Jessica Lemmon - A Crane Family Christmas (Billionaire Bad Boys Book 4)

W ell, I didnt know Id be hosting this year, maybe thats why Im crabby. Eli fussed with his bowtie before grimacing at his wifes reflection behind him in the bathroom mirror. Isa wore her usual bemused expression on a face so beautiful it still hurt a little to look at her. It hurt because of how close his bumbling had come to losing her .

Thank God she was as stubborn as he was .

Youre crabby every day. Its what I love about you. She dragged her fingernails over his crisp white shirt and smiled. She wore a slinky, sequined black gown that accentuated her voluptuous figure and made his mouth water. Her beauty had always contrasted his beast nicely .

How much time do we have? His eyes feasted on the low V-neck, danced around her luscious hips and jerked back to whiskey-colored eyes he couldnt get enough of .

Dont even think about it. Your family is due to arrive any minute .

Why are we dressed like this if everyone is coming here? His warehouse was more rustic and comfortable than formal. His frown returned, but only so that his wife would tut at his tone .

You know why .

Hed been the last to knowor at least he felt like it .

Tag ruins everything. He turned to face her, but some of the bite went out of his tone when his hands found her supple hips. Fingers digging into the dresss material, he growled, Id like to take you out of this dress .

Her pupils dilated, full lips opening to suck in a breath. That was his Sable. Still in love with him, still turned on by himand he hated to admit it, but he was the tiniest bit surprised. Good things didnt last. Not for him. Not usually. Yet here he was, Isabella Crane sharing his last name after theyd married this past summer. Sharing his home despite having nearly botched their relationship altogether for behaving like a jackass. And sharing his bed every single night since. Naked or not, he didnt care. He just wanted her here. With him. Always .

He dropped his forehead onto hers and breathed in the soft fragrance of her perfumean early Christmas gift. As per their own tradition, they were allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve from each other. Shed loved the delicately shaped bottle and had spritzed it on as soon as shed torn open the package. Hed chosen a random gift from under the tree, pleased to find a black ceramic ashtray with four divots for cigars on the odd night his brothers and father indulged in a smoke on the rooftop. It was her way of giving him permission and he loved her for it .

Hell, he loved her for everything she did for himnot only the gifts, not only the company, not only the fact that she had organized grocery lists on the fridge and a notebook in every room with bullet-pointed listsbut because she was here and her presence meant everything to a man who never dreamed hed have a woman stay close, let alone marry him .

Have I told you I loved you today? He closed his eyes and inhaled her essence again .

Yes, Isa whispered, her fingers gliding over his trimmed, full beard. Whenever she did that it sent tingles down his spine and straight to his balls. His dick gave a mournful twitch .

Not now .

But if you want to tell me again, dont let me stop you. She moved those wandering fingers to his hair and tickled his skull through hair in need of a trim. Eli opened his eyes and moved in for a taste of the mouth hed never tire of kissing .

The kiss started sweet, turned deep, and in a heartbeat they were clinging to each other like the silver icicles theyd draped over the Christmas tree. When theyd put the damn thing up, he wouldve sworn more tinsel had been hanging from his limbs than the trees. Isa had laughed, and hed slotted that moment into his memory, taking a mental snapshot in case he would need it later. Nothing lasted forever, but where Isa was concerned he was determined to make it endureand help it growfor as long as humanly possible .

As if the universe was content to prove Elis belief that nothing lasted forever, the sound of his large metal door sliding aside interrupted their kiss. His youngest brothers Yo! punctuated the air as he entered Elis sanctuary in his usual bull-in-a-China-shop manner .

Tags here, Isa breathed as Eli tongued her racing pulse on the side of her neck .

Dont care .

Hell see, she said on a giggle .

Shut the door .

Were in the bathroom. Her breathy sigh caused his enlarging member to jerk again and this time he pressed his hips against hers .

Whats up brooh. Tag sounded mildly alarmed as he spotted them. Eli reluctantly raised his head as Isa straightened her dress. Sorry, E. Didnt meant to interrupt your snogging .

Yes, you did. Eli released his wife and brushed by his gargantuan six-foot, five-inch brother and strode into the hall. I blame you for everything .

We said four oclock. Tag said in his defense, not that he was the least bit defensive. The man was like a lazy cat most days. Problems slid effortlessly off his broad, Teflon-coated back .

Merry Christmas, Rachel. Eli nodded his greeting to Tags fiance. She and Tag had been engaged going on two years now, which was so like Tag it wasnt funny. Hed regaled the tale of his proposal via a bottle of sand in this very warehouse and at a time Eli had been licking a pretty nasty wound in regards to Isabella Sawyer. But hed since extracted his head from his ass, whereas Tags took up permanent residence in his own .