Belle eyed the boxes with suspicion before turning back to Aden. “You want me to be Kevin’s Christmas present? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s already unwrapped me. Several times.”

Aden grinned. “He has, and I did notice, but he’s never painted you, has he?”

“He draws me all the time,” Belle protested.

“But he’s never painted you,” Aden pressed.

Belle didn’t quite understand what Aden was getting at, but she nodded. “No, just sketches.”

Aden pushed a box at her. “The thing you have to understand about Kevin is that painting is his calling. It’s not the only thing he’s good at, but I think it’s the only thing he really loves to do.”

Belle lifted the lid off the box, revealing several fresh bottles of acrylic paint. “Then why did he stop?”

Aden shrugged. “For the same reason he never became a professional chef, I guess.”

Belle set the box aside and leaned back on the bed. “And this is all we’re getting him? Not a new sweater, or a book, or something...personal?”

He frowned and Belle immediately felt guilty. She didn’t want to hurt Aden’s feelings or make him think she didn’t like the idea, Despite the last glorious six months, in some ways, she barely knew Kevin. But still, a box of paints didn’t seem like a very good Christmas gift.

“You don’t like it?” he asked, and she definitely heard disappointment in his voice.

“It’s not that I don’t like the idea in general,” she rushed to assure him. She looked down to her lap for a moment before answering. “I mean, I’ve seen the painting of you. The first one. And it was...I can’t even imagine him looking at me and seeing something so...”

Belle sighed, struggling with a nameless emotion that always snuck up on her when she thought of Kevin and Aden, and everything they had shared before they met her, everything they continued to share outside of her. It wasn’t quite jealousy--jealousy was harsh and it hurt. She never felt pain, but she always felt a little choked. Like something was cutting off her air supply.

“How do you know he wouldn’t?” Aden asked softly.

“Because I’m not you,” Belle said.

Aden tilted his head, studying her. She didn’t look up, but she could feel his eyes on her. It was as familiar a sensation as the nameless thing that climbed up her throat. “But you’re Belle.”

She snorted. “What does that even mean?”

“It means he loves you.” He reached for her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers. “You know our Kev. He’s shy.”

Now Belle laughed. “Kevin is not shy.”

Aden leaned forward, his voice dipping into a conspiratorial whisper. “Kevin is shy. And he gets flustered easily.”

Belle pushed him away. “Oh, he does not.”

“You want proof?”

“Proof? I’ve never seen that man flustered. Despite all your attempts.”

Aden winked. “That’s because he’s on to my tricks. You, on the other hand...”

“What tricks do I have?”

“A whole number of tricks, pet.” He reached behind him and picked up a long white box. “Now, if he sees you in this, he’s going to be rendered speechless.”

“Is speechless the same as flustered?” Belle asked, taking the box from him.

“No. Flustered is when you tell him you want him to paint your portrait.”

Belle fingered the edge of the box, deeply curious about the outfit Aden had picked out. She trusted his taste in clothes--he had never let her down yet--and she trusted his judgment when it came to Kevin’s tastes. But she still didn’t quite grasp how this could be considered a gift.

“But why would that make him flustered? He’s had people pay him to paint their portraits.”

Aden regarded her silently until she felt a slow blush climb up her face. He didn’t speak until she looked away. “You’ve had people pay you to write, but you still love it when Kevin tells you he likes something you created, don’t you?”

“Well...yes,” she admitted.

“It’s more or less the same principle.” He traced the edge of the box with his finger. “We can still go shopping for another present, if you like.”

“It’s a week until Christmas. Do you want to do this tonight?”

“I want to give him time to finish the portrait,” Aden said. “Or at least, finish the sketching. He’ll appreciate the extra time. I’d really like to give him this, Belle.”

Belle nodded. “That sounds like a fair deal. So...what’s in the box?”

“Open it and find out.”

Belle eagerly tore into the box, as though it was her Christmas present. She didn’t quite know what to expect--though it would probably be a dress. Aden had shown a real preference for her in short skirts and sheer stockings.

That’s not what she found in the box at all.

“I’ve had them tailored for you,” Aden said as she stared at the clothes.

“Well, that would explain why you asked for my measurements.”

“I know, it’s not typical for your wardrobe, but...”

It wasn’t typical at all. Not typical for what Aden bought her, not typical for what Kevin preferred, and certainly not typical for what she chose for herself. She had no idea what could have inspired Aden, and she didn’t know if it would work. Aden was looking at her expectantly, and she knew she needed to take it out of the box, to react, but she was a bit too skeptical to be excited.

“You think this is going to make him speechless?”

Aden nodded enthusiastically. “I think he’ll love it.” He pushed her shoulder gently. “Try it on.”

