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A Yuletide Affair
Monica Richardson
A holiday to remember Alyson Talbot's real estate ambitions have taken her far from her exotic Caribbean home. Now she's coming back to plan a spectacular Christmas wedding for her sister—and win some lucrative new business deals. Samson Steel is an unexpected distraction in both areas. Enigmatic and self-assured, he has a knack for getting under her skin…and into her most sensual fantasies.False accusations derailed Samson's political plans, and he's hoping an extended vacation will give him time to figure out his next move. First up? Getting close and personal with the aloof but sultry real estate agent guiding him around their island paradise. Alyson intrigues him—until he suspects her new clients of shady business dealings and starts to question her ethics…and his judgment. Now only the gifts of acceptance and trust can turn a sizzling yuletide fling into a new beginning…
A holiday to remember
Alyson Talbot’s real estate ambitions have taken her far from her exotic Caribbean home. Now she’s coming back to plan a spectacular Christmas wedding for her sister—and win some lucrative new business deals. Samson Steel is an unexpected distraction in both areas. Enigmatic and self-assured, he has a knack for getting under her skin...and into her most sensual fantasies.
False accusations derailed Samson’s political plans, and he’s hoping an extended vacation will give him time to figure out his next move. First up? Getting close and personal with the aloof but sultry real estate agent guiding him around their island paradise. Alyson intrigues him—until he suspects her new clients of shady business dealings and starts to question her ethics...and his judgment. Now only the gifts of acceptance and trust can turn a sizzling yuletide fling into a new beginning...
“I don’t dance,” she said.
“Since when? I just saw you dancing at your parents’ house.”
Reluctantly, she swayed her hips under the sound of Beres Hammond’s gentle voice. Watching her caused things to stir in Samson. He pulled her into his chest and they continued to dance. No words. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist, held her close. Soon she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
“The last time we were at the beach, things didn’t go so well,” she reminded him.
“Well, I’m hoping that this time will be different.” He decided to go in for a kiss, and was glad that she didn’t resist.
His lips touched hers gently, and the kiss was much sweeter than he’d imagined. His tongue found its way into her peppermint-flavored mouth. Her French-manicured fingertips danced their way across his face, caressed it. He held on to her waist. The strength of his arms made her feel safe. Wanted. Sexy. All the things she hadn’t felt in a long time. Things she’d been too busy to feel.
Without a single word, he grabbed her hand and led the way back to the cabana.
Dear Reader (#ulink_7853977f-43db-505d-91fb-557c3be65b05),
You will appreciate Samson from the beginning. He’s exactly what Alyson needs—someone to put her in check! He knows that she’s all bark and no bite. With his tattooed arms and unshaven face, he’s hardly her type. She likes her men a little more refined. Not to mention, he thinks he’s God’s gift to the world. She doesn’t have time for that! She’s too busy building her empire. But Samson isn’t afraid to show her his worth.
If you remember Alyson from the first book in the Talbot series, you know that she’s a bit uptight. She’s the last one you’d expect to go trekking across the globe to Chicago (of all places) in the middle of winter, to get her man! But she’s proof that love is worth going to the ends of the earth for.
I hope you will enjoy Samson and Alyson’s story. And also the fantastical Christmas wedding of Jackson and Jasmine as they marry at the Grove. You’ll get to see the warmth of the Talbot family again, and also become acquainted with Samson’s spirited family. I hope you continue to love the Talbots. They are everybody’s family!
Visit my website at monica-richardson.com (http://monica-richardson.com) or email me at Monica@Monica-Richardson.com.
Happy reading!
Monica Richardson
A Yuletide Affair
Monica Richardson
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
MONICA RICHARDSON currently writes adult romances set in Florida and the Caribbean. Under the name Monica McKayhan, she wrote the Indigo Summer young adult series. Indigo Summer hit the Essence and Black Issues Book Review bestseller lists, and the series also received a film option. Monica’s YA books have garnered accolades and industry recognition, including several American Library Association (ALA) placements on the Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and the Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults annual lists.
For my Granny, Rosa A. Heggie
(November 1927–2008)
She was special in so many ways, and the
strongest woman I knew. My life is rich because of her.
Acknowledgments (#ulink_228091e0-e37a-5533-bc34-dc2f50a8e7b7)
To my husband, the love of my life—
thank you for being my biggest encourager.
