Page 39 of The Naughty List

CHAPTER TWENTY

“What is going on?” Holly asked, her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.

Not one of them had said a word on the drive back to the cabin after saying they’d discuss it at home, and Holly had twisted herself into an angry ball of indignation.

Who did they think they were, keeping secrets so she humiliated herself, not bothering to say goodbye, then making her a laughingstock and carting her away?

“We think we’re three men who might be in love and want to see where this relationship leads,” Nick said in his unflappable, soothing manner.

Shit, did she say that out loud?

Wait… love?!

“I…what…did you…umm…”

Nick cupped her face with both hands and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips to stop the nonsense words spewing from her mouth.

Kris and Jaxon pressed in on either side, so she was surrounded. It felt like the best place to be in the world. “I’m sorry we weren’t here. That was a mistake,” he told her, pressing another butterfly kiss to her mouth. “We took one car this morning and got caught up in the mass exodus of people leaving after New Year.”

“And the other mistake we made was not talking to you about this sooner,” Kris continued gruffly. “But it’s a big thing. We haven’t known you very long, and we needed a bit of time to think things through.”

“Think what through?” Holly finally managed to force some words out.

“To think about asking you to stay here in Leavenworth.” Jaxon took up the narrative. “To stay in a relationship with us. All of us.”

“B-but that’s ridiculous. We hardly know each other. I found out on the coach that you own Winter Lodge,” she accused, stabbing Nick in the chest with her finger. “How can we be in a relationship with so many secrets?”

She turned to Kris. “And you’re Snow, aren’t you?” Holly shook her head. “I feel like I don’t know you at all.”

Nick’s eyebrows beetled together. “Holly, I honestly never realized you didn’t know I owned the hotel. When you told me all the things you thought would improve it, I assumed you knew. I thought that’s why you were telling me.” He gave a shrug. “I mean, I walked you there the day we met and went to my office. I have the same name. I was never deliberately keeping it from you, and I’m sorry if you thought that.”

Kris hunched his shoulders, looking awkward. “And you’re right. I am Snow. Kris Snow. But that’s not something I go around telling everybody. It’s not exactly a secret; I just like my privacy.”

“Holly, we might not know all the little details about each other,” Jaxon said earnestly. “But there simply hasn’t been enough time. We might not know your favorite color, or where you went to school, or what your hobbies are. But we know the important things. We know you love Christmas… and we just happen to live in a Christmas village.”

Nick interrupted. “We know you’re kind and generous and would give up things you need for others.”

“We know you’re determined and can stand up for yourself,” Kris added.

“And most importantly, we know we have a special kind of chemistry that none of us can ignore. It may only have been a matter of days, but we all have feelings for you. Deep feelings which we’d like to explore,” Nick finished with another kiss.

“But I can’t just uproot my entire life. My job, my family, my home…”

“Can’t you?” Nick asked, his gaze holding her accountable. “You’ve already told us that you don’t spend holidays with your family, and you’re looking for another job… and I just happen to know of a nice Christmas lodge that’s looking for a manager.”

Holly’s chest squeezed. “You do?” she whispered, her pulse racing. She barely dared to hope.

He nodded. “The job’s yours if you want it.”

“What about somewhere to live? I can’t just move in with you after only knowing you for two weeks.”

“Way ahead of you,” Kris smirked. “I just happen to have a nice little apartment you can use. I’ll even charge rent if that helps you feel better.”

Holly’s shoulders drooped. “It’ll cost me a fortune to relocate. I can’t afford it.” She narrowed her eyes at the three of them. “And no, I will not allow you to pay for it.”

Nick smiled and tapped her on the nose. “Well, luckily for you, there’s five thousand dollars newly deposited into your bank account. Your hotel cancellation refund, which I made sure to deal with myself and get back after your ex weaseled it away from you. I’ve also made an official complaint to his superiors that he used insider knowledge to divert funds that weren’t his into his personal account.”

Holly’s eyebrows shot up. “You spoke to Carl?”

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