Eyebrows knitting together, I squinted through the blinding sunlight as I toddled up my driveway. What in the boughs of holly?

"Bodhi?" I called.

The blond leaped ten feet in the air and his feet shuffled in a funky dance. Managing to secure his footing, Bodhi met my confounded face.

With my neck craned back, I gawked at my fiancé who, at the moment, was scaling my roof. "What are you doing?"

"N-nothing," he rushed. With equally swift motions, the Alex Pettyfer doppelgänger tucked his hands behind his back. Classic culpable countenance.

Bloody hell, jingle bell. "Bodhi," I warned.

The beach boy winced and revealed a string of coiled wires. "I wanted to put up the reindeer and sleigh."

"Wait, did you get that from my garage? How the hell did you get in?" Dumping my groceries, I scampered to the garage door. Go figure.

Bodhi guffawed from above, his ho, ho, ho not finding its way to my lips. "Kayla, you leave the keys under a pot!"

Biting back a tart retort, I eyed the ladder with an impish smirk. Oh mister bad boy, I thought you had learned your lesson last time. My mistake.

"Oh no you don't! I swear Kay, if you-"

Bolting to the ladder leaning a precarious distance between the muddy leaf pile and the towering trash bags, I hauled it away as he gaped at me.

"Kayla!"

"Have fun getting down, hot shot." Gathering my groceries, I unlocked the front door.

Ambling into the kitchen, I assured all seven bags cleared the frosted table before setting them down. After my second trip, the door slammed.

"That took a little longer than I thought." Bodhi waltzed in.

My jaw tumbled to the tiles and I did a double take. "What are you wearing?" I floundered, not quite positive whether to faint or flail at his, dare I even consider, outfit.

Bodhi strutted to the table and back with the attitude of a Kardashian. "You like?" he asked and popped his hip.

Covering my eyes, I shivered at the 'Christmas puked all over me' screaming sweater.

"Awe, come on, I know you love it." Bodhi pried off my hands.

Unable to combat his strength, I popped open one eye to satisfy him. Oh, sweet baby Jesus, the atrocity. Goggling, I distanced myself from the horrid pullover.

"Please Bodhi, I can't bear to look at it! Get it off!"

"Alright, you asked for it."

Before I could assess his shit-eating grin, Bodhi had the ugly sweater folded over his arm like a butler. With his cropped mane freshly tousled, biceps naturally flexed, and abs conspicuously defined, Bodhi Shaffer was the epitome of sensuality. Though I'd expected a shirt, I sure as tinsel wasn't complaining. Insert wolf whistle and sighing dames.

"Better?" Bodhi quirked an eyebrow.

My cheeks felt toasty as I ogled his toned abs. You son of a batch of cookies. "That was your whole plan wasn't it?" Lifting my chin, I tried my darndest not to peek at his five-star torso.

Pledging allegiance to his gaping mouth, Bodhi gasped. "That is a spurious accusation! I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Brushing past him, I tsked.

"Are you insinuating that I, the husband-to-be of an insanely hot fashion designer, would sport something so heinous in hopes that she'd demand I strip?"

Gee, that sounds exactly right, especially the 'insanely hot' bit. Unable to maintain a poker face, I swiveled around and took a can from a Target bag.

Firm arms enveloped my waist as Bodhi propped his chin on my shoulder.

"Bodhi?" I said. King Kong beat on my chest as heat sailed through my frame. "What are you doing?"

"What, I can't hug my fiancée?" he flirted.

Oh no, no you don't. An epiphany rammed into me head on. Two can play at this game. Twirling around, I draped my arms over his shoulders. Dropping my voice to the husky timbre that he went wild for, I gazed into his green eyes. "Bodhi, I want" -I dipped my head, playing innocent- "to get cooking."

He flinched. "Dammit, Kayla."

A twinge of pride bubbled inside. Damn me was right. Tilting my head, I shrugged. "Sorry, but I have to start on dinner and desserts before my parents arrive."

Bodhi pouted. "We could go quick?" he tried.

"'Quick' isn't in our vocabulary," I argued. Swatting away his tempting hands, I ducked out of his embrace. "Go take a shower, a cold one," I added. Shimmying out of my Sherpa-lined parka, I fanned my face, assuaging my mind that the heater had kicked in.

