by Ellen Mint
But now, curled up in sleep, her heart ached at the innocence in his cleansed face. They’d taken time here and there for themselves—talking over another round of caffeine, Emeric bringing her supper as she puzzled over an unexpected party they had to navigate. Nadire offering to rub his shoulders after he spent too long hunched over the elf-sized screens.
When did this primal lust become inside jokes, little gifts to make life easier, and wanting to spend time together with clothes on? She wanted… God, she had no idea what she wanted. For tonight to succeed. Then for Christmas. It was the after that kept tripping her up. Christmas would always come, the feast of Saint Nicholas wouldn’t stop, but there were so many days in between she’d treated as marking time and nothing more.
Maybe it was time to change that.
After tonight, of course. Her father was in the field, his father was in the field. They needed her to be sharp. Still… Nadire cast one last glance over Emeric’s tuckered-out form. Rustling in the closet, she pulled out an old blanket with the scent of horses. Who knew how old it was, but Nadire unfolded it over Emeric’s body.
Let him sleep. She had this.
As the edge of the blanket lay flush to his chin, Nadire leaned down. It was a foolish notion, there were a dozen elves outside awaiting her orders, but she puckered her lips to place a kiss to his forehead. Just before she brushed against his skin, silver-blue eyes stared at her.
Shock sent Nadire skittering back, her heart racing at being caught. Before she could fall, Emeric’s hand shot out of the blanket and grabbed hers, keeping her steady. The pair smiled at each other, both wanting to laugh at the overreaction as Nadire got her feet under her. Still, they kept their fingers locked together even as Emeric rose to sit.
“Morning,” Nadire said, her voice giddy.
Emeric smiled lazily back, scratching at the stubble prickling his cheeks. “Morning to you…” The languid waking ceremony snapped as he stared at her, “It’s not really morning, is it? I didn’t miss the whole thing?”
“No, no. It’s…hour twenty-one. Seventy-eight percent done. Which probably doesn’t mean much to you, sorry. We’ve got at least another five to six hours left. I don’t think you were out long.”
“I only meant to rest my eyes, but…” He finally noticed the blanket that’d been enveloped around his body. “And I don’t remember this.”
“You, um,” Nadire licked her lips, the back of her neck burning up, “you looked cold. I thought it might…uh…”
A smile warmer than any spiked hot cocoa beamed from his lips. “That’s kind.”
“I don’t know about kind. It just seemed like the right thing to…” She had no excuse, no way to walk herself out of this. It wasn’t as if she could sense his wants and answer them. Which he knew. Why did she tell him that? It’d be so much easier if she could play this attraction off as her simply giving him everything he desired.
God, she wanted to give him his desires.
Glancing at the shut door, no doubt the elves handling it all with their usual stoic tact, Nadire decided to sit on the couch beside him. Still, half of her ached to leap to her feet and rush out there. Take the command she was passed to by her mother. Keep an eye on her family, as was her destiny in life.
“Don’t feel bad about falling asleep,” she said, letting her body give into the rest it pleaded for. “It’s a slog on everyone. Most turn in for twelve or more hours of sleep once it’s over.”
Emeric chuckled at her trying to ease his discomfort, his shoulder bouncing into hers. That voice that ensnared her dreams said, “I imagine your bed is a turned down oasis of serenity.”
“Ha, not really,” Nadire snorted, well aware of the state she left it in this morning. Well, the previous morning that was also still this night. It was complicated. “I mean, I don’t exactly. It’s not as if I live like a…uh.” God, why was she bumbling now?
Shaking off the fear that she just revealed herself to be a dimwitted fool, Nadire slipped back into the state she knew to be around him. “It’s a shame that you haven’t seen it yet,” she said, her voice dusky.
“Oh?” He picked up on the change, his face inching closer to hers.
“The bed is exceptionally comfortable, feather down mattress, a mass of pillows, and…” Nadire wiped her tongue over her teeth as she plunged ahead, “four strong posts that are impossible to move.”
