Page 21 of Stolen Holidays
“Oh fuck. Imagine Rhys walking in on that. Jace would have had a fit.” Callie snorts at me, and Mike coughs a laugh, trying not to break his tough security guard persona. He’s also become a sucker for my nephew.
I don’t know how much time passes before the front door opens. I tug Callie to my side in a defensive move.
A rather flushed woman with deep brown eyes opens the door. She’s wearing a long blue skirt, a denim button-up, and boots as she greets us. “Hello there. Sorry about that. My husband just can’t seem to keep it in his pants, and well…” Her reddish-brown hair bounces around her shoulders as she shrugs—like it’s no big deal we walked in on them having sex in the lobby—and grins. “I can’t say no to him. He has a ton of BDE, if you know what I mean.”
She winks at Callie, who glances up at me and replies, “Oh, I know exactly what you mean,” before biting her sexy, pouty lip.
“Princess,” I warn.
Any other time, I’d probably beat my chest like the king of the jungle with the way Callie’s eyes heat with lust as she stares at me. Instead, my dick shrivels as the woman sweeps her eyes up and down my body.
Nope. Don’t like that.
“I can see that,” the woman whistles.
Callie stifles a giggle as she wraps her arm around my waist.
“Don’t go getting any ideas in your head, Hil.” A tall man, about my height, with a cowboy hat, steps behind her and wraps his arms around her waist. He’s a good-looking dude and looks vaguely familiar. His hair is graying at his temples, along with his short beard, and he’s wearing your typical country uniform—a pair of Wranglers, a long-sleeved flannel shirt, and well-worn boots.
“I was just looking,” she teases.
“Woman, do you need reminding who you belong to?” He smacks a kiss on the side of her cheek.
She pats his hand and looks up at him. “Oh, relax. You know you’re more than enough man for me, cowboy.” The shared look of love between them has the tension in my shoulders easing.
I clear my throat, popping their bubble. “Not to interrupt, but would it be possible to, uh, check in now?”
“Oh, geez, I’m so sorry. Yes, of course. Let’s start over.” She points at herself and then at her husband. “I’m Hilly, short for Hilarie, and this is my husband, Jeff.”
Callie waves, jumping into her public persona mode. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m—”
“Callie Wright. I’m familiar with your music, which is wonderful. That song,Burn Something, is totally hot.” Hilly fans her face as my girl blushes. “We are so excited for you and your family to stay with us for the holidays. This is our first year as owners. We recently took over. Jeff used to be an actor before he fell for a small-town girl like me.”
Like a light switch, I know where I’ve seen Jeff before. He was the star of a prime-time medical drama before he disappeared into obscurity. Pretty sure he won an Emmy or two for his role as the sexy, sweet-talking surgeon.
“Best thing that ever happened to me,” Jeff says as he steps back and holds open the door. Hilly blows him a kiss and rushes to the laptop sitting on the counter. The three of us follow her inside. He extends his hand for me to shake. “My apologies about before. I hope we can get past that.”
“Consider it forgotten,” I assure him.
Jeff glances at Mike and me.
I confirm his suspicions. “Our security.”
“Of course. No one will bother you here.”
We turn our attention to our ladies, who are chatting away at the front desk. My palms sweat, wondering if I can trust Hilly to keep my plans a secret.
“I’m excited to be here. I’ve heard so much about the place,” Callie gushes. She chats with Hilly, telling her all about Jace and Rylann’s wedding and the pictures she’s seen.
“I will not lie; I’ve made a few changes to the place. Most notably, the barn and animals. We have quite a few different ones roaming the property. I’m a huge animal lover.”
I do not remember the person I spoke to on the phone telling me this place turned into a goddamn animal reserve. Before I can complain, Callie practically swoons, asking a hundred questions about all the animals. She looks so fucking happy I decide to drop it. Besides, Rhys and Riah will get a kick out of the animals too.
“I know that face,” Jeff says as he smirks at me. “It’s how I got all these damn animals.”
Shaking my head, I bark a laugh. “Can’t say no either?”
“Wouldn’t even if I wanted to,” he replies. “But don’t worry. Hilly told me all about your plans. Everything will go off without a hitch.”
