A Heart of Stone Christmas Read online

  A HEART OF STONE CHRISTMAS

  K.M. SCOTT

  A Heart of Stone Christmas is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  2014 Copper Key Media, LLC

  Copyright © 2014 Copper Key Media, LLC

  Kobo Edition

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  Published in the United States

  Cover Design: Cover Me, Darling

  Adult Content: Contains graphic sexual content

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  Click on the covers below to learn more about the series:

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Club X Books

  About the Author

  Books by K.M. Scott

  Books by Gabrielle Bisset

  Chapter One

  Nina

  The smell of pine cones and cinnamon wafted through the house, even overwhelming the odor of dirty diapers and baby formula I’d gotten so used to in the past twelve months. Tressa, Diana, and Ethan had fallen asleep for their afternoon nap, so I could finally have some time to myself to wrap Tristan’s present. For weeks, I’d kept it hidden in the towel cabinet down near the indoor pool, hoping he wouldn’t suddenly take to swimming again after his long days at the office. I’d made sure he had better things to occupy his time every night, just to be safe.

  Not that making love to my husband was just a diversion, by any means. Even as the father of three infants, he was the same sexy man I’d fallen in love with in this very house. However, I’d gone out of my way to surprise him with my present this year, and even though I knew he hated surprises, he’d love this one.

  Sure Cara would hear the babies if they woke, I quickly snuck down to the pool to retrieve the box that contained the watch I’d had specially engraved for Tristan. A stainless steel Rolex with a black face and silver Roman numerals, it was perfectly him—formal, classic, and sexy. On the back, I had engraved the words To the man of my dreams.

  With the gift hidden behind my back just in case he returned, I quietly crept past the babies’ room, looking in on them as I made my way back to the living room. Turning on the stereo, I played Christmas carols low enough so only I could hear the music as I sprawled out all my gift wrapping necessities around me on the floor in front of the Christmas tree.

  I opened the gift box and studied the watch. Tristan may have been used to having money, but to me spending a king’s ransom on a single item still seemed extravagant. As he often said, my middle class roots ran deep. I knew he appreciated that part of me, but since he’d encouraged me to splurge on myself after the birth of the triplets, I’d taken the opportunity to pick up the gift one day as Jordan and I walked up Fifth Avenue toward our appointment at the spa. Her eyes had almost bugged out of her head when the salesman announced the price. I may not have looked stunned when he told us the watch I was sure would be perfect for Tristan cost more than my first car, but inside I was that same modest person she was and just as shocked that any watch could cost thousands of dollars.

  Running my fingertip over the watch face, I admired the Roman numerals. Perfect for my husband, to me they seemed incredibly old fashioned, but that was Tristan to a T. The coolness of the stainless steel band warmed slightly against my touch, and I imagined it against his wrist and peeking out from underneath his suit jacket in some meeting he’d attend as those around him commented on his wife’s stunning Christmas gift choice.

  I set the box next to me on the floor and rolled out the silver and red foil wrapping paper in front of me. Cutting a large square, I folded it around the box carefully, making sure to make it look as nice as possible, and taped each end closed. A red ribbon would look perfect, so I snipped enough length to wrap around the length and width of the package. Taping it in the center, I used the scissors to curl the ribbon just like I’d learned from my mother when I was a little girl. When I finished, I set the wrapped gift down in front of me and stuck a gift tag with Tristan’s name and the words “Love, Nina” next to the bow.

  “Perfect.”

  A noise from down the hall told me my free time had ended, and I jumped to my feet to head to the children’s room to check on them. I found them still sleeping, and chalking the noise up to Cara washing their clothes in the laundry room, headed back to enjoy a glass of red wine and some Christmas carols.

  As I stepped into the living room, I was horrified to see Tristan standing in the middle of the room with his present in his hands. Dressed in a dark grey suit and deep green shirt I picked out for him that morning, he smiled at me, but I shook my head and grabbed the package from his hold.

  Hiding it behind my back, I asked, “What are you doing here? It’s only three o’clock in the afternoon. Shouldn’t you be at work or in a meeting or something?”

  His smile faded just a little. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re not happy to see me. I do know better, don’t I?”

  “Of course I’m happy to see you. I was just…busy doing something. How long have you been here?”

  “Long enough to see my gift on the floor and pick it up. I think we should exchange gifts early because I’m thinking I need a new watch right about now.”

  I hung my head in disappointment. “Oh, Tristan. How did you guess? Now my surprise is ruined.”

  He took me in his arms and hugged me close. “I’m sorry. I guessed by the shape of the box.” Kissing me on the top of the head, he whispered against my hair, “And Angelo heard from the jeweler you went to that you’d bought a man’s watch a little while back. I assumed it was for me.”

  I looked up to see him smiling. “I really wanted to surprise you, though.”

