It's their first Christmas together, and she wants everything
to be perfect, the sort of special holiday she never had before.
Aden has the same goal in mind, and convinces Belle that Kevin's
perfect Christmas gift would be the chance to paint her portrait.
But while the holiday starts out very promising, it's soon interrupted
by unwelcome guests, past issues, and future problems.
Excerpt
Belle eyed the boxes with suspicion before turning back to
Aden. “You want me to be Kevin’s Christmas present?
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s already
unwrapped me. Several times.”
Aden grinned. “He has, and I did notice, but he’s
never painted you, has he?”
“He draws me all the time,” Belle protested.
“But he’s never painted you,” Aden pressed.
Belle didn’t quite understand what Aden was getting at,
but she nodded. “No, just sketches.”
Aden pushed a box at her. “The thing you have to understand
about Kevin is that painting is his calling. It’s not the
only thing he’s good at, but I think it’s the only
thing he really loves to do.”
Belle lifted the lid off the box, revealing several fresh bottles
of acrylic paint. “Then why did he stop?”
Aden shrugged. “For the same reason he never became a
professional chef, I guess.”
Belle set the box aside and leaned back on the bed. “And
this is all we’re getting him? Not a new sweater, or a
book, or something...personal?”
He frowned and Belle immediately felt guilty. She didn’t
want to hurt Aden’s feelings or make him think she didn’t
like the idea, Despite the last glorious six months, in some
ways, she barely knew Kevin. But still, a box of paints didn’t
seem like a very good Christmas gift.
“You don’t like it?” he asked, and she definitely
heard disappointment in his voice.
“It’s not that I don’t like the idea in general,”
she rushed to assure him. She looked down to her lap for a moment
before answering. “I mean, I’ve seen the painting
of you. The first one. And it was...I can’t even imagine
him looking at me and seeing something so...”
Belle sighed, struggling with a nameless emotion that always
snuck up on her when she thought of Kevin and Aden, and everything
they had shared before they met her, everything they continued
to share outside of her. It wasn’t quite jealousy--jealousy
was harsh and it hurt. She never felt pain, but she always felt
a little choked. Like something was cutting off her air supply.
“How do you know he wouldn’t?” Aden asked softly.
“Because I’m not you,” Belle said.
Aden tilted his head, studying her. She didn’t look up,
but she could feel his eyes on her. It was as familiar a sensation
as the nameless thing that climbed up her throat. “But
you’re Belle.”
She snorted. “What does that even mean?”
“It means he loves you.” He reached for her hand,
wrapping his fingers around hers. “You know our Kev. He’s
shy.”
Now Belle laughed. “Kevin is not shy.”
Aden leaned forward, his voice dipping into a conspiratorial
whisper. “Kevin is shy. And he gets flustered easily.”
Belle pushed him away. “Oh, he does not.”
“You want proof?”
“Proof? I’ve never seen that man flustered. Despite
all your attempts.”
Aden winked. “That’s because he’s on to my tricks.
You, on the other hand...”
“What tricks do I have?”
“A whole number of tricks, pet.” He reached behind
him and picked up a long white box. “Now, if he sees you
in this, he’s going to be rendered speechless.”
“Is speechless the same as flustered?” Belle asked,
taking the box from him.
“No. Flustered is when you tell him you want him to paint
your portrait.”
Belle fingered the edge of the box, deeply curious about the
outfit Aden had picked out. She trusted his taste in clothes--he
had never let her down yet--and she trusted his judgment when
it came to Kevin’s tastes. But she still didn’t quite
grasp how this could be considered a gift.
“But why would that make him flustered? He’s had
people pay him to paint their portraits.”
Aden regarded her silently until she felt a slow blush climb
up her face. He didn’t speak until she looked away. “You’ve
had people pay you to write, but you still love it when Kevin
tells you he likes something you created, don’t you?”
“Well...yes,” she admitted.
“It’s more or less the same principle.” He traced
the edge of the box with his finger. “We can still go shopping
for another present, if you like.”
“It’s a week until Christmas. Do you want to do this
tonight?”
“I want to give him time to finish the portrait,”
Aden said. “Or at least, finish the sketching. He’ll
appreciate the extra time. I’d really like to give him
this, Belle.”
Belle nodded. “That sounds like a fair deal. So...what’s
in the box?”
“Open it and find out.”
Belle eagerly tore into the box, as though it was her Christmas
present. She didn’t quite know what to expect--though it
would probably be a dress. Aden had shown a real preference
for her in short skirts and sheer stockings.
That’s not what she found in the box at all.
“I’ve had them tailored for you,” Aden said
as she stared at the clothes.
“Well, that would explain why you asked for my measurements.”
“I know, it’s not typical for your wardrobe, but...”
It wasn’t typical at all. Not typical for what Aden bought
her, not typical for what Kevin preferred, and certainly not
typical for what she chose for herself. She had no idea what
could have inspired Aden, and she didn’t know if it would
work. Aden was looking at her expectantly, and she knew she
needed to take it out of the box, to react, but she was a bit
too skeptical to be excited.
