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’Tis the season for finding passion and rediscovering love...
Mistletoe Mantra by Nana Malone
Returning to her Virginia hometown where her fiancé dumped her—years earlier on Christmas Eve—is making Nomi Adams croon the holiday blues. She needs to find the reclusive photographer who can advance her magazine career. However, Lincoln Porter’s on his own rescue mission this yuletide. Because during this season of love and renewal, Faith, Virginia, looks to be a place for second chances...
White Hot Holiday by Sherelle Green
A solo Caribbean vacation is college professor Sage Langley’s perfect escape from Christmas and all its merriment. But she has unexpected and thrilling company at Grayson Ellington’s luxurious vacation home: the sexy attorney himself! And her brother’s best friend—who has desired and longed for Sage for years—has fantasies and plans for a red-hot romance to chase away her winter doldrums.
Mistletoe Mantra
“What do you want your reward to be?” Electric sparks danced over her skin.
“A kiss,” he whispered. His moss green eyes darkened to nearly black and she held her breath. His gaze dipped to her lips as he wound his hands around her waist.
Before she could even blink, he pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was firm and coaxing to begin with, but an unseen match lit her body on fire. Nomi’s lips parted on a surprise gasp and Linc took advantage. His tongue dipped in and coaxed hers into a dance as it slid over.
White Hot Holiday
“Kiss me like I’m the only one that you want.” She rolled her hips and did some type of two-step.
She was definitely the one he wanted, which of course was why he was here. For years, he’d been comparing his past girlfriends to Sage, which was crazy since he’d never actually dated Sage.
They weren’t Romeo and Juliet, but there were definitely a few people from their families who had apparently picked up on their flirtatious ways in the past and hinted that he should stay away from Sage. Even his own sister had told him, Once a playboy, always a playboy.
NANA MALONE is a USA TODAY bestselling author. Her love of all things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense she borrowed from her cousin on a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana at a precocious thirteen. She’s been in love with kick-butt heroines ever since. You’ll find Nana working hard on additional books for her series. And if she’s not working or hiding in the closet reading, she’s acting out scenes for her husband, daughter and puppy in sunny San Diego.
SHERELLE GREEN is a Chicago native with a dynamic imagination and a passion for reading and writing. Her love for romance developed in high school after stumbling across a hot and steamy Mills & Boon novel. She instantly became an avid romance reader and decided to pursue an education in English and journalism. A true romantic, she believes in predestined romances, love at first sight and fairy-tale endings.
Wrapped in Red
USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Mistletoe Mantra
Nana Malone
White Hot Holiday
Sherelle Green
www.millsandboon.co.uk
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Table of Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
Introduction
About the Authors
Title Page
Mistletoe Mantra
Dedication
Dear Reader
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
White Hot Holiday
Dedication
Dear Reader
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Copyright
Mistletoe Mantra
Nana Malone
For everyone who has never ever had the courage to say I love you.
Dear Reader,
Lincoln Porter has loved Nomi Adams since they were kids. Now that she’s finally coming home again, he has a chance to do something about it. I’m so thrilled to bring you Nomi and Linc’s story. Theirs is about finding your way home and finding the courage to stand up and take what you want. They’re spirited and fun and Linc is romantic enough to make any girl swoon. For a few years growing up I lived in a place just like Faith, Virginia, and I was more than happy to take the trip down memory lane with these two fun characters.
Romance the Sass,
Nana
If you don’t want to miss a single Nana Malone romance, make sure you join my newsletter here: eepurl.com/blicGL
Chapter 1
“What do you mean, he said no?” Naomi “Nomi” Adams stared at her assistant, Ella Thompson.
Ella shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’ve tried everything. His agent, Ron. His Facebook. Hell, I even hired someone and they can’t find him. The guy is a ghost. The only thing I’ve been able to dig up is that he lives in some place called Faith, Virginia.”
Nomi’s heart stuttered. Oh hell.
Belinda Foster, her managing editor, sat forward. “Didn’t you grow up in Faith, Virginia, Nomi?”
Nomi swallowed hard and locked her jaw. Just thinking about her hometown was enough to make her ill. “Yeah, but I haven’t been back in a long time.”
Belinda sat back. “What do you suggest we do? This twentieth-anniversary special edition is supposed to be epic. You turned us on to this guy and he’s perfect for the theme of beauty around the world. We have to find this guy.”
The whole table looked at her for guidance. Four years ago Nolan Polk had burst onto the photography scene and become a media darling with an anti-bullying campaign he’d done with Rolling Stone magazine. They’d done a photo call, looking for up-and-coming photographers. After that he’d been extremely prolific. Everyone had wanted him. And then two years ago, he’d mysteriously stopped producing, only donating the occasional photograph for charity. It made him a hot commodity.
