Under His Winter Gaze

Coralyn Calder has never had the luxury of slowing down. Between crushing responsibility and a mother she’s spent years saving from herself, survival has always come before desire. This Christmas, she chooses herself—for once. A sponsored escape to a lavish French resort promises distance from her past, silence from her guilt, and a brief illusion of peace. But fate has other plans. A ruined dress, a missed reservation, and a raging snowstorm leave her stranded… and sharing a suite with Orion Merrick. He’s dangerous in a way Coralyn isn’t prepared for—quiet, controlled, devastatingly handsome. A single father with a guarded heart, a watchful gaze, and a presence that strips her bare without a single touch. What begins as forced proximity turns intimate fast. Stolen moments. Lingering looks. His sharp-tongued daughter playing matchmaker. Nights that blur boundaries and make promises neither of them should want. Then her past arrives uninvited. Kade—her obsessive ex—appears at the resort, dragging secrets, violence, and unfinished business behind him. When Coralyn’s mother dies under suspicious circumstances, buried truths rise to the surface, and the holiday fantasy shatters into something lethal. Because this isn’t just about love anymore. It’s about survival. And some Christmas miracles don’t come wrapped in ribbon— they come wrapped in blood. Will Coralyn live long enough to claim hers?