Page 28 of Unruly Kris

“Where did all of this come from?” Cath eyed the sideboard of food and watched as he opened a picnic basket to retrieve plates and cutlery. She grabbed one of the bottles of wine and began looking for a bottle opener and wine glasses.

“Remember when I said we had reservations?” Kris set a full plate on the table and went back for another. “I wasn’t totally lying, I had to reserve this ahead of time. I just had the restaurant bring the food to us, instead of us going to it. This seemed much more intimate.”

“It was a fantastic idea.” Cath set the wine bottle on the table and took a seat, watching as he grabbed a basket of rolls off the sideboard.

“It was a selfish idea, I wanted you all to myself.” Kris grabbed a basket of rolls and return to sit across from her. “Best Christmas present to me ever.”

“And if you’re very good and eat all of your dinner, later I’ll let you unwrap me like a present.” Cath bit back a grin, watching as he made like he was going to tackle his plate with gusto.

She motioned for him to grab his wine glass and raised hers in a toast. “Here’s to our first Christmas together.”

“I’ll happily have a drink to that.” Kris tapped his glass off hers and took a sip. “But only one, because there is no way I can handle another night like last night any time soon. My liver will go on strike and abandon me completely.”

Cath spoke around a mouthful of food as she responded wryly. “You’re a big movie star, you can just buy another one. Don’t worry, if I can whip cadets into shape, I can get you up to par fast.”

“God help me, I’ve unleashed a monster.” He rolled his eyes as she gave him a chilling smile then back to eating without a word, and the snowstorm he had created for them drifted past the window outside.

19

The ensuing food coma after dinner gave them the perfect excuse to settle down on the sofa in front of the fireplace and open gifts. A fake fire was crackling merrily from the hearth, giving off a warm glow and faint heat because, Kris explained the fire had been the one thing the studio wouldn’t budge on - even for him.

“It’s like they think I’m going to do something completely debauched and accidentally burn the place down,” he protested with a slightly disgusted face. He took a sip of his wine and set it on the coffee table. “I mean where’s the trust?”

“In their wallets, as you so happily have reminded me again and again.” Cath leaned back against the sofa. “Do you want to open your gifts first, or do you want me to go?”

“No, you are first.” Kris reached into the bag at his feet and took out a slim leather box, wrapped with a dark green bow. “Start with this one.”

Cath took the box from his hand and examined it for a moment before carefully untying the green ribbon and setting it aside. She opened the box and set the lid aside, parting the tissue paper inside and letting out a soft gasp of delight. Inside was a pair of the most exquisitely made Italian leather hand wraps she had ever seen. The fabric was a burnished black with white edging and butter smooth as she ran a finger over it.

She drew them out slowly, examining the stitching on the gloves, and the supple fabric that was attached to them. “Kris, these are stunning!”

“Flip them over.” He instructed “Check out the stitching on the backs.”

She turned the gloves over to find BLACK embroidered in white cursive on the back of each of them. A grin crept across her face, and she immediately slipped them on, winding the fabric around her arms and testing the tension. She opened and closed her hands, testing the fit and rotating her wrists to get the feel of the leather.

When she finally looked up from her hands, Kris was sitting back watching her contentedly. “The only thing that I left off when I had them embroidered was your rank, that way,when,not if,whenyou get your next promotion, you can still use them.”

“I love them so much.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Thank you.”

“Oh, we’re not done yet.” He pressed a folder into her hands. “They go with this.”

Cath opened the folder and pulled out a set of building plans. “Blueprints?”

“For your new home gym. I know you hate the space you have now and one of the guys on set recommended this company. They work with you and with the existing space you have. Everything is set up for you, and it can be moved if you ever get re-posted or if you move in somewhere else.” He settled in close to her and gestured to the papers. “They sent over a few prospective ideas, all you have to do is call them at your leisure and set things up with them, after they’ll send me the bill. No more worrying that the punching bag will come down on your head and we’ll be able to work out together if you want.”

“It’s incredible, Kris, I mean it, thank you.” She kissed him again and reached down into her own bag, drawing out a folder similar in size to the one he had given her. “This is for you.”

He took the folder exactly and opened it, drawing out a piece of paper and skimming it. “An approved time off request?”

“Yeah, for me. Look at the date.” Cath pointed at the paper and watched his eyes drift down the page to the blank line. “See how it’s empty?”

Kris nodded, and she could see that he was starting to put two and two together. “So that means…”

“The next time you go on location, I can go with you. I just need the dates we leave and when we come back, send it my way when you get it. It’s already been approved as you can see; I just have to file the time off with my office.” Cath felt a current of apprehension; she had been so sure of both of her gifts and now in the hour of the wolf, she could feel her hands trembling. She had never taken time off for anyone before, and even Danny had been floored when she told him of her plans.

For his part, Kris let out an excited whoop and kissed her repeatedly, talking all the while. “This is going to be great, I’m not sure where we are filming next, but I think it may be the Azores or Santorini, either way we are going to have so much fun on the off time I promise.”

“Promise me you won’t get hurt again and we’ll call it even.” She chewed on her lower lip as she took his next gift out of the bag.

---