All Wrapped Up. Jennifer Drew

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      “It’s only me.”

      Nick stepped into the change room and closed the door.

      “What are you doing in here?” Liv asked, holding the minuscule lacy bra in front of her.

      “This would be a good time to see if you have it in you to be spontaneous,” Nick said, reaching for her. The lace didn’t conceal her nipples. On the contrary, it created a peekaboo effect that left him a little breathless.

      He moved his lips to the hollow of her throat, stroking with his tongue as he kneaded her buttocks.

      “Yes, yes,” Liv whispered.

      He lifted a lace-clad breast in one hand and caressed her hardened nipple with his thumb while he slid the other inside her panties. With more willpower than he knew he possessed, he took his hands away and kissed her softly. They’d spent enough time in the dressing room to make the clerk suspicious.

      “The lacy bra will do nicely,” he said, winking at the blushing clerk.

      Dear Reader,

      Who doesn’t love the holidays? The lights, the tinsel, the wrapping of gifts, the unwrapping…? Mmm, especially the unwrapping!

      When former lovers Liv Kearns and Nick Matheson are reunited, it’s strictly business until the layers start coming off! Can public relations professional Liv keep reporter Nick at arm’s length?

      We (Jennifer Drew is the pseudonym for the mother-daughter writing team of Barbara Andrews and Pam Hanson) hope you enjoy finding out that the answer to this question is a resounding no!

      So take a break from the hectic pace of your holiday season and sit back to see what’s going to be revealed!

      Enjoy!

      Jennifer Drew

      Books by Jennifer Drew

      HARLEQUIN DUETS

      7—TAMING LUKE

      18—BABY LESSONS

      45—MR. RIGHT UNDER HER NOSE

      59—ONE BRIDE TOO MANY* ONE GROOM TO GO*

      72—STOP THE WEDDING!*

      80—JUST DESSERTS

      100—YOU’LL BE MINE IN 99

      106—DESPERATELY SEEKING SULLY

      All Wrapped Up

      Jennifer Drew

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      This one’s for our readers…with heartfelt thanks

      Contents

       Chapter 1

       Chapter 2

       Chapter 3

       Chapter 4

       Chapter 5

       Chapter 6

       Chapter 7

       Chapter 8

       Chapter 9

       Chapter 10

       Chapter 11

       Chapter 12

       Chapter 13

       Chapter 14

       Chapter 15

      1

      LATER SHE’D CRY or scream.

      Olivia Kearns pressed her throbbing forehead against the ice-cold, living-room window of her suburban Chicago town house. She wanted to freak out, but now wasn’t the time to lose it, not when she had so much to do.

      Outside, snow flurries were starting to accumulate. Liv hoped her parents, driving away in separate cars, wouldn’t have trouble with the slippery roads. She shook her head in disbelief, still unable to accept that her parents really intended to divorce after nearly thirty years of seemingly harmonious marriage. They’d come to her home to tell her the bad news, calling ahead to be sure she’d be there on a Saturday afternoon. Dad had nodded agreement while her mother assured her the decision was for the best.

      Would she and her sister, Amy, have a place they could consider the family home, a place where they could all gather for Christmas? One set of grandparents had retired to Florida and the other set to Arizona, so everyone had always come to her parents’ house for family celebrations.

      Liv was the family problem-solver, the one who could resolve any crisis—but not this one. How could her parents split up? They were the heart of the family. How could they still be a family if her parents weren’t together? Liv knew she was being a drama queen, but she didn’t care.

      She padded in stocking feet across the moss-green carpeting, hardly seeing her comfy couch and chair covered with flowery slipcovers or the Queen Anne–style cherry tables. The room was tidy and organized, just the way she liked her life.

      What she needed to do was make a list. Making a to-do list would help her focus and feel more in control. She went upstairs to her office in the spare bedroom and grabbed a fresh yellow legal pad.

      First, she thought, writing a bold numeral one, she had to cancel her parents’ New Year’s Eve thirtieth-anniversary party.

      Theoretically, she and Amy, her older sister by one year, were planning the party, but she’d never expected much help from her sister. Amy was willing enough, but organization wasn’t her strong suit especially now when her wedding was coming up in a few months. She had more on her plate than she could manage. It was up to Liv to cancel the party.

      She groaned. Nearly fifty invitations had gone out. She’d have to explain fifty times why the party was off.

      Then there was Amy’s wedding. Only her sister would choose February for a big wedding. Liv had tried to suggest tactfully that sub-zero, snowstormy late winter wasn’t the best time. Now it was an awful time because of her parents. Who would keep the wedding arrangements on track? She wrote a large number two on her list.

      “I can get through this,” she said with a sigh.

      She was almost glad there were no men in her life at the moment. She didn’t have to break a date to the anniversary party, because her last relationship had ended several months ago. Breaking up with Jerry after a lukewarm relationship had been more comedy than drama, although she wouldn’t mind a shoulder to cry on right now.

      The timing for a family crisis was terrible. This wasn’t a good time to worry about anything but work. She’d done plenty of that lately because