Christmas Secrets. Barbara Dunlop

      She left for the kitchen.

      “You need any help?” he called behind her.

      “You’re already helping.”

      “Points for that?” he asked.

      The question stopped her cold. She couldn’t help remembering the last time they’d joked about points. He’d asked to spend the night, then they’d slept curled together in her bed. If only they could go back to that moment, even just for a little while. Because what she really needed right now was a broad shoulder to lean on. Unfortunately, leaning on Cole’s shoulder was out of the question.

      She heated up the cocoa and returned to the living room.

      “Sorry,” he told her.

      “For what?” She set a steaming cup down on the small table beside him and took the end of the sofa opposite to where he sat.

      “For making that points crack.”

      He obviously remembered the last time.

      The sweetened air seemed to still around them. Her mouth went dry, and her heartbeat thudded thickly in her chest. She braved a look at his face, and their gazes held. The ticking of the clock seemed to grow louder.

      Cole broke the silence. “The reason I’m here…”

      She was half afraid, half excited about what he might say. She distracted herself with a sip.

      “The reason I’m here,” he began again, “is because we can’t let Roth win, and that means I need your help.”

      She didn’t want Roth to win. But she didn’t want Cole to win, either. Her throat closed up, and her chest pierced with pain.

      She had a desperate urge to rip Zachary from his arms. She didn’t care if he cried. She didn’t care if she never slept again. She wanted to hold him every second of every day from now until someone forced her to stop.

      “I…” she tried. “How can…” To her mortification, a tear slipped out.

      She rose from her chair, surreptitiously swiping the tear away. “He’s asleep. We can put him in his crib now.”

      “Sure,” Cole agreed easily, rising with Zachary in his arms, watching her closely.

      She walked down the hall to the nursery. There, she straightened the rumpled sheets and folded a fresh blanket onto the mattress.

      A yellow nightlight glowed in the corner, highlighting the cartoon giraffes, elephants and lions on the wall. Soft stuffed animals decorated every surface.

      Cole moved beside her and eased Zachary down onto the white flannel sheet. He pulled his arm from beneath Zachary and stepped back. The baby didn’t stir. Amber covered Zachary with a knit blanket and a patchwork quilt. Then she stroked her palm over his warm forehead.

      “Good night, sweetheart,” she whispered.

      She straightened, her heart aching all over again. She gripped the top of the crib rail, struggling to draw a breath.

      Cole’s strong hand came down on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

      She swallowed. Her voice came out on a pained whisper. “I’m so frightened.”

      “I know.”

      She shook her head. “No, you don’t. You can’t possibly understand.”

      She was going to lose Zachary, and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.

      He gently turned her. She didn’t stop him as he drew her into his arms. It didn’t seem to matter that he was one of the enemies; she accepted the strength he offered.

      His voice was deep and steady. “I know you can’t let yourself believe anything I say. But I want what’s best for Zachary. I promise I’ll do what’s best for Zachary.”

      She tipped her chin to gaze up at him. She wanted so badly to believe it was true. She needed some hope to hang on to.

      Minutes ticked slowly past.

      He reached up to brush her chin, his voice low and sexy. “You are amazing.”

      She knew she had to pull away. She had to shut this down before it went any further. His eyes were smoldering, his desire completely obvious. His hand crept into her hair. His gaze zeroed in on her lips, and he bent his head.

      He was going to kiss her.

      She wasn’t going to stop him.

      His lips touched hers, warm, soft and gentle.

      She stretched up, leaned in, let her arms twine around his neck as he took the kiss deeper. She’d missed him. She couldn’t believe how much she’d missed him.

      Her world was dissolving around her, and he felt like the only anchor point. His hand splayed her back, pressing her close. A moan rose up from her chest, and she met his tongue. Flicking flames of desire rose up inside her, heating her body, sensitizing every nerve ending. She needed to get closer, to feel his skin.

      But suddenly, he drew back. “We can’t do this.”

      She was mortified. What was she thinking? What was she doing, throwing herself into his arms?

      He braced his hands around her upper arms, putting a few inches between them. “We need to talk.”

      “Talk,” Amber managed to agree.

      He put a hand lightly on the small of her back, guiding her from the nursery, down the hall, back to the living room.

      She went straight to the far corner of the sofa, struggling to pull her dignity around her.

      She could feel Cole’s gaze on her from where he sat in the armchair. But she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She couldn’t imagine what he thought of her. He’d deceived her, used her to gain information about Coast Eagle, Samuel and Zachary. And yet she’d been willing to leap into bed with him a second time.

      There was something terribly wrong with her.

      “What will Roth do?” Cole asked into the silence. “If he wins custody, what will he do?”

      Amber struggled to move past emotion to logic. “I expect he will hire a nanny. I hope he keeps Isabel, but I don’t know that he will.” She had to stop for a breath. “Then he’ll use the power of his guardianship to get appointed president of Coast Eagle.”

      “He won’t want to be chairman of the board?”

      “He wants to be hands-on. He wants to run the company day-to-day. His first plan is to update or replace the entire fleet. He thinks he’ll be able to increase our market share enough to cover the debt.”

      “You doubt that?” asked Cole.

      “His projections are dangerously optimistic.”

      Cole gave a contemplative nod.

      Amber forced herself to ask the burning question. “What will you do?”

      His gaze was level and honest. “I don’t know.”

      “How can I trust you?”

      “You can’t. You shouldn’t.”

      She scoffed out a laugh at that.

      He took a sip of his now-cool cocoa. “All you can do right now is go on what’s certain. Roth’s got the advantage over me, and he cares about Roth, first, last and always.”

      “You’re saying you’re the lesser of two evils.”

      “I know you can’t bring yourself to trust me yet. But you know for certain you can’t trust Roth.”

      “That’s not at all comforting.”

      “I know. But it’s all you’ve got.”

      Amber