Page 33 of The Billionaire's Naughty List

We stare at each other for a long, charged moment. “Okay,” she says again, giving a decisive nod. “That’s settled.”

“That you’re stuck with me? You bet your favorite Miss Claus costume.” I drop a chaste kiss on her lips. I’d love to go farther, but I don’t want to mess up her red lipstick.

She reaches up and wipes my lips with her thumb.

And that’s when I see movement in the corner of my eye. Adrenaline zings through my veins as I turn my head toward the foyer.

Colt stands there, a frown firmly in place.

We obviously didn’t hear anyone arrive over the ruckus rendition ofI Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. But the way his gaze pings between me and Lily tells me he saw me kissing Miss Claus.

Lily’s younger brothers pile into the room. “Tree looks great, Lils. Hey El,” Jace says, oblivious as usual.

“We brought that toffee you love,” Ryder adds, glancing around, clearly picking up on the undercurrent.

A pixie blond steps around Colt, arms full of festively decorated packages.

“Emily?” Lily exclaims, pushing at my chest because I have her pinned to the counter.

Thank fuck we have our clothes on.

“Elliot. A word.” Colt nods toward the hall.

“What are you doing here?” Lily asks, ignoring her father’s demand. She scoots out of my arms and circles the island.

When I give the other woman a second glance, I recognize her as Lily’s childhood friend. They used to ride horses after school and give their brothers a run for their money.

The two of them embrace, fussing over hair and outfits.

“It’s so good to see you,” Emily murmurs.

As I recall, she was perfectly happy with small town and ranch life. Lily, on the other hand, embraced city living.

Colt’s oldest, Maddox, barges in with a cooler. The boys waste no time and start making a dent in Lily’s cookie tower. The boisterous conversation is louder than the Christmas carols now. Out comes the egg nog, and the celebration is on.

But Colt and I need to talk if there’s any hope of a peaceful holiday.

I squeeze Lily’s shoulder as I pass, a gesture that doesn’t go unnoticed by her father. Colt follows me down the hall to the study, a room he calls ‘Elliot’s domain.’ Lily decorated the mantel of the small fireplace with bows of greenery and strands of red and silver beads.

As I’m shutting the door behind him, I hear Lily yell “you what?”

My instincts scream for me to go to her, but I have a feeling I know what she’s surprised about. Emily is Colt’s woman.

Lily’s childhood best friend is Colt’s girlfriend.

He glances at me, then at the gap in the doorway, as if he too is debating if he should race back to the kitchen. But all is calm and quiet.

“It seems we both have some surprising news,” I hedge as I finish closing the door.

He pauses at the center of the rug and grunts, which is an answer of sorts. I’m under no illusion that this will be easy or that I’ll even be able to count him as a friend once we leave this room.

But I’m ready for those eventualities. If he needs me to, I can buy him out of his part of the cabin. I want to hold on to the place where Lily and I found each other.

“You and Emily?” I ask, making sure to keep my surprise in check.

The thick jacket stretches across his shoulders as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Yeah.”

Colt is four years older than I am, so the age gap is even bigger between him and Emily. Now I understand his hesitation to tell Lily. Especially considering they were once close.

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