Free The Christmas Key by Chacelyn Pierce

 
    ONE
     
    Shalaine Harper swiveled in her office seat after making the last editorial note on the article she’d penned on the opening box-office hit, Tiding Sun . The A-list movie starred Xander Christian, the exotic Adonis who made any sane woman's panties drop when he licked those kissable lips. He caused heart palpitations for the millions of horny women across the globe. Though his movies as of late hadn't been his best work, she still gave him an A for effort.
    Diehard fan that she was, Shalaine couldn't help but give him high marks on her movie reviews. Even if they deserved a lower grade, she couldn't bring herself to scribble anything lower than a B. Her eyes drifted to the hanging poster for Tiding Sun on her office wall. It was now her favorite face shot of Xander. His blue-green eyes captivated her first; they always did. It was no wonder teenage girls fantasized about him more than any famous teeny-bopper. Though she wasn't a teenage girl, she couldn't help but sigh like a lovesick puppy. Her mind recollected the steamy scene he'd had with Jess Gilmore in the hayloft. His raciest scene yet. The supporting actresses didn't know how good they had it, to kiss X. Chris and taste his mouth. Heaven. That's what it had to be like. Pure heaven.
    S he tore her gaze way from the framed beauty and got back to work on making him look as good on paper as he did onscreen.
    The Reviewer was a very prestigious magazine that focused on box-office hits and celebrities. They looked toward her to cover all X. Christian-related movie releases. Everyone in the office teased her and nicknamed her complimentary articles on him as Shalaine's X. Chris or Double-X articles. Adding a few more raunchy words into her reviews would lead many women into an orgasmic state and mean a quick firing on her part. She was just a few words shy of making it a XXX feature worthy of Playgirl Magazine . Might be worth it though.
    Running out of time, Shalaine. Get the article done.
    She looked at a photo on her desk for inspiration. It was a sketchy shot of Nathan and her in Cozumel. There was lots of sizzling sex in the air that week and to date, it was the best time they'd ever had together. Three years had gone by fast and she expected Nathan to pop the question any day now. Maybe he'd do it when they arrived at the small rental cottage in Alaska. Shalaine enjoyed their vacations together; it was the only time they could be uninterrupted. Since they rarely got to spend time together, it was a set plan for them to have quality time a few times year. While in Alaska, neither of them would let work dictate their schedules and they could work on their relationship. She glanced at the clock. Three more hours and she'd leave New York for a full week. Overjoyed didn't even cover it; she was stimulated.
    Stimulated .
    She jotted that word on a sticky note to fit into her article somewhere just as her office phone rang.
    " Shalaine Harper," she said wistfully, thinking of snow, cabin sex with Nathan, and fire cuddles. She could almost smell the woodsy scents and hear the wildlife.
    "Hey, Shay, it's me." Nathan's glum tone set off warning bells.
    "What's up?" She tried to convey her good mood to him over the phone. Three hours, baby, don't crumble on me now .
    "I can't go to Alaska."
    She lost her breath at his words. " What? Nathan, we've planned this trip for months! Go tell your boss to get over not seeing you for a week; it won't kill him." She threw her pen across the desk but reached for it again, needing something in her hand.
    He sighed and paused for a minute, leaving open air on both their lines.
    " Non-refundable tickets, Nathan," she reminded him.
    "I know, I know. Let me rephrase then…I can't go to Alaska with you ." He mumbled the last part as if he had to muster the strength to get the words out.
    A lot of things filled Shalaine's head at that very moment, none of them good, but in a small voice, all she could ask was, "Why?"
    "Because I can't