Jennifer Probst - The Holiday Hoax

Of course, the question would never be if Isabella was good enough for him and his family. Aidan already knew the real question. Would she think he was good enough for her?

His father nipped at his heels to make a decision. He had little time left.

“Aidan?” His name cut through the frigid air and caressed his ears like Beethoven. She smiled at him and placed a kiss on his lips. “Where did you go?”

“Come home with me, Isabella.”

Her voice trembled. “Yes.”

Triumph coursed through him. He stroked her cheek, determined to make tonight the best evening she ever had. “I’ll cook you dinner. But first we need to lay here a while.”

She frowned. “Did you really get hurt?”

“No, I don’t want to give the kids a shock.”

She glanced down at the hardened bulge in his pants and let out a loud, clear laugh that rang down the mountain. “Good idea.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “You’re definitely a city boy. You suck at sledding.”

He winked. “Maybe. Or maybe I just enjoyed the view.” His slipped his hand under her jacket and squeezed her buttocks, which sent her into another fit of laughter. She slapped his grabbing fingers away, glancing around to see if they’d been noticed. He grinned, rolled over and stood up. Fat flakes of snow clung to her stylish knit hat and nestled their way in between silky strands of hair peeking out from the edges. Her lips were bright pink, swollen, and glistened wetly. The thought of those lips on other parts of his anatomy surged, and the uncomfortable cold and dampness suddenly eased. God, he couldn’t wait to get her alone, naked, and underneath him, open and—

“Look out below!”

The war chant echoed down the slopes in warning but it was too late. Aidan stumbled back as several hard-launched snowballs hit him in the face and chest. His breath cut out at the icy sharpness as snow exploded in his mouth, up his nostrils, and in the gap of his jacket.

“What the hell?” His yell barely registered under the sudden shock as three teenage boys came into view. Piles of snowballs held in their hands like machine gun artillery, they stared at him with disrespect and impatience.

“Sorry, man, you got caught in the crossfire.”

“Yeah, dude, hope you weren’t hurt.” The second teen’s words ended in a snicker, obviously disgusted at the idea of a grown man not able to take a few snowballs.

Aidan opened his mouth to defend his wimpy actions but five feet of bristling feminine fury jumped in front of him.

“How dare you hit Mr. Hunter?” Isabella spit out, her finger jabbing at each of them. “Peter, Mark, Tommy, you should be ashamed of yourselves. You know the rules about snowball fights. Before you fire, you look for innocent bystanders.”

Aidan’s mouth dropped open. He waited for the gangly, testosterone tempered teens to bitchily complain to her, or make fun of her tirade, but to his astonishment, they all looked abashed. “Sorry, Ms. Summers.” Mark dropped his head. “Didn’t see you.”

“Who was your target?” Isabella demanded.

Tommy raised a finger to point to another group of boys behind a large spruce. The group bent over in hysterics, obviously loving the idea of an elementary teacher giving their friends hell.

“Well, you could have hurt him. Next time watch what you’re doing.”

“Yes, Ms. Summers.”

Aidan huffed with indignation. Hurt? She actually thought a few snowballs would hurt? He gazed at her in astonishment, but her glance confirmed his suspicions. She actually thought he was pissed off. Aidan almost laughed out loud. What type of men did she date anyway? Did she really think he was a stuffy city boy afraid of a bit of snow and some teens? Maybe it was time to show her how loud he could roar...

While she was distracted still disciplining her charges, Aidan ducked and made a few icy balls in the next few seconds. Then hid them under his jacket as he stood up.

“Now, apologize to Mr. Hunter.”

The three boys literally rolled their eyes at him. Mutters of “sorry” hit the air.

“It’s okay,” he said gruffly. “Just watch it next time.”

They began walking away. “Aidan, are you okay?” she asked gently.

“Baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” He spun on his heel. “Hey, boys!”

The three teens turned.

With rapid fire, he clocked each of them in the face with three perfectly launched pitches. Isabella sucked in her breath. He watched with satisfaction as Mark, Tommy and Peter spit out snow and blinked in pure astonishment at the maneuver.

“Good enough to be on your team, man?” Aidan asked.

Tommy grinned. The other two gave the thumbs up signal.

