Chapter One: Zyla

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    The soft creak of leather whispered beneath me as I melted into the sectional, my shopping bags scattered like trophies around the living room. My feet were killing me, but my heart? Utterly content. A long day of retail therapy will do that, especially when the credit card isn’t mine.

Outside, the city was dipped in gold and garland. Inside, I was wrapped in the afterglow of peppermint lattes, twinkling lights, and the faint scent of cookies from the candle flickering on the coffee table. Christmas had a way of softening everything, like the edges of the world and the weight of my thoughts. It made me feel… lighter. Maybe even a little like that kid who used to stay up waiting for Santa, convinced I’d hear his sleigh bells if I just kept my eyes open long enough.

I grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels, half-watching, half-dozing until something glittered across the screen and made me pause.

A slow, melodic chime of bells rang out, the kind you only hear in old Christmas films. Snow-dusted pine trees filled the frame; their branches draped in glowing lights. A red sleigh glided across a frozen lake, pulled by a team of huskies, and I instantly leaned forward.

“Evergreen Island… where the season never fades.”

The narrator’s voice was smooth, almost hypnotic.

“It’s the only destination where it’s Christmas all year long.”

My eyes widened as the commercial came alive in a flurry of magic. A family skated under a canopy of lights, a couple wrapped in a plaid blanket rode on a horse-drawn carriage, and children laughed as snowballs flew through the air beside a glowing gingerbread cottage.

My chest tightened with something I couldn’t quite name. Nostalgia, maybe. Longing, definitely.

“Here, the air always smells like cinnamon and pine,” the voice went on. “Every evening brings snowfall, and every morning greets you with the sound of carolers and the promise of Christmas magic. Evergreen Island is more than a getaway… it’s the Christmas dream come true.”

Santa’s sleigh soared across a starry sky before a burst of light spelled out: Book your stay today.

I blinked, still staring at the screen long after it faded to black. Whoever created that ad deserved a raise and my curiosity.

I pushed myself off the couch and padded toward the bedroom, the soft jingle of the TV still echoing in my mind. My MacBook waited on the nightstand, half-buried beneath a notebook and last night’s half-finished glass of wine. I’d been working on my next novel, but something told me my attention was about to shift.

After all, Evergreen Island wasn’t just selling Christmas. It was selling a feeling, and I suddenly wanted in.

     The hum of the laptop filled the quiet as I opened the browser window, still thinking about Evergreen Island. I hadn’t typed a single word before the faintest hint of cologne drifted through the air. It was woodsy, rich, and unmistakably him.

    Roman.

    I felt him before I heard him. That scent always gave him away. It was dark like smoke curling around something sinful. My lips curved before I could stop them. Moments later, strong arms slid around my waist from behind, pulling me back against the solid warmth of his chest. His breath brushed the side of my neck, slow and deliberate.

    “Miss me?” He murmured, his voice a low rumble that always sent shivers straight through me.

    “I might’ve,” I teased, leaning into him.

    His chuckle was soft, but his hold tightened. The weight of his body and the scent of his skin grounded me. It reminded me how far we’d come.

    A year ago, Roman Knight walked into my life with a proposition I couldn’t quite refuse: thirty days. That’s what he’d said he wanted. He wanted me for thirty days…no promises…no strings. It was supposed to be temporary, but it was also dangerous and exciting. Thirty days turned into sixty. Then ninety. Then one full year of belonging to a man who was never supposed to stay, but he did.

    Roman wasn’t gentle by nature. He came from a world where power was currency and control was survival. There was danger in his silence and fire in his stare. But that danger had never been meant for me. With me, he was heat and protection, laughter, and late-night confessions. I’d never felt more loved, more seen, or more wanted than I did with him. If the world ever turned against me, I knew one thing with a shadow of a doubt. Roman Knight would burn it all down before he let me be touched. 

    He kissed the back of my neck, slow and lingering, “You smell like sugar cookies.”

    I laughed softly. “That’s because I just lit that candle you like.”

    “The one that makes the house smell like a bakery exploded?”

    “That’s the one.”

    He turned me around, his dark eyes catching the glow of the light. The corner of his mouth lifted into that half-wicked smile that used to make me nervous. Now, it made my pulse race for different reasons. His thumb brushed my lower lip, and then he kissed me. It was slow at first, then deeper until the air between us crackled.

    When we finally pulled apart, my breath came in short bursts. “You trying to distract me?”

    “Depends,” he said, voice rougher now, “Was it working?”

    “I was definitely working.”

    He grinned, that dangerous charm melting into something softer as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

    “Christmas is coming up,” he said casually, his tone light, “How do you wanna spend it this year, baby?”

    I hesitated, my mind flicking back to the glowing screen and the sleigh gliding across the snow.

    “Actually… I saw this commercial earlier. For a place called Evergreen Island.”

    His brow furrowed, “What the fuck is Evergreen Island?”

    I laughed, “It’s this winter resort. It’s Christmas year-round. Snow, lights, gingerbread houses…the whole thing. It looked magical.”

    He tilted his head, studying me with that unreadable look he always got when he was already deciding something. “That what you want to do?”

    “Yeah,” I said, smiling, “I think it could be fun.. A little escape.” 

    He nodded once, “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

    I blinked, surprised by how easily he agreed, “Really?”

    “If that’s what you want, it’s done,” he pressed a kiss to my forehead, his voice dropping lower, “Invite whoever you want.”

    “I was thinking Naomi,” I said, “She could use a break too. Plus. I kinda like her.”

    Roman’s grin returned, slow and approving, “Then it’s settled. Me, you, Red, and Naomi. Christmas in your little wonderland.”

    He pulled me close again, lips brushing my ear as he murmured, “Just promise me one thing, Zyla.”

    “What?”

    His voice deepened, dangerous and possessive in a way that always set my skin on fire.

    “Don’t fall in love with the place. You already belong somewhere.”