The Christmas Key (6 page)

NINE

Four
months later

Tia burst through the door of Shalaine's office, her face a flushed red. Her bubbling laugher
was giddy and high and Shalaine wondered if her boss had sipped an alcoholic beverage during her early lunch. The woman closed the door in a flurry of movement that caused her to wobble on her heels. Pressing her body against the door, she placed a well-manicured hand on her chest and glared at Shalaine as she tried to calm down. Her labored breaths caused her breasts to rise and fall in a distracting manner and Shalaine set her pen down and locked her fingers on the desk. Tia had a way of being over-dramatic about things. Shalaine had a suspicion that her boss's Hollywood crush, Kaden Lennox, was the reason for the ruffled feathers.

"What's going on, Tia?"

"What has been your fantasy for years, Shay?"

Shalaine was at a loss for words
. Pushing back from her desk, she gave Tia a worried glance. "Tia what—?"

Tia snapped her
fingers in a flash of hot pink. "Quick, what have you fantasized about since working here?"

"A promotion and a raise." That earned her a hard glare from Tia.

Her boss sashayed to the desk and propped her hip on top before flipping her brown curls. "Honey, let me be frank. There is a man by the name of Xander Christian that you've been in love with for years. Yeah, well, he just entered the elevators to our building. Front desk said he was asking what floor
you
were on."

"What?" Shalaine pushed back from the chair
to pace the small side of her office.

Tia's curls bounced with her enthusiastic nod. "Yes, he's here and he's heading this way. Honey, that last article either impressed or pissed him
off. Either way, we're special enough to warrant a visit."

"It's not
about the article." Shalaine chewed her bottom lip as her steps quickened. She tried to make a conscious effort to block out Tia's rambling. This was it, the day she'd been waiting for and the day that terrified her. She hadn't expected him to show. This changed everything. Shalaine knew last week that
Secrets of Sydney
finished production. She understood the ramifications of why he left in December, but it still didn't make it sting any less. She had no ties to him, so she was lucky to even have the key to his car and warrant a visit from him.

Thinking of the key, she raced behind the desk, snagged her purse
, and then dug inside the zipper side for it. She glanced at Tia, still perched on the desk watching with interest. Tia didn't miss anything and by this point, Shalaine couldn't keep the details of what happened to herself anymore. It seemed Xander was about to go public with their involvement and that was a big step. The paparazzi could snap photos of them together at any time.
Holy shit, Xander Christian is seeking me out.
Shalaine couldn't stop smiling. She didn't even want to try.

"What aren't you telling me?" Tia's eyes narrowed and she glanced at the black key fop in Shalaine's hand. She threw her hands up in a backup gesture. "Wait a damn minute. Mystery Alaska Guy, the one that left you his car key. The same one you were so tight
-lipped about, is
Xander Christian
?" Shalaine had shared the small details with her friends but spared Xander's name. It wasn't like her boss and colleagues would believe her.

Tia laughed aloud. "A shame I deleted that picture of the nudie you sent."

A solid knock on her door had them both turning to look at it. Tia rose from the desk, straightened her pewter skirt suit, and flung back her hair. She had the biggest grin on her face and Shalaine could imagine the naughty things Tia would bring up to her later. Before walking to the door, Tia turned and glared at Shalaine with a playful glint in her eyes. "You owe me more than just the cliff notes you gave before. Now I want
full
details of what happened in Alaska." Tia sashayed to the door and swung it wide just as Xander posed to knock again. He froze, smirked at Tia, and was about to speak, but he met Shalaine's gaze. He closed his mouth as he moved into the room and stood to the side waiting for privacy. Captured by his gaze, Shalaine heard Tia snort and mutter something about rude celebrities before closing the door behind her to give the illusion of discretion. Shalaine was sure everyone on her floor had their ear pressed close to listen in.

Xander looked good
. His face was a tad darker than when she’d last saw him. So he'd caught some sun in Australia. He had beefed up a bit too. She had to contain the whimper that wanted to slip out. His eyes were sparkling and his smile was radiant. The black shirt he wore was a small reminder of the skin-tight one he'd worn back in the cabin's kitchen. Only this one showed his muscular arms.

He stepped
forward. "I thought about you a lot."

Shalaine blush
ed and her heart kicked up a beat. "Funny way of showing it." She could not let herself be putty at the drop of a hat; damn it, she had to be strong or he'd never respect her. "Pretty shady thing to leave a girl and not say goodbye or call."

Xander sighed and hung his head. "I know I handled this whole thing wrong and I'm sorry
, but if you let me, I want to make it up to you."

H
ands on her hips, Shalaine noticed the smug smile on his lips. "How do you plan to do that, Mr. Christian?"

He sat
down in one of the chairs facing her desk and shifted around to make himself comfortable. "I'm here for my interview
and
to win you over."

M
essing around with a vanity plagued celebrity might not be the smartest thing in the world for her. It hadn't been that long since she'd gotten out of a serious relationship. "I don't think I need an interview or for you to weasel your way into my good graces."

"On the contrary, we'd be a fantastic duo. You are, after
all, better at making me look good than my own publicist."

"So
this is just another career choice for you." The realization that he came only with thoughts to his career took the wind out of her sails. Of course, why else would he want to keep the door between them open and friendly?

