Seducing Santa (3 page)

“Okay.”

She sounded confused in her soft reply, and he felt her gaze on him as he walked down the short path to the stand of trees. At the last wooden step, he stopped. “Why is there sadness in your eyes, Neeva?”

“Do you want to be my Prince Charming now?” Neeva asked with a soft curve to her lips.

“If you want me to slay your dragons, you will have to tell me what they are.”

Her smile grew sad. “There are just some dragons that can’t be slain, Nicholas.” She got up off the step and went toward the door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, and that, my Neeva, is a promise.”

“I bet you will, Santa.”

He walked into the trees making sure she could not see him before he disappeared from sight. Nicholas was still watching as she cleaned up and made certain her home was secure for the night. She went into the bathroom and did her nighttime routine before going to bed with a book on her lap that she never opened. She turned off the light, and the small television in her bedroom cast a glow over her bed. She did not attempt to turn up the volume. Instead, she stared at the screen as if seeing right past it.

Standing at her window invisible from her sight, Nicholas saw his Neeva shake as a sob tore from her. He heard the anguish in the sound as it came from her over and over again. She was wracked with tears. So much despair came from her that he doubled over from the agony of hearing her cry. Something tore at her. She was broken so much that he wondered what caused her to have this heartache. Seeing the woman he intended to have as his wife cry was too much to bear. Nicholas felt tears fall as he cried with her without her knowing. He stood there until her tears subsided and she fell into a troubled sleep. He only knew he stood there all night watching over her until the sun’s first rays broke through the twilight and spilled across the sand.

Chapter Three

Being a god made getting a room at the finest hotel easy. Money was no option, and with a charming smile, he had people bending over backward to make sure he was happy. In the shower of his hotel suite, Nicholas let the hot spray of water cascade down him. He shuddered as he remembered how Neeva cried. He had wanted to rush in and grab her to him. He would have comforted her until every tear was dry, but he knew it would have been too much for her. Too soon for her to see his true self and for her to reveal her secrets to him.

He finally stepped from the shower and looped a thick towel around his waist. He walked over to the mirror and stared at his reflection. Three days until Christmas. Was there enough time to show Neeva his love and win her in return? Doubt began to surface, and Nicholas needed answers from the only one he knew would understand. He took his finger and, with whispered words of magic, drew an intricate pattern on the glass. With each word, the lines he drew glowed and shimmering then disappeared, and were replaced by mist. Out of this mist, his mother’s smiling face came into view.

“Nicholas, my son, where are you that you are using the Old Language to call me?” Joko asked, affection lacing her words.

“I am in Trinidad. I needed a slight break from the rush.”

Joko frowned. “It is so close to the celebration. Your worldwide trip will take all night. Do you think it wise to be gone?”

“Mother, I found her, the one you spoke of who would wrap herself around my heart and never let go.”

“Oh, that is joyous news!” Joko clasped her hands to her chest. “But why this troubled look, Does she not return your feelings?”

“There is something there but something has torn at her soul, and she has a sadness that surrounds her,” Nicholas replied. “How do I handle this? I feel her already in my heart, and if I do not tread with caution, all could be lost and in three days.”

“You must handle her with tenderness. All will be revealed when she is ready. You cannot rush anything as delicate as this. Do what you must. I will help Horace with the preparations to give you as much time as I can.”

“I cannot expect the goddess wife of Odin . . .”

“Before I became your father’s wife, I was your mother first,” Joko said. “I can do this for my son. Besides, I have not been a part of the workshop in ages. It will do me good to be there again.”

“Thank you,.” Nicholas kissed his fingers and pressed them against the glass.

“You’re welcome, my Christkindl.” His mother smiled as she faded into the mist. “Now go and capture this woman’s heart.”

The last thing he heard was her squeal of delight, “Grandchildren!” before the mirror lost the magic. Nicholas grinned as he dressed in haste to head out to the beach. With renewed hope, he walked out his room and onto the warm sand. He was going to win Neeva’s heart and slay her dragon. That was what a prince did for his maiden.

* * * *

Neeva woke in the morning as she usually did. She went about her usual routine, but this time, she found a soft smirk on her lips. Her dreams were troubled as they were every night until she slipped into darkness. Instead, this night the troublesome dreams did not come. In its place was Nicholas’s face that took up that space. The light in his eyes when he left for the night and the kiss they shared were center in her thoughts.
He is crazy as a loon, but damn, he is a good kisser.

She walked out onto her veranda with a cup of tea and watched the day begin on the island. The hotel workers were opening the beach umbrellas and cleaning off the lounge chairs for the day’s tourists. The day cruises and other boats were still on the dock, but already the smells of Caribbean gourmet breakfasts and coffee filled the air. Usually by now she would already have her rental shop open, but today she stood on her deck enjoying the new day. It had been a long time since she stood and just appreciated her island home. It was hard to believe that years ago, she had been ready to leave it all. Before her mind went to other thoughts that would blacken her mood, Neeva turned to put her cup in the kitchen and begin her day.

