“The sky is so much more riveting,” she says.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more riveting than what I’m looking at now,” I tell her.
She shivers in my arms. “Cheesy line but I like it.”
“Are you cold?” I ask, worried, pulling her closer into my arms.
She shakes her head, “no.”
“Then what?”
Her face curves into my neck and I know she’s feeling shy again.
“You’re just so handsome,” she whispers against my skin. “And…”
“And?” I prod, admittedly pleased with her words.
“And apparently you make me burst out into Christmas carols before screaming your name,” she says quietly. When I say nothing, she adds. “Come on, you know you’re sexy Santa on a stick— oh wow can’t believe I just said that out loud and yet here I am wondering how many licks does it take to get to the center of your?—”
I cut her off with a searing kiss then curl my hands into her hair and pull her head back gently so I can see her face before crashing my mouth against hers again. She kisses me back like air doesn’t matter and I have to wonder if anything ever will have meaning without her in my life?
For now I have her.
For now she’s in my arms.
For now, this is all that matters.
Tomorrow, I will have enough to face.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Iwake up naked, wrapped in Stetson’s arms—in Santa’s sleigh.
In Santa’s sleigh. Yes.
I can’t deny the facts currently slapping me in the face via icy cold wind.
I tilt my head back. The sky stretches endlessly above, ink-black and freckled with stars so bright they look hand-placed, like heaven got carried away showing off and forgot that might be too much for mere mortals to bear. The air is so still it hums. My chest tightens. Is it an ache at what I’m seeing or an ache of what’s to come?
It’s beautiful. Too beautiful.
And for a second, I can’t shake the feeling that none of this is real. That my reality has nothing to do with pretty skies, mind blowing sex, and men who actually know what to do with their hands. I’m afraid that if I breathe too hard, it might all disappear.
From the moment I set eyes on this man when he squared off against a polar bear—it’s been surreal, I mean the fact that I can even say he squared off with nature is wild. And hell, that was only two days ago!
Two daysand my life has changed in the most dramatic and chaotic of ways.
I’m officially hooked on a man I just met but feel as though I’ve known for an eternity. When we were together it was more than just passion. It felt like there was more at play—like this is what I’d been waiting for my entire life that every disappointment, dead end road, and tear was worth it because of his stupid sleigh and beautiful smile and stories of reindeers. Maniacal laughter almost bubbles out of me because this is crazy but it’s my reality. Maybe all of it was worth it. I turn and steal a glance at him.
He’s still asleep.
This man. I mean…
Just look at him.
He’s so freaking gorgeous.
His face is relaxed in sleep, making him look more boyish and stress free, with none of life’s weight or strain—not that he has a lot to worry about. But still. Even rich people who are related to Santa Claus have problems.
