by Zoe Chant
“That’s not the point of the story, Jas. We’re talking about you.” Hank sighed. “Opal nearly had a heart attack when she saw you’d come home alone. I could feel her all the way from the lodge. She thought she was going to lose you. Calmed down a bit when you found your girl, but you’re running out of time.”
Jasper’s heart twisted. He hadn’t even noticed that Opal was still upset; he thought she’d put aside her fears when he found Abigail.
Hank snorted. “And don’t go saying you didn’t even notice she was stressed over it. You know she keeps things close to the chest.”
“I’ll tell her. Christmas Eve. It’s all going to be fine,” he said quickly, standing up and pushing his hands into his pockets.
“Why not tonight? Bring her over for brunch tomorrow. It’ll make your sister feel better.” Hank stood up and started weaving branches into the bonfire. “Don’t leave it to the last minute, Jas. Trust me on this.”
Jasper sat on one of the low benches under the massive plastic Christmas tree, staring across at Abigail’s shop. He could see her inside, bustling around helping the last customers of the day. The smile on her face looked strange, and it had taken him a while to recognize why. It wasn’t the same smile that lit up her face when she saw him. It wasn’t real. The edges of her mouth might be pulled up, but her eyes were tired. Her Christmas smile? Jasper thought sadly, remembering everything she had said about the holiday being fake.
Double shifts in the week before Christmas? he thought, cradling his Rudolph Special. That’s crazy. Even I think that’s crazy. No wonder she was asleep on her feet last night.
He checked his watch. Five minutes to the end of her shift. He’d already seen Mr. Bell leave; Abigail was alone in the shop. He’d bought a coffee for her, too, and didn’t want it to get cold.
His dragon itched to go to her, but he knew she wouldn’t thank him for distracting her as she tried to get rid of her final customers.
At last the final lingering shoppers drifted out the doors, and the main lights in the shop turned off. Jasper could still see Abigail’s shape, silhouetted by the lights of the shop’s Christmas tree, as she made her final rounds. She locked the door, pulled down the security grill, and went to tap a few final times at the checkout computer.
Then she looked up.
Jasper was twenty, maybe thirty feet away. Abigail was backlit by the blinking tree lights; he couldn’t see her face. But he knew that she had seen him, because his dragon was suddenly hammering at his chest to be let out.
Not now! Jasper pushed it back, but his skin was fizzing, like he was close to a shift. He flexed his hands, concentrating on them staying hands, and not stretching out into scaled claws.
Abigail raised one hand and waved at him. Jasper barely got himself under control before she disappeared into the back of the shop.
“Jasper!” Abigail appeared around the side of the shop, beckoning him over. Jasper loped across the square and pulled her into his arms, careful to keep the two takeaway coffee cups upright. She was wearing the coat he had bought her, but hadn’t stopped to do it up, and he could see her work uniform underneath it.
Abigail kissed him and then pulled back, her cheeks pink. “I thought I’d never get rid of those last two customers. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”
“Forever. I’m frozen stiff.” He nuzzled her ear. “Only the thought of you warming me up kept me from giving up and turning into a snowman. Also, this ridiculous drink.”
He held the two drinks up in front of her. Abigail’s eyebrow rose. “What are these?”
“Coffees.”
“Are you sure?” She pulled the lid off the one he offered her. “Coffee and… red stuff?”
“Try it.”
She shot him a doubting look, but took a sip. Jasper waited as she licked cream off her lips. “That is definitely not coffee,” she announced. “But… it’s not bad. Is that a glace cherry?”
“It’s a Rudolph Surprise,” Jasper explained. Abigail looked pained. “…That’s his nose.”
Abigail rolled her eyes. She reached in and plucked the cherry from the drink, and then bit her lip, her eyes flicking to meet Jasper’s. “Do you want it?”
She lifted the cherry to Jasper’s lips. Sugar burst onto his tongue, the sickly sweet, unmistakable red flavor of glace cherry. Jasper’s mouth filled with saliva and he gulped.
“I’ll drink the rest of it, though,” Abigail said with a teasing smile. “Thank you.”
Jasper licked his lips and coughed. “Since you’re putting on tonight’s entertainment, I figured the least I could do was bring coffee.”