“Impossible?” Emeric breathed, so near the tip of his long nose brushed against hers. “That’s a challenge if ever I’ve heard one.”
The sex was so easy, mind the occasional cramp or two. To give in to the heat that never dampened between the two no matter how much cold water both attempted to shower in. It was the other voice dancing around in her heart that had Nadire on edge. Sure, she could pull him to bed once this was over. Or find a nice hotel to while away the days until Christmas itself.
But, God save her, that jingle in her soul wanted more. And she had no idea how to go about getting it.
A snort from the man she was nearly sitting in the lap of focused Nadire. Emeric was roughing a hand through his hair, trying to both comb the locks and bunch it together into some style. “I was only contemplating,” eternal winter eyes burned into hers as he whispered, “I’ve never had the opportunity to wake beside you.”
“Oh.” The blush was into a five-alarm style now, Nadire trying to clamp a hand to her cheeks even as she bounced more of her body against his. “I’m told I’m rather a bear in the morning. You shouldn’t go expecting anything magical.”
His great palm swept over her cheek, Nadire leaning into his lifelines as his fingers curled back through her hair. She felt the headset bounce off its perch but didn’t care, her eyes closed as she savored in the touch she couldn’t escape.
Fingers dug into the nape of her neck, tugging her closer. “I beg to differ.” There was barely a brushing of lips soft as newly fallen snow when Nadire sighed in contentment against his tongue. His nose buried deep into her cheek, Emeric’s head pivoting so his kiss could consume her. Giddy, she gave back just as good. Heat sparkled between them, Nadire’s entire core lit up for the festivities, but their hands remained cupped to each other’s cheeks.
There was no ripping off of shirts, shredding pants, hurling underwear onto the buffet. No, both kissed as if they didn’t have to fear that this could end at any moment. As if there could be more in the future.
“Sweet merciful God,” Nadire moaned into his mouth, her spine stretching when Emeric nibbled against her bottom lip. It was a gentle pull, his powerful lips sucking on her tender skin as if it were her nipple instead. Her mind humming with the thought, Nadire slipped her tongue into his mouth, tenderly rolling it in a circle around his.
That relayed the message quickly. Emeric groaned so gutturally in German she couldn’t make sense of the words, but she got the meaning in an instant. His hand lashed around her waist, pinning the battery pack to her spine as Emeric hauled her chest to his. With his lips to her ear, he growled, “That tongue of yours is a dangerous weapon.”
Nadire smirked, prepared to answer that he had no idea but would learn soon enough. Just as she opened her mouth, the earbud sparked to life and Nicholas asked, “What was that, Command?”
Shit.
All color drained from her face, Nadire leaping to her feet at her father’s voice in her ear. Emeric yanked his hands away as if they were on fire, his own eyes wild while he gazed at nothing. Think of a lie, a good excuse, anything to…
“Something about a tongue?” Mirek answered, a snicker in his voice.
Emeric cursed to himself far more vibrantly than Nadire could ever get away with and she paced further to keep him from being picked up. Adjusting the headset, which in his unexpected kiss nearly fell off the top of her head, she took a deep breath. “Sorry. Might be interference on our end. I’ll have the elves look into it.”
She prayed to the heavenly Father while glaring up into space. Time seemed to slow even beyond their skill,
Nadire’s heart holding its breath as she waited to see if the two men bought it. A crackle came over the line and her father in a subdued voice said, “All right. Keep the lines clear. Coming up on the Netherlands.”
Already? That was quick.
Nadire opened the door and poked her head out to see the projection at eighty-one percent and climbing. “Come on, last country of the night.” She jerked her head outside the room before realizing her shirt was a mess. After adjusting it, and her hair once more, she strode into the command center like nothing happened.
A few of the elves glanced up. No doubt they heard Emeric’s broadcast and knew it had to come from him. But, they were also smart enough to not say anything, except for Tin who was giving a big thumb’s up. Sticking her chest out, arms behind her back, Nadire strode to the middle of the room and gazed out at the dark landscape.
“Report?”