Unfortunately, he was also notoriously reclusive. Sassy magazine had been angling to get him to do a spread since he popped onto the scene. A photo from him would be the perfect addition to their twentieth-anniversary lineup. Though, that was only if they could get him. And that meant finding him first.
Nomi twirled her pen and tried to steer the direction of the conversation. “We don’t have much time. If his rep won’t get back to us, then we either need to find another photographer or get someone down there. I might know someone who can look into it for us.”
Ella shifted in her chair. “I mean, I’ve tried everything. I even had our people in New York go down to his agent’s apartment. No luck. Maybe his representation is out of town.”
Or maybe Nolan Polk didn’t want to be found. But it wasn’t in Nomi’s nature to back down from a challenge. Okay, not exactly true. She’d once run away from home and hadn’t looked back on what she’d left behind, ever. But she was a whole new person now. The kind of person who got things done. “I’ll get someone to Faith.”
Belinda shook her head. “I think for something this important, you need to go yourself. I mean, you are from there, after all.”
Wait, what? No way, no how. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
Belinda pursed her lips as she always did when she was about to school someone. “You’re from there. You know the locals. How hard will it be to ferret out one guy? You can do that in your sleep.”
Nomi’s skin went cold. She could do this. No. No you can’t. You can’t go home to Faith. “Well, I mean, it’s the holiday and everything so I’m thinking there is a good chance even if I can track down where he lives, he won’t be there.” Not to mention that Faith was one of those towns that exploded Christmas holidays. And she, well, she hated everything about Christmas.
“Nomi, this is what we need right now. Can you commit to getting the job done?” Belinda asked.
Amber Divine leaned forward, perfectly curled red hair bouncing. “I can go if Nomi doesn’t want to. I’m more than happy to be a team player.”
Nomi gnashed her teeth together. She and Amber had been in the running for a senior editor position for months. If she let Amber go back to Faith and her competition got the Nolan Polk picture, there would go Nomi’s promotion.
Her boss tapped her pen against her lips. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. Having more boots hit the ground will help.”
Ella leaned forward. “We still have a week until Christmas. I can have you guys on the first plane out in the morning and scheduled to come back before the holiday. I know how you feel about Christmas—you’ll be in and out.”
“I really think it would be better to hire someone. Like a professional. Amber doesn’t know the area and we’d be looking for a needle in a haystack,” Nomi squeaked. She hated the idea of Amber doing what she couldn’t.
Belinda frowned. “Why do I get the impression you don’t want to do this?”
Because I don’t. “Of course I do. I’m just worried we won’t find him there during the holiday.”
“Then let’s hope you find a lead quick, because you’re both heading to Faith.”
Nomi slumped in her chair. If she was going home, then she’d need some reinforcements. And she’d have to make some arrangements. Ella was good at her job, but she didn’t know Faith. They embraced the Christmas holiday like no place she’d ever seen. If there wasn’t snow, they brought in snow machines to make sure it was a white Christmas. Every year, without fail. Tourists started pouring into the town right after Thanksgiving and didn’t let up till the New Year. It made hotels and car rentals a nightmare.
As soon as the meeting was over, she trudged to her office and made a phone call she never thought she’d be making. At the same time she started an online search for a rental car and hotel. The Resplendence Inn seemed to have rooms, so she sent the link to Ella to book.
After three rings, a harried Jilly Porter answered the phone. “This is Jilly.”
Nomi exhaled slowly. There was something comforting about her best friend’s voice. “Hey, girl, it’s Nomi.”
“Nomi! Honey, it’s been two months since we talked. Why is that? I wish I could chat, but I’m getting stuff ready for a shipment.”
“Oh, sorry to catch you at a bad time. Real quick though, I’m coming home. Do you think you could swing a pickup from the train station tomorrow evening?” Faith was so small it didn’t even have an airport, so she’d have to fly into Dulles, then take the train from there. Planes, trains and automobiles.
If possible, Jilly’s voice went up an octave. “Home? Why? Holy shit, for how long? Are you going to see Brad? Are you going to tell your parents you’re coming? Oh my God, of course you would call with news like this when I can’t properly discuss.”
Nomi couldn’t help but smile. Jilly owned her own art gallery, and she also did private buying for select clients. “Short answers: yes, home, for work, hopefully no more than two days, hell to the no, and haven’t decided yet. Now, can you pick me up from the train station or what?”
Jilly mumbled something and Nomi could only guess she was using her mouth to hold something while she did something with her hands. “I don’t think I can do tomorrow night, but you know what? Linc probably can. He’s here. You work out the deets with him and I’ll see you as soon as you get in.”
