A Christmas Seduction. Daire Denis St.

the French doors leading out onto the deck. It was the reason Gloria had said this was the best room—next to hers and Dillon’s on the second floor, of course. This one had direct access to the deck and the brand-new hot tub.

      She rolled her shoulders again, groaning because her neck and upper back were stiff and sore from the tension of driving through a blizzard at night. Falling flat on her ass probably didn’t help either.

      Relaxing in a hot tub would be wonderful. Too bad she hadn’t thought to bring a swimsuit.

      She unlatched the lock and pushed the sliding door open before stepping out onto the covered portion of the deck. Though she couldn’t see past the edge because of the inky blackness and falling snow, from the pictures on the internet, she knew the view from here would be spectacular. She closed her eyes, envisioning the picturesque scene she would wake up to tomorrow: forests and fields with mountains in the distance. A pond out front, surrounded by snow-covered trees.

      Idyllic.

      Jo opened her eyes. The soft whirring of the hot tub’s motor drew her close. She flipped the lid and steam rose up to greet her.

      Go ahead and use it, if you’d like. Nothing like a hot soak on a snowy night, Gloria had said.

      Jo trailed her fingers through the hot water. Oh, it would feel so good...

      She glanced up at the house. The lights that should have been shining through the French doors and windows off the main floor had all been extinguished. Her hosts must have gone to bed.

      She was the only one up. The only guest.

      “Why not?” she whispered to herself, pulling her sweater over her head and dropping it on a nearby table. Next she pulled off her leggings and socks, followed by her underwear. She squealed softly when the cold air caressed her naked skin, and scurried up the steps of the tub. She stepped in gingerly while covering her bits before sinking beneath the water.

      “Ahhh,” she sighed, letting her head fall back against the headrest. “This is the life.”

      If her mother could see her now, she knew exactly what she’d say. Hot tubs are breeding grounds for bacteria.

      She laughed softly to herself. Then her smile faded as she considered the lie she’d told. Why had she done it? It probably had something to do with the fact that her family thought her career choice was a waste of time.

      You can’t make a living as a writer, her father had chided when she’d told him she was taking creative writing at college.

      So, she changed majors and went into journalism.

      Unfortunately so far, even with a journalism degree, her father had been right. Since graduation, the only writing gigs she could get were for online publications—for pauper’s pay—and freelance travel articles. Which paid only marginally better, and that wasn’t saying much.

      Jo was determined to prove her family wrong. All she had to do was break a big story—kind of like the lie she’d told her mother this evening—and she’d be taken seriously as a journalist. The problem was, she had no big story. No leads.

      Nothing.

      Jo turned her head. A control panel blinked to the left of her and she tested some of the buttons. The first one turned on music, a mellow jazz something or other. That was nice. She tried another button and the lights inside the tub came on.

      A downward glance revealed her state of undress and she pressed the button once more, except instead of turning off, the lights simply changed color from blue to red. Another touch of the button and the lights turned green.

      “Seriously?”

      One more time and the internal lights flickered, strobe-light-style, as if there was a dance party going on in the tub. One she was not keen to take part in.

      Before she could hit the button again, the sound of a dog barking froze her in place, her finger stuck in pressing position.

      Glancing up, she gasped to find the hand standing on the far side of the tub, grinning. “Well, heya, miss. Something I can help you with?”

       2

      The best thing about traveling alone is you get to be the person you want to be because no one knows any different.

      Jo Duval

      THAD HAD SEEN the flashing lights as he made his way from the barn to the bunkhouse, and something had drawn him over. Had he known the dog hater would be naked—apparently she wasn’t all arms and legs—he’d have steered clear.

      Probably.

      “Just press that button one more time and the lights will go off,” he said as he backed up a step to give her some privacy. He could be a gentleman if he had to be.

      The lights inside the tub went out and the woman became nothing more than a shadow surrounded by a cloud of fog. “Thanks. You can—”

      “It’s nice, isn’t it?” Thad murmured to the hazy outline of the woman. “Ms. Gloria and Dillon just got the soaker last week. Haven’t tried it out yet myself, but I installed it, so I know how it works.”

      “Right. Um, would you mind—”

      “So, how long are you here for?” Thad asked, biting down on his lip to control his grin. He could be a gentleman, but he could also be a right jackass. Why he felt the need to torture this woman, he couldn’t say exactly.

      “Oh, um...eleven days.” She cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to be—”

      “Right on into the New Year? That’s a nice long stay.” Thad was having a hard time containing his enjoyment as he pressed on. “Do you enjoy winter sports? Skiing, ice-skating? That sort of thing?”

      “I’m sure they’re fine, but—”

      “Lots to do around here. I’m your man if you’re interested.” That sounded like a come-on, which was not his intention, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself from tormenting this woman.

      “Look, Mr... What did you say your name was again?”

      “Thad. Thaddeus Knight, at your service.”

      “Mr. Knight. I’m all good. You can leave now.”

      “Of course. Didn’t mean to disturb you, miss,” he lied.

      “You didn’t disturb anything.” Her voice was high. Nervous.

      “Okay then. You enjoy your soak and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

      “Mmm-hmm. Bye, now.”

      He glanced over his shoulder only when he hit the edge of the deck. Sound always traveled better at night, and he clearly heard the ornery woman swearing beneath her breath as he took his leave, the very mutts she scorned waiting for him at the bottom of the steps.

      He shouldn’t have done it, shouldn’t have taunted her, particularly when he realized she was bathing in the raw. His grandmother would have said the devil possessed him, and that might be true. But he didn’t think that was all there was to it. There was something about the woman, something that drew him, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

      * * *

      JOLIE LAY SNUG under the covers, existing in that space between sleep and wakefulness. It was her preferred mode of waking every day because it was when her imagination took over, ungoverned by inhibitions and the critical internal editor who was her regular companion during the rest of the day—though so far, this morning had remained completely silent.

      Perfect.

      Jo revisited the scene in the hot tub, but this time she wasn’t embarrassed by her state of undress. This time she was bold and flirty. This time she flaunted her nakedness, turning the lights on in the tub—to red—instead of turning