The Naughty List (21 page)

“Yeah, I thought that. I took a coal hit a couple years ago, but I ended up with a lot more New Year’s resolutions.”

He watched her face. Was she kidding? She smiled most of the time, so it was hard to tell when she wasn’t serious.

“What did you want?” she asked. Her cheeks were a little pinker as if his perusal was making her uncomfortable, but she hadn’t stopped smiling.

He shrugged. “I heard that you were up and wanted to talk.”

“
It’s a Wonderful Life
just started playing for the hundredth time. I haven’t seen it this year.”

“Is that a movie?”

Hannah’s eyes widened, and she reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him into her room. “You’ve never experienced Christmas if you haven’t sat through it—like it or not.”

“There’s a chance I won’t like it? I don’t do things I don’t like.”

Turning, she narrowed her eyes. “Wow, that’s a pretty comfy gig you’ve got there. Mortals have to suffer through things they don’t like
all
the time.” She backed up, tugging him by his hand. When she bumped against the bed, she glanced at the quilt-covered king and bit her lower lip.

He knew what she was thinking. “Speaking of things I like…” He watched the flush as it rose from the v-neck pajama top, up her slender neck, and across her face’s delicate bone structure. His focus stopped on her mouth—that amazing mouth.

She dropped his hand and jabbed him in the chest with her finger. “No, you’ll get your immortal tail kicked back to your room if you try anything. Especially with Jimmy Stewart on… that’s just gross.”

Huh. He’d get to spend time with Hannah, but it might not be spent doing something he’d enjoy. The only other option seemed to be going back to his room—alone. “Okay.”

“You’ll behave?”

He shrugged. He’d try anything once… maybe.

Hannah hopped up on the bed and scooted back toward the pillows at the headboard. She watched him warily the whole time. “Maybe you should put a t-shirt on.”

“Is that so I’ll behave or so you’ll behave?” He crawled across the bed.

Shaking her head, Hannah licked her lips. “In a week, you’ll be tired of me, and you’ll have moved on to someone more interesting. I’m not going to be a casualty to that.”

Frowning, Zeit sat back on his heels. “I’ve been keeping you safe for a year now, and I haven’t grown tired of you in that time.”

“Yeah, but technically, I only
met
you earlier today.”

True.

“I have no proof that you won’t be bored of me in a week and go back to only doing things that are easy.”

“Well, in a week…” He swallowed. Oh, hell. His chest was doing that aching thing again. In a week, she’d be dead. Her use of the word casualty might be ominously correct. Getting her out of his system seemed not only unlikely, but using her that way when there was a chance she wouldn’t be around after New Year’s… There was a spike of something not unlike dread in his heart, possibly with shades of what mortals called “guilt,” making it ache worse.

This wasn’t his fault. He’d saved her life a year ago. He’d saved her thirty-nine times since then. He clenched his teeth to prevent himself from reaching up and rubbing at his chest again. If mortals felt this frequently, no wonder their hearts gave out.

“In a week… what?” she asked.

“Nothing.” He flipped away from her and slid back against the headboard beside her. “We’ll watch this movie I might not like. Maybe it’ll help me sleep.” If he could sleep, he’d have a few hours without this sinking realization his beautiful mortal might take a part of him with her.

Two hours later, he picked up the remote and turned off the TV which was about to start replaying the movie. He couldn’t sit through that again. Not because it was bad, though it was as dramatic as he’d come to expect of mortal entertainment.

He wiped a hand down his face. For the first time, he was exhausted. He felt the drag of the last two hours on his life—every mortal second weighed him down.

“Mmm,” Hannah said, rubbing her body against his side. She’d fallen asleep shortly after it started, and the distance between them had vanished. He’d put his arm around her as she’d pressed her delicate frame up to his and put her head on his chest. Her right hand was tickling his lower ribs as the pads of her fingers brushed his skin each time he breathed.

They were on top of the bedcovers, but he dragged a blanket at the foot of the bed over her.

It was just as well she’d fallen asleep. That movie had left him gutted. His heart, his stomach, his whole body ached.