“Jilly, wait—” Nomi sighed. Jilly was notorious for delegating tasks without asking. Especially to her twin brother, Linc.
“This is Linc.”
Nomi’s brain stuttered; the voice she remembered wasn’t the one on the line now. When had his voice gotten so deep? From the time she moved to Faith, she and Jilly had been inseparable. Which meant that everywhere they went, Linc hadn’t been far behind. He and Jilly ran in the same circles at school, but Nomi could never say she knew him that well. He’d always been so quiet. More watchful than anything. He’d never needed to be the center of attention. And he’d helped get them out of more than a few scrapes thanks to her big mouth and Jilly’s impulsive nature.
“Uh, Linc, hi. It’s Nomi. Nomi Adams, from Faith.”
There was a beat of silence. Then another beat. When he spoke again, his voice was low and raspy. “You honestly think I’d forgotten you? Without you, Jilly probably would have ended up as a rock star groupie or worse.”
He had no idea how close he was with his teasing guess. She and Jilly had once snuck out to go to a Foo Fighters concert and Jilly had been hell bent on getting backstage by any means necessary, including flashing the bouncers her boobs if she had to. Nomi had managed to talk her out of it.
“Listen, I’m sorry to impose, but Jilly volunteered you to pick me up at the train station tomorrow night. I know it’s a huge inconvenience, but I can’t seem to get a single rental car in the area.”
“Yeah, the holiday rush is in full swing.” His voice was warm and mellow, like melting chocolate. “Not to worry. It’s cool. Just text Jilly the details and I’ll be there.”
Good ol’ Linc. “Thank you. It’s much appreciated. I’ll owe you one.”
“I’ll hold you to it.” There was a beat of silence, then he said, “Last time I saw you, you said you were never coming back to Faith, Virginia.”
Yeah, she had said that. And she’d meant it. “Apparently, never say never. I need to come back for work.”
“You work for a magazine now, right?”
Nomi had no idea why, but just talking to him made her a little nervous, her skin heating. It must be the voice. It made it easy to forget she was talking to Jilly’s brother.
“Yeah. They’re sending me back to find Nolan Polk. He’s supposed to live in Faith.”
There was a long beat of silence. “What do you need him for?”
“Well, it’s our twentieth-anniversary edition and we’re looking for some of his photos for a spread.”
“I don’t get it. Wouldn’t you normally call his agent or something? I assume a guy like that has an agent.”
“Yeah, tried that. No luck. He isn’t responding to our requests. So anyway, it appears I’m headed home to try and find him.”
Linc’s voice was soft, quiet. “Well, if anyone can find him, it’s probably you. You always had a way of coming out on top.”
Nomi swallowed hard as her brain conjured up an image of her on top of Linc, back arched in bliss. What the hell was wrong with her? Just because his voice was all grown and sexy didn’t mean he’d grown with it.
“I hope you’re right, Linc. I’ve got a lot riding on this.”
Chapter 2
Nomi Adams was coming home. When Lincoln Porter hung up, he leaned his head back against the wall and shut his eyes tight. Caught somewhere between elation and dread, his brain tried to make sense of what she’d said. He’d had a thing for Nomi since she’d moved to Faith, but she’d never noticed him. She’d always treated him like a brother.
“You should look happier. Why don’t you look happier?”
Linc peeled an eye open to glare at his twin sister. She matched him in coloring, from her inky black hair to her jade green eyes. Her features were softer, more feminine versions of his, down to the slight dimple in her chin. The only dissimilarity was the foot difference in height. She liked to tease that he’d stolen all her height genes. “That was low, Jilly. You should have given me some warning.”
“Now, why would I want to do that? Besides, are you going to pretend that you don’t want to see Nomi?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He handed her back her phone. At times like this, he regretted the two of them being so close. It was impossible to hide anything from her.
“Bull. Five years is a long time to hold a torch for someone, little brother.”
“Only by a minute, Jilly.”
She slid him a sideways glance. “What? You thought you were slick back then? Come on, for the most part you were pretty shy, but the moment Nomi was around, you had to peek out of your little shell and hang around.”
Linc pinned a narrow-eyed gaze on his sister. Lucky for him, he’d outgrown that shy awkwardness and he’d filled out. No one would call him awkward and skinny now. But five years was a long time. The last time he’d seen Nomi, she’d been running for the first train out of town after her dumb-ass boyfriend had chosen Lila Banks, or rather the Banks money and connections, over Nomi.
“Did you tell her?”
His sister’s brow furrowed. “What? No! I was hoping you would get the balls and do it yourself. But I guess you never did.”
The night she’d run away, Nomi had turned up at his house looking for Jilly to give her a ride. But his sister hadn’t been there. Nomi had walked the two miles over from the country club in the rain after Brad had dumped her, and she had been soaked through.
