Romancing Life

TEN fun, romantic holiday novellas by ten New York Times & USA Today bestselling authors!

An all-star gathering of some of today’s most popular NYT and USA Today bestselling romance authors in a fun-filled collection…holiday style! With the overwhelming response to the chart-topping summer boxed set, we’ve brought together even MORE of your favorite authors for a winter compilation, and this time, we’ve gift-wrapped TEN stories for you all. From the funny & sweet, to the STEAMY & heartfelt, each novella is packed with a whole lot of romance, and hand-picked to infuse perfectly-portioned holiday cheer into your busy days this season…along with hot bursts of holiday steam for those winter nights.

Here are a couple of excerpts to bring out the romance and the magic of love – 

SEDUCING SANTA by JANELLE DENISON

For the next half hour, Faith watched the festivities along with April, waiting patiently for the little girl to come out of her shell and join the fun.   

Finally, all the children had their turn with Santa and were busy playing with the toys he’d given them, but there was still one present left.

Holding a gaily wrapped gift in his hand, Santa looked over the rim of his gold framed glasses, searching the room for the recipient.  “Is April here today?” he asked.

The little girl stiffened in surprise, and not sure whether or not April would speak up for herself, Faith gently coaxed her to approach Santa for her gift.  “Come on, sweetie, I’ll go with you.”

With April clasping Faith’s hand tightly, they made their way to Santa.  The young girl didn’t want to sit on his lap, but standing so close to him, she stared up at him in awe as he handed her the last present.  She opened the gift tentatively, and her entire face transformed with gleeful excitement once the box was unwrapped. 

“I got the doll I wanted,” she squealed in excitement.  “Thank you, Santa!”  She rushed off to share her gift with the friends she’d made during her stay in the hospital.

Feeling warm and fuzzy inside, Faith smiled from April, to Matthew.  “Very well done, Santa.”

“Thank you,” he murmured in that low, velvet-lined voice of his that sent shivers down her spine.  Before she realized his intent, his gloved fingers wrapped around her wrist and he pulled her onto his lap. 

Suddenly self-conscious with the nurses and kids looking on in avid interest, and very aware of his hard, muscular thighs beneath her bottom and legs, she tried to make light of the situation.  “Don’t you think I’m a bit too big to be sitting on your lap?”

“Not at all.  You fit just right.”  His eyes sparkled playfully, and the tilt of his mustache hinted at the sexy-as-sin smile hidden beneath.  “So, what about you, Faith?  Have you been naughty or nice this year?”

He’d placed his gloved hand on her knee, and the heat of his touch seeped through her slacks and spread upward, wreaking havoc with her sexually deprived body.  She inhaled a deep, steady breath, and the warm, male scent of him invaded her senses, increasing the wanting unfurling in the pit of her belly.  

“Oh, I’ve been very nice.”  Too nice and good, but all that was about to change.  And he’d just presented her with the perfect opportunity to act on her intentions, to be the kind of bold, assertive kind of woman she’d always admired from afar, but had never been before.   

“So, what would you like for Christmas?” he asked quite innocently, but there was no mistaking the sexy dare in his gaze. 

Caught up in the sensual awareness thrumming between them, Faith seized the moment and made it hers.  Cupping her hand over his ear so that no one could hear her very private wish, she whispered, “I want to be naughty, Santa.  Very naughty. With you.”  She gently nipped his lobe to prove how brazen she was willing to be, and heard him suck in a startled breath.  “I want one night of unforgettable, anything-goes sex with you, any way I please, and any way you want.”

She pulled back, not certain what to expect, but the arousing heat and desire in Matthew’s eyes reassured her that she’d definitely piqued his interest, and his libido, with her shameless request.  And his next words confirmed her hunch.

“Well now, since you’ve been so good this year, I think your request can be arranged,” he drawled, and followed that up with a hearty, jovial, “Ho, ho, ho!” that had everyone wondering what, exactly, she’d asked for.

UNWRAPPED by MELODY GRACE

“What do you say? Ready to get to know each other a little better?” I reach over and take a sip of his drink, slowly licking the moisture off my lips.

Daniel blinks once, then lowers himself slowly back on the barstool beside me. “Why not?” he gives me a grin that turns my insides to molten honey. “This should be good.”

I have to catch my breath. All night, I’ve been at war with myself: trying not to flirt with him or make a fool of myself. But now, I’m suddenly reckless. Unleashed. Now I’ve spied a crack in his cool, collected attitude, I’m not going to let this chance slide by, not without a fight.

         I just want him, more than I can stand.

         “You first,” I announce, slowly crossing my legs. 

         Daniel looks down at the fabric riding up over my thighs, then back up at me. “That’s easy, truth.”

Of course. A guy like him is an open book: nothing to hide. “Hmm,” I muse, wracking my brain. If I’m going to push him, it needs to be something good. “Where’s the craziest place you’ve ever had sex?”

         Daniel raises an eyebrow, but he doesn’t flinch. “I don’t know…” he frowns, “Nowhere. I’ve always just done it the regular way, on a bed.”

         I stare in disbelief. “Seriously? Not even in the backseat of a car? The gym locker rooms?  The rooftop of the student lounge?” I prompt.

         Daniel looks bashful. “I guess I’m just boring like that. Why, where’s yours?”

         I think for a moment. “Backstage at a rock show, up against the amps. He lasted like, two seconds flat and I nearly went deaf… and electrocuted,” I shake my head, giving a wry smile at the memory.

         “Sounds painful.” Daniel laughs, and I lose myself in his eyes. The tequila is warm in my bloodstream, mingling with desire and recklessness in one heady cocktail that’s impossible to ignore as I sit here, inches away from Daniel, his tanned forearm resting casually on the bar between us, close enough to touch…

         I snap back to reality. “What?” 

         Daniel gives me a patient smile. “I said, why bother nearly killing yourself like that? It doesn’t sound like it was even worth your while.”

         I shrug. “It was an experience.”

         “Jumping off a cliff is an experience,” Daniel points out. “You going to try that too?”

         “No, it’s like…” I try to gather my thoughts, “This is it, my wild adventurous youth. One day, I’m going to be settled down with a kid and a mini-van, and, and, a Costco clubcard. I want to be able to look back and say, I lived. I had adventures. You know?”

         “Nope,” Daniel makes a face. “I’ve been on the same path since school, I never did anything crazy.”

         My heart catches. I force myself to meet his eyes. “It’s never too late to try.”