A Billionaire Boyfriend For Christmas - Holly Rayner Page 0,42
in the back den?”
It took a while, but eventually they were set up in the den with the door closed to keep the warmth in. Adison had carried their lasagna in and spread out a blanket for an indoor picnic, while Ken got a fire going in the fireplace he never used. Luckily, he’d had some wood out back under the awning, left by the landscapers who cut some trees down earlier that fall.
With the two couches in the den to sleep on, the setup was cozy enough. It would do just fine until the power was restored.
“What a night,” he said, finally sitting down on the blanket. He’d grabbed a bottle of wine on his last trip through the house, and he popped the cork and poured them each a glass.
His lasagna was cold by now, but the room was heating up thanks to the fire. It felt good to finally relax, and the candles threw flickering light against the walls, adding to the ambience.
“I agree,” Adison said. “I would ask what could go wrong next, but actually I’m not minding this too much. It’s like we live in a log cabin.”
“Exactly.” He laughed. “Let’s hope this doesn’t interfere with the party tomorrow.”
She visibly tensed. “Let’s hope not.”
“It’s okay,” he assured her. “If we have to cancel, we have to cancel.”
Adison put her fork down and gazed into the fire. The look in her eyes could only be described as despair.
A moment before, Ken had been of that mind that if the party didn’t happen, he would be fine with it. If the way Thea had treated him in Jackson Hole was any indication, their business deal was as good as sealed.
But seeing Adison’s reaction to the possibility of no party changed his mind. She’d put so much work into this one night, and it was sure to be an amazing event. It would be horrible if that were taken away from her.
“Don’t worry.” He reached over and set his hand on hers. “I’m sure the power will be on by the morning. They never let it stay out long around here.”
She nodded, her expression turning hopeful. “Yeah. That’s true.”
He squeezed her hand, then realized a significant amount of time had passed with their touching. Hastily, he withdrew his hand and got busy eating his cold dinner.
A little while passed, with the fire crackling and their not saying anything. It was pleasant and comfortable, even though Ken had crossed the line without meaning to.
He wasn’t used to having someone around in the evenings. His housekeeper came in a few days a week to tidy up and prep meals for him, but he was gone for most of her work hours. And then, every once in a while, Simon popped by.
Other than that, it was him. Which he’d always assumed he didn’t mind. He was used to being alone. It was hard to argue you didn’t prefer something when you were so accustomed to it that the state no longer felt like a choice.
Sitting there with Adison, though, he let his thoughts wander. He wondered what it would be like to have a person around every night and day.
His logical mind was quick to argue that it would get annoying, but was that true? Adison was a ray of sunshine. It was preposterous that anyone should grow irritated with her.
“What are you thinking about?” Her voice broke his reverie.
He searched for a lie, but couldn’t come up with one quick enough and so settled for a partial truth.
“How nice this is.”
“It is nice.” Adison swirled the wine in her glass. “Serious question. And stop me if I’m getting too personal.”
“O-kay.” He leaned back on his hands and waited, not sure if he should be nervous or not.
“Have you ever had a Christmas tree?” She held a finger up. “And the one I had delivered to your home today doesn’t count.”
“Yes, smarty-pants,” he chuckled. “I have had Christmas trees before.”
Adison gasped and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. “Quick! Get me to the fainting couch.”
Ken thought about quipping that she could faint right in his arms, but he held his tongue.
“When?” she pressed.
“When I was a kid. My sister loved Christmas, and we did it up every year.”
It was like the universe skidded to a halt. Adison’s face completely changed. She looked at Ken like he was a stranger…or maybe like she was really seeing him for the first time.
His heart raced. Why had he said that? He