When she’d asked him to swing by her house so she could grab her stuff and then take her to the train station, he hadn’t tried to talk her out of it. Maybe because it hadn’t hit him till they were on the platform that she was actually leaving. His stomach still knotted whenever he remembered what he’d said to her then. “You always deserved better than him.”
Her smile had been sad, wistful, and she’d kissed him on the cheek. And that was it. He’d never seen her again.
Jilly snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. “Earth to Linc. Did you hear me?”
He’d been too lost in his last memory of Nomi. “No. Sorry.”
His sister rolled her eyes. “Focus. She’s coming back, so what are you going to do about it?”
“Pick her up from the train station.”
“Please don’t be obtuse. This is your chance.”
“She’s only staying a couple of days, Jilly.”
“I know, but that in itself is huge. She hasn’t been home in five years. Maybe you can convince her to stay a little longer. Have a Christmas fling.”
A fling? Just the thought made his skin tight. “Not that easy, Jilly. She’s coming back for Nolan Polk.”
Jilly’s eyes grew wide and she cursed under her breath. “What are you going to do?”
That was the question. He’d created the Nolan Polk pseudonym for his work back in college when he’d been trying to distance himself from the family name. He’d wanted people to want his work because it was good, not because his father was a senator. But one bad decision and Polk had become a prison he couldn’t escape.
There was no way in hell he could help her find Nolan Polk. Problem was, when Nomi had something she wanted, she wouldn’t let it go.
“I can’t use the Polk name or distribute that work until the New Year. If I do, I’m in breach and it’ll cost me everything.”
Jilly ground her teeth. “I could kill that woman for locking you into this deal.”
He wished he could wipe his whole relationship with Melanie Stanfield off the plane of existence. Just thinking about it made anger pulse in his veins. When he and Melanie had been together, at first things were great. She had art connections thanks to her family, particularly abroad. When he’d proposed, she’d officially become his manager.
The one clause in his contract he should have paid closer attention to stated that no one else could distribute his work for profit for a term of three years. At the time, he’d been convinced of their love. Like a chump.
But then things had gone bad. And she’d started paying more attention to the value of his work than the value of their relationship. When they’d broken up, she’d held him by the short and curlies to his contract. He’d rather eat glass than give her a dime.
For the past two years since he’d been home, he hadn’t sold or exhibited a single piece, except for charity. Suddenly the only thing he’d ever wanted had a hundred-and-ten-pound blond albatross attached to it.
But he’d made his bed, he had to lie in it. “My fault, Jilly. I trusted the wrong person. I’m not eager to do that again.”
Jilly shook her head. “Nomi wouldn’t hurt you, Linc. That’s not her.”
No, that wasn’t the Nomi he remembered, but he’d been wrong about people before. “I thought the same thing about Melanie once, too.”
His sister put a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe this gig could put you back on the map again. Have you shooting. This is your chance to finally leave for good. Maybe go back to Europe. See more of Africa. You always used to talk about it.”
“That was a long time ago, Jilly.”
She pursed her lips. “Sooner or later you won’t have Dad as an excuse anymore. You’ll have to face the big bad world. You were destined for great things, little brother. Time to stop hiding.”
Linc ignored the numb feeling that spread from his chest. With his father’s early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis two years ago, he’d come home to help out. They both had. But for him, it had also been a way to escape all the mistakes he’d made.
Though, coming home hadn’t been any easier. His father had been a man’s man. Confident, a little brash, but fair and kindhearted. It had helped him get elected over and over again. It had helped people trust him. But that man was gone now. And it hurt. Some days weren’t so bad. The lucid days. Which were more than the non-lucid days. But the other days, the ones where his father couldn’t even recognize him, those hurt. It was the sole reason he stayed. Otherwise he’d have left, off for parts unknown by now, spreading his wings. At least that was what he liked to tell himself.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Whatever you say. What I do know is, all you have to do to get the girl of your dreams is to share a part of yourself. It’s not that hard, Linc. Now’s your chance to take a shot. Even if it’s just for a couple of days.”
“First things first. I need to keep Nomi from finding Nolan Polk. Then I’ll worry about taking a shot.” Too bad his brain and his heart had different priorities.
Chapter 3
It was official. Hell had frozen over. And it looked an awful lot like Faith, Virginia. Nomi strode through the train station looking around at the white canvas outside. Of course it was snowing. This was Virginia, after all, and there were only a few days left till Christmas. What had she expected? The balmy seventy-degree weather in Los Angeles looked mighty good right about now.
Get in and get out and you can go back.
She was giving herself three days to get what she needed and be back at home in the safety of her apartment before Christmas hit.