  “I’m sorry, Nina. I can always pretend to be surprised when I open it.”

  “It’s not the same,” I sulked and let my hands fall to my sides. “You might as well open it now.”

  “I’m sure it’s perfect, if that helps.”

  “A little.” I held out the gift to him. “Here. Merry Christmas.”

  “Why don’t we put it under the tree instead? You never know. I might forget in the next two days.”

  Looking up into his deep brown eyes, I saw he was trying to be cute. I didn’t want to let him charm me out of my disappointment, but it was no use. I couldn’t help it. I loved him too much to stay angry.

  “You know, it’s not fair that you have spies all over the city who report back to you about these kinds of things. I never had a chance to surprise you, did I?”

  He shook his head and grinned. “Not really spies. Just Angelo, but he’s known everywhere as my shopper, so he hears things.”

  I jabbed him gently in the ribs. “Next time I’m going to shop online.”

  “As long as you don’t know your surprise, I’m happy. How are the kids today?”

  “Down for their afternoon nap, and
what do you mean my surprise? You’re not going to let me know what you got me now that you know what my gift is?”

  “No way,” he said with a sexy smile. “I love surprising you. You know that.”

  “I think turnabout is fair play here, Tristan.”

  “I think I’d rather see your face when you tear off the wrapping paper on Christmas morning.”

  He kissed me softly on the lips. “I’m going to check on the kids and get a drink. Say I meet you back here in a few minutes and we can relax for a while before they get up.”

  Just then we heard two loud cries and knew our romantic rendezvous would have to wait for another time. I placed the gift under the tree and wished for a moment that we didn’t have to postpone our quiet time together, but this was the life of new parents.

  Tristan held out his hand to take mine. “Let’s go see how those wonderful kids of ours are doing. I’ll tell you about the new hotel opening up in Bucharest on the way.”

  I held his hand and listened as he told me about the opening of the newest Richmont on the site of the home his mother had fallen in love with all those years ago. The first of the new Richmont Villa hotels Stone Worldwide planned on opening up in the next year, it was particularly close to my husband’s heart because of the history attached to it. Just listening to him talk about all the details of the decorating and how much his mother would love the hotel made me love him even more.

  “We’ll have to go there soon so you can see how it looks. What do you think of right after New Year’s?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with interest in his newest project.

  “I’d like that. Will all six of us be able to fit in a villa, though? We’re like a baseball team now,” I joked.

  We stepped into the triplets’ room, and Tristan picked up Ethan from his crib to calm his crying. Holding him in his arms, he gave me one of those sexy smiles that never failed to make my stomach flip. “I was thinking we might give Cara and the kids one villa and we could have the one next to it. That way we could have some time to ourselves at night.”

  I took Tressa into my arms and rocked her gently. “I like that. You tell me when and I’m there.”

  Tristan kissed our son gently on the forehead and winked at me. “Good. It’s a date.”

  * * *

  Six hours and three babies in bed for the night later, I found Tristan lying in bed watching some Christmas special. Wearing only a pair of black silk pajama pants, he looked sexier than any father of three should. If only I looked that good as the mother of triplets.

  I looked at the television and saw a Peanuts special. “Enjoying Charlie Brown and his sad Christmas tree?”

  Tristan crossed his arms behind his head. “He never gives up, even when that tree of his gets all droopy. I can respect that.”

  “I think it’s Linus who never gives up. Giving up is sort of Charlie Brown’s thing, if I remember correctly.”

  Laughing at me, he said, “I just watch it to see if Charlie falls for Lucy and her football trick. There’s a barracuda in the making.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re the first person I’ve ever known who thinks of poor Lucy in those terms.”

  He clicked off the television and waved me over toward him on the bed. “Enough with Charlie Brown and his droopy tree and women problems. Come here and let me show you how much I missed you today.”

  Suddenly, my out-of-shape body made me feel self-conscious. Pushing my hair off my face, I shrugged. “I smell like baby food. Maybe if I’m not tired after getting shower.”

  I knew that wasn’t the answer he wanted, but as he sat there looking like he should be on the cover of GQ and I stood there looking like a disheveled, overweight mess, all I could think of was hiding away in the bathroom. I’d been working out since I came out of the post-partum depression, but there was no missing that I was still carrying some baby pounds.

  He stood up and wrapped his arm around my waist, refusing to let me go. Nuzzling my neck, he said in a low, sexy voice, “I don’t care what you smell like, but if you’re really needing a shower, count me in.”

  “I’m a mess and—”

  Turning me to face him, he tilted my chin so I had to look at him. “I know what this is about, Nina. For months you’ve been uncomfortable in your own skin. You don’t have to be. You look as sexy today as you did that first night we drove out to this house, and I’m crazy about every inch of you.”

