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

She’d also created a sexy wisp of a dress, dark green from the casino, with diamonds of lace inset in the sides. But the crowning finale, the one she couldn’t wait to finish, was a dramatic red charmeuse silk evening gown. It was strapless, with a tight bodice and a straight full-length skirt. She’d sewn tiny triangles of lace into the hemline, flouncing it out with crinoline to mimic the roulette wheel.

She sighed.

Maybe someday she’d see one of these on a runway.

“Hey, Kristy?”

Before Kristy could react, Sinclair was through the door and into the workshop.

“There you are,” said Sinclair.

Kristy shifted in front of the collection, hoping her sister wouldn’t notice it. “I knocked on your door this morning,” she told her sister.

“I guess I slept in.”

“What happened? Did you two stay up late fighting?”

Kristy and Jack had left Sinclair and Hunter in the great room with mugs of liquor-laced hot chocolate and in the midst of a ridiculous debate about dating etiquette.

“I won pretty quick,” Sinclair told her, her gaze sliding to the clothes. “What are those?”

Kristy blocked her view even further. “Just … uh … something I’m fooling around with.”

Sinclair went around her.

“They’re great,” she said with genuine enthusiasm, lifting the green dress on its hanger and holding it against her body. “Very sexy.”

“These, over here, are the ones for the show.” Kristy tried to direct Sinclair’s attention to the Irene collection.

But Sinclair wouldn’t be distracted. “You made all of them?” She put the green dress back and switched to the waterfall dress.

“I did,” said Kristy. “But, these ones—”

“Are boring,” said Sinclair, with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Why not take the good ones to London?”

Kristy raised her eyebrows at the ludicrous suggestion. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve had expert help with this collection. And it’s the one Cleveland and I made the deal on.”

“So, tell him you’ve changed your mind.”

“I can’t change my mind.”

Sinclair traded the waterfall dress for the crop top. “Then tell Jack you’ve changed your mind.”

“I can’t do that, either.”

Jack didn’t respect her skills or her talent. He was only going along with having her in the contest because Cleveland had forced him.

“You’re sleeping with him, right?”

Kristy didn’t know what to say to that.

Sinclair watched her closely, then her voice took on an unnatural calm. “Right, Kristy. Because he is your husband. ”

Kristy blinked like a deer in the headlights.

Sinclair plunked the crop top back on the rack. “Damn it,” she swore. “I hoped he was lying.”

“Huh?”

“Hunter, dear sister.” Sinclair paced in a semicircle around Kristy. “Your cousin-in-law told me your marriage was a sham.”

Kristy opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

“He said Jack only married you to save his grandfather from a fortune hunter.”

Kristy recognized the angry crackle in Sinclair’s familiar blue eyes. She’d hated deceiving her sister.

“Am I not your partner in crime?” asked Sinclair.

Kristy struggled to frame a response.

Then a note of real hurt crept into Sinclair’s voice. “Why would you lie to me?”

“Because I didn’t want you to have to lie for me. ”

“To Mom and Dad?”

“Yes!” It was a choice between bad and worse.

“I’ve been lying to Mom and Dad for you since we were born.”

“Not like this.”

“What the hell happened?”

“I thought Hunter told you.”

“Not all of it.” Sinclair took a step forward. “He didn’t know why you said yes. Why’d you go and marry Jack?”

Kristy didn’t know.

She honestly didn’t know.

“There were helicopters,” she tried. “And dinner and dancing. Oh, Sinclair, you should see him in a suit.”

“You were hot for him? That’s it?”

“Totally,” Kristy admitted.

Sinclair laughed softly. “I can respect that. But you couldn’t have settled for a fling?”

“He proposed.”

“The rat bastard,” said Sinclair, but there was a wry grin along with the insult.

“As it turned out,” said Kristy on a sigh.

“So, now what?”

“Now, I put these away, finish the real collection and go to London and try to win that darn contest.” Kristy scooped two of the fantasy dresses from the rack and headed for the closet.

“Mistake,” said Sinclair, nodding to Kristy’s armload. “Those dresses are better. And he owes you.”

“Do you have any idea how much they’ve spent on me already? I’m coming away just fine from this deal.”

“Did you sign a prenup?”

“We are not going after his money.” Kristy transferred the evening gown to the closet.

Sinclair leaned to peer out the window. “That’s a whole lot of money, babe.”

“And it’s his, not mine.”

“Depends on the state.”

“I signed a prenup.”

Sinclair gave a sigh of disgust. “Did I teach you nothing?”

“This is not a scenario even you could have contemplated.” Kristy all but sprinted to the closet with the remaining items.

“What about future planning?” Sinclair called. “Self-preservation? Keeping your sister in the style to which she’s planning to become accustomed?”

Kristy latched the closet. “Don’t you have a plane to catch?”

“I could stay through the holidays, eat caviar, sip champagne.”

“I thought you said they needed you at work.”

“They do.”

“And we can’t both miss Christmas dinner.”

“So you get to stay here with the hunky husband and eat caviar and drink champagne?”

Kristy crossed her arms over her chest in mock censure. “You got your sights set on my hunky husband?”

“Not exactly. But did you get a good look at his cousin?”

“You fought with Hunter all night long.”

“Not the entire night.”

Kristy stared at her sister’s telltale expression. “You didn’t,” she whispered.

“Got a plane to catch,” sang Sinclair, turning for the door.

Kristy hustled after her. “What happened? ”

“The hot chocolate was great. He was cute. And there was all that leftover adrenaline from skating.”

“So you jumped his bones?”

“It was more the other way around.”

“I don’t believe this.” Then a memory kicked in. “Oh, wow. You have red hair.”

“Yeah? It’s how most people tell us apart.”

“Plus, I’m taller.”

“A single inch. Get over it.”

“You slept with Hunter.”

Sinclair responded with a secretive smile.

“Is this in some way going to screw up my life?” asked Kristy.

“Relax,” said Sinclair. “We’re both grown-ups, and it was a one-time, impetuous thing.”

“You’re not going to call him?”

“Not in a million years. It wasn’t that good.”

“It was so.”

“Okay, it was. But I’m not going to call him. Quit worrying. Phone me from London. And take the cool clothes!”

“Fallen for your wife yet?” asked Hunter, sauntering into Jack’s study in the early afternoon.

For a split second Jack wondered if Hunter had found out about his phone call this morning to Zenia Topaz, and the huge favor he’d just called in. But then he realized his cousin was only fishing.

He pointedly opened a financial report on a beauty products company acquisition that Cleveland was considering. “Don’t you have work to do?”

Hunter shrugged, stopping in front of the desk. “I’m on holiday.”