Belle nodded. There was no harm in humoring him. She smiled demurely and took the box, scurrying into the bathroom before he could protest. Aden always seemed to delight in watching her dress, though normally he insisted on undressing her, so it wasn’t very productive to attempt the matter in front of him.

She stripped out of her jeans and t-shirt quickly, and then began unpacking the box. First, a red thong. This wasn’t unexpected. She had acquired a great deal of sexy underwear in the past several months. Kevin and Aden were generous to a fault, though she imagined they had their own selfish motivations. Next came the garter belts, and then the red silk stockings. She couldn’t help but shiver as she slid them on, imagining the way it would feel when Kevin slid them off again.

The outfit did not come with a bra, which Belle understood after she saw the blouse Aden had chosen. It was backless, held on by a single thread of silk that tied behind her neck. In the sharp bathroom light, the white water silk looked almost transparent, showing off the swell of her breasts. Her nipples were like twin shadows, dusky beneath the flowing fabric.

Instead of a dress, Aden had bought a pair of black slacks. In the box they looked less than sexy. She couldn’t imagine any man getting turned on by them, until she put them on. They hung off her legs with a little flare, but hugged her ass lovingly. And she had to admit, as she examined herself in the full-length mirror, that no skirt or dress had ever been kinder to her backside.

Belle considered her hair with a critical eye. She would need to put it up. She didn’t know what Aden imagined, or how Kevin would want her to pose, but she thought maybe a French bun. Or maybe not. Maybe if she was going to be memorialized forever in a portrait, she should go have her hair and makeup done for her.

A sharp knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. “Does everything fit?”

“Perfectly,” Belle said, opening the door. A bolt of pleasure coursed through her at Aden’s immediate, open-mouth reaction.

“Wow,” he breathed.

She looked down at herself. “It’s not too bad. I’ll never doubt your taste again.”

“You doubted my taste?”

Belle smiled. “You’ve never bought anything like this for me.”

“Precisely.” He took her hand and spun her in a tight circle, letting out a low whistle. “But you have to admit I’m right. Kevin will love this. You need to leave.”

Belle’s smile faded. “What?”

“He’s going to be home any minute. You need to go out for a bit.”

“I do?” Belle shook her head. “What’s the plan? Do you want him to start tonight?”

“He’s going to want to start tonight.”

Belle’s skepticism returned. “He’s been at work since six this morning, and it’s nearly seven now. He’s just going to want to grab a bite to eat and go to sleep.”

“I thought you said you weren’t going to question my judgment again,” Aden said with a raised eyebrow.

She sighed in acquiescence. “What do you want me to do?”

“I took the liberty of booking you an appointment at the salon you like.”

“They close at six.”

“They agreed to stay open for you.”

Belle gave him a curious look. “You’ve really been planning this for a while, haven’t you?”

“It occurred to me over Thanksgiving.”

Belle had assumed that this was one of Aden’s spontaneous impulses. The sort of spontaneous impulse that usually delighted her and drove Kevin crazy. The fact that this was something he had planned, something he had put real effort into, quieted some of her doubts. He wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble if he thought it would blow up in his face.

“Okay,” she said softly.

“Okay?”

Belle nodded. “This is clearly really important to you, so it’s important to me. I won’t pretend to understand why or how this is going to work, but I do trust you.”

He beamed at her, and at that moment, she would happily follow him anywhere. “Great. Don’t worry about getting anything to eat. I’ll have something ready for you.”

“Oh, god. You aren’t cooking, are you?”

His smile didn’t fade. “Not at all.”

“Should I change first?”

Aden took one of his long coats from the closet and handed it to her. “Just wear this. Try to be back by nine.”

“What if I can’t get back by then?”

Aden draped the coat around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Has anybody ever told you that you worry too much?”

“You’ve mentioned it once or twice.”

She turned her head to catch his mouth, dipping her tongue between his lips. Aden responded instantly, his mouth opening to her kiss. For a moment, Belle forgot what she was wearing, where she was supposed to be going, and the rest of Aden’s plan. It was much easier to focus on the firm pressure of his lips, each demanding stroke of his tongue, and the way his hands moved down her back to press her body against his.

Aden broke the kiss first, looking at her with a hint of reproach. “If you keep that up, the whole plan is going to fall apart.”

Belle grinned at him. “I just wanted a kiss goodbye.”

He put his hand on her shoulder and guided her to the door. “Well, you’ve got it, so go.”

“I never thought you would kick me out of your bedroom,” she pouted.

“For once,” he pushed her purse into her hands and gave her another gentle shove to the door, “I’m delaying gratification.”

Belle was already a little wet and flushed from the kiss. “I hope the delay won’t be long.”