Long lines of numbers flooded her brain, Nadire nodding her head along while her eyes watched Emeric more cautiously slip out of the room. He’d taken the time to put his shoes on, as if being without was scandalous. Thank the Lord they weren’t in Victorian times or Nadire would have been burned at the stake. Not that she was much for following the rules of etiquette back then either.
“So,” she turned back on the elf leading the number crunching, “we won’t beat last year’s record.”
“No, Captain. Not that we expected to.”
“But,” the second elf spoke up, “we’re doing a lot better than projected. The Krampus hasn’t slowed him down by more than a few seconds. Er, hours. Timey Wimey, blah blah blah.”
Nadire smiled at that and nodded, scoping out the projections. When a hand landed on her shoulder, her first thought was to lean into it, maybe wrap hers around the small of his back. It was the second thought that told her to get away for appearance’s sake, but Emeric released before it became awkward.
“What does last country mean precisely? Is it still in that five to six-hour window?”
A smile rose as she swiveled her head enough to catch an edge of him. “Nope. Two hours tops, which means they can enjoy themselves for a bit. But no one tell the two that, for God’s sake,” Nadire spat out fast.
All of the elves cheered, either for being finished soon or because they agreed that giving their boss free time was a bad idea. Nicholas always complained about not being able to enjoy the various celebrations in his name, while doing everything he could to shirk his duties in order to join them. It was a constant balance only growing more difficult with the ever-increasing population. Around the time the world hit three billion, Nadire had to accept that reaching a hundred percent was nearly impossible. At least with their old equipment.
Now, with technology suddenly sprinting forward, she wasn’t going to give up on her dream of pulling off what hadn’t been done in centuries.
Tugging down the mike, she opened up communications with her father. “Nick? We’ve got you about to touchdown in Amsterdam.”
“Good, ‘cause Holly here needs a break.”
Nadire nodded to one of the elves and he vanished in a puff of smoke. Across the world, the elf would arrive with a bundle of carrots and apples to keep the horse happy and fed. No doubt her father would sneak one and chew on it, often leaving half-eaten cores behind for children to find. It certainly helped the myth of Santa having a mount.
“Got the first house sighted. Hmm, looks like triplets all with matching shoes. This is gonna be a headache,” her father complained even while slipping inside.
“Look at it this way, Nick,” Mirek responded, “you’re teaching them the grace of sharing.”
With a chuckle at the thought, Nadire said, “Happy hunting you two,” and she flipped the mike away from her mouth. This was going to end great.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
HE WANTED TO kiss her again.
No, he wanted to run his fingers through her hair, tug off the ponytail, then push her against the wall of a shower as hot water caressed her body. After that, things got a lot steamier.
But for now, there was finishing this run. Two more hours going off the big clock over his head. Emeric expected there to be more candy cane and reindeer themes. There wasn’t even an 8-bit snowflake dotting the I’s, just serious fonts for a serious mission. And, at the center of it all was Nadire, the commanding woman quick to reaffirm her control as she paced about from computer to computer.
“Good, good. What’s the state of Goop-Glons in storage? That low. Hm… We may have to break into the back stocks for Christmas at that rate, or some children will be stuck with socks.”
While she checked paperwork, scribbled on clipboards, and made quick inspections of computer screens, Emeric failed to stare at the video feed off of his father’s camera. He was far too enamored with Nadire to watch the grainy footage of an eight-foot-tall man creeping through Dutch children’s bedrooms to find their shoes.
“Mirek,” Nicholas’ voice cut over the feed. It’d been silent for a while as if both old men needed to rest their voices. But now the Saint clinging to his staff tried to get into his father’s face. “You’re leaving a mess.”
“It’s good, right? More proof we were here.” His dad, who wouldn’t know a vacuum cleaner if it sucked up his horns, finished bundling up the ruten he’d left in various houses. Emeric knew he couldn’t talk him out of it, but he did get him down to only doing twenty-five percent or so. A lot of that was thanks to them being unable to find that many twigs before having to attend to the North Pole.
“Shame they don’t put out whiskey like the old days,” Nicholas mumbled, digging into his sack for the gifts, then fishing up the children’s shoes.
