Her Christmas Wish ; Designed by Love Read online

  HER CHRISTMAS WISH

  When Kyra Reed discovers that Luke O’Connor is in LA, the Bare Sophistication manager vows to make him pay for breaking her heart. Her revenge goes south when the real-estate mogul entices her into his bed and reawakens her desire. But Luke is bound by a long-ago promise, and Kyra is wary of trusting him again. Will they get their secret holiday wish—to be each other’s by Christmas?

  DESIGNED BY LOVE

  “Flings without strings” is Jeremy Hunter’s credo while he grows his California robotics company. But he craves a deeper connection after sharing assistant professor Serita Edwards’s bed during a weeklong conference. When they unexpectedly meet again, he’s ready to take things to the next level. But his company’s newest hire won’t mix business and pleasure. Unless Jeremy can win Serita’s heart with his hands-on approach to life...and love.

  Sherelle Green

  and

  Sheryl Lister

  Her Christmas Wish

  &

  Designed by Love

  Table of Contents

  Her Christmas Wish by Sherelle Green

  Designed by Love by Sheryl Lister

  Excerpt from Christmas with the Billionaire by Niobia Bryant

  Her Christmas Wish

  Sherelle Green

  If there was one word to describe Kyra Reed, ambitious would be at the very top. She went after what she wanted, and tonight, for her twenty-first birthday, she wanted Luke O’Connor. Preferably naked.

  It was bad enough that she’d spent most of her adolescence pining over someone who only seemed to look at her like a little sister, but she also had to compete against the flock of women parading around Chicagoland hoping to catch Luke’s attention. She didn’t have a claim on him. Had never dated him. Yet that didn’t stop her from feeling like Luke was hers, whether he realized it or not.

  “Are you having fun?” her friend Cheyanne asked as she handed her a red Solo cup.

  “Of course I’m having fun.” Kyra glanced around the birthday party that her college friends had thrown her. “Have you seen my brothers and their friends?”

  Cheyanne glanced around. “I think your brother Ajay went with Mike to get more ice. But Taheim should be here somewhere. He was with his guys. Jaleen and—”

  “Luke,” Kyra supplied. “Those three are inseparable sometimes.”

  Cheyanne wiggled her eyebrows. “Right. How could I forget about your unhealthy crush?”

  “It’s not unhealthy,” Kyra said.

  “Oh, really? You’ve liked the man since you were ten. Probably before that. Are you telling me you don’t think it’s unhealthy for your state of mind to like him and still not say anything?”

  Kyra shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. “I’m just waiting for the perfect moment.”

  Sherelle Green is a Chicago native with a dynamic imagination and a passion for reading and writing. She enjoys composing emotionally driven stories that are steamy, edgy and touch on real-life issues. Her overall goal is to create relatable and fierce heroines who are flawed, just like the strong and sexy heroes who fight so hard to win their hearts. There’s no such thing as a perfect person...but when you find that person who is perfect for you, the possibilities are endless. Nothing satisfies her more than writing stories filled with compelling love affairs, multifaceted characters and intriguing relationships.

  Books by Sherelle Green

  Harlequin Kimani Romance

  If Only for Tonight

  Red Velvet Kisses

  Beautiful Surrender

  Enticing Winter

  Wrapped in Red (with Nana Malone)

  Falling for Autumn

  Waiting for Summer

  Nights of Fantasy

  A Miami Affair

  Her Unexpected Valentine

  A Los Angeles Passion

  Road to Forever

  Her Christmas Wish

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  I would like to dedicate this to the Kimani readers who have given me so much book love and support over the past few years. Please accept this as a token of my gratitude and appreciation! I hope you continue to read the amazing stories myself and others are releasing and writing for your enjoyment. There are so many amazing novels out there waiting to be read by you!

  Acknowledgments

  To my cousin, Stefanie, who continues to inspire me every day! You’ve always been such a go-getter and instead of waiting for someone to do something for you, you’ve always tackled it yourself. Whether it be in school, sports or your career, your ambitious spirit shines. Your loyalty is something I’ve always admired and I know I can count on you for anything. Plus, your sarcasm and wittiness keep me laughing. It’s so obvious that you enjoy life, and your spontaneity has provided you with some pretty amazing adventures. I am so proud of the woman you’ve become and honored to have a front-row seat to your bright future! Love you! Keep on shining, Fe!

  Dear Reader,

  Wow! It’s hard to believe that this is my last installment in my Bare Sophistication series. I’ve been waiting to write Kyra’s story since she was initially introduced in the first book in the series, Enticing Winter.

  Kyra Reed is ambitious, feisty and a little sister to Taheim and Ajay in every way. Luke O’Connor has been trying to fight his feelings for Kyra since he was young. Luke was first introduced in book two in the series, Falling for Autumn, but we only got a quick glimpse of him. For anyone who has read Single AF, a 2019 novella in my Social Experiment series, you may have learned more about Luke.

