Page 1 of Stealing His Christmas Present

Chapter 1

“THIS ONE’S NICE,” STELLAsaid, lifting up a dark blue gown.

I nodded. “It would look great on you. Why don’t you try it on?”

The deep blue color of the dress went perfectly with her long dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. But my older sister always managed to look beautiful no matter what she was wearing.

“No, not for me. For you.” Her gaze met mine.

Maybe Stella and I had the same complexion, but my hips were bigger than hers. “There’s no way in hell I can fit in that.”

Stella narrowed her eyes, looking from me to the dress and back. “You should try it on. I say it fits.”

“No.” I waved my hand in dismissal. “I want something a lot less revealing. That neckline is terrible.” I picked out a plain black cocktail dress. “How about this one?”

She pressed her lips into a tight line. “Do I need to remind you that we’re doing this for Dante’s and my Christmas party and not for a funeral?”

I groaned. “Who cares? I’m sure your husband won’t care. No one will. And we still have plenty of time until Christmas. I’ll wear something more fun for our family Christmas dinner.”

“Come on. There’ll be a lot of people at the party. You might meet someone interesting.”

Stella had been trying to set me up with someone for a very long time now, but all the guys she’d introduced me to were just...

I didn’t know. It was probably just me not willing to give them a chance rather than there being something wrong with them.

“Honey,” my mom said, and I spun around. “You have to get this one.”

She grinned at me, almost shoving the red gown with sequins on the top in my face. Her brown eyes glittered with hope.

I sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll try it on.”

Stella clapped her hands, and my mom’s grin widened even more.

What I wouldn’t do to make my family happy?

As I was on my way to the fitting room, I spotted a shadow out of the corner of my eye.

Him.

Pablo.

My throat constricted, my heart jumping into my throat as my breathing quickened.

The dark-haired, dark-eyed guy met my gaze.

Not him.

Shit.

Of course it couldn’t be him. My family’s guards were just outside, and two of them were in the store too. They’d never let an enemy approach me.

I breathed out a sigh of relief, still shaking all over.

Over five years had gone by since I’d last seen Pablo, and yet, I was still overcome with crippling fear whenever I thought I saw him.

But there was no way he was going to just show up here, especially now. The guy who’d sent him to spy on Stella and me was long dead, and my dad, my brother Lorenzo, and Dante were keeping a good eye on the city so that no enemies would ever come after my family and me.

After I tried on the dress—of course, Mom was right, and it was a perfect fit, nice even—I headed back.

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