Taking Shots (Assassins, #1)(114)

Elli was in the kitchen getting the ham ready by soaking it in water when Shea came up behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist. She smiled as he ran his lips up her neck, nipping at her ear lobe.

“So my dining room looks like something out of Country Living, the Christmas Edition,” he said, causing her to giggle.

“I know, you don’t mind do you?”

“No, I like it, it’s just new. So are the Christmas candles you have everywhere.”

“I know, but I want it to be pretty when everyone comes tomorrow. I love Christmas,” she gushed as she leaned into him.

“I know, but we’re missing something.” She turned in his arms, looking up at him.

“What?”

“A Christmas tree,” he said, “go look in the living room.” She beamed up at him before heading into the living room, to see a good size tree sitting in the corner by the TV with bags and boxes of stuff sitting beside it. It was her stuff from her house, she had wanted to go get them, but she had been busy.

“I usually don’t set up for Christmas, since I’m never home anyway, but Harper had said the other day that it was a big deal for you, so I had her go get your stuff for me, she just dropped it off.”

“Oh, Shea,” she gushed covering her mouth as she turned to look at him, “You’re spectacular.”

“Spectacular, huh?”

She nodded before wrapping her arms around him and kissing him hard. When she parted from him, she clapped her hands together with a little hop, “I can’t wait to get started after the game!”





Elli stood in the middle of Shea’s living room, basking in the winter wonderland they had created the night before. All her stuff fit perfectly in his living room and if it didn’t, he made sure to make it. Shea had filled the windows with white lights, covered the bases of the windows with her fake snow puff, placing the candles in the middle of it, with glitter, of course. They placed every single one of her snowmen out and there were a lot of them since that was her favorite Christmas thing.

When they decorated the tree, Elli’s heart just filled with such love at the act. She had never decorated a tree with a man and Shea was the perfect man for her first time. He asked a question about every ornament she had. Elli had been collecting Primitive ornaments since she was fourteen. Growing up she had always had a Christmas tree in her room, so she had a lot of old ornaments and it was nice to reminisce about each ornament. Elli was convinced he enjoyed it because afterwards he said they should go to the store to pick out some for him. She couldn’t agree quicker, which made him smile.

They had hung some of her Christmas photos she had done when he was in college, too. There was one of candy canes made to look like a heart, “love” written in the snow, and then one of her making a snow angel. She was admiring the one of her when Shea came into the living dressed for her friends that were coming over. He was wearing a pair of nice khaki dress pants with a dark red button up dress shirt. The first two buttons weren’t buttoned, his hair was done spiky, and he had his glasses on, something that still made her heart skip a beat. Even though the guys had lost the night before, he had a smile on his face.

“Is this okay?” he asked, running his hands down his shirt. She nodded as she came over, moving herself into his arms; he took her eagerly. “What?”

“The living room looks so beautiful,” she stated as she leaned her head down on his shoulder, he nodded. “It makes me happy.”

“Good, I love the pictures.”

“Me, too. I was thinking, the first snow fall, we should do a picture together of us making snow angels. Harper would take it.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said with a grin, as he looked down at her, “Looking good, baby, real good.”

She looked down at her vintage green with white polka dots dress. The dress was lined with black along the collar and a big black bow around the fitted top; it then puffed out with black netting underneath. She had paired it with stunning Jimmy Choo suede black peep toe heels that had matching crystals all over them. She had bought the shoes the first week Shea was gone, it was her pity gift to herself, and she loved them.

“Why thank you, the lady at the store says my eyes sparkle in this dress.”

“They do,” he said before kissing her softly on her bright red lips. The dinging of the oven broke up their kiss; Elli gave him a small smile before running off to the kitchen to take out her ham and stuffing. Everything was already laid out, so she added the ham and stuffing to the island, leaning back to inspect her work.

She had done good.

Shea walked behind her, heading back to the bedroom, so she yelled at him, “Hey, darlin’, can you grab the iHome and plug it up in the living room with my iPod?”

“Sure,” he said with a laugh. She glared towards the door cause she knew he was making fun of her accent, and continued to move around the kitchen, making sure everything was ready when he came back through with the iHome in hand. “This one right Darlin’?” he said in a horrible country accent.

Boston men cannot be country.

“Oh, hush!”

Shea laughed as he continued back into the living room, just as the doorbell rang. She assumed he would get it, and went to make sure the dining room was perfect just as she heard Harper’s voice rang through the condo. “Jeez! I thought you said you were just gonna set up the tree? It looks like Santa shit Christmas in here!”