Holiday Hire (The Cartwright Family #2)

Chapter 22

22

Phoebe

A Week Later

M y phone rings. I glance down at it, and my gut dives.

Lance's name glares at me on the screen. It's the fifth time he's called today. He left me drunk messages last night saying horrible things, then babbled about how much he loves me, before he returned to criticizing me.

I'm over his bad behavior. He's gone too far this time. I don't want to deal with him anymore. So, as far as I'm concerned, we're done.

I decide to send the same message I sent a few days ago.

Me: Stop calling me. We're done.

Lance: Don't be ridiculous.

Me: If you keep contacting me, I'll block you.

Lance: Why are you doing this to me, Phoebe?

Me: I'm not talking about this today. Go sleep your alcohol off. I have to go to work. Don't call me again today, or I'm warning you, I will block you.

I put my phone on silent and slip it inside my purse. Then I pull on my jeans, oversized red sweater, and boots. I glance at myself in the mirror, add some gloss to my lips, brush my hair one last time, and exit the bedroom. I step into the hallway and go into the family room.

Wilder urges, "Come on, Phoebe. We're going to be late."

"Sorry," I say sheepishly.

"You take a long time to get ready," Ace says.

"Sorry," I repeat, making a mental note to get ready earlier. Since Alexander and I have gotten together, I'm spending more time getting ready.

"Stop harping on Phoebe. And she looks nice, doesn't she, boys?" Alexander says, stepping out of the kitchen, wearing his jeans and a green button-down shirt.

My butterflies take off. I glance at him, trying not to smile too much, remembering all the ways he made me orgasm with his hand over my mouth last night so the boys wouldn't hear.

But then I had to sneak back into my bedroom, which, like always, sucked.

Wilder gives me a cocky Jagger smile, stating, "You look great, Phoebe. Can we go now? It's party day."

I move toward the door, saying, "I'm ready."

"It's going to be awesome today," Ace adds, rushing to the front door and yanking it open.

A rush of cold air hits me.

He grins. "After you!"

"Why, thank you!" I say, then tousle his hair, step outside, and hurry to the truck.

Wilder slides in front of me and opens the passenger door.

"Thanks!" I beam, my heart swelling. Alexander is teaching the boys to be every bit of a gentleman like the rest of the Cartwright men.

The boys and Alexander get into the cab. He turns on the engine, pulls past the gates, and turns onto the road.

It's the last day of school before the new year, and the kids have been talking all week about their party. The school wanted volunteers to help, so I asked Alexander if he could take the day off. I didn't know if he would, but he surprised me and agreed to come. The boys were ecstatic when we told them.

Wilder and Ace babble with excitement the entire ride. Alexander and I fall into platonic mode. It's been hard hiding things between us, but we've managed to keep things under wraps. It's been a week since he took me to the cabin, and we take any chance we get for alone time. Yet the fear of someone catching us is always there and someone is always close by.

Alexander pulls into the school parking lot, and before he turns the truck off, the kids open the doors. He questions, "Can I park first?"

They don't answer and jump out.

Wilder opens my door.

I slide out of the cab. "Thank you!"

"Sure. Come on, Phoebe," he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the entrance.

Ace and Alexander follow close behind. We get into the school and go directly to the gym.

"We don't even have to go to our classroom today. It's a free-for-all," Ace declares.

Alexander chuckles, and the boys run off. He puts his hand on my back and guides me through the school.

Tingles race down my spine the entire way. It's the same thing that happens every time he touches me. He leans close to my ear and murmurs. "If you see a janitor's closet, let me know."

I smirk. "Bad boy."

He winks, and my insides turn to jelly.

We enter the gym and both freeze.

It's organized chaos. The entire student body fills the space, along with teachers and volunteers. Tables and chairs are lined up in rows, creating different craft stations.

Alexander surveys the room, then says, "First stop is over there."

"Where?"

"To the survival area." He guides me over to the table, picking up two Styrofoam cups. "I assume you want some coffee?"

I laugh. "Good call."

He fills up a cup and hands it to me. He has his half filled when a school teacher approaches us.

