete toxic thoughts, he grabbed a glass of champagne and calculated how soon he could make his escape.

As soon as they reappeared, he’d offer his congratulations and leave.

He needed to remember to say what was expected of him—Congratulations, so pleased for you, I hope you’ll be happy—and not what he was instinctively driven to say: Are you both insane?

He paused, his eye caught by a display of jewelry, intricate silver artfully placed on silk the color of a Mediterranean sky. The design was eye-catching and original and the historian in him recognized the nod to shapes and styles used in Bronze Age Greece.

A woman approached and sent him a smile, her intention unmistakable.

Alec turned away without returning the smile.

He didn’t care if she thought him rude. Better to be rude now than have to extract himself later.

Another legacy of his marriage was his aversion to over-polished, high-maintenance women. His relationship with Selina had been six months of sex, followed by an elaborate wedding and two years of bitter arguments that had culminated in an acrimonious divorce.

At her insistence he’d attended two sessions of marriage guidance counseling, ostensibly to “learn about himself.” What he’d learned was that he didn’t like his wife any more than she liked him.

He’d also learned that he was better off alone.

He was too selfish to make a commitment to a woman.

He liked his life too much to sacrifice it for a relationship.

He glanced across the gallery again. The door remained closed, so he moved on. No doubt Skylar and her boyfriend were locked in a romantic moment, promising to love each other forever.

With time to kill, he prowled around the gallery. He knew Skylar worked in a variety of mediums, and it was only as he studied the pieces on exhibit that he reluctantly began to appreciate the range and extent of her talent.

He paused by a large painting, recognizing the rocky coastline of Puffin Island. He was no expert, but even he could see the composition was good. She’d captured the feel of the island perfectly, the sweep of a sandy bay, the movement of the sea and the threatening hint of a storm in the sky. Looking at it, he could feel the salty spray on his face and hear the plaintive call of the gulls.

He felt a pang of longing for his cottage on the wild north coast of Puffin Island. In a few days he’d be going back there and he’d be staying for a month. Long enough, he hoped, to finish a draft of his book. He was looking forward to the solitude.

The painting had a red sticker, which meant that someone had bought it.

Good choice, he thought, and then saw the tall, elegant pot in a dazzling shade of cerulean blue placed under a spotlight against a whitewashed wall.

Instantly he was transported to Greece. He could almost feel the heat, and smell the scent of wild thyme and jasmine.

Of all the pieces in the room, this was the one he would have chosen to take home. He could see at a glance that her inspiration had been a combination of Greek mythology and early Minoan ceramics. She’d artfully combined the old with the new and created a piece of startling beauty.

The crowd thinned a little more, but there was still no sign of Skylar.

A movement in the street caught his eye and he saw a tall, dark-haired man stepping into a waiting car.

Recognizing him, Alec frowned. Why would Richard Everson be leaving alone?

He waited for Skylar to come running after him, wearing that skintight silver dress and a megawatt smile, but the car pulled away with only one passenger.

Ignoring the voice inside him that reminded him it was none of his business, he moved silently across the gallery toward the door he’d seen her enter.

He tapped lightly, received no answer and opened it anyway.

The room was empty.

It was clearly a storeroom. There were paintings against the wall, a table stacked with boxes and—

A body.

Shit.

“Skylar?” In two strides he was by her side. “What the hell happened here? Speak to me. Are you—?”

He tilted her face and his hand came away sticky with her blood.

Her beautiful white-blond hair was streaked with it, her lips bloodless in a face drained of color.

His heart pounded. Whatever he’d expected to find, it hadn’t been this.

“Sky? Open your eyes.” He tried to scoop her up and then dodged as she swung her fist toward his face.

“Touch me and I swear the next thing you feel will be my stiletto in your balls.” She slurred her words and Alec swore under his breath and captured her wrist in his hand before she could do him serious damage.

“You might want to work on that pickup line, princess.”

Her eyes fixed on him and focused. Confusion changed to recognition. “What are you doing here? Did you come to gloat?”

“I saw Richard getting into a car and came to check on you. Good thing I did. I’m taking you to hospital.” Questions rose in his mind. What had happened? And why had Richard Everson walked out leaving her like this? He delved in his pocket for his phone. “I’m calling an ambulance. And the police. Did he do this?”

“No. I fell. And I don’t want you to call anyone.” She struggled to sit up, her efforts giving him a glimpse of long legs and silk underwear.

Her body is the biggest work of art in the place, he thought, and averted his eyes.

It irritated him that he found her attractive.

“You had a nasty blow to the head. You need to stay where you are.”

“People have to stop telling me what I need. I know what I need. Crap.”

He turned back to look at her and saw she’d closed her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you have a twin? I’m seeing two of you.”

“That’s not good.”

“You’re not kidding. One Alec Hunter is bad enough. Two is my worst nightmare.”

He took it as a good sign that she recognized him. “I’m relieved you’re still able to make a joke.”

“It’s not a joke.”

