All I Want For Christmas Is You (2 page)

Casey took the silent dare. “What does that get me, a blow job next to the fireplace or a roll in one of the big beds upstairs?”
There it is!
Anger flared in her eyes, and Casey waited for her response.

“It gets you neither. I am an escort nothing more, arm candy if you want to call it that. If you want that kind of night, I suggest you get into one of your fancy cars and hit the back slums of New York City. I am so not the one to be pulling this crap with!” Her voice was controlled, but he could hear the anger beneath her tone. She pulled the envelope out of her bag and threw it at him. It hit him square in the chest with a soft thump. “Here, take the money and give it back to your friend. He obviously made a mistake, and so did I. I’ll wait outside for the car.”

Wow!
That was all Casey could think of. Her eyes were lit with emotion, and he could see them well up with tears before she turned to go to the door. She obviously did not want to be doing this to make money, but why was she? Most women in her line of work would have found a way to keep the money. She threw it back at him without a second thought. There was more to Ileana, and Casey wanted to find out exactly what that was. He acted impulsively, the first impulsive thing he has done in two years. As she curved her fingers around the shiny brass handle of the door, he laid his hand over hers.

“Please stay,” Casey said softly. She turned slowly to him. He could see the wariness in her eyes.
Why am I doing this?
he thought wildly, but he couldn’t stop himself even if tried. “I’m sorry Ileana, please don’t leave.”

“Why, do you need to cut me down some more?”

“No. Again, I am sorry I said that,” Casey replied.

“So you want me to stay, why? There’s obviously nothing going on. No parties, no friends over, which is strange for this time of year and this neighborhood.”

“Stay for Christmas. It’s only two days away, and I think I’d like the company.” Casey smiled and then frowned. “Wait, do you have family you need to spend the holidays with? If so, I understand.”

“I don’t have anyone to spend the holidays with . . .” Ileana shook her head, and he could hear the confusion in her voice. “That’s not the point. . . . Now you want me to spend Christmas here with you, but why?”

“Because, Ileana, you intrigue me, and I haven’t been intrigued in a long time.” Casey hoped the boyish look that he gave her would set her at ease. “This is a big house. You can have any room you like except mine. No need to worry about clothes. Each closet has many outfits to choose from. Jacuzzi tubs and every cable channel you can think of. There is even a movie room, if that suits your fancy. All I am asking is that you share it with me for the holidays no strings attached.”

Her eyes searched his, and Casey knew she was looking for some underlying motive in his offer. He held up his hands and stepped back a little, letting his demeanor speak for him as well. “No strings, I swear. Stay and spend Christmas with a lonely guy.”

Her lips curved into a grin. . “Oh that is pitiful, ‘lonely guy’?”

“Hey, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. So is that a yes?” Casey asked, hopeful.

Ileana cocked her head to one side and put her hands on her hips. She stared at him for what seemed the longest of moments until she said, “If I’m going to stay here, we have to decorate this place. It needs to be livened up for Christmas.”

“You can decorate as much as you want.”

“Oh you are going to help me, mister.” She poked him in the chest as she moved past, looking around.

Casey gave her a mock salute as elation set into his chest. “Yes, ma’am, right away.”

“Do you have a tree?” Ileana asked.

“No, but we can get one from out back. There are lots of pine trees out there, and I have tools to cut one down.” Casey scratched his head. “Um, I think I do anyway.”

Ileana laughed. “We’ll figure it out. She pulled her cell phone out and waved it at him. “I’ve got to call my friend Julie and tell her my change of plans. If she doesn’t hear from me, she will call out the National Guard.”

Casey simply nodded as she walked away. When she turned and winked at him, it was pure, genuine, and it carried to her eyes. Casey felt his heart skip a beat. By inviting her to stay for the holiday, he was either crazy or in a bunch of trouble. Just by looking at her, he forgot why he put himself in solitude. He would enjoy Christmas for the first time in years, and he wasn’t going to give that up.