“Aidan, what are you doing?” she cried.

Aidan pressed a quick kiss to her lips and let out a whooping war cry. “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll be fine. I’m charging into battle and we’re gonna kick a little ass!”

The teens yelled out in agreement and Aidan raced toward the spruce, already mentally forming his attack.

As he joined in the energetic snowball fight, he realized he’d never been happier in his entire life.

Isabella watched Aidan jump out and pummel a teen boy who held out his arms in a fake shield, then fell back in defeat. Her boyfriend roared his victory and high-fived Mark in an all male ritual she never truly understood.

Boyfriend?

The term flashed insistently in neon color. Was Aidan Hunter her boyfriend? They’d only been together for two weeks. Two wonderful, snowy, cozy, perfect weeks, but much too limited a period to throw the word around so casually. She winced at the awful adolescent phrase, yet her heart beat like a galloping stampede of wild horses.

They hadn’t discussed the future, but Isabella sensed his emotions were real. After her huge mistake in Manhattan, she’d been careful of letting a man sneak past her barriers. Aidan may not talk about his past, and she sensed he struggled with some identity issues, but his heart rang true. The naked gleam of desire mingled with an open happiness and connection she never experienced before.

Tonight she needed to take the next step in their relationship.

A shiver raced down her spine. She’d ached to feel his warm hands on her naked flesh, to give herself entirely to him. Snuggled in the comfort of his embrace in the snowbank, his kiss gave her the answers she sought. His hot tongue and hard body fueled her need for more of him, but she’d finally crossed the invisible barrier of trust. His kiss promised no lies.

Isabella trusted this man enough to take the leap from friend to lover.

Images of a sheer black nightie and a romantic evening by the fireplace danced behind her lids. Tonight, everything would change between them. And she was ready.

As if he guessed her thoughts, Aidan turned his head and gave a naughty wink.

She hoped the gesture was not a precursor of their evening. The moment of distraction cost him as a ball of ice and snow cracked against his jaw and he staggered back. His team deftly protected him, but Isabella couldn’t control her giggles as he shook his head and frozen flakes flew around his head in a burst.

When she recovered from her hysterical fit, he stood a few feet in front of her. His eyes gleamed wickedly. Droplets of water slid from his soaked hair and traveled over the carved lines of his face. And his hands were full of snowballs.

She sucked in her breath. “Don’t you dare!”

“Think something’s funny, Isabella?” he asked calmly, one brow raised.

She stuck both arms in front of her. “Aidan! Stay away from me.”

Then he grinned. “Never.”

As he charged, Izzy let out a shriek and raced for her life.

Aidan finished putting the final touches on dinner and set out a bottle of wine. The kitchen filled with the tantalizing aromas of fresh tomatoes and garlic. He sliced crusty Italian bread and placed chunks of mozzarella on the plate, then stepped back to admire his handiwork.

Perfect. He needed everything to be perfect tonight.

Because tonight he was telling her the truth.

Aidan fought off the nervous tug in his gut and poured the wine. For the past two weeks, they’d been together every evening. Each time he tried to confess, she turned those sparkling umbrella blue eyes on his, and her smile lit up her face, until he told himself he needed more time.

But time was running out.

He was due to return to the city and his responsibilities after Christmas. The Pasta King restaurant chain was a demanding business, and as second in command, he needed to be his father’s eyes and ears. But he was tired of working in the city under his father’s reign. He’d wanted this time upstate at the cabin to really discover what he wanted. Now he knew, but had no idea how to get it.

He wanted Isabella.

But would she want him when she learned his true identity?

The question had no time to be answered. The doorbell rang.

He opened it and his breath caught. Her honey colored curls tumbled over her shoulders, and her face was open and happy, her heart literally worn on her sleeve for him to see. Aidan had never met a woman who gave herself so freely and unselfishly, not asking for anything back. She was truthful, headstrong, and passionate. She was the woman he’d been spending his whole life looking for, and tonight he wanted no more secrets between them.

“I brought pastries from the bakery.” She held up a small box.

She wore a fuchsia pink turtleneck, hip hugging jeans, and low heeled boots. Golden hoops flirted with her hair as she turned her head. Her lips were painted in bright pink to match her shirt.