And for being my real-life hero.
To my family and friends—you are my support system.
To my readers that give me the energy to continue to write, I’m sure you will enjoy the Talbot family and get to know them well. I hope you will enjoy Alyson’s story just as much as Jasmine’s. Thank you for your continued support. Without you, our stories are just that, stories. But through you, those stories come to life and take flight.
To my family in the Bahamas—visiting with you and talking to you about my history has made the research and writing of this Talbot series a complete joy.
Contents
Cover (#u6a4726e7-0c8a-5775-814c-f23f2514c479)
Back Cover Text (#u90eab691-f122-59a8-9f48-572c5d0a7218)
Introduction (#u7de751d5-fe0c-5cfe-a48d-dd5fe67c0e07)
Dear Reader (#ulink_a5d62132-f5ec-58f5-8b73-d2b06e61028d)
Title Page (#u416a423c-0601-54df-985a-9ce12df81e82)
About the Author (#ud57b1be9-ac76-5591-be66-0b582594cd09)
Dedication (#u77e93fc2-a158-5479-bc59-61f26b4463be)
Acknowledgments (#ulink_0d2e6a03-a6f2-568e-a4b3-8843fa9dc951)
Chapter 1 (#ulink_a1abc93a-d523-5a77-8fff-80173f753d19)
Chapter 2 (#ulink_a65c9e6f-f3cd-5ad3-afb1-850a91f61ba5)
Chapter 3 (#ulink_a2180f58-405f-5a5f-a3e0-5bf612c0efeb)
Chapter 4 (#ulink_5143d9d1-ab30-5ba4-92f7-18596abade9b)
Chapter 5 (#ulink_d4708424-f3f9-53a2-878c-5b3e7d4bf643)
Chapter 6 (#ulink_1aa0960f-aa43-5f77-abbd-0ee347aaa510)
Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 19 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 20 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 21 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 22 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 23 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 24 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 25 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 26 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 27 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 28 (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1 (#ulink_bef3ae0f-b368-5ea8-9906-39b3f8c93d6a)
Alyson Talbot hadn’t planned on spending so much time in the Eleuthera Islands, Bahamas. She loved her family and her childhood home, but it was no place she had intentions of ever living again. In fact, she’d made a perfect home in Miami by purchasing a beautiful condo that overlooked the Miami River. Florida was where she needed to be—it was where she was building her clientele. After leaving a booming real estate company, she’d recently decided to branch out on her own, make a name for herself. Alyson Talbot and Associates wasn’t quite where she wanted it to be, but the business was well on its way to making a statement in the industry. Just last year, she’d earned a decent salary, one that supported her comfortable lifestyle. But she was looking for more than just comfort, and her goal was to double those earnings in the coming year. She was certainly on a good track, and well on her way to accomplishing just that. She vowed to never move back to the islands nor help to run her family’s B and B on Harbour Island.
Each of her siblings had vowed the same thing—that they would not be moving back to the Bahamas. Her oldest brother, Edward, was too busy working his political career and had ties to the mayor’s office in Florida. Her brother Nate, who lived in Atlanta, was an artist and had no desire to run a B and B. And conversation around him moving back to the islands had always been a sore spot for him. Problems with a former girlfriend had limited his visits to their childhood home. Whitney was busy teaching small children at her Dallas elementary school and had claimed that she would return long-term, but hadn’t. Their youngest brother, Denny, had already begun his tour of duty in the Bahamian military. He was the family’s rebel, had opted out of attending college. Jasmine had been the only one to sacrifice and move back to the island. She had been instrumental in the Grove’s renovation. But now that the family business was up and running, she needed help. Which was why she had turned to her older sister, Alyson. However, for Alyson, moving home was definitely not in the cards.
What was in the cards was helping to plan her sister’s elaborate Christmas wedding. Without her contribution, Jasmine’s wedding might not be as elegant as it could be. After all, she had connections, and people owed her favors. Not to mention, the Talbots weren’t just an ordinary family anymore. They were more than just a two-parent family with six adult children scattered about the world. As owners of the Grove, the newest and fastest growing beachfront property on the island, the Talbots had quickly been placed in a league of their own. She knew that when the first member of the Talbot clan got married at the Grove, it had to be an event to remember. And it was up to her to make sure that happened—thus, causing her to spend way more time on the islands than she’d ever dreamed she would.
