Page 41 of A Christmas Auction

HOLLY

My life had gone to hell in a handbasket. The confident, driven woman I was two weeks ago, before all of this, was gone. The woman left behind was a confused, sullen mess. I needed to get my shit together. Everything had changed after I’d been attacked by the Baskin brothers, but it wasn’t just them. It was Bruno. All of this back and forth, the fighting, the fucking, the trying to keep things to just sex, with no strings, was all a big fat lie. I’d fallen in love with the asshole, and it was destroying my life.

For thirty years I’d done my thing. Hooked up with men when I needed. Went on dates if I felt lonely, but not a single man stuck. There wasn’t another man I wanted to be connected to every single day of my life…until now. And he didn’t do traditional. Before meeting him, I wouldn’t have thought I did the traditional relationship either, but somehow, he’d wormed his way under my skin and became a part of me that I didn’t want to live without.

Now, I needed to break it off with him.

I was working up the courage to end things when we got off the elevator on the floor where The Marriage Auction was headquartered.

Not being able to hold off a second longer I reached for his wrist and tugged him to a quiet corner. He turned around and tilted his head, his brow furrowing.

“You’re finally going to speak to me?” he asked.

We’d just spent the last few hours in complete silence. After we both took a shower,individuallyI might add, back in LA, we’d boarded Colin’s jet and came straight here as requested. I’d been entirely lost within my own thoughts, but now, I had something to say.

“Before we go in there, I just need to tell you…regardless of everything that happened, I don’t regret you or what we shared. I’ve learned a lot about myself. Sexually, emotionally, and mentally. You’ve been a safe space for me, and I thank you for that.”

“Holly, I’m sorry. For everything bad that’s happened to you. I promised I’d make it right with Alana and I will,” he pushed.

I shook my head. “That’s just it. I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, Bruno. I will discuss the situation regarding my inclusion in the auction with her privately. I’d encourage you to do the same regarding your security contract.”

“I don’t give a shit about the contract. The money she’s paying me is a pittance to what I normally bring in for a month of work. I was originally doing it as a favor to my cousin, Joel.”

I shrugged. “Well, there you go. Now you can leave free and clear. Go back to your big-money, dangerous deals and leave all of this behind.”

He frowned. “What are you saying, Holly? Are you breaking it off with me?”

“Am I ending our nonexistent relationship?” I gave a half-hearted chuckle even though the truth was eating me alive.

I wanted more than what we had, far more, but he made it clear he wasn’t the type of guy who made any long-term commitments. Long distance I could do with a partner. I didn’t need a man at my beck and call, or even in my world every single day. I still had my dream of opening my own bar and hiring my family to help run it. That hadn’t changed. How I’d get theremay ultimately change, depending on what Alana said after the meeting. But I’d made it clear that I wasn’t the type of woman to tie a man down. I’d even shared a fantasy with Bruno of my man coming home from a long trip away and shagging me in my pretend dream office. He obviously didn’t see himself in that role, so what was a woman in my position to do?

Bruno hadn’t said a single word that would lead me to believe he wanted a forever type of love or any kind of love at all. I wasn’t sure he even knew how to give that part of himself. I’d seen glimpses of it, when he was taking care of me, or helping me down from that panic attack, but was that love? It felt close, but we both had the contract looming to fall back on. Not to mention the knowledge that it would all end at some point. Sure, he’d said he didn’t want to watch me marry someone else, but he didn’t offer to be that man either.

“I wouldn’t say what we have is nonexistent,” he responded. “I can very clearly remember pounding you against the shower, the bed, the…”

I held up my hand to stop him. “Please, don’t remind me.”

He reached out and took my hand. “Holly, come on. This is ridiculous. We know what we have.”

“Correction, had. We know what wehad, Bruno. It’s all gone up in flames. Actually,my lifehas all gone up in flames. Nothing in yours has changed at all. I need to reassess and figure out how I’m going to put the pieces all back together.”

“And what about us?”

“What about us? You don’t do traditional relationships and I’m about to go in there and beg Alana not to let me go. I let this thing between us get out of hand. Took my eyes off the prize, which was stupid. So stupid of me.”

“Now you’re saying what we had was stupid? And you’re ready to throw it all away and put your hat back into themarriage auction ring just like that.” His expression was filled with shock, something I didn’t expect.

I stepped closer and placed my hands on his chest. “What we had was magical, intense, and brutally honest. It was also wildly inappropriate under the circumstances. And yet, I don’t regret it. As a matter of fact, I love what we shared, got completely lost in it, and even fell in love with you in the process. But we’re at the point where we both need to do what’s best for ourselves.”

“You’re telling me you’re in love with me, but you’re going to marry someone else.” His voice was like sandpaper over rock. Wounded and scarred raw.

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” I cupped his cheeks, lifted up onto my toes, and placed my mouth over his. I’d planned it to be a sweet goodbye kiss, but he took it to a whole new level.

His tongue plunged into my mouth, and he devoured me whole. I gave back all that I could, sucking at his tongue, nipping at his bottom lip, then kissing it better. His hands ran along my frame as though he owned me, and I allowed it…this one final time. As we kissed, I imprinted the memory of his lips against mine, the minty flavor of his breath, the heated growl he gave as he swallowed my whimpers. I never wanted to forget being desired this much and wanting the same in return.

We finally pulled away, both of us panting.

“Even after that, you’re going to walk in there and ask her to keep you in the auction?” he growled, fury and disappointment flooding his features.

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