by: Alina Jacobs
Series: The Wynter Brothers
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Holiday Romance/Romantic Comedy
Release Date: November 12, 2024
When you kiss your perfect boyfriend under the mistletoe…only for your cousin to scream to the family that you stole her man, Christmas is OVER.
In my defense, I didn’t know my boss—yup, boss. Buckle up because this is messy—was my cousin’s newly minted and totally lying fiancé. I thought he was the Nutcracker Prince come to finally show my family that I, too, was worthy of putting the star atop the Christmas tree.
I was so wrong.
Now my entire family thinks I’m a ho ho ho.
I’m at the top of the naughty list, not in a fun Elf on the Shelf way, but rather in a snide-comments-at-brunch and sitting-at-the-kids’-table kinda way.
I have to clear my name, or Christmas is ruined. Again.
What better way than to blackmail my family’s number one sworn enemy?
Anderson Wynter is this desperate elf’s last hope. Six-foot-five, ethically challenged, with washboard abs and a death wish, Anderson is the perfect weapon to expose my ex and help me get back in my family’s good graces.
That is, until the weapon massively backfires… and no, not like that.
Anderson goes full Nightmare Before Christmas and shows up at my family’s annual holiday party in nothing but tattoos and a motorcycle helmet and tells everyone we’re dating.
Yep, that kicks me off the naughty list and sends me straight to the Grinch’s garbage dump.
Now I’m chained to a motorcycle-riding bad elf with terrible morals and an even worse attitude—one who sticks his hand down my shirt in the middle of my parents’ posh country club and tells me to ride him like I do his bike.
When I slap him, he just smirks and asks if I fluff my marshmallows while fantasizing about betraying my family with him.
As if.
No way am I sleeping with the man my entire family hates.
Because that won’t just ruin Christmas.
It’ll ruin the rest of my life.
Naughty elves of Christmas checking in! We’re drunk caroling, eating cookies at midnight, surviving family drama, and drooling over hot, unattainable men who are oh so wrong for us. This standalone holiday romantic comedy has all the Christmas cheer you can fit under the tree and a happily ever after guaranteed!
Anderson was twisting on his jacket as he made his way toward the black motorcycle.
“Bastard!” I yelled at him, the tears freezing on my face. “You ruined my life! You ruined it more than it was already ruined. No deal. Fuck you.”
The faceless helmet peered over his shoulder at me.
I hurled myself at him, fists flying. “Did you see my mother’s face? They hate me now.”
“Calm down, Gingersnap.” Large hands trapped me, one on my waist and one on my arm. There was the brief sensation of warm leather under my palms as I twisted against him.
“Get off of me.” I struggled, my feet sliding while his boots stay firmly planted.
“Stop fighting me. I don’t want them to think we’re breaking up.” The deep voice mocked me behind the motorcycle helmet. “Mutually assured destruction, remember?”
“The deal is off.” I sniffled. “I’m calling the police.”
Hollow laughter came from behind the helmet.
“I saw your family in there, Gingersnap.” He released me with a shake. “If you go back in there and tell them that you tried to blackmail the Murphys’ sworn enemy so that you could make your cousin’s boyfriend admit he loves you, then you’re just digging that hole deeper for yourself.”
Damn him, he was right.
“You wanted to play with the wolves. You can’t be upset when you get bitten.” He spread his arms. “Looks like you did a fantastic job of alienating your entire family back there. Guess you’re stuck with me, Gingersnap. Now give me a kiss.” He leaned toward me.
I slapped the helmet. “You’re as horrible as Henry always said you were.”
“And don’t you forget it.” His huge gloved hand grabbed my face, shaking it softly like you’d do a dog. He released me before I could hit him again then straddled his motorcycle, making a big show of adjusting his Christmas package as he settled on the dark-leather seat.
“I don’t ever want to see you again!” I shouted at him.
He revved the engine then popped the visor briefly to pin me with those snow-demon eyes.
“Something tells me you’re going to come crawling back to me. You made a deal with the devil and all.”
The visor slammed shut.
I breathed hard, my breath clouding around me as I slowly made my way back to the house.
I shouldn’t have done it. I should never have done it. I should have known that you can’t leash a man like Anderson Wynter. I needed to get rid of him, needed to break his hold on me, neutralize his angry fixation.
I slipped back in through the front door.
My mother was waiting.
“You.” Melissa grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my flesh as she dragged me to my dad’s study.
“Young lady.” She addressed me like I was a middle schooler again and had gotten yet another D on a math test. “I am so disappointed in you.”
Tears filled my mother’s eyes. “How could you be involved with that… that criminal? He almost got your brother killed. My baby.”
My mother broke down in my father’s arms.
I felt like a worm, like a little slug. There was no argument about it. Anderson was pure evil.
And he was trying to break my family apart.
No. Correction, he was trying to break me apart from my family.
“Bastard!” I yelled at him, the tears freezing on my face. “You ruined my life! You ruined it more than it was already ruined. No deal. Fuck you.”
The faceless helmet peered over his shoulder at me.
I hurled myself at him, fists flying. “Did you see my mother’s face? They hate me now.”
“Calm down, Gingersnap.” Large hands trapped me, one on my waist and one on my arm. There was the brief sensation of warm leather under my palms as I twisted against him.
“Get off of me.” I struggled, my feet sliding while his boots stay firmly planted.
“Stop fighting me. I don’t want them to think we’re breaking up.” The deep voice mocked me behind the motorcycle helmet. “Mutually assured destruction, remember?”
“The deal is off.” I sniffled. “I’m calling the police.”
Hollow laughter came from behind the helmet.
“I saw your family in there, Gingersnap.” He released me with a shake. “If you go back in there and tell them that you tried to blackmail the Murphys’ sworn enemy so that you could make your cousin’s boyfriend admit he loves you, then you’re just digging that hole deeper for yourself.”
Damn him, he was right.
“You wanted to play with the wolves. You can’t be upset when you get bitten.” He spread his arms. “Looks like you did a fantastic job of alienating your entire family back there. Guess you’re stuck with me, Gingersnap. Now give me a kiss.” He leaned toward me.
I slapped the helmet. “You’re as horrible as Henry always said you were.”
“And don’t you forget it.” His huge gloved hand grabbed my face, shaking it softly like you’d do a dog. He released me before I could hit him again then straddled his motorcycle, making a big show of adjusting his Christmas package as he settled on the dark-leather seat.
“I don’t ever want to see you again!” I shouted at him.
He revved the engine then popped the visor briefly to pin me with those snow-demon eyes.
“Something tells me you’re going to come crawling back to me. You made a deal with the devil and all.”
The visor slammed shut.
I breathed hard, my breath clouding around me as I slowly made my way back to the house.
I shouldn’t have done it. I should never have done it. I should have known that you can’t leash a man like Anderson Wynter. I needed to get rid of him, needed to break his hold on me, neutralize his angry fixation.
I slipped back in through the front door.
My mother was waiting.
“You.” Melissa grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my flesh as she dragged me to my dad’s study.
“Young lady.” She addressed me like I was a middle schooler again and had gotten yet another D on a math test. “I am so disappointed in you.”
Tears filled my mother’s eyes. “How could you be involved with that… that criminal? He almost got your brother killed. My baby.”
My mother broke down in my father’s arms.
I felt like a worm, like a little slug. There was no argument about it. Anderson was pure evil.
And he was trying to break my family apart.
No. Correction, he was trying to break me apart from my family.
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