Page 48 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

The shock on Gabe’s face gave way to a surprised grin. “Ninety minutes, if I make the call now. But we can’t just hop on a plane, you know. We need something first.”

“Our clothes?” She would have to shop, come to think of it, her mind was already picturing the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace and wondering if she’d have time to head out to the sportswear store at the outlet mall. Anna’s wardrobe was geared toward business dressy, not winter in Colorado. After a lifetime in the Nevada heat, she'd need a parka and boots. The thought thrilled her more than a little. Maybe a parka with faux fur around the hood. Something soft and sexy.

“More important than that.” He reached out a hand to her across the table, and Anna took it. The simple touch took her breath away.Play it cool.She couldn’t be breathless and blushing the entire time they were with his family, or else they’d know something was up. Gabe ran his thumb over the empty space on her ring finger. “We need a ring.”

3

GABE

Gabe’s high from getting the go-ahead on the most ambitious plan of his life lasted all through their trip to the jewelry store. The owner, a close friend of his, had opened during off hours as a special favor. They’d managed to catch the owner of the winter sports boutique next door as she was closing, and she was happy to remain open for them while they picked out what they would need, especially once she realized how much they were spending.

He’d bought Anna everything he could think of for the trip to Colorado. Never mind the cost. Any woman who agreed to marry him would have a full winter wardrobe, of course, and be comfortable in it. It took three hours to shop and another thirty minutes to get to the private jet, which waited for them on the airport’s tarmac.

By the time they landed in Colorado, it was late. Too late to wake up his entire family and have a meet-and-greet with Anna. Gabe felt like he was sneaking in after curfew. As he walked across the lobby at a fast clip, the night receptionist blinked at him curiously. “Mr. Elkin?” She wore a pleasant smile, but it was clear they hadn’t expected him to arrive mere hours after Jonas’s call.

“Hi, Rebecca.” He leaned on the counter, trying not to let sleep drag him down into oblivion. “I’m a bit early, or late, depending on how you look at it. I’m assuming the family suite is available?” He could have chosen to stay in his personal home, but he wanted to be close to his grandmother.

“Of course it is.” Like several of the properties around the resort, the penthouse family suite was reserved for visiting Elkin family members and other high-profile guests.

His phone beeped, signaling that it was set to act as his key card, and the receptionist’s hand hovered over her landline phone. “No need to wake anybody up. I’ll let them know I’m here in the morning.”

He brought a half-asleep Anna through the lobby and up to the suite on the lodge’s top floor. To call it a “suite” was a bit of an understatement. It featured a hot tub, a formal dining room, and a sunken living area with a spectacular view of the ski slopes and the mountains. She fell gratefully into the king-sized bed in the master bedroom. It was only then that the full extent of the suite hit Gabe.

It only had one bedroom.

The sofa was an option.

Gabe hadn’t been able to sleep on the plane, and now exhaustion pulled him toward the bed with all the force of a black hole. He tumbled onto the other side, leaving a big gap between them, and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Only to wake up to his cell phone buzzing itself off the bedside table and falling to the floor. Gabe rolled over and snatched it up, answering without looking to see who it was. “‘Lo?”

“You’re here already?” Jonas’s voice was all too chipper, as though he’d been up for hours, showered, and exercised. His brother ruled the resort with an iron fist and expected others to have the same determination. “I thought you weren’t coming until today, and Rebecca let me know you checked in in the middle of the night. You should have told me.”

Gabe rolled onto his back and groaned. “I didn’t want to wake anybody up.”

“Well, if you’re up now, we’re waiting for you in the lobby.”

He stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of this. “Waiting in the lobby for what?”

“For you.” The bed rustled next to Gabe, and a painfully sweet awareness shuddered through him—Anna, stretching and yawning, her dark hair spread out over the pillow in gentle waves. “We can all sit down to breakfast together.”

“No,” Gabe said quickly. Too quickly. “I don’t know if we’re ready for breakfast.” Oh, God. The wordwe’reslipped out before he could stop it, and now it was time to put his plan into action. And all without his morning coffee.

“We?” Jonas did an extraordinarily bad job of hiding the surprise in his voice. “I didn’t know you brought a guest.”

“I did. But we need some time before we make introductions. Meet you after breakfast?”

“Sure. See you then.”

Gabe dropped the phone and rolled back over to find the bed empty and the door to the ensuite bathroom closing. He could hear the water running a minute later.

Anna, in the shower.In the shower.After sleeping in bed with him all night.

That’s what a fake fiancée did, right? It was no big deal. It was nothing. He brushed by her once she’d gotten out, wrapped in several towels. “Go like that,” he joked.

Her beautiful smile was reflected in the mirror as she dried her hair and put on her makeup. Gabe showered, trying to eradicate the freshly showered and still wet image of Anna from his brain.

Gabe emerged a few minutes later dressed in a button-down shirt and pants that wouldn’t have been out of place at a fancy dinner. He never knew what to do with himself here. Should he play the tech mogul, too suave to go out on the slopes? Or should he switch into ski gear and head off into the snowy distance? There had to be a middle ground and a button-down shirt was it.

For now.

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