“You think this is going to make him speechless?”
Aden nodded enthusiastically. “I think he’ll love
it.” He pushed her shoulder gently. “Try it on.”
Belle nodded. There was no harm in humoring him. She smiled
demurely and took the box, scurrying into the bathroom before
he could protest. Aden always seemed to delight in watching
her dress, though normally he insisted on undressing her, so
it wasn’t very productive to attempt the matter in front
of him.
She stripped out of her jeans and t-shirt quickly, and then
began unpacking the box. First, a red thong. This wasn’t
unexpected. She had acquired a great deal of sexy underwear
in the past several months. Kevin and Aden were generous to
a fault, though she imagined they had their own selfish motivations.
Next came the garter belts, and then the red silk stockings.
She couldn’t help but shiver as she slid them on, imagining
the way it would feel when Kevin slid them off again.
The outfit did not come with a bra, which Belle understood
after she saw the blouse Aden had chosen. It was backless, held
on by a single thread of silk that tied behind her neck. In
the sharp bathroom light, the white water silk looked almost
transparent, showing off the swell of her breasts. Her nipples
were like twin shadows, dusky beneath the flowing fabric.
Instead of a dress, Aden had bought a pair of black slacks.
In the box they looked less than sexy. She couldn’t imagine
any man getting turned on by them, until she put them on. They
hung off her legs with a little flare, but hugged her ass lovingly.
And she had to admit, as she examined herself in the full-length
mirror, that no skirt or dress had ever been kinder to her backside.
Belle considered her hair with a critical eye. She would need
to put it up. She didn’t know what Aden imagined, or how
Kevin would want her to pose, but she thought maybe a French
bun. Or maybe not. Maybe if she was going to be memorialized
forever in a portrait, she should go have her hair and makeup
done for her.
A sharp knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. “Does
everything fit?”
“Perfectly,” Belle said, opening the door. A bolt
of pleasure coursed through her at Aden’s immediate, open-mouth
reaction.
“Wow,” he breathed.
She looked down at herself. “It’s not too bad. I’ll
never doubt your taste again.”
“You doubted my taste?”
Belle smiled. “You’ve never bought anything like
this for me.”
“Precisely.” He took her hand and spun her in a tight
circle, letting out a low whistle. “But you have to admit
I’m right. Kevin will love this. You need to leave.”
Belle’s smile faded. “What?”
“He’s going to be home any minute. You need to go
out for a bit.”
“I do?” Belle shook her head. “What’s the
plan? Do you want him to start tonight?”
“He’s going to want to start tonight.”
Belle’s skepticism returned. “He’s been at work
since six this morning, and it’s nearly seven now. He’s
just going to want to grab a bite to eat and go to sleep.”
“I thought you said you weren’t going to question
my judgment again,” Aden said with a raised eyebrow.
She sighed in acquiescence. “What do you want me to do?”
“I took the liberty of booking you an appointment at the
salon you like.”
“They close at six.”
“They agreed to stay open for you.”
Belle gave him a curious look. “You’ve really been
planning this for a while, haven’t you?”
“It occurred to me over Thanksgiving.”
Belle had assumed that this was one of Aden’s spontaneous
impulses. The sort of spontaneous impulse that usually delighted
her and drove Kevin crazy. The fact that this was something
he had planned, something he had put real effort into, quieted
some of her doubts. He wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble
if he thought it would blow up in his face.
“Okay,” she said softly.
“Okay?”
Belle nodded. “This is clearly really important to you,
so it’s important to me. I won’t pretend to understand
why or how this is going to work, but I do trust you.”
He beamed at her, and at that moment, she would happily follow
him anywhere. “Great. Don’t worry about getting anything
to eat. I’ll have something ready for you.”
“Oh, god. You aren’t cooking, are you?”
His smile didn’t fade. “Not at all.”
“Should I change first?”
Aden took one of his long coats from the closet and handed
it to her. “Just wear this. Try to be back by nine.”
“What if I can’t get back by then?”
Aden draped the coat around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.
“Has anybody ever told you that you worry too much?”
“You’ve mentioned it once or twice.”
She turned her head to catch his mouth, dipping her tongue
between his lips. Aden responded instantly, his mouth opening
to her kiss. For a moment, Belle forgot what she was wearing,
where she was supposed to be going, and the rest of Aden’s
plan. It was much easier to focus on the firm pressure of his
lips, each demanding stroke of his tongue, and the way his hands
moved down her back to press her body against his.
Aden broke the kiss first, looking at her with a hint of reproach.
“If you keep that up, the whole plan is going to fall apart.”
Belle grinned at him. “I just wanted a kiss goodbye.”
He put his hand on her shoulder and guided her to the door.
“Well, you’ve got it, so go.”
“I never thought you would kick me out of your bedroom,”
she pouted.
“For once,” he pushed her purse into her hands and
gave her another gentle shove to the door, “I’m delaying
gratification.”
Belle was already a little wet and flushed from the kiss. “I
hope the delay won’t be long.”
