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“Almost all of my life,” I admitted.
“They’re lovely people,” he said, shifting in his chair again. “And yes, I did mention that. So, you got my card and then?”
I nodded. “Yes, and then I put it away, not really thinking about it too much more, to be honest. A part of me still thought Mary was just... joking, you know? Pulling my leg, so to speak.”
Nicky nodded. “Not surprising and understandable.”
I took a moment to assess his expression. Was he joking? Or did he actually understand that most of the world didn’t realize that he existed? When I felt confident he was still intently listening, and wasn’t making fun of me, I continued. “So... Then, today arrived.”
“Christmas Day,” Nicky said, a huge grin spreading over his face. “The single best day of the year.”
I squirmed a little, looking away. “Yeah, I suppose.” For most people, maybe.But for me? Never.
“Not for you, huh?” he asked quietly.
I shook my head and munched on another tasty cookie, pushing all the raw emotions down by sheer force of will. “No. My parents aren’t... very, well...parental, I suppose you could say. And we don’t have any extended family, so it’s just the three of us. Most of my Christmas’s have been with Pansy and her parents or by myself.” Which, as an adult, meant a day of drinking, and watching movies on the couch, pretending that the rest of the world was just as miserable as I was.
“So, how did you end up here?” he pressed, pushing my glass of milk towards me. “Keep drinking. It helps balance out the sweetness of the cookies.” He made it sound like I had to eat to balance out the wine I was drinking, but it was so much healthier than that.
Even so, I gulped down some more milk and took another steadying breath. I didn’t really talk about my family much. I didn’t like how people judged me afterwards. But Pansy... well, she’d known my parents since we were too young for me to hide their behavior for them, so she understood. “Well... oh, this is going to sound silly. But when things didn’t work out the way they were supposed to today, I just kind of said out loud, that I wished I was in the North Pole with Santa, and away from all of my family drama.”
His swift intake of breath had me blushing. “I know... sorry. Mary said I just had to wish for it, but I didn’t actually expect that it would work. I promise! I was just so angry and desperate. Now, I really am here, and I’ve crashed your Christmas day too.”
He began to chuckle.
I tugged my gaze up to meet his, one eyebrow quirked with curiosity.
Then he started laughing his ass off.
I just stared. The beauty of his face, even when tugged into a truly hilarious expression, was still just breath taking. How did this guy have such an effect on me?
He slapped his thigh a few times, then finally stood up, still chortling, the hint of tears in his eyes.
I rose to my feet too, not sure exactly what was going on now. “Is something funny?” I asked.
He shook his head and reached out for me, his hand sliding around my waist in a surprisingly possessive move that had me gasping as he pulled me close to him.
We were so close that his belly was pressed firmly against mine and I had to push my palms into his chest and arch back so I could look up into his eyes. At this point, I really wasn’t sure what was going on.
His eyes sparkled with humor and happiness. “No, not funny at all,” he said, staring down at me. With that one look, his whole demeanor changed. He was no longer laughing.
I could feel the intensity around him shift.
His hands tightened on my waist and my breath hitched in my throat as he lowered his head and brushed his nose against mine, stopping an inch away from kissing me. “Did you know that I’ve been waiting for you to find me?” he whispered against my lips.
I gulped. “You have?” I managed to say back.
He nodded, clenching his jaw in an obvious attempt to restrain himself. “Yes. But part of me never thought you’d come here. I thought that I’d have to go out into the world to find you myself.”
His pecs were hard and flexed beneath my fingers and I found myself digging my nails into his soft sweater as the tension between us grew, rather than pushing him away. I wanted him to kiss me so much—more than I’d ever wantedanything.
This was the mystical Santa Claus. A magical man that I’d once believed to be nothing more than a fairy tale. So, either I was dreaming—or potentially unconscious at the bottom of my own staircase—which still remained a distinct possibility... or I really was the only damn human female in the North Pole, and I had this gorgeous man, Nicky, all to myself.
I lifted my chin, bringing my lips closer to his. So, close in fact I felt his breath against my skin. “So, now that Fate has brought me here,” I whispered, “what are you going to do about it?”
He dropped his head that final half inch and kissed me hard in response.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes, a maelstrom of emotion and sensation wrapping me up and throwing me into the eye of the storm.
