A Roth Christmas...

In honor of Christmas tomorrow, this is a glimpse of theirs in book 4!

When he went to gather the presents, she grabbed his arm to delay him. 

“I wasn’t sure what to get you. What am I supposed to get the man who has everything?”

His eyes gleamed as he leaned down to give her a reassuring kiss. “You give me this.” His hand slid between her legs. “And this. You give me your time and attention. I don’t need anything else, but I’ll take whatever else you give me.”

When he straightened, clearly intent to get the presents under the tree, she twisted her hands together.

“Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve,” she muttered. 

“I’m aware,” he said as he crouched to gather the presents.  

Realizing he wasn’t going to be dissuaded, she sat back until she spotted a bag that shouldn’t be there. She shot forward, hand outstretched. “Oh my God. How the hell did she find that? That’s not for you!”

He peeked into the bag and pulled out a taupe knit sweater. “Didn’t you buy this for me in Copenhagen?”

“Yes, but I know you won’t wear it. I was going to donate it to…” 

She watched, bemused, as he slid the knit sweater on. It fit him perfectly and reminded her of the one time she’d seen him in plaid flannel in his mother’s cabin. Her heart fluttered. When she was a little girl, she didn’t dream of princes. She fantasized about sea captains, cowboys, firefighters, and carpenters. Being around white collar men all her life who were polite, civilized, and wizards on the computer, she couldn’t help daydreaming about the men who got their hands dirty and led simple lives. Seeing him like this made her imagine an alternate Roth, one she would never have. 

Roth ran his hands over the sleeves. “So?”

She cleared her throat. “It looks great on you.” 

He dug through the warm clothes and pulled on socks and another beanie. 

“You don’t have to…” she began, but he silenced her with a kiss. 

“Thank you.” 

She gave him a tremulous smile. “You’re welcome.”

He sat on the ground in front of her and reached for the next present.

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Sins. Please do not share or distribute.