Page 83 of Santa Baby

Colin ran his tongue along his lower lip, chuckled, then looked at her a little harder and slowly turned his gaze to me. “You didn’t.”

I rose, calmly setting my napkin on the table and tilting my head toward the door in the kitchen. “I need to talk to you alone.”

“No, no.” Colin shook his head, looking from me to Fia. “No, this was supposed to be a business arrangement.”

Murmurs of “What?” drifted around the crowded table. Fia stood so abruptly her chair nearly fell backward, but she righted it, gripping the crown until her knuckles turned white.

Colin pointed an accusatory finger between us. “You slept with him, Fia?”

Gasps of shock rang out, followed by several of the men seated at the table standing, facing Colin, asking what the hell he was doing getting in his sister’s business. Their words were drowned out by the rushing of blood in my ears as Fia’s face went totally white.

Fury blurred my senses. I trudged forward and grabbed Colin by the shirt, whirling him toward the kitchen door.

35

FIA

Mom’s eyes went wide as I rushed after them. She rose from the table, grabbing me by the arm to prevent me from following them out the kitchen door and into the snowy night air.

“Fia,” she rushed out, keeping her voice low as a table full of my younger cousins peered at us with curiosity and skepticism. “What was that about?”

“Mom, I can’t do this right now,” I said and wrenched out of her arms, tearing for the door.

There was a bitter bite to the air as I rushed down the stairs wearing the slippers I normally wore around the house. Coatless, I nearly slipped in the driveway but caught myself between two cars, hauling myself upright and panting. I hurried out to the sidewalk and scanned the street. Their muffled voices came into earshot but I couldn’t make out what they were saying until I started running in their direction, sucking in freezing air.

“I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for days, Colin. I wanted to talk to you about this before this dinner with your family!”

“Talk about what? The fact you’re sleeping with my little sister? She’s twenty-five, Mason.”

“So is her friend, Liv, right?”

My shallow, rapid breath came in puffs of mist as I watched Mason and Colin square up on the sidewalk a few houses down, facing each other.

“That’s none of your business,” Colin bit out.

Mason stepped into him. “Neither is this.”

“She’s my sister!”

“I’m trying to explain to you⁠—”

“I don’t need an explanation. Whatever this is, it isn’t happening. You know it, I know it.”

“What do you think you know?” Mason asked. “Who the hell do you think I am?”

“Someone who put his hands on my sister⁠—”

“Colin.” Mason raised his hands in surrender, his expression pleading as I finally came into the light of a streetlamp. “This isn’t just some fling.”

“Don’t say it. Don’t you dare say that to me⁠—”

“Stop!” I shouted. Both men turned. Colin chuckled darkly as I rubbed my arms to fight the chill licking up my skin. “Please, stop. Colin, what the hell is your problem?!”

“Please go back inside,” Mason ground out, his tone sending a shock through my system.

“Mason?” I gaped. His eyes were dark even under the glow of the streetlight. Snow stuck to his hair, which would have made him look softer had his expression not been so sharp and steely. He looked livid. With me? I wasn’t sure.

“I can’t believe you,” Colin said to me. “Mason was my friend.”