  It takes a certain kind of man to handle Kyra, and Luke is definitely that man. I hope you enjoy their story!

  Much love,

  Sherelle

  [email protected]

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  If there was one word to describe Kyra Reed, ambitious would be at the very top of the list. She went after what she wanted, and tonight, for her twenty-first birthday, she wanted Luke O’Connor. Preferably, naked.

  It was bad enough that she’d spent most of her adolescence pining over someone who only seemed to look at her like a little sister, but then, she also had to compete against the flock of women parading around Chicagoland hoping to catch Luke’s attention. She didn’t have a claim on him. Had never dated him. Yet, that didn’t stop her from feeling like Luke was hers, whether he realized it or not.

  “Are you having fun?” her friend Cheyanne asked as she handed her a red Solo cup.

  “Of course I’m having fun.” Kyra’s gaze traveled around the birthday party that her college friends had thrown her. “Have you seen my brothers and their friends?”

  Cheyanne glanced around. “I think your brother Ajay went with Mike to get more ice. But Taheim should be here somewhere. He was with his guys. Jaleen and...?”

  “Luke,” Kyra said. “Those three are inseparable sometimes.”


  Cheyanne wiggled her eyebrows. “Right. How could I forget about your unhealthy crush?”

  “It’s not unhealthy,” Kyra said.

  “Oh, really? You’ve liked the man since you were ten. Probably before that. Are you telling me you don’t think it’s unhealthy for your state of mind to like him and still not say anything?”

  Kyra shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. “I’m just waiting for the perfect moment.”

  Cheyanne rolled her eyes. “Girlfriend, he’s known you most your life. How much more time do you need? The Kyra I know always goes after what she wants.”

  Kyra cringed at her words because it was true. She did go after what she wanted. “No need for the best-friend talk because I plan on telling him how I feel tonight.”

  Cheyanne’s eyes widened as she asked, “Are you for real? You’re finally admitting your feelings?”

  “I’m very serious. It’s long overdue.”

  Cheyanne squealed. “I’m so proud of you, and for telling me this, I’ll tell you where he is.”

  Kyra carefully slapped her on the arm. “Are you saying you weren’t going to tell me where he was unless I admitted I’d tell him my feelings?”

  Cheyanne nodded. “That’s exactly what I was going to do.” She motioned with her head to indicate the back door. “The boys are in the backyard.”

  Kyra gave her friend a quick hug and wasted no time heading to the backyard. It wasn’t until she was almost out the door that she heard Cheyanne ask her what she’d planned on doing to get Luke alone. Kyra hadn’t made it that far, but she was good at winging it.

  The moment she stepped into the backyard, it felt like no one existed at the party except for Luke. People said “happy birthday” as she walked past, but the smile she gave them had less to do with the warm wishes and more to do with the sexy twenty-six-year-old man standing a few feet away from her.

  Kyra had always wondered if the reason Luke often kept his distance was because of their age difference, and for that reason, she’d been anxious to become an adult to see if he paid her more attention. Much to her dismay, when she turned eighteen, he’d seemed to treat her like the same ol’ Kyra. At nineteen, not much changed. At twenty, he got a little friendlier, but for the most part, he’d kept their relationship rated G, with a couple of PG-13 episodes thrown in the mix.

  At twenty-one, she was tired of waiting for him to notice her, and tonight, she was laying out all her cards whether he liked it or not.

  “Hey, guys,” she said as she approached. “Enjoying my celebration?”

  “Your friends know how to throw a party, sis,” Taheim said.

  Jaleen nodded. “Yeah, they weren’t doing parties like this way back when I was in college.”

  Kyra rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed by the way Jaleen made it seem like he was so much older than her. “Jay, you talk like y’all are old as hell, when you’re only in your upper twenties.”

  “Wait until you start working in the real world,” he said. “You’ll start to feel the same way.”

  Taheim pulled her in for a hug and ruffled her hair. “Can’t believe my baby sis is twenty-one now.”

  Kyra pushed him away. “Stop, Taheim. You’d think after all this time you’d learn to treat me like an adult. Didn’t Mom ever teach you not to mess with a black woman’s hair?”

  He smirked in that annoying big-brother sort of way. “She did, but I chose to ignore that lesson when dealing with my little sis. A girlfriend maybe, but not you.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Just my luck.” Turning to Luke, she batted her eyes and asked, “How has life been treating you?” In other words, please tell me you’re still single.

  “Life is good,” Luke said with a nod. “I can’t complain. What about you? Excited to graduate soon?”

  “Can’t wait.” She adjusted the strap of her blush-colored dress, enjoying the way Luke’s eyes were slyly taking her in as he sipped his drink. Progress. A year ago, he never would have looked at her like that. Taheim started talking to Jaleen, giving her the chance to have a slightly more private conversation with Luke.

  “I’ll miss living down South during the school year,” she said. “The weather here is beautiful.” Kyra had chosen to go to an HBCU in Georgia, but planned on moving back to Chicago after graduation.

