The Christmas Set-Up Read online

  And from somewhere in the cabin came the sound of another cell phone going off, Jason’s. The sound reminded her that this wasn’t the real world. The real world was her family, who were probably still hoping the storm had abated enough for her to get to them. The real world was a place where she and Jason didn’t like each other all that much.

  And that real world was calling.

  * * *

  VERY AWARE OF ZOE IN the kitchen talking softly on the phone to what sounded like her mother, Jason went hunting for his own cell phone.

  He’d gotten a call from Mike, which he returned.

  “Merry Christmas,” Mike said. “I got you something that you had no idea you needed but is perfect for you—one tall, gorgeous redhead. You’re welcome.”

  “I ought to kill you, not thank you,” Jason said, looking over his shoulder to make sure Zoe couldn’t hear him. “But it’ll have to wait.”

  Mike paused then laughed in disbelief. “She’s still there? Man, you’re better than I thought.”

  “It’s a snowstorm, you dumbass. Because of you, she’s stuck here with me instead of being with her family.”

  “Huh,” Mike said.

  “Huh what?”

  “You’re emotionally involved.”

  “What?” Jason shook his head. “When have I ever been emotionally involved?”

  “You just said she was stuck with you instead of being with her family, which means you’ve had at least one conversation, and a fairly deep conversation at that. And you mentioned her family. You’re emotionally involved.”

  Shit, Jason thought. He was. He was completely and utterly emotionally involved.

  “Before you hang up on me,” Mike said, the good humor gone from his voice. “We got another letter about the house from the bank. Man, we have to let it go, it’s killing you trying to keep it.”

  He sighed. “Merry Christmas, Mike.”

  Jason hung up, his anger and annoyance at his brother’s meddling, nosy, manipulative ways drained. He no longer was certain of his own motivations for anything. Now that he’d realized he had feelings for Zoe, real feelings, how could he compete with her for the promotion, when she wanted it as badly as he did? Needed it just as much? But if he didn’t get the promotion and the raise, how could he keep up with their debt, stave off the bank’s foreclosure for one more month?

  Tired of himself, he powered the phone off and tossed it aside, turning to face Zoe as she came back into the living room.

  “Everything okay?” she asked.

  “Other than my brother owes you big-time?” He smiled, feeling surprisingly okay. “Yeah. Everything’s good. You?”

  “My mother’s upset with me for missing the driving window to get up there. She says that without me, my older sisters are turning on each other instead of ganging up on me.” She smiled. “And my dad has already locked himself in the den with the remote. Estrogen overload.”

  “I’m sorry you’re missing it.”

  She shook her head. “It’s okay.” She paused. “I also checked my messages. I just got an offer from an L.A. architectural firm. Same position as where I’m at now with Steele, but there’re better opportunities for me there.”

  He went still. “You’re moving?”

  “Maybe. If I don’t get the promotion.”

  He tried to imagine what it would be like at Steele without her, but couldn’t. He tried to imagine his life without her, but couldn’t.

  “Jason—”

  He wasn’t sure who moved first, but suddenly they met in the middle of the room and were kissing hard, bodies smashed up against each other.

  “I still don’t know what this is,” she said when they broke apart to breathe.

  Jason knew what this was. Lust, pure and simple.

  Zoe’s hands fisted in his shirt, holding him close, as if she wanted to make sure he couldn’t escape. “Yesterday I said I didn’t like you,” she said. “I didn’t mean it. I was mad and out of my comfort zone. And then after we…”

  When she trailed off, he lifted a brow, purposely not helping her out, enjoying the blush that crossed her cheeks.

  “After we had sex,” she finished unsteadily, “I planned to just forget the whole thing.”

  He let out a low laugh, and she seemed to relax a little, smiling ruefully. “Yeah, I might as well have tried to forget my own name.” She shook her head. “Being with you was…”

  “Pretty damn amazing.”

  “Yes.” She sighed with remembered pleasure, her eyes glazing over a little. “You made me feel pretty. Sexy. Wanted. And it’d been a long time since I’d felt that way with a guy.”

  It was the same for him, he realized. He’d nearly forgotten what it was like to have his heart skip a beat when a woman, the right woman, smiled at him. Or how his stomach could tighten at just the sight of her. And how the way she looked at him never failed to send lust and hunger and need surging and colliding through him. “You make me feel things, too, Zoe. More than I’d counted on.”

  She laughed and backed away, turning from him. “Let me guess—annoyed and frustrated, right?”

  His eyes were on her sweet ass as she bent to shut the laptop. “Actually, my feelings are more base than that.”

  When she straightened, her cheeks went even redder, but her eyes never left his. “Something else we have in common.”

  “Is that right?”

  She nodded. “I know that I made you promise not to discuss what happened here, but I want you to understand that I’m not ashamed of what we did. Not with our design, or…or in there.” She pointed to the bedroom. “I just—” She broke off, looking as if she could use some help out of the hole she’d just jumped into.

  Jason stepped closer to her and brought her mouth back to his. “We don’t have to do this, Zoe. We don’t have to put words to what happened here.”

  She looked at him for a moment. “Like a Christmas pass, or something?”

  “It can be anything you want,” he said. “So what do you want?”

  CHAPTER TEN

  ZOE STARED AT JASON. This could be anything she wanted? “That’s a lot of power.”

  “Do your worst,” he said, and backed her to the door, his hands on either side of her face as he leaned in, pressing her between the hard wood and his even harder body.

  It was arousing as hell. So was how his mouth was exploring the sweet spot beneath her ear, making her not care that he didn’t have the answers.

  “I don’t know what we’re doing,” she whispered. “Or where it could go.” God, his mouth. She shifted, giving him better access.

  “Me neither,” he said. “But I do know that it’s been a damn long time since I wanted to spend the holidays with anyone. I’m glad you’re here, Zoe.”

  Her bones dissolved as her fingers slid into his hair, rocking into him. “I can feel that.”

  He smiled. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. How’s your neck?”

  “Let’s find out.” Grabbing her hand, he tugged her into the bedroom. He reached for her sweater, but she was already unzipping it and peeling it away from her body.

  He let out a breath and ran a finger over the lace edging of her bra. “Pretty.” Then he flicked open the front hook and tossed it aside as her breasts spilled free. “I dreamed about you last night.” He cupped her breasts, his thumbs gliding over her nipples.

  Her eyes drifted shut as desire rolled over her. She kicked off her boots and pushed down her leggings, backing up to the bed. “What did you dream about?”

  “How you taste.” He nudged her flat on her back so that her legs were still hanging off the bed, and dropped to his knees. When he winced, some of the erotic haze cleared and she came up on her elbows, concerned.

  “I’m fine.” Then he proved it by hooking his long fingers into her panties, drawing them down her legs.

  This left her in quite the vulnerable position, but before she could give that too much thought, he pressed his mouth to first one inner thig