Who would miss Hannah if he took her life on New Year’s Eve? Her friend, her co-workers, the dozens of people each day she walked by and smiled—whether they realized it or not. The mortal world would be a much poorer place with the absence of the five-foot-one brunette who was warming up his right side—the beautiful mortal whose breath across his chest was doing maddening things to his libido.

However, if he dropped from existence tomorrow, the only ones who might take notice and grieve would be the mortals he’d met today at this lodge. Father Time had many sons—so many that his absence wouldn’t impact the hands of Time and Fate. He might mourn Zeit, but immortals didn’t embrace emotions as thoroughly as mortals. If one of his brothers disappeared, Zeit would find it… interesting.

When he’d taken the lifetimes of mortals every New Year’s Eve, he’d done so believing each was worth the same as another. The sacrifice of one on behalf of the fortunes of so many others was a reasonable trade-off. Hannah had been the first mortal to stay his hand.

A year ago, he couldn’t have said why he hadn’t killed her, but now he could.

She’d seemed lost and alone as she stood there counting down the time, apart from everyone around her. She wasn’t wasting time, but she wasn’t using it—she was waiting—waiting for someone, some event, something. He’d felt like a thief to steal a life yet unlived, rather than the savior of others he’d always believed himself to be.

Yet, here he was stealing her life, these mortal minutes, by commanding her attention, stealing time he didn’t deserve with her. She belonged with another mortal. She needed someone who would see how precious time was with her and would never leave her alone on New Year’s Eve—someone who valued each day spent with her. He was stealing that person’s place. She deserved better—so much more than someone who’d planned to get her out of his system in time to kill her.

No, it was over.

There was no way he’d take her life. He wasn’t planning on ever taking another life. He’d spend the rest of her days keeping her alive. She deserved to live.

The minutes ticked by as he lay there, watching the fire in the gas fireplace. His thoughts gnawed at him, and he considered freezing time, but he’d still have these thoughts, these mortal thoughts of loss and fear. Eventually, the sun lightened the sky—its reflection off the snow shimmered, making it look pure and magical.

Magical.

He sighed.

The rise and fall of his chest made Hannah stir, and her nails clenched into his side—something it was best to ignore. He really didn’t deserve even the day he’d stolen with her. If only he’d stayed in the shadows…

“Mmm.” She lifted her head and tried to focus her eyes on his face. Then, a smile inched across her mouth. “Merry Christmas.”

The Christmas spirit had left him feeling a desiccated shell of an immortal.

“Good morning,” he said instead. Though, for him, it certainly didn’t feel good. He had to get out of here. Get away from her. She deserved better. He’d keep her alive and stay out of her way.

* * *

Wow. She really shouldn’t have insisted he watch
It’s a Wonderful Life
. Obviously, immortals didn’t find Jimmy Stewart as heartwarming as mortals. She tipped backward as Zeit slid out from under her and nearly leaped from the bed. Zeit was getting out of her room so fast it was insulting.

“Was it the guardian angel thing?” she asked in wonder as he reached the door. Maybe it mocked his life or calling or whatever.

He paused, his hand on the door. “You’re right.” He didn’t look back at her, and she knew she wouldn’t like whatever it was she was right about. “I shouldn’t be taking up your time.” He laughed—and it wasn’t happy in the least. “Time,” he said as he dropped his forehead into his hand and shook his head.

Wow, he had really taken her comments the wrong way.

“Hey!” she said.

He looked back over his shoulder.

“Merry Christmas!” She’d had to be the most bah-humbug person in the whole lodge up until she’d met Zeit. He was so unfamiliar with it, and now he looked like he needed cheering up. It made her want to smother him in good cheer. She might have to find where he’d put that mistletoe.

He almost smiled.

“I have gifts for you.” Santa had delivered them just before Zeit had knocked on their adjoining door.

His face scrunched up, and he tilted his head as if the word was foreign. “Gifts?”

Scrambling out of bed, she went to the dresser where she’d put them. “Yeah, it turns out you were good enough that you didn’t get coal.” She held out the two wrapped packages.

“No, I haven’t been.” He didn’t even reach for the packages.

Wow.

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “Zeit,
It’s a Wonderful Life
makes everyone feel guilty. It’s like the feel guilty movie of the year.”

He folded his arms and frowned, not buying it.

