An Unexpected Holiday Gift Read online

  A Season for Seduction

  NBA star and oil company heir Keylan “KJ” Kingsley is the ultimate player on and off the court. When a midgame scuffle leads to community service, he opts to devote his hours to his family’s cherished foundation. And once he meets no-nonsense charity executive Mia Ramirez, he’s driven to prove there’s more to him than the wary beauty believes.

  Single mother Mia isn’t impressed by KJ’s wealth and fame. Her college sweetheart abandoned her—and their baby—to follow his hoop dreams. But KJ is a caring man beneath his superficial image, making an easy connection with her young son. Soon Mia plunges into a sensual relationship that ignites dreams of forever, until KJ returns to the court...and the headlines. Will the glare of celebrity blind them to the family that could be theirs by Christmas?

  Mia was overwhelmed by all the emotions she was experiencing. Desire was one thing that she could handle. This was something else—a feeling of security, trust...family.

  Mia felt Keylan’s hand rise from her shoulder and land in her hair, where he removed the clip and placed it on the small table that sat behind the sofa, allowing Mia’s hair to fall free.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered, trying not to disturb Colby, who had his eyes closed.

  “I prefer it this way. Do you have a problem with that?” he asked, running his fingers through her curls.

  “No,” she uttered, looking up into his passion-filled eyes. She raised her chin, offering herself to him, and Keylan didn’t hesitate.

  Keylan leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. He cupped Mia’s face with his right hand and the kiss became more passionate. Colby stirred and Keylan dropped his hand and leaned his forehead against hers. Mia whispered, “I thought I was in this alone.”

  “Not hardly...”

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed the first installment in The Kingsleys of Texas series, Always My Baby. It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to the youngest member of the family, Keylan “KJ” Kingsley. Not all the Kingsley heirs accept the destiny set forward by their birth.

  They say love and basketball don’t mix. In An Unexpected Holiday Gift, Keylan Kingsley and Mia Ramirez seem to agree. However, their undeniable attraction to each other and the developing bond between Keylan and Mia’s young son tells a very different story.

  I love interacting with my readers, so please let me know how you liked Keylan and Mia’s story and look out for what’s in store for the only married Kingsley son. Let’s see if love and marriage can survive secrets and blackmail. You can follow and contact me on Facebook or Twitter, @KennersonBooks.

  Peace and love,

  Martha

  AN UNEXPECTED HOLIDAY GIFT

  Martha Kennerson

  Martha Kennerson’s love of reading and writing is a significant part of who she is, and she uses both to create the kinds of stories that touch your heart. Martha lives with her family in League City, Texas, and believes her current blessings are only matched by the struggle it took to achieve such happiness. To find out more about Martha and her journey, check out her website at marthakennerson.com.

  Books by Martha Kennerson

  Harlequin Kimani Romance

  Protecting the Heiress

  Seducing the Heiress

  Tempting the Heiress

  Always My Baby

  An Unexpected Holiday Gift

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  I’d like to dedicate this book to my eight-year-old muse, Keylan. Thank you for not only letting me “borrow” your name for my hero, but also allowing me to share with the world parts of your personal journey. It’s such an honor to be able to show just how cool and special a kid with Down syndrome can be.

  Contents

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Excerpt from Desire in a Kiss by Nicki Night

  Chapter 1

  Keylan Kingsley walked in a circle, admiring his surroundings before coming to a stand in the middle of the large NBA-inspired gym outfitted with an oversize scoreboard and arena-style seating. Standing with his legs slightly apart, bouncing a basketball, he wore a black handmade Italian suit, a taupe-colored collarless shirt, black loafers and dark aviator sunglasses.

  He looked up and scanned the ceiling, admiring all the banners that hung overhead; thirty of them, to be exact. They all represented championships won by various community leagues that this foundation supported. Keylan’s mind flashed back to a time when he’d played on one of those community championship teams and the memory made him smile.

  “My, how time flies,” Keylan murmured to himself, placing the ball on the floor.

  “Yes, it does. May I help you with something, Mr. Kingsley?” a sweet voice asked.

  Keylan James Kingsley, or KJ, as he was known by his family, friends and legions of fans, was the youngest son and only heir to the Kingsley family’s billion-dollar oil and gas conglomerate who chose not to follow his siblings into the business. The twenty-six-year-old basketball star was a marquee player for the Houston Carriers.

  Keylan turned toward the sound and his breath caught in his throat. He felt like he’d just been hit in the chest by a wayward basketball. Damn! She’s stunning...and fine, too. This might not be so bad, after all. “I certainly hope so, little momma,” he proclaimed, offering up a sexy smile, removing his sunglasses and placing them in the inside pocket of his jacket.