After placing the ruten on the fireplace mantle, his father sighed. “Or schnapps. Pity’s the world when the Krampus has to bring his own.”
And, from out of a pocket that shouldn’t be there, his father plucked an entire bottle of cinnamon schnapps. Emeric couldn’t hide the immense groan as his father unscrewed the cap. The sound caught Nadire’s professional ears and she scampered over. For a moment, Emeric thought of covering up his father’s sins with his hands, but he was too slow.
Not to mention, it was rather obvious what was up on Nicholas’ camera feed. After taking a swig, Mirek passed the bottle to the working Saint.
“Vati,” Emeric tried to hiss at his father, but he forgot about opening the channel. Helpless, he watched Nicholas accept the schnapps and place it to his lips. “I swear to the Christ child himself…”
A gentle laugh broke from behind and Nadire’s palm scooped to his shoulder. After worrying it, she said, “Ten to one says my father has a flask in his pocket. It’s not a problem as long as they don’t get drunk. How much can your father consume before reaching that state?”
“I have no idea,” Emeric admitted. Whether due to his well-honed liver, or the size of a Krampus in comparison to an adult man, he’d only ever seen Mirek at most tipsy. Which meant every embarrassing thing his father did was usually on the close end of sober.
“Don’t worry then.” Nadire smiled, patting his shoulder once more for good measure. She moved to step back to her command area, but Emeric wrapped his fingers around her wrist. He didn’t push her to him, or pin her in place, but her body remained as she turned her eyes on him.
After worrying his palm around her wrist like a bracelet, he smiled. “Thank you.”
A beautiful blush lit up her cheeks, Nadire’s head tipping. She opened her mouth, about to whisper something, when their father’s cut over again.
It was Mirek at first, shouting, “What are you doing?”
“Taking the present out of my sack, then putting it in the shoe. As we have been doing for I swear to our Lord the past three thousand hours,” Nicholas snarled, returning to yank free a motorized car that was going to have trouble fitting.
Mirek strode closer, his claws outstretched as he snarled, “Not for that one, you don’t! He set his sister’s hair on fire!”
“It
was an accident.” Nicholas laughed.
“An accident? You see just as much as I can, you old fool.”
Oh god.
“They’re children, they’re afforded some leeway.” The ‘old fool’ was trying to stay in high spirits even while clinging to the toy in question.
The Krampus snorted, spraying goat mucus over the greenery as he stomped a hoof. “Is that what you call it now? Don’t you truly mean looking away, ignoring the problem, forgetting and forgiving because it’s easier than dealing with a tantrum?”
“I’ve suffered you the entire night, I think I can handle a few tantrums.” Nicholas sneered, picking up the little arsonist’s shoe. Before he could deposit the toy, Mirek’s clawed hand shot out and grabbed Santa Claus’ wrist.
“Shit,” Nadire gasped, watching her father turn to face the Krampus that held him in his clutches. But the Father of Christmas wasn’t scared. No, his eyes were blazing brighter than the yule log.
“Get your bloody claws off of me!” Nicholas screamed yanking his arm away.
At the word blood, his father released, stumbling back on regular human legs as if something shocked him so deep he reverted to mortal form. Lifting up palms with no hair or claws, Mirek stared down at the pink tinge with nary a drop of crimson. All the while, Nicholas finished stuffing the toy away and rose from his knees.
A cold snicker rolled off of Mirek’s tongue. “You speak to me of blood, do you have no concept of what your ‘forgiving heart’ has unleashed upon the world? Rapists given nothing more than a slap to the palm in court. Murderers told they were right to kill. Hatred, fear, distrust, cold malice, all sewn because Santa Claus can’t be bothered to do his job.”
“I’m not their parents, Mirek. I’ve never claimed to be the arbiter of justice in this world!”
“But you are!” The man scampered back on his hooves, the Krampus returned as he rose to his full eight-foot height. “You are the line between naughty and nice. And when you declare everyone nice, there’s no reason for anyone to be. How can you not see…?”