She held up the bigger package and shook it with her eyebrows raised. The slippers shuffled back and forth with a slithery sound. It wasn’t quite the rattle of the mixed nuts he was shaking to a powder, but hopefully it was still intriguing.

The shaking got to him. His pinched, tired eyes lit up. It was too bad it wasn’t something more exciting than slippers. Oh, well, maybe he’d eventually open up his pocketknife. He’d probably love having a pocketknife. Zeit took the package hesitantly—almost tentatively—as if he still wasn’t convinced he deserved it.

Lifting the smaller gift, she made pointed eye-contact. “Don’t shake this one.”

According to his expression, she’d as good as canceled Christmas.

“It’ll be a lot more fun if it’s not in small pieces.” She handed him the other gift. “Now, go get your other gift and bring them in here, and I’ll go see what’s for breakfast. I’m sure it’s out in the hall by now.” She went to the door and peeked out into the hall.

Mrs. Cowper was delivering breakfasts at the far end of the hall but she looked up and grinned at Hannah.

Hannah reached down and grabbed her tray and set it inside.

Then, she mentally argued with herself for a few seconds before sliding out into the hall and grabbing Zeit’s too.

“Merry Christmas!” she said when Mrs. Cowper stopped to watch her.

When she shut the door and leaned against it, closing her eyes, Hannah could tell her face was a hot shade of Christmas red
. Nice. Merry Christmas, indeed
. Hopefully she wouldn’t get a lump of coal added to her stocking this late in the game. She opened her eyes to see Zeit still shaking his slippers.

Her heart plunged, and her breath caught. It was too late. He looked adorable—all dark and imposing and naked-chested… as he shook the crap out of a box. It was impossible not to fall for him. If he did lose interest and it killed her, she wouldn’t have a chance to regret falling in love with someone immortal.

“Hey, come grab your food, lazybones,” she said.

Like he was coming out of a trance, he looked up and his present-dazzled eyes focused on her. Nodding solemnly, he came over and took the tray from her.

“Set it on the table over there, and we can eat right next to the window.”

When she brought hers over, he’d already retrieved the three gifts and set them beside his covered dish.

“You’re going to have to open the smaller one,” she said.

“Why?”

“It goes with breakfast.” Sort of. And it’d force him to open at least one of them.

He picked up the smaller gift as she lifted the top off their breakfasts.

“Mmm,” they said at the same time. The breakfast casserole even tasted twice as good as it smelled—she remembered it from last year. Old family recipe, Mrs. Cowper had said.

“I can see why you come to stay here,” he said.

She shook her head. “It’s not the food. That’s just a bonus.”

“What is it?” He held the smaller present, but wasn’t unwrapping it.

“Open your present, and I’ll tell you.”

It was crazy she’d thought he was intimidating twenty-four hours ago—what a difference a day and a mad amount of shaking gifts made. He tried to freeze her with a look as he slowly pulled at the wrapping. After one side was open, his temperament changed entirely, and he tore the remaining wrapping paper off in a second.

“What is this thing?” he asked as he examined it from all angles.

“It’s a chocolate orange. Here. Give it here, and I’ll show you what you do.”

He tucked it closer to him rather than extending it for her to take.

So she snagged it from his hand.

His jaw dropped, and he tried to grab it back.

“Hang on! Look. You need to get it out of this box—this is to prevent weirdos from shaking it to death.”

“So, I could have shaken it!” He was looking for an opportunity to grab it from her hand, so he frowned when she handed it back to him.

“Okay, now bang it against the table right there.” She pointed to a spot on the orange.

“I’m not supposed to shake it, but banging it is okay?” His eyebrows rose. He was so adorable.

“You know you want to. Bang it.”

The challenge was enough. He hit it against the table. His jaw dropped. “It broke!” The accusation in his eyes was comical.

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the orange from him and unwrapped it to show him the segments were all separate now.

“Oh.” He took a segment and put it in his mouth. “That’s interesting.”

“Do you like it?”

He nodded slowly. “I think I do.”

She took one and popped it in her mouth, and his gaze followed her hand up to her mouth. She wasn’t sure if he didn’t want her stealing his gift or if he still was on the fence about bolting. She picked up another segment and put it up to his lips. This time, he smiled and ate it.