'Tis the season for second chances, and mine just walked back into my life wearing a perfectly tailored tux and a Scrooge-worthy scowl. Zane Mercer—the same bad boy who used to steal my dark chocolate espresso cookies in high school—is somehow even more delicious ten years later. Thanks to his younger brother Asher's generous investment and business mentoring, my best friend Ivy and I are finally opening our dream bakery in downtown Chicago. Everything was sugar and spice until Zane started showing up, criticizing our plans while undressing me with those ice-blue eyes. I can't tell if he wants to shut us down or pin me under the mistletoe. Maybe it's the magic of the season, or maybe it's the way he keeps finding excuses to get me alone at holiday parties, but our heated arguments are starting to feel a lot like foreplay. Behind that frosty exterior, I catch glimpses of warmth. And when he threatens to stuff my stocking with coal for testing his legendary control? Well, suddenly being on the naughty list doesn't sound so bad. Everyone says mixing business with pleasure is a recipe for disaster. But as Christmas draws closer and the chemistry between us gets hotter than my bakery’s freshly baked gingerbread, I'm starting not to care what ends up in my stocking—as long as it's from him.