Page 4 of Chasing Christmas

"I need you to spend Thanksgiving weekend with me," she blurts, shocking me to the core.

Did she come here to ask me to spend the weekend with her? My cock throbs, pounding out my answer against my zipper. I think my fucking heart does too. Yes, yes, yes.

She turns to me, her face screwed up like she's ready for war.

"Don't say it if you don't mean it," I growl, the only warning I'm capable of giving her.Don't invite me into your life if you're just going to kick me out again later. Because once I'm in, I'm not fucking leaving, princess. You'll be mine. I won't let you go.

"I told you that you don't know me." She sashays toward me, putting a slight sway in her hips that has me fighting for my damn life, and pats me on the chest. "If you did, you'd know I meanexactlywhat I say."

I reach for her with a groan, desperate to get my hands on her.

She steps out of my reach, smiling brighter than the fucking summer sun.

Just that easily, my heart falls into her hands.

Chapter Two

Laura

"JesusChrist,"Kaidengrowls,raking a hand down his face. A mangled bouquet is clutched tightly in the other. I think they were lovely at one point today, but the petals droop, and the stems are crushed as if he's been clenching them in his fist. The sight of them still brings a smile to my lips.

"You came," I say, throwing my front door open wide. I wasn't sure he would. I've been a nervous wreck all day, thinking he wouldn't show up despite agreeing to spend the weekend with me. He doesn't strike me as someone who spends much time around people. Actually, I don't think he spends much time at all around people anymore.

I've been asking about him ever since my agent told me I was up for a role in a big action film after the holidays. It's the one genre I haven't tackled, and I'm woefully unprepared. But I want to nail the part, and Kaiden can help me do that. He can teach me how to be an action star, considering he was one in real life.

Every studio in Hollywood scrambled to sign him to projects. He could have been a leading man if he'd wanted the job, but everyone who knew him said he didn't have the patience to learn lines or play the game. He wanted to do his part and be done.

He doesn't even do that much now. After his accident a decade ago, he just sort of…faded into the background. Most people I talked to couldn't remember the last time they saw him. Most couldn't even remember the last time they spoke to him. They all deal with his business partner, Jackson Reed, now.

But Jackson Reed isn't the man who worked on all my favorite movies. Kaiden is. So I sought him out two days ago to offer him a job. Instead, I invited him to spend the weekend with me. I didn't mean to do it, but I think it was the best decision I ever made.

I've never been one to back down from a challenge, and this man hasdifficultstamped all over his hulking body. But he's the sexiest man I've ever met…and that's saying something because I've met a lot of men the world considers beautiful.

There's something about this one, though, that eclipses every single one of them.

He isn't pretty. He isn't put together. He isn't carefully coiffed or groomed to within an inch of his life. His appeal doesn't come from a stylist, his bank account, or any plastic surgery. In fact, I'm quite sure he's had none of the latter. A nasty scar runs from the corner of his right lip to his temple, as if a sword ripped him open. The edges are puckered, the skin surrounding it mottled as if melted. It's painful to look at…if you see it at all.

He exudes so much raw magnetism that it's hard to focus on anything but how damn fierce he is. This man is as real as they come, completely unrefined. He's the man it takes special effects and CGI to turn actors into; only there is no green screen here. There's only him, those wicked gray eyes, and the way my entire body hums when he's close to me.

"Told you I'd be here," he growls, staring at me as if he's trying to see into my soul. The flames in his eyes heat me to the nth degree, making silent promises I desperately want him to deliver.

My stomach trembles, my insides quivering with anticipation. God, he's primal, almost like a wild animal. He's husky, towering over me in a way that's far too appealing. His black button-down stretches over his barrel chest and down the thick slab of his stomach, barely containing his bulk. His black slacks hug his powerful thighs. I fight the urge to press my legs together, wondering what it'll feel like to have him on top of me.

I've been clinging to my virginity since I came to this town, refusing to give it up for anything less than the fairytale romance I've always dreamed about. I always swore that no panty-dropping smile or Sexiest Man Alive would talk me out of giving it up. But Kaiden Huxley? Well, he didn't have to talk very fast at all.

I tear my gaze from him before I beg him to touch me right here on the front stoop. My eyes fall to the flowers still clutched in his hands. "Are those for me?"

He thrusts them toward me, petals drifting toward the cement at his feet. "Sat on the damn things in the car," he mutters. "You can throw them out."

"No way," I say. "They're beautiful, Kaiden." I bring the bouquet to my nose and inhale, humming softly as the soft scent of the orchids, peonies, dahlias, and roses swirl together. I peek at him over the top of the battered flowers, smiling in gratitude.

"You look like a princess." He scrubs a hand through his hair. "That dress is…it's something."

"Thanks. You look pretty handsome yourself." I beam at him, glad he approves. I tore my closet apart, looking for something to wear tonight. Clothes still spill across the floor like a tornado hit it. The red dress is a short, off-the-shoulder tulle dress with a short asymmetrical hem. It's bold and sexy on my curves without being too much. I paired it with a pair of ballet flats. I spend far too much of my life in heels to don them willingly.

"It's just a button-down, princess."

"Well, I like it."