Debbi Rawlins - Her Christmas Temptation - The Billionaire Who Bought Christmas / What She Really Wants for Christmas / Baby, It's Cold Outside

Jack was a businessman, and an incredibly busy one at that. He was running an international conglomerate. She wondered, not for the first time, why he would take time out to entertain a virtual stranger. Taking her on an impromptu picnic didn’t make any sense.

“I don’t get it,” she told him.

He glanced down at her. “What’s to get? They’ll send a helicopter. It’s part of the tour.”

“But—”

“Don’t tell me we have to have the burro discussion again. Because I don’t think they could even get burros in here. It’s too far—”

“What I don’t get —” she interrupted.

He snapped his mouth shut and gave her a chance to speak.

She took a breath. “Is why you’re doing this.”

“I’m doing this because I don’t want to spend ten hours walking home after our picnic. We have tickets to Cirque du Soleil tonight, remember?”

The man was being deliberately obtuse.

“I mean all of it.” He could easily have dumped her at the airport last night and gone about his business.

“All of what?”

Fine. She’d play along and spell it out for him. “Dinner. A balloon ride. A picnic?”

“Would you rather do something else?”

She pulled back from the arm that was still loosely around her waist. “You act like we’re dating.”

He let her go, fighting a grin. “Dating?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Did I say we were dating?”

Okay, now she was embarrassed. “No, you didn’t.”

“Good. We’re together on that at least.”

She scowled at him. “You’re wasting your time.”

“No, I’m pretty sure I’m having a picnic.”

“You should have left me at the airport.”

“That would have been rude.”

“I’m not your responsibility.”

He glanced around. “Why are we discussing this now?”

“Because—” She paused, following his lead, giving a quick check on the desert around them. He made a good point. What was she hoping to accomplish by standing here arguing with him in the hot sun?

Answers, she supposed.

Like, what was he doing here? What was she doing here? She wasn’t the kind of person to fall into adventures with rich, sexy, exciting men. Her life simply didn’t work that way.

After a minute’s silence, he lifted the blanket from the sand, gripping the cooler firmly in his other hand.

“We’re here,” he explained, “Because sightseeing is way more fun than hanging around an airport for two days. You know, you really have to lighten up, Kristy. You want to stand here and argue until we get sunstroke, or find some shade and break out the wine and sandwiches?”

At the mention of the food, Kristy realized she was starving. Her attention turned to the little cooler. “Sandwiches?”

He gave a sharp nod of approval and started for the oasis, tossing a final volley over his shoulder. “There. I knew you’d see things my way.”

She scrambled to catch up, sand creeping into the crevices of her shoes. “I didn’t see things your way.”

“Sure you did. And that means I won the argument.”

“There was no argument. And definitely no winner. We came to an amicable agreement involving shade, food and wine.” She fell into step with him.

He slanted her a knowing grin. “You agreed to relax and enjoy the picnic.”

“I did not.”

He shrugged. “Okay.”

“I merely accepted the fact that I’m trapped here with you for now.”

“Poor baby.”

She jabbed him with her elbow.

He hunched over to protect himself, but he was grinning. “Just make sure you don’t have any fun. Otherwise, I’m the winner.”

Kristy struggled not to laugh along with him. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”

He glanced down. “You sure? ‘Cause I think I see a smile in there.”

She shook her head and pressed her lips together. “No, you don’t.”

“Liar.”

She let herself grin, silently deciding to relax and take a breath. There really was nothing for her to worry about for the moment. Dee Dee was happy. She was having a great time with a concierge staffer named Randy and three other dogs staying at the hotel. A picnic beside a waterfall definitely beat an airport waiting room, even if it did mean Jack won the argument.

Maybe it didn’t matter that today didn’t reflect her real life. Fact was, it was happening to her. Against all odds and previous life experience, she was stranded in Vegas with a sexy billionaire who wanted to entertain her. She should enjoy it.

“What kind of wine?” she asked.

“Ha. Getting fussy are we?”

“No. I’m taking your advice and lightening up.” On impulse, she covered his hand that held the cooler and gave it a squeeze. “This is incredibly nice of you, you know.”

“I’m an incredibly nice guy.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

She laughed, and then went silent as the ground turned from sand to sparse cacti, then to shrub brush and a few sparse pine trees. The roar of the waterfall intensified, and the spray cooled the air by several degrees. A brilliant glittering pool came into view amongst the rocks and willows.

“How did you know this was here?” she asked, glancing around in awe.

“The tour guy told me about it.”

They came to a halt next to the pool, beside a small tangle of mesquite.

“We lucked out,” said Jack. “Depending on the wind, we could have ended up at Lone Pine, Condor Point or Dead Man’s Gulch.”

He set the cooler down on the grass to spread the blanket.

Kristy kicked off her shoes. “Dead Man’s Gulch? Now I’m picturing alkali residue and bleached cow skulls.”

“Not exactly romantic.”

She did a double take. “Why would we want romantic?” Then she immediately wished she’d kept her mouth shut. They weren’t dating. They’d been particularly clear on that point a few minutes ago. She should have let the comment pass.

He bent over the cooler, swinging open the lid. “I mean in the generic sense.”

There was a generic sense to romantic?

Nope. She wasn’t going to ask.

He retrieved a bottle of wine. “Oh, look,” he announced. “The hotel packed Chateau Le Comte merlot. Now that’s hardly generic.”

He gestured for her to sit down on the blanket then took a seat beside her. The wind waved its way through the mesquite trees, while birds twittered from branch to branch. Jack rustled through the cooler, retrieving two long-stemmed glasses, a corkscrew and a plastic-covered platter of cheese and wafers. Making quick work of the cork, he poured them each a glass of the wine.

He smoothed back his dark hair and held his glass up for a toast. “To us,” he said, his eyes going silver in the brilliant sunshine. “In the generic sense.”

Everything inside Kristy relaxed. There was something so reassuring about his expression. It told her they were okay. They could go ahead and goof around, drink wine, see the sights, and it didn’t have to lead anywhere.

She clinked her glass against his. “You know, this is about the strangest thing I’ve ever done.”

He took a sip. “Yeah? Well, for me, it’s not even close.”

She tasted the fragrant wine. It was smooth and light, the flavor bursting in her mouth. Then she eyed him up. “You do realize that absolutely begs the question …”

He grinned. “It does, doesn’t it?”

She nodded encouragingly.

He thought for a moment. “Let’s see. If I had to choose, I’d say it was the fire.”

That definitely got her attention. “You lit something on fire?”

“Hunter lit something on fire. I was only along for the ride.”

Kristy took another sip of the merlot. “It was Hunter’s fault. Of course.”