She's an older woman with dark reddish-gray hair and thick purple glasses. She says, "Mr. Cartwright, it's great to see you here."

He turns to face her. "Thank you, Mrs. Linsley. And this is Phoebe, the boys' nanny."

My heart drops. I don't know why. I am the boys' nanny, but I'd love it if he could say I was his girlfriend.

Is that what I am?

Yes.

He hasn't called me it.

He can't.

He could behind closed doors.

Why am I questioning this?

Mrs. Linsley beams. "It's great to meet you. I've heard a lot about you." She holds her hand out.

I shake it, surprised. "You have?"

"Yes. Ace brags about you all the time."

"He does?" I question, unable to stop my grin from growing larger.

"He sure does. It sounds like you have a keeper here, Mr. Cartwright. Thanks for volunteering today," she states, then pats me on the shoulder and walks away.

"Definitely a keeper," Alexander utters, then guides me to where Wilder is sitting.

The tabletop has different-shaped ceramic ornaments, glue, glitter, stickers, and tiny charms sprawled across it. Kids fill the chairs, already decorating.

Alexander picks up a horse. "I think I'll make this one for you, Phoebe."

Wilder glances over. "Yeah. Phoebe needs a horse, Dad. You should buy her one."

"A horse?" I exclaim.

Wilder nods. "Yeah. Now that my dad taught you to ride, you need your own horse."

Alexander chuckles.

I declare, "I wouldn't claim I know how to ride."

"Sure you do. And I can teach you how to ride better. It's easy. You'll see. Now that you're not scared to get on one, the sky's the limit," Wilder insists.

I assert, "A horse is a pretty big responsibility. I'm not ready for that."

"Sure you are," Alexander claims, with mischief in his expression.

Wilder turns his head, shouting, "Ace, Dad's going to get Phoebe her own horse!"

"Yes!" Ace exclaims, pumping his arm in the air.

Several people look over at us.

I hold my hands in the air. "Whoa. He didn't say that. And I'm not ready for that," I repeat, unable to imagine anyone buying me a horse. I'm sure it's expensive, but it's also a huge responsibility.

Alexander teases, "It sounds like the boys have their hearts set on it. You know I don't like to disappoint them."

"Don't! There are plenty of horses on your ranch if I'm going to ride again."

"If?" He jerks his head back dramatically, as if I sinned.

"I don't need my own horse," I insist.

"Maybe we'll each get you one." He wiggles his eyebrows, lowers his gaze to my lips, then gives me a semi-lewd stare.

I've seen that look before. Heat rises to my cheeks. I squeeze my thighs together.

"Dad, come help me make a hat," Ace orders.

Alexander chuckles again and rises. He puts his hand on my back. "You take ornament duty, and I'll take hat duty."

I nod. "Sounds good."

Wilder and I make our ornaments. He grabs my hand, drags me across the gym, and exclaims, "Phoebe, let's go to the gingerbread house station."

I laugh. "Okay!"

We go to the table and sit down. We spend the next hour making a gingerbread house. Wilder dips his toothpick in the frosting and adds his dad's, Ace's, and his initials near the front door.

"Looks good," I praise.

He adds my initials next to theirs and announces, "Now it's done."

"Aww, thanks for adding me."

"Duh! Where should we go now?"

Joy and love surge through me. The boys always want to include me. It makes me feel like I'm part of the family.

Maybe someday I will be.

I scold myself for the thought. I shouldn't get ahead of where Alexander and I are. Neither of us wants to hurt the boys if things don't work out.

Why wouldn't we work out?

It's like what Alexander pointed out. No one gets together thinking they'll break up.

Don't romanticize what's going on between us until we're solid.

Aren't we?

Only when we can come clean with everyone.

Will we get there?

Of course we will.

What if we don't?

Wilder interrupts my thoughts. "Phoebe, let's go to the sugar cookie table!"

I squash away my musings and focus on the task at hand.

The bell rings, and someone announces on the loudspeaker, "Lunchtime."

Everyone gets up, and Alexander shouts, "Wilder! Phoebe!" He motions for us to join Ace and him.

