The Christmas Key (3 page)

THREE

Shalaine was panting heav
ily with all the raw emotions running through her head. Xander Christian had just walked into her cottage.
Xander Christian
was in the bathroom. She’d noticed the blood from his nose on his clothes, but that didn't take away from his captivating aqua eyes, his honey skin, and dark-chocolate hair. Even more embarrassing…he caught her watching one of his movies. She was devastated. Could this week get any worse? Her pictures of Nathan had been strolled out all over the shag rug and her face looked like punched hamburger. It always did when she cried. It was a sick joke that fate twisted them together here of all places.

Even more terrifying
, it sounded like she'd be stuck with him until the storm cleared. Christmas with Xander Christian, every girl’s fantasy, yet she felt completely inadequate to form a single coherent sentence—one reason why she’d never interviewed him. She knew she'd just embarrass herself in his presence with the cameras rolling. Here, she'd already done that and not even spoken a word. She practiced her calm breathing.
I can do this, I can do this
. She heard the sink water cut off and panicked.
He's coming out here!
What do I do? What do I say? How's the weather?
She frowned and glanced at all his movies scattered by the TV.
Must hide those. I don't want to be labeled as a stalker-fan
. Getting down on her hands and knees again, she pushed his films behind the classic movies, as far back into the TV stand as they would go

"Excuse me?"

She jumped and hit her head on the lip of the TV stand.
Way to go, Shalaine!
She moved back and turned to look at him, still not trusting herself to speak.

"I'm afraid I'm stuck here. Is your boyfriend
or husband coming back soon? Maybe he can help me get the car out of the ditch." He seemed to be waiting for a reaction and when she didn't give one, he raised a questioning eyebrow, just like he did on camera when someone said something sexually suggestive.

"No,
my boyfriend isn't coming and I'm not married." The thought of Nathan made her toss the remote a little too forcefully onto the couch.

"Ah. She speaks!"
he teased as he walked to the front door, where he opened it against the whistling wind and pulled his bags in. Man, it was getting wild out there. A part of her was glad that Xander was safe inside instead of trying to drive in the storm.

"I speak…I speak
quite well." She smiled at the fact that she didn't stutter…much.

"So, your boyfriend isn't coming?" He
glanced at the spot in front of the fireplace where the photos were still somewhat hazardously scattered.

Was he deaf?
"I said no and I don't have a boyfriend anymore." She huffed.

"Ah,
so you're in the middle of a pity party," he said matter-of-factly while unzipping his bag.

"You're here now
. Maybe I could bake a cake." She found it easier to talk to him now that he was irritating her. She didn't want to be that obvious with her emotions, but he'd caught her at her during a breakdown and it was the worst timing ever in the history of her career.

She
’d just offered to fix Xander a cake while she was snotty and weeping over a breakup. This took on a whole new meaning of fan-girl dementia. What cake could she possibly cook? Red velvet, super moist from her tears, and red like her eyes? The whole idea was laughable and if Xander's concerned look in her direction was any indication, he seemed leery about her being so unhinged.

"I only rented this place for a week
. Maybe we won't be stuck here the whole time." She could tell by his facial expression that he hoped the same. She couldn't blame him; at the moment she wouldn't want to be stuck with her either.

"
That's what I'm hoping for." He grabbed a few toiletries and clothes and went back into the bathroom while she stumbled for something to say back.

That was
a bit hurtful. She never would have expected him to be such a jerk in real life. His interviews and behind-the-scenes footage all put him as an easy, laid-back, sure-of-himself kind of guy. Why the curt undertones and snappy remarks? Either way, she could still kick him out; she rented this place, not him, and he seemed to be taking over as if it were his personal property. She crossed her arms over her chest after she turned the TV back on.
Tennessee Rain
picked up right where Carson was released from prison. A sweet rendition of a 1940s romantic classic tale and a far cry from the man in the bathroom. She hadn't missed the snarl when he glanced at the TV. It seemed the actor was his worst critic, despite winning Academy Awards for his role.

Screw him
. She shouldn't have to be ashamed of watching his film. She was a movie reviewer, damn it, and he should be used to seeing his work everywhere he went.

A few moments later
, after she’d submerged herself back into the film, Xander exited the bathroom wearing a fresh black dress shirt. Shalaine tried not to flush. He looked good in black, on and off screen. She sat on the floor but couldn't burn the photos in front of him, so she bundled them inside the book and pushed them into the corner between the TV and fireplace. They'd have to be put on hold for now. The actor sat on the couch and caused a whiff of cologne to tantalize her nose. It wasn't fair to feel the heat of the flames on her left and Xander on her right. She began to sweat. From the fire or X. Christian's presence, she wasn't sure. She tried to focus on the TV, but the way he lounged on the couch made her want to jump his bones. Hell, anything he did made her want to jump his bones.