He gave a grim laugh. “I know I’m not your first choice of rescuer, but unfortunately I’m all there is.”

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t need rescuing.”

He wondered if she had any idea how badly she was hurt. “Let me take a look at your head before you stand up.” Leaning her back against the leg of the table, he gently moved her hair back so that he could take a closer look at her injury. He’d been on expeditions to some of the wildest parts of the world and his first-aid skills were more than competent. “You don’t need stitches, but you have one hell of a bruise and you might have a concussion. I’m taking you to hospital.”

“I’m not going to the hospital. I don’t want anyone to see me like this. They might take a photo.”

He felt a rush of impatience. “Don’t worry, you still look beautiful and I’ll make sure they only get your good side.”

The look she gave him should have fried him to a crisp. “I don’t care how I look, dumbass. I care about what questions the press might ask. And I care even more about seeing their theories expounded in public. But it’s always good to know I’m the fortunate beneficiary of your good opinion. You can leave now. I appreciate you checking on me. I hope you break your nose on the way out.”

He breathed deeply. “It was a stupid comment. I apologize.”

She gave a weak laugh. “Wow. Now I am worried. I’m hallucinating, or hearing voices or something, because for a moment there I thought I heard you apologize. I don’t suppose you’d do it again? This time on your knees?” She gave a weak laugh. “Just kidding. Go, Alec. You’re done here. Off the hook.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Why? You think I’m a vain waste of space. Why would you care what happens to me?” She closed her eyes again. “News flash. When a girl hits a crappy part of her life she needs friends around her, not someone who is going to make her feel more crappy.”

He ignored that. “Do you feel sick?”

“Yeah, but it will pass as soon as you’ve left. Don’t take it personally. You’re just not my type.”

It was a relief that she could still take a swipe at him. “Good to know. Come on, princess, let’s get out of here.”

“Princess? Did you seriously just call me princess again?” She cracked open one eye. “Are you trying to wind me up?”

“Yes. If you’re spitting mad, at least I know you don’t have brain damage.”

“You don’t think I have a brain. How can I have brain damage when I don’t have a brain?” Her muttered retort was so much in character that his concern eased slightly.

“In case you do have a brain, we need to get you checked out. If you don’t want an ambulance, we can take a taxi.”

“Why are you helping me? You hate me. Hence the reason you call me princess.”

“I seem to remember that last time we met you called me an asshole, so you’re not exactly complimentary.”

“Asshat, not asshole.”

“I think the exact phrase you used was ‘Professor Asshat.’” He rose to his feet. “Don’t move. I’m going to get a taxi by the back entrance. I’ll make sure no one sees you.”

He wondered who she was protecting. Richard Everson or herself?

He stepped out into the snowy street. For once luck was on his side and he hailed a taxi almost immediately. Instructing the driver to wait, he walked back through the rear entrance of the gallery and was surprised to find Skylar standing up and clutching the table for support.

He couldn’t believe she was on her feet. “I told you to stay where you were. I’m going to help you.”

“I don’t need you to help me. But my dress is covered in blood. It’s ruined.” She was shivering and Alec removed his coat and covered her up.

“Your dress is the least of your worries.”

“Not true. We princesses are very particular about how we look. We never know when a handsome prince might come riding by.”

Ignoring the dig, he eyed her bruise. “Right now you look more like a heroine from a Hitchcock movie than a princess.” Her hair was the glistening white gold of a Caribbean beach in the sunlight. Even streaked with blood, it was her most striking feature.

“Am I scary?” She gave a faint smile and let go of the table. She swayed and he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the waiting taxi without pausing to ask for permission. “Oh, for— Put me down! I can walk.”

“You’ll fall, and that will draw more attention.” He tried to ignore the scent of her and the feel of her slender curves.

“Whatever. If it validates your manhood, go right ahead and sweep me up, but if you slip on black ice and put your back out, don’t blame me.” But she stopped wriggling. “This is the point where you tell me I don’t weigh anything.”

He waited a beat. “If I had to guess, I’d say you weigh the same as a small hippo.”

“You have no idea how much I hate you.”

“I know exactly how much you hate me.” He lowered her gently onto the seat of the cab. “Wait there.”

She eased herself into a more comfortable position. “Where are you going? To find a chiropractor?”

He didn’t bother holding back the smile. “I’m going to tell a few lies about where you are.”

Alec strode back into the gallery, found the owner, made up something that he hoped sounded plausible, picked up Skylar’s coat and bag and joined her in the taxi.

The driver looked at him expectantly. “Where to, mate?”

It was a question he hadn’t considered until now.

Alec looked at Sky. Her eyes were closed, the livid bruising darkening before his eyes.

“Sky?”

She didn’t move.

His instinct was to ask the driver to deliver them to the nearest emergency department but she’d begged him not to, and he understood now it was because she didn’t want to risk the publicity.

He didn’t even know where she was staying. Was she checked into a hotel somewhere with Richard Everson?

“Sky.” He nudged her and her eyes opened slowly, as if she had lead weights attached to her eyelids.