  The beautiful woman standing several feet away wore blue jeans and a white T-shirt, both splattered with green and yellow paint. She rolled her eyes skyward, dropped her shoulders and placed her left hand on her hip. “I may be petite, Mr. Kingsley, but I’m certainly not your mother,” she replied. Her voice had a sharp edge to its tone.

  Maybe I spoke too soon. “My apologies.” Keylan raised both hands in surrender. “You have me at a disadvantage. You know me but I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure, although you do look familiar.”

  “Mia Ramirez,” said the feisty, olive-skinned beauty.

  “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. You missed a spot,” he said, pointing at the pristine-white tennis shoes she wore.

  Mia looked down briefly before returning her gaze to Keylan, where she gifted him with a wide smile that lit up her eyes. It was as if she’d just experienced a pleasant memory.

  Wow! “So...is it Ms. or Mrs. Ramirez?” he asked with a slightly raised left eyebrow.

  “I’m the foundation’s activities director. What can I do for you, Mr. Kingsley?” she replied, dropping her smile, clearly unwilling to answer his not so subtle question.

  Keylan set his
mouth in a tight line. His legendary charm clearly wasn’t having an effect on Mia Ramirez. By now he should have her number, address and be making plans to meet up later. He gave his head a slow shake, pushed out a quick breath and said, “I have some mandatory community service hours I need to—”

  “Let me guess,” Mia interrupted, nodding as she slowly walked toward him. “You’d like me to work with your assistant or someone to set up some type of photo opportunity with the kids where you come in and present us with a check.” She stopped and stood two feet in front of Keylan.

  “Well—”

  “No, wait. I got it.” Mia held up her left index finger and her nose crinkled as though she’d just encountered a foul smell. “You have a couple of signed balls you want to give me to auction off for the proceeds. You get a photo op, the hours you need, of course, and I get a big check...literally.”

  Mia might look like a kid with the cute high ponytail and minimal makeup she wore, but looks were deceiving. Keylan folded his arms across his chest and stared down at Mia. “Seems like you already have a set of brass ones. You certainly don’t need any additional balls from me.”

  Mia’s mouth flew open but quickly closed as she matched his stance. They stood glaring at each other in silence. While Keylan liked Mia’s moxie, he didn’t know what angered him more: the fact that she’d made such judgmental assumptions about him or, given his time restraints lately and the fact that he hadn’t spent much time in a place he loved so much, that she had every right to question his sincerity. Keylan’s aunt Elizabeth ran their foundation and had been trying to get him to spend more time there for years.

  Keylan dropped his arms. “Look, Ms....Mrs.... whatever—”

  “Mia is fine,” she offered.

  “I’m not here to put on some show and get out of doing my community service. In fact, until about—” he checked the time on his Bulgari Diagono watch “—eight minutes ago, I was really looking forward to spending time here...with the kids.”

  Mia dropped her arms and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Well, if you’re serious about putting in some real time here, we could always use a few extra reliable hands. I think our kids would love seeing you, too.”

  “But clearly not you.” Keylan smirked.

  “My personal feelings aren’t important. This is your family’s foundation...you can come and go as you please. Besides, you really don’t want to know what I think,” she murmured, turning to walk away.

  “Oh, but I do,” he assured her.

  Mia turned back to face Keylan and placed her fingertips in her pants’ pockets. “I wouldn’t want to insult my boss’s nephew right to his face.” She smirked.

  “It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think? I’m a big boy—I can handle it.” Keylan leaned forward. “And I can keep a secret.” Keylan returned to his full height.

  Mia smiled. “In my experience, Mr. Kingsley, men like you—”

  Keylan tilted his head slightly to the right. “Men like me?” He ignored his buzzing cell phone.

  “Yes, men too busy for their own good. Do you need to get that?” she said, gesturing toward his pocket with her head.

  “No, please continue,” he insisted.

  “Men that think the world revolves around them. Men that think they can simply smile, lie, buy or flirt their way out of doing the right thing. Men like that—” Mia mirrored his tilted head “—don’t care about anything or anyone but themselves, and they certainly don’t have time for a bunch of kids they don’t know whose families can’t afford to buy their child’s favorite sports player’s overpriced shoes that they had made overseas for three dollars.”

  “Wow.” Keylan circled Mia, coming to stand behind her. He leaned forward, ignoring the sweet scent of vanilla radiating from her petite body and the rise and fall of her breasts making his crotch suddenly uncomfortable, and spoke softly. “Good thing I’m not one of those men.”

  “We’ll see,” she said, taking a step forward and turning to face him. Keylan’s phone buzzed again. “You sure you don’t need to get that?”

  Probably. However, I won’t give you the satisfaction. “No, I’m good. When and where do we start?”

  “If you follow me to the office, we can go over the schedule.”

  “After you.”

  Mia turned and Keylan couldn’t help but admire her firm backside as his body reacted instantly. Calm down, boy...not just yet.