🎄🎄🎄

"Honey," Bodhi said as he trotted downstairs.

"Hold on," I replied. I finished scooping batter into the slots. Licking the excess fudge off my finger, I slipped on the mitts and shoved the tray of six into the oven. Setting the timer, I glided to Bodhi.

"Go freshen up."

Cocking my head, I frowned. A dubious feeling nagged my gut at leaving him near an oven.

"Kay, if I can make a baby, I'm pretty damn sure I can watch cupcakes."

Oh snowflakes. Sweeping my eyes to the ceiling, I clomped to my bedroom and donned a casual but not too informal ensemble.

Jogging into the living room, Bodhi's disappointed tone froze me in my tracks.

"Bo?" I rounded him.

"Alright, I'll let her know. Bye Mrs. Ellis." He pulled my cell phone away from his ear.

"Why didn't you tell me my mom called?"

"Kayla, your parents have to cancel dinner. The roads are extremely icy and there are high wind gusts headed our way, so they'd been advised to not drive."

Distraught plastered in my eyes. "Are they okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine. Hey, what's wrong?" Clutching my hand, Bodhi sat us on the plush sofa.

"Bodhi, if the roads are icy, that means them coming over on Christmas might be in jeopardy." I always spent the holiday with my family, and this being my first year with Bodhi meant the world to me.

"Don't worry, alright. We'll get to spend Christmas with your folks."

The smile I vigorously forced morphed into a grimace anyway. "Yeah, you're right. This Christmas will go off without a hitch."

"That's the spirit." Bodhi smiled. "Shit, I gotta take down the reindeer and sleigh so Dancer and his crew don't crash a party, quite literally." Rising, Bodhi retrieved his coat from the rack. "Wouldn't that be a great way to start the new year? Hello, Nationwide, um, my roof decoration smashed the neighbor's window..." He chortled, but I didn't join.

Dropping his hand, Bodhi flashed a lopsided smile. "Don't worry about tomorrow, okay. They're safe, we're safe, but we'll be a hella lot happier if our Christmas is safe."

With a reluctant eye roll, I snickered.

🎄🎄🎄

By the time he scuttled inside, the cupcakes were garnished with red and green icing and pulverized peppermint powder.

"Those look delicious!"

Reaching around me to swipe a decadent confection, I smacked his hand. "Bodhi, they're for tomorrow!"

"But I'm hungry!" Slumping his shoulders, he regarded me with puppy eyes that he knew I was immune to.

"Well, I don't give a flying reindeer," I snapped. "Eat something else!"

Whining, Bodhi crossed his arms in a puerile display. "I don't want to eat anything else!"

I smirked at the dirty thoughts springing into my mind. "Are you sure you don't want to eat anything else?" I waggled my eyebrows.

"I just want a cupcake! Is that too much to ask for?" He huffed.

Mental facepalm. Sighing, I hid the dessert and decided to give it one more go. After all, now that my parents weren't joining us, we could be slow. Swaying my hips as I minced to the fridge, I bowed to open the freezer drawer, not even batting an eyelash for modesty. Frost that.

Bodhi thumbed my hips, jerking me upright.

With a sharp intake, I eased into his mold and clenched my thighs together.

"You're such a tease," he purred into my ear.

Rolling my eyes back, tingles zapped through my system and my knees weakened. Cupping my hand around his neck, I drooped my head over his shoulder as I sucked in puffs of air. I felt his lips curl as he continued nibbling my sweet spot, luring me to the precipice of sanity.

"Bedroom?"

I struggled to vocalize consent, enthralled in the passion.

"Hmm? I didn't hear that," he drawled slow and steady.

Fuck it. I wouldn't make it. Before Bodhi could protest, I towed him to the sofa and flopped down with him hovering above. Smashing my lips against his, I tangled my fingers through his ruffled waves. Surfacing for air, I nuzzled my nose against his, my heart fluttering with pure adoration.

"Guess I'm out of the dog house," Bodhi breathed.

Tittering, I dragged my tongue over my bottom lip, shaking my head. "You'll always be my bad boy."