The Rock Star's Christmas Reunion: contemporary holiday romance (A Charisma series novel, The Connollys Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

mother, Tricia, didn’t smile at all. In fact, her expression reminded Yakima of the dazed look on Bax’s face when he’d first opened the front door.
    “That’s a good looking bunch,” she said to Bax after she set the tray down on a new leather ottoman in front of the couch. She tried not to wince at the use of an animal by-product in his decorating scheme.
    Bax turned away from the tree. “It’s vegan leather.”
    “What?”
    He pointed at the ottoman. “Vegan. I asked.”
    She felt stupid for assuming. And thrilled that he was paying attention to her interests. “Oh. Cool.”
    He chuckled. “Your face gave you away. I researched veganism a little bit since I have that insta-prejudice going on. Sounds complicated.”
    “It’s a lifestyle.” She couldn’t believe that he’d done research. He was different. Most people she met didn’t care enough to look into the subject.
    “You were okay about the fish?”
    “Absolutely,” she assured him, trying not to stare at the hint of a chest tattoo peeking from his open collar. “I need to make a living. And the food is going to be delicious. Here.” She picked up one of the tea plates.
    He didn’t take it from her. She lifted the homemade pepita cracker she’d placed her salmon on from one of the plates, and popped it into his mouth.
    His eyebrows went up as he chewed. Her hands fell away, as she realized what she’d done.
    “I’m so sorry,” she exclaimed. “I didn’t mean to force food on you.” She’d been in sexy moment-land, at the start of his family party, no less.
    He swallowed, then began to laugh. “For a second there, I thought maybe you were attempting to babysit me.”
    Obviously he hadn’t picked up on the sexy moment vibes like she had. Pushing down disappointment, she recalled, “I did try to force healthy food on your cousins. They didn’t want to eat their salads.”
    “Where did they come from anyway? Dad never bought lettuce.”
    What did he have tattooed on his chest? Very distracting. How was she supposed to be an invisible service provider around this gorgeous specimen of man? “My mother’s garden. She liked kale before it was fashionable. I could easily pick kale and red lettuce before I came over.”
    “And now we know how you ended up such an extremist,” he said. “Early programming.”
    “Except that she isn’t a vegetarian herself,” Yakima said. The doorbell rang. “Must be the rest of the family. I’ll get the punch.” She forced herself to turn, but was too slow to help with the door.
    Haldana walked into the room, followed by her sisters and Harry Connolly, dressed in a tuxedo coat, green bow tie, and jeans. Still outrageously handsome at fifty-three, with only a little gray hair at his temples, he was tall and fit. And still her parents’ neighbor, though he didn’t get along with them.
    Bax nodded at his father, who nodded back. No emotion from either of them.
    “Hello, son.” Harry tucked his finger into his bow tie as if he’d tied it too tight.
    “Where are Niall and Dare?” Bax asked. “Are they on their way? Yakima is frying our dinner so she needs to know the schedule.”
    Haldana put her hand on Bax’s arm. “Sorry. I just had a text from Dare. They aren’t coming.”
    Bax’s cheeks hollowed and his eyebrows tilted, making him look dangerous and mean. “Oh, really.”
    Yakima winced. She could feel Bax’s sorrow behind the anger, though she was probably projecting the emotion. How many times had she watched him act his way through a video about losing a girl during his boy band days? She recognized the expression on his face from MTV.
     
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    Bax stared at his father, though he couldn’t help noticing how Yakima had managed to blend into the fireplace area, stuck in the room with his family but trying to be invisible. “Dad?”
    His father shrugged, holding up his hands. “I didn’t know they were going to bail.”
    “I’m sure they had to work,”