After seeing his father’s profligate ways almost destroy the family business, Ransom Burke has instituted a firm policy of no work fraternization. When his longtime lover leaves him for a woman, Ransom vows never again to let anyone get close to him. He informs all future lovers he’ll shower them with gifts as long as they remain monogamous. However, at the first sign of straying, they’ll receive a bouquet of white roses tipped with gold and the affair will be over. Man after man chooses straying over Ransom until the day the very appealing Parrish Rutledge comes to work for him. That means Parrish will forever be out of his reach. Parrish has been alone since he was sixteen, having been tossed out when his older brother discovered he was gay. He’s immediately attracted to his new boss, but even though he dreams of Ransom, he knows, due to the company policy, it can’t go anywhere. But in the aftermath of the office Christmas party, things change between them, and Parrish is given a choice: keep his job and know he can never again see Ransom as anything other than his boss, or quit and become his lover. The one is unthinkable, and as for the other, Ransom is a serial monogamist who doesn’t have the best track record. Parrish’s choice will either lead to a Christmas Day where once again he’ll be alone, or the best present ever will be under his tree.

The Best

“Then what are we waiting for?” He caught Ransom’s hand, brought it to his lips, and swung it gently between them as he pulled his lover toward the dining room. The sooner they ate, the sooner they could get on to the good stuff. 25


“How could I forget to close the curtains?” Parrish grumbled against the shoulder that pillowed his head. He’d been having the best dream, and the damned morning sun hitting him right in the eye jolted him out of it.


“You had other things on your mind,” Ransom’s sleep-roughened voice murmured in his ear.


“I did?” Abruptly awake, he bolted upright, almost clipping his lover in the jaw. “I did! Oh, my God, Ransom! I didn’t hurt you?”


“No.” There was satisfaction in his voice. “I’m not a proponent of pain, Parrish. Do you think I wouldn’t have said anything if you had?”


“You should have told me you’d never—”


Chapter 69