“Turn around and let me see the back,” she told Jasmine, who modeled her seventh ivory dress.
It was a Vera Wang, and her sister looked like a model in it. She truly hoped Jasmine liked this one, because she was quickly running out of patience. She’d tentatively scheduled a meeting with an important client—a meeting that had already been postponed twice. She was committed to the wedding, but also had business in Miami.
“It’s okay, but I don’t get that warm fuzzy feeling about it. Mother said that I would know which dress was the right one. She said it would speak to me.”
“It’s a Vera Wang. What else would you like for it to say, honey?” Alyson asked. “Not only that, but our mother got married at the justice of the peace some thirty-plus years ago. What does she know about picking the perfect wedding dress?”
“That’s just rude,” said Jasmine.
“It’s the truth, Jazzy!”
“Our mother may not have had the wedding of her dreams, but she definitely married the man of her dreams.”
“I can’t argue that.”
Their father, Paul John Talbot, was a man whom both women cherished. Any man that walked into their lives had large shoes to fill.
“I want the dress to feel special,” Jasmine insisted.
Her sister could wear almost any dress she wanted to, yet she made the task of finding a dress almost impossible. Jasmine had the perfect figure. Alyson wasn’t nearly as fit as her sister, who worked out on a daily basis. She had to work hard just to maintain her ample figure. And as much as her patience was running thin, she had to keep reminding herself that this was not her wedding. In fact, she had no intentions of ever getting married. Marriage was overrated, and she hadn’t had one single prospect anyway. She’d had her share of trysts and a few relationships that had lasted a month or two, but nothing serious. Her life was just fine the way it was, though.
“As much as I’d like to spend the day picking out bridal gowns, I think your husband-to-be is expecting us at the Grove pretty soon,” Alyson reminded her sister with a quick glance at her watch. “He wants your input on the Caribbean band that’s auditioning for the reception. I think we should head over there.”
“Okay, just let me get out of this dress.” Jasmine glanced at herself quickly in the mirror one more time and then grabbed hold of the silk train before stepping down from the platform.
“No love between you and that gown, huh?” Alyson asked again.
“Very little.” She grinned and then disappeared into the dressing room.
Dress shopping with her younger sister was like watching paint dry.
* * *
Although it was still early November and Thanksgiving was forthcoming, Christmas had been the focal point at the Grove with Jasmine’s impending wedding. The Clydesdale had already been decorated with gold, red and green lights streamed throughout. In the Grand Room, a huge, fifteen-foot Christmas tree stood tall in the corner of the room, garnished with garland, lights and unique ornaments. It was reminiscent of Alyson’s childhood home in Governor’s Harbour—a place where Christmases were an important part of her life. But more important than Christmas Day was the day after—Boxing Day. Boxing Day was when Junkanoo took place.
The festive street parade with music, dance and unique costumes was what dinner conversations were made of. Inspired by a different theme every year, it was the focal point of the Christmas holidays and the New Year, and it was the highlight of the year in the Bahamas. It took months to prepare for Junkanoo. There were costumes that needed to be made and feasts that needed to be prepared. When Alyson and her siblings were young, their father would take them to Nassau, where the largest Junkanoo parade took place. Although the Junkanoo parade in the Eleuthera was festive, nothing could compare to the one in Nassau. Now with the anticipation of a Christmas wedding, coupled with Junkanoo, the Talbot family were beside themselves with excitement.
* * *
The Caribbean band had set up their instruments in the center of the Grand Room and was playing an old Bob Marley tune. With locks that hung down to the center of his back, the band’s lead singer danced around the room. Jackson, Alyson’s brother-in-law-to-be, was so into the performance, he didn’t even see them walk in. When he spotted them, a wide grin covered his handsome golden face as he bobbed his head to the music. He raised a glass of cognac in the air and motioned for Alyson and Jasmine to join him.
“You’re just in time,” Jackson said. “They’re just getting started.”
“They sound good,” Jasmine said.
Samson, Jackson’s friend, walked up and the two men shook hands. Alyson inconspicuously observed Samson as he chatted with Jackson. Didn’t want him to notice that she was checking him out. She’d labeled him as the mystery man that had shown up on the island, with no real reason for being there. He was renting a room at their family’s B and B for an extended period of time, and he’d been introduced as Jackson’s buddy from college, but her knowledge of him was very limited. The lack of information intrigued her.