“I’m not going to fall asleep on you this time, I promise.” Abigail took another sip of the frothy, creamy drink, and grimaced. “Not that I think this has been anywhere near a coffee bean. But the sugar will help.”
“So long as you stay awake long enough to let me know where we’re driving.” Jasper pulled Abigail’s coat closed. The hints of her body under the skimpy elf costume were enticing, but he didn’t want her to get cold. Time to get going. I can’t wait to see what my mate has planned…
Abigail’s voice broke through his thoughts. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Jasper frowned. Abigail was smiling— and she’d already shut up the shop, so it couldn’t be that she had to work extra late tonight. But there was a wobbly edge to her smile, like whatever scheme she had cooked up, she was starting to regret it.
He couldn’t let that happen.
“What’s the plan?” he said, tugging on the lapels of Abigail’s coat until she leaned into him. She pressed her nose into his scarf.
“I want to show you something,” she mumbled, her voice muffled by his scarf. “God, this seems like such a stupid idea now…”
“No idea of yours could be stupid,” Jasper reassured her. She snorted and tipped her head back so he could see her roll her eyes.
“You just say that because you haven’t heard it yet.” Abigail bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. “Okay. Screw it. Follow me.”
She kissed him again, and then grabbed his hand and pulled him down the alley. She stopped at the far end and fumbled a set of keys out of her pocket. “You’re not allowed to tell anyone we did this,” she warned him with a nervous grin. She lowered her voice as she turned the key in the lock. “The last thing I need is Mr. Bell turning my stupid idea into some sort of new attraction for the shop next year.”
She yanked the door open and turned to Jasper. “Ready to peek behind the curtain?”
The shop’s back rooms were cramped and small, nothing like the bright, glittering public-facing space. Broken-down cardboard boxes and pallets lined the walls nearest the alley entrance, and further in were replaced by tall piles of product boxes. The piles were so tightly crammed in that Jasper could hardly walk straight without bumping into something. After a tower of festive cookie jars almost came tumbling down on him, he crossed his arms tightly and started walking crab-wise down the passageways.
“You’ve still got this much stock, right before Christmas?”
Abigail ducked around a corner. Her voice filtered back through the stacks. “Christmas Eve is the busiest shopping day of the year up here. Everyone realizes they forgot to buy a Santa present for their least-favorite child, or an extra relative turns up out of the blue ready to ruin the day if they’re not waited on hand and foot…”
Jasper carefully followed her around the corner and found her in the middle of grabbing her bag off a hook on the wall. She checked inside it for something, and then closed it quickly, flashing a nervous grin at him.
“Admiring our staff room? Look, we’ve got a seat and everything this year.”
She moved aside to reveal a low wooden bench pushed up against the wall. It was already occupied: by a stack of Christmas card packs. Jasper blinked. Was this the only staff area in the shop? No wonder Abigail was so exhausted in the evenings.
His dragon’s scales prickled inside him. This was unacc
eptable. Shops like this brought so many people joy— ever since he met Abigail, he’d noted how many people he saw around town carrying bags from the store she worked at. And all the employees got was a hard bench and a single coat hook between them?
He smiled and winked at Abigail before his unhappiness could creep onto his face. “There’s not much room, but if I sit down first, you can always take my knee. It’s bony, I warn you, but still probably better than that bench.”
Abigail snorted and poked him in the side. “This isn’t it. I was just grabbing my bag. Follow me upstairs.”
She squeezed past him and back through the towering maze of boxes. A narrow staircase led up to an equally cramped second floor, but Abigail didn’t pause at any of the doors leading off the landing. Instead she stopped in front of what looked like a blank wall.
“Even if you think this is stupid, you’re not allowed to tell me, okay?” she said. It sounded like a joke, but her eyes were wary.
“This… wall?”
Abigail made a short, sharp noise of frustration. “No, the— I’m too short, I need you to pull it down.” She pointed up at the ceiling.
“A trapdoor?” Jasper reached up and grabbed hold of the handle. “You could have said—”
“Look out!”
He was already pulling on the handle. Abigail slammed into him, pushing them both back down the corridor as a retractable ladder slid at top speed through the air where his head had been a second before.