“Do you have an extra cup of that?” he called out to her, and her lips formed in a smile.

“Don’t you stay in a hotel that has that gourmet coffee and tea?” Neeva asked as he bounded up her steps.

“Gourmet is overrated.”

Nicholas grinned at her, and Neeva felt the butterflies in her tummy start. “Fine, you can go get a cup in my kitchen. I have to open the shop.”

“I’ll help,” Nicholas offered.

Before she could refuse his offer, he was through her kitchen door and out of earshot. Neeva shook her head in amusement at how Nicholas had already become a sight she was accustomed to. By the time he boarded a plane to go back to wherever he was from, she knew she would miss him. She walked out to the rental shop, a wooden addition to the side of her house. It was built with love. The roof was tin, but palm fronds were plaited to it. That, along with the tiki torches and hibiscus plants at the front entrance, gave Monroe Beach Rentals a beach hut kind of feel.

A breeze picked up the scent of poinsettias and snow on the mountain bushes growing alongside her home. The vibrant reds and whites set the tone for many houses around the island. These plants only bloomed for the Christmas season, and their smell could get anyone in the holiday spirit. There would be no Christmas lights around her house or even any decorations. She would make sure that the season came and went without any fanfare.

Nicholas’s soft voice came from behind her. “Hey, come back.”

His arms went around her, and he pulled her against him. She could feel his warmth against her back. Neeva couldn’t resist the urge to snuggle close to him for just a moment and immerse herself in the comfort and security he gave off. It had been so long since she had been held. Being in Nicholas’s embrace felt so right, just like his kiss the night before. Neeva pulled away suddenly. She could feel her walls shake. He could possibly be the one to crumble them, and she didn’t know how to deal with that feeling.

“So you want to help, hmm?” Neeva forced a smile. She felt him searching her eyes but ignored his stare. “Are you sure you don’t want to be out jet setting like a rich tourist should be doing?”

“How can you assume I am a rich tourist?” Nicholas raised one eyebrow.

“A trip to this island around this season is not cheap by anyone’s standard, but you are right. I am assuming. You must have saved all year for this, so why spend it in my stuffy rental shop?”

“The shop gets some extra muscle, but I get to spend the day with you. I see it as a win-win situation.”

“Maybe you won’t be saying that after helping customers out on the beach all day.” Neeva unlocked the door to the shop.

“I have one boon to ask of you, though.”

Nicholas passed by her and pushed open the big wide windows that faced the water. His muscles rippled as he opened the heavy shutters, and Neeva couldn’t help but stare in appreciation. The counter stood next to the window, and her chair was right there. Customers would be walking up to those windows soon to rent a Jet Ski or a banana tube to ride the waves. When it was slow, she could look out into the crystal blue water and enjoy the scene before her.

“So what’s this boon, Nicholas?” Neeva asked when he turned back to her direction.

“Go with me tonight to the Christmas festival in town.”

Neeva felt panic rise in her throat. “I-I don’t know. I haven’t been there in a long time.”

“All the more reason you should start going again.” Nicholas encouraged her with a smile and covered his heart with his hand. “Please give this lowly man a chance to enjoy a wonderful night with the most beautiful lady he has ever seen.”

“Nicholas . . .”

“Tell me, Neeva. Let me be there for you, please. I won’t let you fall.”

He came closer, and his scent filled her nose. She could swear she could smell peppermint.

Neeva made her voice light. “There’s nothing to tell.” She couldn’t let him in. He would only be here for a short time. “I’ll go with you since you are being such a good man to help me today.”

Nicholas grinned. “You have made my day absolute perfection.”

“Sure, sure, you know Santa Claus shouldn’t be doing hard work on his vacation.”

“You wouldn’t believe how much work I have this time of year. This is the most relaxed I have been in a long time,” Nicholas responded.

Neeva rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. “I thought you would have given up the notion, but you’re going stick with the Saint Nicholas thing, aren’t you?”

“Yup.”

“I’m going out with a maniac later.”

“How about a kiss to seal the deal?”

“No.”

“Please, just a little one.”

“Don’t make me regret this, Nicholas.”

“Oh, all right.”

This was how the rest of the day went for Neeva, with Nicholas teasing her, and she played right along. She felt herself smiling more often than not. She was apprehensive about the night. He could make her forget it all. Feeling anything filled her with fear, but she was also excited about spending more time with her pretend Santa Claus.

Chapter Four

It seemed as if the day flew by like a lightning strike. People came, and in only a few hours, everything that Neeva owned that could float on the water was rented out. All except one. Nicholas grinned as he skimmed across the water on a Jet Ski with her arms wrapped around his waist. After he had convinced her to take a ride with him, she closed the shop and ran inside to change. When she came out of those doors, Nicholas was speechless. She wore an aquamarine bikini that covered only the essentials. He wanted to kiss each patch of skin and see if it all tasted the same. Now as they rode the waves, her thighs were pressed against his an intimate gesture. It was all he could do to keep his mind on working the Jet Ski.