* * * *

Ileana didn’t know why she accepted Casey’s offer. She even began to rethink it when Julie screeched through the telephone asking her if she was insane. Maybe she was, maybe she needed a little bit of crazy in her life. But Ileana knew that Casey meant her no harm.
What is crazier—spending Christmas with a cute guy in a mansion or being an escort to strange men for money?
Either way, Ileana had made up her mind, and after reassuring Julie for the umpteenth time and promised to call and check in as much as possible, she hung up. She turned to find Casey looking at her. His boyish hopeful expression made her heart melt.
Whoa, girl. Do not, I repeat, do not go down that road.

“So, where are these decorations?” Ileana asked, rubbing her hands together.

“Um, I think Davis stores them in the basement,” Casey replied. “We’ll go check.” They walked together down the hall, Casey turning on lights as they went along.

“Who is Davis?” Ileana asked.

“My butler.”

“Oh, of course,” she murmured She marveled at how nonchalantly he responded. Most people would be in awe just to have a butler. “Wait, we should go and get a tree first before it gets any colder out there.”

“Okay, let’s get you some warm clothes and boots. Upstairs, down the hall, second bedroom to the left, you will find a walk-in closet filled with winter clothes.”

“How many rooms are in this place anyway?” Ileana walked up the winding stair case. Everything around her was so polished and ornate. She ran her fingers up the mahogany banister as she took each step upward. Ileana stopped when she didn’t hear an answer to her question. Turning she looked down to where Casey stood, with a questioning look.

“Wait, you don’t know how many rooms are in your own house?” Ileana giggled at his expression.

Casey grinned. “We’ll explore, how’s that?”

“Fine, but we have to bring bread crumbs in case we get lost.”

“Go get dressed. I’ll be waiting in the kitchen.”

It was then when he was walking away that Ileana noticed the limp and how he moved a bit slower than usual.
What happened to him?
She was curious but would not pry. She knew what it was like to have secrets.

Casey headed in the opposite direction, and Ileana made sure to watch which way he went in case she got lost. She found the bedroom easily enough, but Casey sure didn’t mention that on each side there were at least five bedrooms. Ileana was amazed at the luxury that surrounded her. The sheer material covering the canopy bed looked as light as a spider web but shimmered under the lights in the room. It reminded her of the opulent rooms of where queens and princesses dwelled in the movies. She had always dreamed of being a princess. At least she got to live like one for Christmas.

Ileana changed quickly from her sexy black dress into a pale pink snow suit and cap she found in the massive closet. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror and giggled. To her the outfit reminded her of the ones snow bunnies wore on ski trips. Not that she had ever taken a ski trip or seen snow bunnies except on TV. Glancing at herself one more time in the mirror, she nodded in approval before she left the room and bounded downstairs. She followed the route Casey had taken and found him in a kitchen as big as her apartment. Big copper pots and stainless steel cooking utensils hung everywhere.

Ileana looked around in awe. “I have died and gone to kitchen heaven. I want to officially live in this room.”

“It’s nice,” Casey said casually.

“Nice!” she repeated in amazement. “Honey, nice is Martha Stewart’s kitchen. This is freaking awesome! Do you know the dishes I could create in here?”

“Do you cook?” Casey was looking at her curiously.

Ileana pretended to polish her knuckles. “I don’t like to brag, but I make a soufflé to die for.”

“Uh, I hate to ask but could you make me something later . . . um, home cooked? I have been kinda surviving on sandwiches and canned soup since Davis and his wife left.” Casey looked self-conscious for even asking.

“Your butler and his wife left you without food?” Ileana looked around.

“No, she had stuff in the walk-in freezer. I just don’t remember how to use the oven thingy.”

A small laugh escaped before Ileana could stop it. “Oven thingy . . .”

“Okay, don’t tease me. I feel bad enough having to ask,” Casey grumbled. “They left me the instructions on how to use them somewhere.”

“I’m sorry for laughing, but you could have put the stuff in the microwave.”