  His words brought tears to my eyes. “I feel like a stuffed pig. I still don’t fit into my clothes the right way, and then I see you sitting there looking all hot and buff and I can’t help wanting to hide away.”

  Tristan kissed me softly and pressed his forehead to mine like he always did when he wanted to say something sweet. “I love you this way and the way you were before. How I feel about you and why I get turned on every time I lay my eyes on you isn’t because of how your body looks, Nina. I get hard just being next to you right now because you’re you, no matter what weight you gain or lose.”

  I hung my head. “I just wish I could go back to the way I looked before. At least then I felt like you were only a few levels above me.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re crazy. You’ve never been anything but the most beautiful woman in the world in my eyes. Now let’s get into that shower and rinse out all the mess from your hair.”

  I looked down at the ends of my hair and saw the telltale yellowish-white stain that I always seemed to wear since we brought the babies home. I’d exchanged my favorite perfume for its sour scent for months. Nothing like dried baby formula to make a woman look her sexiest.

  “See? I am a mess.”

  “You’re my mess, and once you let me wash your hair and enjoy a hot shower with me, you’ll feel like a new woman. Now get in there and let’s get this shower going.”

  I followed him into our bathroom and tried not to let my insecurities run roughshod over what could be a wonderful time with the man I adored. If he was a slightly overweight, pot-bellied man who was losing his hair, it certainly would have been easier. Not that I didn’t enjoy the benefits of being married to an insanely gorgeous man. I adored every inch of him just as he claimed the same about my body, except worshipping him seemed easier because of his washboard abs and toned pecs and arms.

  Tristan stripped out of his pants and turned on the water before casually walking over to me wearing a grin. “This really works best if you take your clothes off.”

  Rolling my eyes, I slipped my sweater over my head and pulled my yoga pants off to reveal my usual mismatched panties and bra. We had all the money we’d ever need, and I still couldn’t get my underwear to match. As if I could read his mind, I turned around to let him unhook my bra and said, “Still can’t buy the same color bras and panties.”

  He nuzzled my neck and joked, “I like that about you. It’s one of those down-to-earth things that I hope will never go away.”

  My bra and panties fell to the floor as he wrapped his arms around me. Turning toward him, I pressed a kiss onto his lips and slid my hands down his muscular back. “I guess if you can love me this way, I can too, so let’s get into this shower and get this stuff out of my hair before we get freaky, Mr. Stone.”

  His eyes lit up and he smiled. “That’s what I like to hear.”

  Tristan stepped under the water, and any hesitation I’d had about my body faded away at the sight of him glistening and wet. I could look at him like that forever. Just as stunning as the first time we made love, he was my very own sex god.

  “Seeing anything you like out there? Come in and join me,” he said with a wink.

  The ten shower heads streamed hot water over every inch of my body as Tristan pulled me close. His lips caressed the soft skin beneath my left ear as his hands slid down my body, driving me wild with desire. No matter how insecure I felt, my husband always knew exactly where to touch me to make me want him like I’d never wanted another man.

  I pressed my palms to the tattoo on his toned pecs a
nd slowly made my way to the V of his hipbones that pointed like an arrow to his already hard cock. Our gazes locked on one another, I watched his eyes close in ecstasy and heard a soft moan escape his lips when I slid my hand around the swollen head.

  Softly, I whispered, “I love seeing you like this. When you aren’t worried about work or being a dad but just being the sexy man I fell madly in love with.”

  He opened his eyes and smiled. “I’m not sexy as those other things?”

  “You’re always sexy. I just like remembering those early days between us.”

  Lifting me, he pressed my back against the wall as I wrapped my legs around his waist. “Remember the first time we made love in this shower?”

  I looked into those deep brown eyes and let the memory of that first time here flow through my mind. I was in love with him by then, even though we’d only known each other for such a short time. Sexy and mysterious, he’d enchanted me that first night we drove out to this house and I was lost from then on.

  “If I remember correctly, you pretty much changed my mind about shower sex that night.”

  He nodded and covered my mouth with a kiss that made my legs weak. With one firm thrust, he filled me completely and just as he had that first time, Tristan took my body to heights of ecstasy I never knew before him.

  Bucking gently against him, I reveled in the feel of his cock stroking in and out of my willing body, even forgetting how insecure I felt. I wanted to be the sexy woman he thought I was. To be that woman he’d fallen in love with in this very house. I wanted to make him feel as desired as he made me.

  His hands squeezed my ass, and he pulled me hard onto him. “I’ve been dying to be inside you all day, you know that?” he said in a voice that hit me deep inside.

  I moaned and said in his ear, “I do love you, Tristan.”

  Holding me close, he thrust into me as he kissed me hard. “Good. I’d hate to think I was in madly in love all alone.”