The Naughty List Bundle with The Night Before Christmas & Yule Be Mine. Fern Michaels
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did.
“Why don’t you go and break Santa in, Christie?” Daniel said, raising his voice a bit. “Come on, just go tell the man what you want for Christmas.”
Santa had taken his seat on the giant chair/throne. He tilted his head back and stared at her. Then he patted his lap and crooked his finger. At her.
More laughter.
The champagne seemed to burn in her belly. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Charles heading toward the end of the growing line. He was minus his new girlfriend.
“Uh, Christie?” Daniel’s voice was whisper soft again. “Everyone’s waiting.”
Let ’em wait. The words were on the tip of her tongue. But a good girl wouldn’t say that, right?
Santa patted his muscular leg again. “Come tell me what you want.” His deep voice carried so easily.
Christie shoved her empty flute at Daniel. “Get rid of this, will you?” She sucked in more pine-tasting air and got ready to tell Santa exactly what she wanted.
Her steps were slow but certain as she approached the Santa Stud and his throne. His eyes were on her, so watchful.
Do it. The whisper came from deep inside. A challenge, a dare. It came from the wilder Christie, the side she always kept so carefully controlled.
Do it.
What did she have to lose?
She stopped in front of him, and the long edge of her skirt teased his boots. “Um, hi.” Right. That sounded confident and sexy.
Santa caught her fingers with his gloved hand and pulled. Christie found herself on Santa’s lap. A lap that was even harder and stronger up close. Her left hand flew out and pressed against his stomach as she struggled to balance herself.
Definitely not jelly in there. Though she hadn’t felt them often in her life, a woman knew rock-hard abs when they pressed against her, even if those abs were hidden by a slightly rough red coat.
“Hello, there.” His breath blew against her hair. “No need to be afraid of old Santa.”
Obviously, he didn’t know her that well. If he did, he would’ve known that she was afraid of everything.
She glanced back up at his eyes. Very faint laugh lines graced the edges of his green eyes. No old St. Nick. A Santa in his prime.
A Santa with a toes-curling sexy voice.
He released her hand and began to search through his bag of presents. She kept straddling his leg. Not so graceful.
“I’m sure I have something in here for a good girl like you.”
She saw red—and not just from his suit. Christie broke as her wild side surged free. She grabbed his hand.
Santa froze. His gaze caught hers once more.
Her heartbeat shook her whole body as she told him, “You don’t have what I want in there.” She pitched her voice low, not wanting anyone to overhear. “Trust me on this. What I need isn’t in that bag.”
Those gorgeous eyes narrowed a bit. “What is it that you want for Christmas, pretty lady?”
She leaned in even closer, trying hard to balance on his legs. Santa sucked in a sharp breath, and she was about fifty percent sure she hadn’t kneed him in the groin. “I want…”
His head inched toward hers.
The white of his beard tickled her cheek. Christie inched up, heading for his ear. This was a request she needed to whisper.
What am I doing? What?!
Her gaze darted around the room. Daniel was talking to one of the managers, totally oblivious to her. From the end of the line, Charles stared at her with a furrow between his pale brows. Marsha and Lydia were in the corner, whispering. Probably talking about her.
Boring…I think he was seeing Vicki while they were together.
Her back teeth clenched. So tired of playing this game. For once, once…I just want to take what I need.
“I can keep a secret,” Santa told her, his voice strangely quiet, carrying only to her ears. She turned back to him, forgetting the others as he said, “Tell me what you want.”
Right then, there was one thing she wanted, and those gleaming eyes seemed to promise it to her. Christie wet her lips, leaned in even closer to St. Nick, and let her wild side free as she quietly confessed, “Santa, I want a really good time.” Sex with me is never boring. If only.
He stiffened beneath her, his whole body hardening.
“Know where I can find that?” she asked, her voice husky as she pulled back.
His eyes seemed to burn her. “Oh, I think I—”
“Come on, Christie!” Daniel called out. “Stop hogging Santa! We’ve got a line here.”
She eased off Santa’s lap. He grabbed her wrist and held tight.
“I know,” Santa finished, that deep voice sending a tremble right through her.
Oh, she just bet he did. Christie tugged her hand free and hurried back as the champagne-induced courage began to desert her.
“Wait, Christie!” Daniel said. “You didn’t get your present! You can’t—”
“Maybe I’ll get it later.” She brushed by him as her heart raced too fast. What did I just do?
“Don’t worry. She’ll definitely get her present later.”
Oh, hell. His voice. She’d propositioned Santa Stud…and the guy had accepted her offer.
Jonas Kirk watched Christie Tate’s sweet ass as she all but ran away from him. Her words echoed in his ears.
Santa, I want a really good time. Holy shit. Had the woman wanted to give him a heart attack? Or just a serious hard-on?
“Dude…the presents,” Daniel growled the words.
Jonas realized he was straining to see Christie’s ass. Couldn’t really help that. The woman had a first-class ass. Put that with her come-and-get-me, blue bedroom eyes and the mouth made for sin…and you had a woman who’d been tempting him for almost fifteen years.
And she’d just asked me for sex.
Screw the presents. Jonas waved his hands toward the bag. “Christmas bonuses are inside…come and get ’em!”
Daniel’s eyes—several shades lighter than Christie’s—bulged. “What are you doing?”
The crowd swarmed.
Jonas yanked off his beard. “Spreading Christmas cheer.” He shoved through the group. Sure, he’d promised his buddy that he’d pop in and play Santa, and Jonas didn’t really mind the gig. It was a nice break from his usual routine of catching criminals but—
He knew Christie, and he knew when the woman was about to run. After all, she’d spent most of her life running from him.
Because she knows how much I want her?
He’d always tried so hard to hold the hunger in check when he was around her. Sweet Christie Tate. The girl-genius who’d been dropped in his college class even though she was only sixteen. The girl with the slow, innocent smile. The girl who always smelled like strawberries. The girl who’d become a woman he craved. A woman who’d been hands-off for so long.
A woman he wasn’t about to let vanish.
He rounded the corner and caught a glimpse of her hair, long and black, right before the elevator door closed.
Shit.
Jonas shoved open the stairwell door and rushed down the stairs. If he was lucky, he’d