The Night Before Christian by Joy Avery Page A

crystal clear
about what I want. And I want you. No one else.”
    “And you’re a St.
Claire, which means you always get what you want, right?” She regretted the
words the minute they’d slipped past her lips. Why was she allowing his
grandmother’s venom to poison her thoughts about Christian? She knew the man in
front of her, better than most. And he was sincere.
    Christian’s brow
furrowed. “Where did that come from?”
    When his cell phone
rang, Emory breathed a sigh of relief. “You should take that.”
    He shook his head.
“There’s nothing more important than this moment.” He rested large hands on
either side of her neck. “You love me and I damn sure love you. Nothing else
matters. I don’t care about what happened in the past. I just know I want you
in my present and my future.”
    “You say you don’t
care, but—”
    He rested his thumb
over her lips, then dipped close to her mouth. “I can’t lose you again. I won’t
lose you again.”
    He captured her mouth,
kissing her like a man deprived. His strong arms held her close. Her nipples
beaded, the space between her legs throbbed. Her need grew to hunger that
craved to be nourished.
    Christian abandoned their
kiss, but apparently had a change of heart because he recaptured her mouth. He
grunted and freed himself again. “Get dressed,” he said.
    Get dressed ?
She’d kinda hoped for the opposite. Get undressed . He’d ignited her. The
least he could do was extinguish the blaze. “Where are we going?”
    “We’ve only been apart
two years. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.”
    Two years equivalent to
a lifetime. She raked her brain in an attempt to decipher what in the heck he
was talking about. “I’m lost,” she admitted.
    “How could you forget
our Christmas tradition? I’m hurt.”
    Understanding kicked in
and she grinned. “The sleigh ride.” Which was actually a horse-drawn carriage
fashioned to resemble a sleigh. Sentiment flooded her. “ You remember?”
    When they were
together, trotting through downtown had always been one of the things she
looked forward to most during Christmas. Wrapped in his warm arms and not a
care in the world.
    “Of course I remember.
You’re embedded in me, woman.” He pecked her gently. “Plus, I have to get you
in the Christmas spirit.”
    She liked that notion. A
smile crept across her face. “Give me ten minutes.”
     
    ***
     
    The second Christian
landed back in North Carolina he’d given his driver Emory’s address. Once
they’d arrived, Christian had given him instructions to wait because he wasn’t
sure how things would play out between him and Emory. He’d hoped for the best.
He glanced over at Emory. And he’d gotten it.
    Splaying his fingers,
Emory rested her hand in his. After a short drive, they arrived at a private
airstrip. The expression on Emory’s face was priceless—a mix of delight and
confusion.
    “What is going on, Christian?”
    “A new beginning, a new
tradition. Well, kind of a new tradition. Sorta a twist on the old one.”
    Emory laughed. “Quit
talking in riddles.”
    “A sleigh ride in
Central Park.”
    Her mouth gaped, then a
wide smile touched her lips. But a beat later, she frowned. “New York? I can’t
go to New York, Christian. My mother—”
    “Is in good hands. I’ve
worked it all out with Jordyn.”
    Her brows crinkled. “Jordyn?
When?”
    “At your place. Right
after she threatened to cut my balls off and feed them to me if I continued to
toy with your heart.”
    Emory slapped her hand
over her mouth and muffled a laugh.
    “I deserved that,” he
said. “Your sister doesn’t bite her tongue. But I like the way she protects
you.”
    When the driver opened
the door, Christian saw a glint of hesitation in her eyes. “Your mother will be
fine.”
    “It’s not that.” She
paused. “The pizza man. We left before he came. I’ll never be able to order
from there again.”
    Christian laughed.
“We’ll call from the air and tell them