  “Did you say something?” Mia asked and stopped, looking over her shoulders.

  Did I say that out loud? “No, but what’s with the paint?”

  Mia smirked. “We were painting one of the smaller rooms. It got...messy.”

  “I guess you weren’t wearing those tennis shoes.”

  “Nope, socks.” Mia started back toward her office.

  “Wait. Why were you painting a room? I can’t believe my aunt wouldn’t hire someone to handle that for you.”

  Mia laughed and the sound sent a strange feeling throughout his body. “It was more of a fun activity for the kids than a real painting job, but you’re right, your aunt wouldn’t have allowed such a thing to happen.”

  “Now, that I can believe.” Keylan scanned the halls as they proceeded. “Some things never change.”

  “Pardon me?”

  “Thanksgiving was last week and this place is already decked out like Santa’s workshop, with Christmas still several weeks away. The Christmas tree at the front entrance is beautiful, by the way. I love all the kids’ ornaments on it.”

  “Yes, the decorators were here first thing Friday morning.” Mia visibly forced a smile. “I’m just glad they used the stuff the kids made. They would have been very disappointed.”

  * * *

  Mia could feel Keylan’s eyes on her as they made their way down the quite long hall. She couldn’t understand how such an arrogant man, king of the playboys and known as an aggressive player on the basketball court, could have her body responding in a way it hadn’t in years. So what if he was tall, with a sun-kissed tan, and handsome beyond reason? Why had her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him, and why had the sudden ache and weight of her breasts made Mia think she was wearing the wrong size bra?

  It had been years since twenty-six-year-old Mia had been even remotely attracted to anyone. It wasn’t as if she didn’t like men; it was just that dating and sex wasn’t a priority of the mother to a four-year-old boy with Down syndrome. Mia hated the idea that it was Keylan that had awakened her dormant and sexually deprived body. To make things worse, she’d basically insulted her boss’s nephew to his face. Nice going, Mia.

  Mia led Keylan into a midsize office several doors down from the gym. An oak desk with a salt finish sat on the right side of the room across from a large bay window that looked out over the playground. A dry-erase calendar on the wall behind Mia’s desk outlined the year-long activities that were in several different stages of planning.

  “Please have a seat, Mr. Kingsley,” she said, taking a seat behind her desk.

  The left wall of custom shelves was filled with a few personal photos and years of memorabilia from the many events and activities she’d conducted, along with awards she’d received during her tenure. “It’s Keylan, or KJ, if you prefer,” he said, admiring all the objects on her shelves. “How long have you worked for my family?”

  “Almost five years,” she replied to his back, trying to ignore the way his perfectly cut suit draped his Greek-god-like physical form.

  “I can’t believe we haven’t met before, especially since you’re the one who organized the annual three-on-three basketball tournaments, the charity bowling and the Holiday Toys for Tots drive. Those are our three biggest charity events.”

  “I started right after you were drafted into the NBA. How do you know that I was the one who organiz
ed those events?” she asked, her forehead creased.

  Keylan turned toward her, pointing at the awards she’d received from both the mayor of Houston and several city council members. “It says so right here.”

  “Oh...yeah, well, I’m usually working the events, which means I’m too busy to enjoy them.” Mia shook her mouse to wake up her computer so she could check her emails. “If you can direct your attention to the whiteboard, we can see what we can do to get you the hours you need.”

  Keylan folded his six-foot-five-inch frame and took a seat in one of the oval, white leather chairs in front of her desk. “Why weren’t you at last year’s toy drive event?”

  “How do you know I wasn’t?”

  “Because I was there and I would have remembered you.” He smiled, showing off a perfect set of white teeth. “Plus, my mother and aunt personally thanked everyone there for all their hard work. So...why weren’t you there?”

  “I only have to organize the toy drive. I’m not required to work it. Plus, I had other plans. Besides, I’m not a big fan of all the pomp and circumstance the holiday brings.”

  Keylan sat forward. “What? You don’t like all the decorations, the lights, the parties, all those presents? Or is it a religious thing for you?”

  “I take it you do.”

  “Of course.”

  “No, it’s not a religious thing,” she replied, shaking her head. “I think celebrating Christmas is fine—it’s just not my favorite time of year,” she explained.

  “There’s got to be a story there,” he concluded.

  “There isn’t, and my assistant, Sandra, prefers to work that particular event.”

  “You call me, boss lady?” Sandra asked as she entered the room wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt with the words Kingsley Foundation printed in large red letters across it. She came to a quick stop after catching sight of Keylan.

  “No. But since you’re here...Sandra White, this is—”

  “KJ. I know who he is,” she replied, flipping her sandy-blond hair off her shoulder. Sandra looked at Mia as though she had insulted her intelligence.