We meet them halfway.

Alexander asks, "Do you boys want to stay or hightail it home early?"

"Home!" Ace and Wilder both shout at the same time.

I laugh.

"Great. Let's go to Piggly's for lunch," he adds.

"I'll race you to the truck," Ace challenges and takes off.

Wilder runs after him.

Alexander and I stop at the office. He signs the sign-out sheet, and we meet the boys in the truck.

They're more excited now than they were this morning.

Wilder shouts, "Christmas break! No more homework!"

Ace chimes in, "A month off school!"

"Can't believe they made it a month this year! Put your seat belts on," Alexander reminds them before pulling out of the parking lot.

"Why did they add an extra week?" I question.

He shrugs. "Who knows."

Piggly's isn't far from the school, and we're soon sitting in a booth with Martha serving us.

Lunch takes about an hour and then we return to the ranch. We go inside Alexander's house. I put my purse in my bedroom and then join the others. Alexander stands in front of me with his hands behind his back. He orders, "Pick a hand."

"Oh, this is pressure," I tease.

His boyish grin graces his lips. I tap his right shoulder, and he reveals his right fist. He turns his hand and opens his palm.

I pout. "Oh, it's empty. Now I don't get anything."

He puts his arm back behind him again. "Go ahead and pick again."

I tap the left shoulder this time.

He opens his hand, and the horse ornament is in it. It has my name on the front in red and green. "Just for you," he teases with a wink.

Heat floods my cheeks. I study it and chirp, "Wow. You did a great job painting this. I'm shocked at your skills."

"I have lots of skills," he boasts.

My cheeks flare hotter, but he must have spent a lot of time painting the ornament. It's flawless. I agree, "Yes, you do."

"Turn it over," he orders.

I flip it and read out loud, "Always choose a stallion."

"You should get Phoebe a stallion!" Ace declares.

"Yeah! Get her a white stallion!" Wilder adds.

Alexander states, "White stallions are hard to come by, but we can try to find one."

"What? Don't be crazy!" I interject.

Alexander's grin widens. "You got on a horse. There's no going back now!"

I shake my head but can't stop my smile from hurting my face. Everything with Alexander seems too good to be true. We have mad chemistry. He treats me like gold. His kids love me, and I love them. He protects and takes care of me, but I'm scared it'll end. Things were great with Lance for the first year and then they weren't.

No, they weren't great. They were never like how things are between Alexander and me, I remind myself. So I shouldn't compare the two relationships.

We're a secret.

The nagging thought pops up again. I long for the day when we can be normal and not hide. The last week's been excruciating. Every secret look, touch, and rendezvous gave me an adrenaline high but also put me on edge. I remind myself I need to give it time, but it's hard. I'm not used to pretending, and our situation feels like a lie in some ways.

"Time to decorate our house," Alexander states, tearing me out of my thoughts. He goes to the closet and starts pulling out boxes.

Over the next hour, we put up the tree and decorate it. They put stockings on the mantel and Alexander stares at it.

"Looks great," I praise.

"Nope! It's missing something."

"What? It looks perfect," I gush, taking in the garland and bright red and white stockings with their names on them.

Alexander snaps his fingers. "I know what's missing! Hold on." He disappears and returns with his hand behind his back.

"What are you hiding?" I question.

He grins, then reveals a matching stocking with Pheebs written on it, and a matching reindeer holder.

I gape at him.

He chuckles. "Why do you look so strange right now?"

I swallow down emotions, blinking hard. Lance's family had matching stockings with their names. No one ever added a stocking for me, let alone one with my name on it.

"Let's hang it up," Wilder says, then grabs it from his dad. He moves Alexander's stocking away from Ace's, then places the silver reindeer between the two. Then he hangs my stocking on the hook.

I choke back my tears, managing to get out, "That's really nice of you."

Ace holds the star up, suggesting, "I think Phoebe should put it on the tree this year."

"Really?" I ask, touched once again.

"Yeah, of course," Wilder says in a serious voice.

Alexander taps the ladder. "Well, come on, then."