  “I’ll bet,” Luke said. “I went to school in New York, so the weather wasn’t much different than Chicago. Have you decided what you want to do after graduation?”

  She shrugged. “My degree will be in business management, but no idea what I want to do. I love being a retail-store manager, so maybe I can find something in Chicago.”

  Luke laughed. “You’re the only person I’ve ever met to say they love retail.”

  “I do love it,” she replied with a laugh. “There’s so much more to it than people think. For example, in some positions, you only use certain skill sets. I, on the other hand, must have an array of knowledge to tackle what goes on day in and day out at a store. Right now, I work at a chain shoe store, but I only got the job because the previous manager went on maternity leave and never came back. So I felt like I had a lot to prove. That was a year ago. Today, the district manager loves me and said I’m the youngest to ever hold my position and do so well.”

  Luke smiled. “That’s impressive, but you’ve always been impressive. Nice to hear that your district manager thinks so, too.” His eyes dipped to her lips and had Kyra not been glued to his every move, she wouldn’t have caught his glance.

  Not wanting to lose the spark, she turned as if she was surveying the backyard to give him a view of her firm, round butt, which was just the way she wanted it thanks to Cheyanne dragging her to the gym every day for squats and those machines that made her calves ache. “Looks like the crowd is dying down out here.”

  She turned back to Luke in time to see him raise his head as he looked nervously from her to Taheim, who wasn’t even paying attention to what he was doing.

  “Sis, we’re about to meet up with Ajay and Mike,” Taheim said, interrupting the moment. “The game is on at one of the bars down the street. Mind if we dip early and catch you at breakfast before we fly out?”

  “Of course not,” she said. “If you stayed, you’d just whine about missing the game, anyway.” Plus, I want to be with Luke without your prying eyes.

  “Yeah, you already know.” Taheim nodded to Luke as he and Jaleen began to walk out the back gate. “Man, you coming?”

  Luke glanced from Taheim back to Kyra. “Uh, yeah, I guess I am.”

  “Actually,” Kyra said, lightly gripping Luke’s arm, “I’m having some problems with the real-estate class I’m taking and Luke offered to help me.”

  Taheim lifted his eyebrow at the same time Luke asked, “You’re taking a real-estate class?”

  “Yes,” she lied. “I want to be well versed in every aspect that I can. Who knows if I’ll ever want to sell real estate on the side?”

  “I don’t remember you mentioning that class before,” Taheim said while an amused Jaleen stifled a laugh. Kyra couldn’t be sure, but she got the distinct feeling Jaleen knew exactly what she was up to.

  “I don’t have to tell you everything about my life,” Kyra snapped at Taheim. “I rattle off classes I think interest you. But for this one, I am in way over my head. I should have dropped it at the beginning of the semester, but now, I’m stuck with it. This last homework assignment is really stumping me.”

  “I could take a look at it,” Luke suggested. He turned to Taheim and Jaleen. “How about I take a look at Kyra’s homework and then walk to the bar and meet you guys there?”

  It wasn’t unusual for Luke to help Kyra with her homework. When they were younger, she used to ask her brothers, but they always made it seem like she was annoying them when she asked. Luke wasn’t like that. He stopped what he was doing ev
ery time she needed help.

  Taheim looked skeptical for a moment, then shook it off and texted Luke the address. “If we change bars before you get there, I’ll let you know.”

  Luke nodded his head. “Bet.” Once they were alone, minus all the folks still at the party, Kyra wasted no time tugging Luke toward the house and up the stairs.

  “Whoa, why are you walking so fast?” Luke asked, tripping up the stairs.

  “I’m just really anxious for you to help me with this homework,” she lied again as they entered the house. “It’s been bugging me for years.”

  “Years?” Luke asked as they reached her bedroom. “You just said you started taking the class this semester.”

  Kyra groaned. She may have a huge crush on Luke, but perceptive, he was not. “I’m not really taking a real-estate course,” she said, shutting and locking her bedroom door. “I just lied to get you in my bedroom.” His eyes widened in surprise, so Kyra took the opportunity to push him down onto her bed while he was still surprised. “Why do you think I wanted to get you to my bedroom, Luke?”

  Luke opened his mouth, but no words came out.

  “I’ll make it easier for you.” Kyra reached for both her dress straps and let the material fall to the floor, leaving her in just her blush-colored lingerie. “Why do you think I wanted to get you to my bedroom, Luke?”

  He visibly swallowed as his eyes roamed up and down her body, taking her in. “Uh, I don’t want to assume you took me up here to have sex, but the way you just removed your dress, it’s looking that way.”

  Kyra smiled. “Good job. That’s exactly why I lied to get you up here. I’m tired of denying how attracted I am to you and I’m pretty damn sure you’re attracted to me, too.”

  Luke looked her up and down again. “Uh, although that may be the case...we can’t have sex. That can’t happen.”

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “Because you’re Taheim’s little sister.”

 
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