"Why this film? Of
all the work I've done, I hate this one the most. Bad plot, bad dialogue, and Sophie Jimenez would have played a better Julie than Yancey Otter," he said with a little heat in the words.

Without looking at him
, Shalaine answered in defense of the film she'd given high marks to in the past, "The dialogue is perfect; it's set in Tennessee and not meant to be seen as something prim and proper. Yancey Otter was perfect for Julie. Sophie would have overshadowed everyone else in the film, including you.” She shot him a pointed look. “The compelling plot of the story is that you can always love someone, doesn't have to be the person you always thought it would be."

"Yeah, but it was
Emily's
sister
writing him while he was in jail. She pretended the whole time to be Emily and when he found out, it wasn't a big deal. I thought it should've been. I didn't get the fact that he was so okay with it, but I played the part." He shrugged and glared back at Shalaine for her rebuttal.

At this point
, she turned to face him fully. She would defend this movie to the grave. He'd gotten so many high marks for his portrayal of a love-struck convict. His badgering his best role shed more light on the Entertainment Billboard's post about Xander's self-destructive image. He
was
his worst enemy. Many knew that from the choices he made in his life as well as his career.

Still, she needed to set him straight.
"Once he knew it wasn't Emily writing him, not her sister, he didn't care anymore. When he went to prison, Emily claimed she loved him but then married another man. Carson fell in love with Julie through her writing. It wasn't Emily's words he fell in love with. Emily had moved on without him, even after promising him she'd wait for him. Julie was the one who cared for him the most while he was incarcerated. Carson understood that and accepted it. Love has no boundaries." Shalaine said the last part in a whisper, but he heard her.

"Who are you?"

She had to look up at Xander, who watched her through narrowed eyes. "Shalaine Harper."

His dark eyebrows dipped low
. He was obviously trying to place her name. Recognition dawned. "You work for
The Review.
I've read your articles. You're blinded by a lot of stuff."

Shalaine
gave Xander her full angered gaze and crossed her arms. "Oh, like what?"

"
Like the whole damn movie. The reviews you give are not that great and give false hope and prophecies of box-office hits."

Furious at his gall, s
he got up to go into the kitchen. She needed to get away from him before she threatened to throw him out. That would make her a horrible person, especially if he died of hypothermia. "I liked you better in your movies."

"
Yeah, a lot of women say that," he quipped.

FOUR

Xander watched her walk
into the small kitchen space. Her black wavy hair tempted him to grab a handful of it and pull until she said his name in a gasping whisper. He didn't know why he was being such a jerk to her. She was attractive and he liked the feisty spark that he awoke in her when he criticized his work. Xander got the reasons why his character did what he did; he just wanted to get Shalaine riled up. He needed to stop pushing her though. They were going to be stuck together for a few days and he didn't want to wear out his welcome. He might as well make the best of it and have a little sexual fun in the process. The condoms in his bag weren't going to use themselves. It was Christmas, he was single, and she was single as well. Nothing like a good time to take their minds off being snowed in. A part of him sensed that Shalaine Harper wasn't that type of woman and that sex with her wouldn't be a one-time deal. That thought made him nervous. He never went back for seconds with random women and he certainly didn't stay any longer than one night. It would make the morning awkward if they wanted space away from each other.

The howling of the wind grew violent outsid
e. The window panes rattled as the high whistle of air found small cracks. He stood, walked to the small window, and then pushed the heavy curtain aside to gaze out at the stretch of land. The snow fell fast and thick and he couldn't even see the tail end of the rental car sticking up anymore.

There was clattering in the kitchen and he twisted to look.
The woman glanced at him from the doorway as she walked by but turned away to reach into a cabinet. He felt the heat of her angry gaze aimed right at him. Perhaps he shouldn't have badgered her articles. He'd read all the ones she wrote on his films and she always gave him high marks.
The Review
was a popular magazine about upcoming movies and personal interviews with celebrities, though he didn't recall her interviewing him. Xander thought back to make sure. He didn't want to seem foolish and have her correct him by saying that she'd interviewed him four times. However, he was certain he'd never seen her before; he'd remember those lips or that smooth cocoa skin.

"You've never interviewed me
." He approached the opening of the kitchen.

"Good observation
," she grumbled, dropping noodles in a boiling pot of water.