I take the star from Ace and climb three rungs of the ladder.

Alexander steps right behind me, putting his arms on each side of it.

I glance down at him.

The mischievous expression I've grown to love is all over him. He adds, "I'll make sure the ladder's secure."

I refocus on my task, and attach the star to the top branch and plug it in.

It lights up and Ace declares, "Now it's Christmas!"

Wilder informs, "Time to go to Grandma and Grandpa's. Sebastian and Georgia just arrived!" He points out the window.

"Go on, you two. We'll meet you over there," Alexander orders.

They race out the door.

I get off the ladder and turn to face Alexander.

He puts his arms on both sides of the ladder again, caging his body against mine. He murmurs, "Thank God. We're finally alone."

My butterflies take off. Before I know it, his lips are pressed against mine, his hand is in my hair, and his tongue urgently explores every part of my mouth. My knees buckle, and he holds me to him, his cock hard against my stomach.

He groans. "We better get going, or they'll be knocking on the door."

Disappointment fills me. I'd rather go into his bedroom right now, but I nod. "All right."

He helps me into my coat, and I put on my boots, gloves, and hat. He leads me across the yard to the main house.

When we get inside, a stocking with my name on it is already on the mantel next to Alexander's.

"Did you do this?" I question.

He shrugs, then disappears, returning with two boxes, followed by his brothers.

The Cartwrights decorate for hours, which is funny because there were already so many decorations up around the ranch.

I excuse myself to the bathroom. When I step out, Alexander's waiting for me.

"Hey," I say.

He doesn't reply. He moves me over into the cubby hole under the staircase. He shuts the door. It's dark, and there's only a small portion where he can stand up, or he'll hit his head.

"What—"

His lips press against mine, his hands sliding into my pants, his erection pushing into my stomach. He mumbles, "Fuck, I've missed you," then slides his tongue back into my mouth, spinning me against the wall. Before I know it, my pants are down, as are his. He steps on my jeans and orders, "Lift your foot."

I obey, and my foot frees itself from the denim.

He picks me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist. He enters me in one thrust, grunting, "Jesus, my stallion's been dying to get inside your tight pussy all day."

He thrusts in and out of me until I'm shaking so badly and moaning, I'm afraid others are going to hear us.

He keeps his lips pressed to my ear, his breath ragged, ordering, "Quiet, baby girl." He thrusts faster.

Every cell inside me rages with adrenaline until my bones feel it.

His erection pulses deeper and harder, then he groans, feral, in my ear, vibrating as hard as I'm convulsing against him.

He drenches me in his orgasm, muttering, "Fuck, baby girl. Fuuuuck."

He thrusts until there's nothing left, and we're left in the aftermath, covered in sweat, still trembling.

The knob turns, and we freeze.

Willow's voice calls out, "Is this door stuck?"

I gasp.

Alexander puts his hand over my mouth. He slowly lowers me to the ground, crouches down, and helps me into my pant leg. He rises and secures his pants, then murmurs in my ear. "You okay, Pheebs?"

I release an anxious breath and nod. He kisses me one more time and then tries to open the door. He turns on the light.

I blink a few times.

"This door is stuck," he lies.

"Alexander? You're in there?" Willow questions.

"Yeah. Phoebe and I came in to find more decorations, but it's stuck."

She tries to turn the knob again.

Alexander pretends the door is still stuck, rattling the locked knob.

Willow tries one more time, and Alexander flips the lock. The door flies open.

"Thank God. It's getting hot in here," Alexander declares and brushes past her.

She stares at me, glances back at him, then looks back at me. She narrows her eyes and slowly asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It's really hot in here. And we couldn't get the door open," I fib, feeling guilty. The one person I like most besides Alexander and the boys is Willow. We've become good friends. I hate keeping secrets from her, especially when it concerns her brother.

She tilts her head. "Are you getting sick? You look like you're about to sweat."

"Like I said, it's hot in here,"

She steps in next to me. "Doesn't feel hot."

"No? You must have low blood pressure, then," I tease, stepping out of the closet and continuing toward the main room, worried she might know something is up.