Xander stood and joined her on
her side of the room, eliminating what she had deemed a safe distance from his sexy aura. When he walked toward her, crowding out all the air she breathed with his spicy cologne, she knew she was done for.

He touched her chin, the way
a lover would. "This isn't a career choice for me. It's a personal one. As I see it, I'm four months behind on wining and dining you. I'd like to make up for that by taking you out to lunch right now."

Shalaine chewed the inside of her cheek while she contemplated if she was making a big mistake by saying yes.

"Come on, Shalaine, it's just lunch. We spent more time together in Alaska and shared more than just a meal." Xander glanced over her office, looking at all the movie posters of some of his best feature films. Shalaine had another moment of bashfulness about her fan-girl tendencies, but when he didn't seem to mind, she pushed forward.

"Okay, lunch and we'll see where we go from there."

"That's all I can ask for."

Epilogue

A
year and eight months later…

Shalaine narrowed her eyes at the rattling spruce that had muffled curses coming from it. Somewhere behind its ten feet of glory
, Xander was placing ornaments on available branches. He'd been battling the sharp bristles all afternoon and refused to let her help with anything. He just thought he knew everything, down to the placement of where the tree should be and how much faux snow spray to put on each branch. She told him it would be more serene by the fireplace, but he wanted everyone on the freaking block to witness his all-white Christmas tree through the window.

She sipped eggnog and hit
send
on her movie article. Tia should be happy with the article she wrote on Kaden Lennox's last flick. A bit on the cheesy plot side, but her boss loved Shalaine's flare for words. In fact, Tia now allowed her to work clear on the other side of the country. Just to keep her around, a nice promotion came with that package as well. Shalaine wasn't a fan of the earthquakes or the scorching California heat, but she was happy to be living with Xander. The first months were hectic. They’d had to tackle
the Hollywood media every time they went out. Now thankfully the focus was on the younger celebrity crowd. Still, she wasn't a fan of the limelight and red-carpet premieres.

She clicked ove
r to Facebook and her wall was bombarded with new paparazzi shots of her and Xander walking out of the market. The tagline under the photo was inquiring when there would be a flash of a ring on her finger and mentioned the possibility of a hidden baby bump. She ran a hand over her stomach. Maybe she was raking in the pounds, but there was no ring yet. Though that might be the cause of Xander being so anal-retentive about the Christmas decorations. He was setting up the house as if they had a professional photo shoot, which meant a party with all of their friends invited and that meant a
possible
proposal. This time she wouldn't jinx herself with getting excited, but she had big hunch that was his plot for tonight's Christmas party.

Still, a
baby
bump? Damn Hollywood and their pressure and inaccurate assumptions. Couldn't she at least have the benefit of the doubt and get married first?

"I can't believe you talked me into to moving in with you. I hate L
.A." She clicked on the arrow to scan through the photos. She scrutinized each picture, wondering if she was getting a bit more hippy or pudgier in the belly.
Who cares?
The world, obviously.

Xander laughed as he stepped out from behind the tree. "Stop looking at the incriminating photos and ignore the headlines, babe. I tell you that
all the time." He braced his hands on his hips and surveyed the white tree, as if wondering what to do next. Finally, he reached for another silver globe. After aligning the stepladder and placing the shiny orb close to the crest, he descended and stood there viewing his work. Shalaine was sure he was going to make the tree clustered with all the delicate décor, but he seemed to have a vision in mind. Who was she to stand in his way?

As if sensing her gaze on him, he looked at her over the top of the tree and flashed the smile she loved. Shalaine considered herself lucky, because it wasn't every day that people got their celebrity crushes as Christmas gifts. She
had and it was the best gift she could ever ask for.

The Emperor's Treaty

The Calaeron Duology, Book 1

Arryn, the newly crowned Emperor of New Phalba, must find a means to strengthen his kingdoms from impending foes. To end a blood war that has carried over millenniums, he petitions to marry one of his race’s mortal enemy—the Moekan dragons’ crown princess.

Even though the bond with the Moekan dragons will aid against a looming attack on his empire, Arryn can’t help but heed the growing rumors ofhis attraction to the dragon princess Shann living in his palace, despite rumors of espionage.

Eager to make the best of her situation and please her new husband, Shann is willing to face the challenges of a dragon ruling the Fae Empire. Arryn's lack of trust has her wanting to prove her affections are innocent. However, Shann is blamed for murderous crimes within the empire. Will Arryn trust his growing feelings and believe her? Or will he break the new peace treaty and start a war that will change everyone’s future?

Coming
January 2014

About the Author

A rocker by heart, Chacelyn Pierce is constantly ear plugged with heavy tunes blaring to stir up the phantom personalities that swarm her mind. It’s no surprise that she enjoys writing and reading to satiate her appetite for the male antagonist in a story. Married to a blatant redhead and mothering a diva, there is never a dull moment in the house. As a native Texan, she doesn't personally own a horse but follows the unwritten southern rule of knowing how to ride one. When she’s not testing the emotional capacity of her characters, she works as a dog groomer.

You can find her at http://www.chacelynpierce.com

Other Books by Chacelyn Pierce

Mage's Bane

The Fire of Thieves

Past Potion

The Christmas Key

The Drag and Drift Series:

Revved

Torque

The Hearts of Eden Series:

The Last Pyr of Eden