"Why? You write the reviews but get no interviews?"
Xander liked the way her small hands worked in the kitchen. He leaned against the doorframe and watched. She was very domestic and he'd never seen any other female except his mother cook.

"I
-I um…I-I interview," she stammered.

"Just not me
," he said with a raise of his eyebrow. She was jumpy. This topic seemed to make her nervous. Like a girl with a serious crush.
Interesting.

"No, I never got arou
nd to it." She glanced at him from under lowered lashes.

"Well…I'll give you one here if you'd
like." Xander grinned.

She blushed
. It was cute. "Okay, why are you in Alaska?"

"Misunderstandin
g on my part with movie casting." The bitterness rose up again.

Her thin eyebrows
peaked into a frown. "Where is your cell phone?"

"
Probably a couple of miles up the road covered in snow." He winced at how childish he’d been.

Shalaine reached up and took two wine glasses out of the cupboard.
"Okay, are you going to make anything other than romance films?"

Xander
swore if he didn't know any better, he'd think Rich had set this up. "Not sure. Can I interview
you
now?" He was ready to turn the pressure on her. She nodded and gave him an unsure glance. "Why are
you
in Alaska?" he asked, crossing his arms and waiting.

"
I was supposed to have a Christmas getaway with my now
ex
-boyfriend. He broke up with me yesterday. So I came here to get over him and his cheating ways." She gave him a heartbroken smile he'd seen all too often on the women he'd dumped then ran into months later. There was a distinct face of a woman done wrong. She snatched a wine bottle from the counter and ripped off the foil top before pulling a bottle opener out of a drawer. Her movements became a bit jerky and he had no doubt about the rage she must've been feeling. He didn't know much about her, but a part of him wanted to. "How long were you two together?"

"Three years."
She poured them both a healthy amount of wine.

Xander
decided to put his feelings aside and make her feel a bit better about the breakup the only way he knew how. "He didn't deserve you then. You're strong and you will succeed in all you do. One day he will want you back and then you will have the upper hand and you will have another that you love."

She looked at him
incredulously over the rim of her glass. "Did you just quote
Forever in Love
?"

Xander
hung his head in shame. "You know that one, huh?"

She took a small sip and he watched her sigh after she swallowed. She fixed those brown eyes on him.
"I'm a movie reviewer. I know movies," she retorted, draining the noodles in the sink, her wine forgotten for the moment.

Xander remembered she'd been the one to review
all his movies, putting a lot of heat and damn-near-sexual tendencies in print about him. "All my movies, huh?" He crossed his muscular arms over his chest and gave her a knowing smile. Her words on paper screamed she wanted him and her small actions backed that theory, but it was obvious her nerves got in the way. He would break that soon; she'd be calling his name in ecstasy before the night was over.

"
Some." She cleared her throat, went to the stove, and removed the oven-baked meatballs sizzling on the cooking sheet.

"Ah, just
some
of my movies? 'Xander Christian, modeled and sculpted from a different mold than any other male celebrity. An exotic god on the screen, his work is his own masterpiece and he turns the movie into a canvas and paints his brilliant colors for all to see'. I think that was close to the original article."

She blushed and turned with two plates of spaghetti
and meatballs. At seeing the food, Xander's stomach growled. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had homemade spaghetti. He took the offered plate and watched Shalaine fidget.

"I may have been
a
bit
over the top with the articles." She sat at the two-seating table in the corner and forked up a bite to eat. This was becoming a bit more intimate than he wanted, but he shrugged it off and sat across from her. Like an unplanned date, she'd cooked for him. It wasn't a fancy restaurant where plates were a hundred dollars a pop and there was little charming to be done. This was private, not what he was used too, and he liked it.

As they ate in silence, she tried not to look at him
, but he kept his eyes on her. She would glance at him and look away quickly.
Children games
. In the business, he'd seen it a lot. Most X. Christian fans flushed and giggled around him. A few were reserved, pretending not to care if he were interested. Then there were the wildcats, the ones who just wanted to skip dinners and dates and hit the bed, hoping to impress him that way.

Shalaine
Harper was nervous, but Xander figured she was more concerned about what he would think of her. She wasn't trying to impress him like the other women did. She was probably the type that wanted to be known as a woman who held herself together and here he'd held her back from her private breakdown.

Not with him here
. He was Xander Christian, nicknamed the guru of romance. He could help Shalaine see a smidgen of romance even if it wasn't permanent. Xander hoped he could help take her mind off the ex-boyfriend who’d left her alone on the holiday meant to be spent with loved ones. After all the great reviews she wrote about him, it was the least he could do.