“Go away. I’m going to sleep, probably for a hundred years, and if you kiss me to wake me up I’ll kill you.” Her eyes drifted shut again and Alec leaned his head back against the seat, wondering what he’d done to deserve this. He was kind to old ladies and tried never to forget his mother’s birthday but apparently someone still thought he needed to be punished.

Unable to come up with a viable alternative, he reluctantly gave the address of the hotel where he was staying.

The cab driver did a U-turn and Skylar’s head flopped against his shoulder. Alec tried to shift her away, but her body settled against his as if it had been custom designed to fit.

The only way to stop her sliding off the seat was to put his arm round her and he did that with the same degree of enthusiasm he displayed when completing his tax return.

The coat he’d lent her was open at the front and he saw that the silver fabric of her incredible dress clung to her curves like a body stocking. A perfectly wrapped Christmas parcel.

She had the face and body of a Victoria’s Secret model.

He imagined unzipping that dress and revealing those curves and quickly averted his eyes.

No way.

Not only was she injured and involved with someone else, but their relationship bordered on adversarial.

Who was he kidding? They didn’t have a relationship.

So why did he suddenly want to strip her naked and bone her into next week?

What the hell was wrong with him?

Given the circumstances his response bordered on the depraved, but knowing that seemed to make no difference. His body was a throbbing ache and he tried again to ease away from her, but she nestled closer. Immediately he was engulfed by the light, fresh scent of flowers.

He glanced down again, to the shimmer of her nails and the elaborate silver cuff on her narrow wrist that was obviously one of her own unique designs, forcing himself to admit the truth—he was turned on by a woman who set off every alarm in his body. The type of high-maintenance female he went out of his way to avoid.

And he was taking her back to his hotel room.

Last time he’d helped a woman in trouble it had ended badly.

He hoped the minibar was well stocked because he was going to need every bottle in the fridge to get through the next few hours.

Merry Christmas, Alec.

CHAPTER TWO

SKYLAR’S HEAD POUNDED, as if a thousand elves from Santa’s workshop were hammering on her skull. There was a tickling feeling on her face and she kept her eyes closed, drifting in and out of sleep, lulled by the hum of the engine and the low murmur of male voices.

Alec’s voice. Alec Hunter.

She lay against his shoulder, the strength of his arm keeping her locked against a chest that was solid muscle.

He was an academic. A man who spent at least half the year delivering lectures and studying papers. He wasn’t supposed to have the body of a fighter.

She knew she should pull away but she didn’t have the energy.

Had she been in a better state she would have laughed.

Of all the people who disapproved of her, her parents and Richard included, Alec Hunter led them all. He made no secret of the fact he thought she was shallow and frivolous.

Princess.

It was the cruelest irony that he’d been the one to be by her side at her lowest moment.

At some point during the journey she felt him move. She assumed he was about to push her onto her own side of the seat, but then she felt him applying a soft pad to her head and realized that the tickling feeling was blood coming from the wound.

He’d given her his coat, she remembered, which meant that her head was rubbing up against the pristine white of his shirt.

Pristine no longer.

Even knowing that didn’t motivate her to move.

She would happily have stayed in the cab forever, all her problems suspended.

Eventually they came to a standstill.

Alec eased her away from him and pushed her hair back from her face.

“Sky? We’re here.”

She was surprised by how gentle his fingers were.

She opened her mouth to ask where “here” was, but he was already leaning forward to pay the driver and then there was the sound of the door opening followed by a rush of cold air that made her gasp.

She was about to tell him she could walk but he scooped her up without asking and carried her into what was obviously a hotel.

Bright lights dazzled and she screwed up her eyes against the light, thinking not for the first time that Alec Hunter had a touch of caveman about him.

She was treated to a close-up view of the stubble that shadowed his jaw.

He smelled dizzyingly good, a mixture of lemons, winter forest and delicious man.

He didn’t pause at the reception, spoke to no one, simply strode through a marble-clad lobby and into the elevator with the same cool authority he seemed to show in everything he did.

“I can’t believe they didn’t challenge you,” she muttered. “You could have drugged me, or kidnapped me for your pleasure.”

“They probably took one look at you and knew that no man in his right mind would take you on.” He paused outside a door, shifted his hold on her so that he could slide the card into the lock and carried her into the room.

“You’re so wrong about me.” Her stomach was rolling ominously. “I’m adorable when you get to know me.”

“I won’t be getting to know you.”

“Your loss.”

With an exasperated sound, he lowered her carefully to the bed and adjusted the dressing on her head. “It’s bleeding again. Remind me why I didn’t take you to the hospital?”

“Because I asked you not to and you listened.” It felt as if thunder and lightening were exploding in her head. “Do you have any painkillers?”

He disappeared into the bathroom and returned a few moments later holding some tablets. “Paracetamol.” Instead of giving them to her, he put them down next to the bed. “Look over my shoulder.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and switched on the flashlight function. He flashed the light over her eyes, checking her pupils. “How many of me are there?”