Beyond Christmas (Corrupt Chaos MC #1.5) by Bink Cummings Read Free Book Online Page A

too dang cute for his own good.
    3. Eat.
    Scooting out the chair, I take a seat and indulge in my extravagant Christmas breakfast. He’s not much of a chef, is he?
    Once finished, I put the dishes in the sink and read on.
    4. Go to the bathroom and do whatever it is you do. But, don’t bloody leave until I’ll Be Home for Christmas starts on the CD player. Then go to our Christmas tree and find the pickle ornament.
    Umm … Okay … At first, this was cute. Now, it’s getting a little weird. A pickle ornament? Who’s ever heard of such a thing? What in the world is it? Guess I’ll have to wait to find out.
    In the bathroom, I take a short dip in the tub before climbing out and drying off. With my towel still wrapped around me, I brush my teeth and comb through my hair. On the third pass with my hair brush, that damned song starts to filter through the house. So I set my brush on the counter and exit the bathroom in nothing but a towel. Instructions are instructions, so I follow them.
    Beside our beautiful tree that has unwrapped presents underneath, I raise to my tippy toes and circle it. High and low, I try to eye that stinking ornament. I come up short until I look down at the very bottom branch on the backside, and there it is, a glass pickle hanging from a hook. And to make matters sillier, the darn thing is wearing a kilt and has googly eyes staring back at me. I remove it from the branch as I start to laugh and shake my head at the idiocy of it all. I can’t believe he wanted me to search for a—
    Wait…
    There’s a tiny scroll taped to its back. I peel the tape off carefully and unroll the paper.
    Merry Christmas, my leannan. Your extra present is under the tree, wrapped in gold paper. Open it.
    An extra present?! Ekkk.
    Butterflies start their jig in my belly.
    With one hand secured around the top of my towel, I rehang the pickle before kneeling. Shuffling through the presents, I rearrange them until I spot a single golden box at the very bottom of the pile. It’s complete with an oversized red bow.
    Clutching it in my hand, I stand and fawn over my little treasure. It’s just perfect. About the size of a necklace box. I wonder if it’s something to match the bracelet I wear every day?
    “Open it.” A familiar voice startles me and I nearly drop the present and my towel instantaneously. Expelling a tiny gasp as my heart leaps into my throat, I quickly right myself and spin around. Lachlan’s standing in the kitchen doorway, wearing only a kilt.
    “You scared the bejesus outta me,” I scold, catching my breath.
    Inclining his head, he gestures to the box and wades further into the room. “I didnae mean tae scare ye. Now open yer present…” His eyes rake my form, then he grins. It’s one of his mischievous ones. “I didnae think ye’d be in a towel.”
    I stick out my tongue. “Well, if you hadn’t given me specific instructions to come out when the song started, I would have gotten dressed beforehand. But I was nice enough to listen to them.”
    “Aye, ye did a fine job.”
    Haughtily, I jerk a nod. “Thank you. Now, what’s this?” I lift my present high, and he moves so he’s maybe six feet away. Up close without a shirt on, and me half naked, isn’t a good combination. I can’t stop staring at that chest hair. I can practically smell him from here. Mmmmm…
    “When ye find the pickle on Christmas morning, ye get an extra present.”
    “Right, I’ve gathered as much. But seeing as though I’m the only person who could’ve won, it makes the prize rigged. So, what’s in the box?” I shake the gift in front of me with a playful attitude, and Lachlan steals it from my hand. I try to steal it right back, but he’s too quick. In the blink of an eye, the bow is being torn off and the wrapping paper ripped to shreds.
    “Stop!” I squeal, slapping at his big hands. “That’s mine! Don’t open my present!”
    “Fine, as long as ye stop bein’ a pain in my bloody arse,” Lachlan