“Yeah, kinda don’t know how to work that either.”

“Oh, lord, you poor dear.” This time Ileana could not help laughing. “I’ll make you something later.”

Casey bowed low. “Thank you, dear maiden. Now let us depart into the snow.”

“What do you do anyway?” Ileana asked as they stepped outside. She was entirely glad she said yes to his proposal instead of waiting outside for the mean chauffeur to come back. It had definitely gotten colder since she was standing on his doorstep.

“I am, well, used to be a professional snowboarder. I took part in the Winter Games, all that stuff. Now I write simulations for video games, which is my second passion.”

“Are you okay?” she asked concerned when he stepped carefully down to the snow. She saw a grimace cross his face. “You know we can do without a tree. Let’s go back inside.”

“Nope,” he said stubbornly. “It’s Christmas, and we need a tree. I invited you as my guest for the holiday, and we will do it the right way.”

Ileana only nodded sensing that it was not the time or the place to argue with this man who wanted to spend Christmas with her.

Soon, his small power saw was whirring through the pine tree they had picked out, and in minutes, they were dragging it through the snow back to the mansion. Ileana made sure to pick one big enough to decorate, but yet small enough he could manage to help carry it. Even then, she still tried to take most of the weight. He was hurt, she knew that, and even if he never told her what was wrong, she did not want him to be in pain because of a pine tree.

Between them, they got it into the house easily enough. They set it up near the big fireplace in what he called the family room. He lit the fireplace before they dragged out boxes and boxes of decorations from his basement. The basement turned out to be an entertainment room that could rival the IMAX theater. He seemed more impressed that she had no clue who he was than by anything else. That alone told Ileana someone had hurt him in the past.

They decided to tackle the decorations after changing and after Ileana made dinner. In her bathroom, she took a hot shower to chase away the cold. The bathroom was decorated in dark marble and chrome. A claw-foot tub beckoned her to sink into a hot bubble bath. Instead, she promised herself one later and opted for a shower so she could get downstairs quickly and make a meal. She wanted to impress Casey, but somehow, all he had offered to her seemed like a gift she could not repay. She would do for him the one thing she knew she was really good at, cooking.

Her hair was still drying as she, dressed in a gray and pink sweat suit, walked out of the room. Whoever lived here before and wore these clothes was her exact size. Ileana thanked the gods it wasn’t supermodel sizes because with her petite frame, she would have had to roll up the pant legs many times. Standing outside the door that Casey pointed out was his bedroom, Ileana knocked softly to let him know she was going downstairs to start dinner. She opened the door without waiting for an answer. He was standing in front of the mirror wearing only his boxer briefs. That’s when she saw the scars running down the right side of his body. His eyes widened when he saw her standing there. The tortured look in those eyes reflecting back at her from the mirror said more than words ever could. Ileana stepped back and closed the door silently. She knew the scars he carried on the inside were far worse than the ones on his body.

Chapter Three

He came downstairs to mouthwatering smells coming from the kitchen. He knew he had idled upstairs longer than necessary
. Three hours is way more than necessary,
he thought to himself. It was well after ten at night. Casey half expected to hear the door slam on her way out as she ran screaming into the night after seeing his injuries. Since his accident, only one woman had seen his scars, and she hadn’t stayed around to see him heal.
Fiancée, my ass.

Ileana hadn’t run. Instead, she seemed to be downstairs cooking. Casey smiled as he took the last few steps to the kitchen. He pushed the swing door and found it empty. He frowned, hoping she didn’t just make dinner as something to do before the car came to pick her up. Disappointment started to seep into his core as he made his way to the family room.

The sight greeting him made his jaw drop. In the hours he had hidden in his room, she had decorated the entire room and the tree. Purple and silver balls hung from the branches of the fresh pine tree. Its smell filled the room, along with a nutty flavor coming from the fireplace. Lights and stockings hung over the fireplace, big red bows decorated each corner, and she stood in the center of the room looking around and covered in tinsel.