Page 31 of Reputation (Tempt)

“Just a minute!” I called in a high-pitched voice.

Had he heard that? Heardme?

There was whispering in the hall, and I realized Brooklyn must be with him.Double shit!

I grabbed some hand sanitizer from my nightstand, cleaning my hands before frantically smoothing down my hair. I threw on a robe then called, “Come in!”

Brooklyn peeked inside my room, still dressed in her PJs. They were navy with gingerbread men and candy canes all over them. “Merry Christmas!”

I smiled brightly. “Merry Christmas, B!”

I heard some whispering outside the door. “Oh, right. Can I come in? I have something for you.” She held up a gift.

“Of course.” I sat on the edge of my bed, grateful Nate had stayed in the hall. I’d always loved surprises, but having my boss catch me mid-orgasm when I was fantasizing about him wasn’t my idea of fun.

“Here you go.” She grinned. “Open it!”

I tore at the wrapping, grateful for the distraction, and smiled as soon as I saw what was inside. I held up my own pair of Christmas PJs. The pattern matched Brooklyn’s, but they had shorts instead of pants. “Thank you. I love them!”

“Put them on quick! Breakfast is ready.” Brooklyn ran off, pushing the door wide open as she went.

I hadn’t expected to be included in Nate’s celebration with Brooklyn. And I didn’t want to intrude.

I glanced up at the doorway to find Nate standing there in his own pair of matching pajamas. “Oh, um—”Shit.

Nate smirked and lifted his mug of coffee to those decadent lips. Lips I’d been fantasizing about only minutes before. “Morning. Merry Christmas.”

His deep morning voice rumbled through me, lighting up my nerves like a Christmas tree. I wasn’t sure what surprised me more. The fact that he was standing in the doorway to my bedroom wishing me a merry Christmas or that he’d agreed to wear matching pajamas. A small part of me wanted to geek out that I was spending Christmas with the man who’d once been my celebrity crush. Was this real life?

“Merry Christmas,” I said, still feeling off-kilter. And horny. God, I was so horny.

I must’ve stared too long because he tilted his head. “You feeling okay, Em? You look a little flushed.”

Em?I wasn’t sure he’d ever called me anything but Thorne or Emerson. And I was still trying to process that when Brooklyn called out, “Come on, guys! What’s taking so long?”

“I hope you’ll join us,” Nate said, pushing off the door and putting his back to me.

How could I say no to that?

“Just give me a sec to change.”

I headed to the bathroom and freshened up, combing my fingers through my hair before changing into my new pajamas. They were incredibly soft. And I was touched that Brooklyn and Nate had invited me to join them in their family tradition.

When I padded out to the dining room, my jaw fell to the floor. The Christmas tree had appeared in the living room weeks ago, but now gifts were piled beneath it. They were beautifully wrapped, as if Santa had just delivered them. And the table was set with gold plates and crystal goblets, covered silver trays lining the center.

“Wow.”

“Do you like it?” Brooklyn asked, practically bouncing on her toes.

“Iloveit.”

“Told you, Daddy,” she said, elbowing Nate.

I smiled, loving the way they teased each other. “You did a great job, B.”

“Oh no,” Brooklyn said. “This was all Dad. He always goes all out for the holidays.”

I met his eyes and smiled, thinking back to the night of Brooklyn’s slumber party. Remembering Nate’s admission that he loved the holidays. He’d always felt displaced as a child; he’d always wanted a home. So, ever since Brooklyn was born, he’d insisted they spend Christmas at home or his cabin in Bear Creek.

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