“Oh my God.” Abigail flung her arms around him, squeezing him so tight he could hardly breath. His shifter senses flared, and suddenly her heartbeat was so loud in his ears it might as well have been his own, thudding hard and fast with adrenaline. “That almost— this is such a bad idea, I’m sorry, we should just leave now—”
Jasper took her face in his hands. Her lips were thin with strain, and she wouldn’t meet his eyes. “No,” he said softly. “I want to see this through. Even if I have to risk decapitation by ladder.” He stroked his thumb across her cheek. “Neither of us are having much luck with ladders this week, are we?”
“Nope.” Abigail chuckled weakly. “God, we’re not even meant to be up here in the first place— if I had to call Mr. Bell and tell him I’d murdered a potential customer in the shop after hours…” She flung her head back and groaned. “I would be so fired.”
“Hmm. Tempting.” Jasper tapped her lips and Abigail’s head snapped back up. She raised her eyebrows.
“What?”
“Well, if I was haunting the shop, it would mean I didn’t have to wait until ten in the evening to see you each day.” He paused, putting on a serious, thinking face. “Of course, I would be dead in this scenario, so, not ideal…”
“Not ideal, no.” Abigail bit her lip, and then gently pulled his hands away from her face. She took a deep breath that Jasper suspected was only partly a put-on. “Come on, then. Follow me.”
She slung her back securely over her back and started up the ladder. Jasper stepped back, admiring the view— and then stepped smartly forward again.
The last time Abigail had gone up a ladder, she’d almost been badly injured. Enticing as the view was, it was more important that she feel safe. Jasper steadied the ladder with one hand, resting the other on Abigail’s hip as it came level with his shoulders.
Abigail peered down at him and rolled her eyes— but her cheeks were pink. She was pleased. And so was Jasper. Forget watching her from a few steps away; the view from up close was a thousand times as good.
Abigail kept climbing— and Jasper kept his hand where it was. He caressed the generous curve of her ass, and her thick, beautiful thighs. The hem of her tunic hitched under his fingers, and then he was running his hand over the back of her knee, the round curve of her calf sloping down to her ankle…
Jasper bit back a groan. Her legs looked amazing in those candy-stripe stockings. But they felt even better, and now all he wanted was to tear them off her.
“Are you coming?” Abigail called down from the top of the ladder.
11
Abigail
Abigail jiggled her feet as Jasper climbed up the ladder. This was such a stupid idea. God, it was the worst idea she’d ever had. Why was she doing this?
Jasper’s head appeared through the trapdoor, and there was her answer. Because of him. Because he made her feel like no one else ever had before.
Because she was so close to having a happy Christmas, it hurt.
She watched Jasper carefully as he climbed up into the small attic room. This was about to go terribly wrong, she knew it. Her heart thudded in her throat.
Jasper’s ember-like eyes moved around the room. The walls were peeling, cheap old paint flaking off in strips. There was no insulation— she’d left her jacket on for a reason, and now her and Jasper’s breath mingled in white clouds.
No furniture. No carpet or wallpaper. Even the light coming in through the three small, round windows seemed muffled and flat.
Abigail bit her lip, wondering how long it would take Jasper to figure out where he was— and what his reaction would be.
“This is… nice,” he said diplomatically. Abigail bit back a nervous smile as he stepped carefully around the trapdoor and did up her jacket. “It’s…” She watched him hunt for something complimentary to say about the cold, bare attic. “Hang on. Where are we?”
“Above the shop.” Abigail rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.
“But there isn’t anything above the shop. It’s only two levels from the outside. The only thing above that is—” Jasper’s eyes widened. Abigail’s stomach fluttered as he darted to the nearest window. “Abigail, be honest with me… am I staring out at the square through Santa Claus’s stomach?”
“Yes!” Abigail covered her mouth. The word had come out far too excited. Because she was far too excited, about this little, stupid thing. Sneaking up to the shop attic like a couple of teenagers. It was idiotic. So why was her head spinning?
Because you want this to work. Because you think it’s going to work, and that’s the stupidest thing of all.
She shook her head, trying to dislodge the nasty, vindictive voice, and bit her lip. When she looked up, Jasper was staring at her, an uncertain look in his eyes.
Jasper stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around the small attic slowly, his eyebrows furrowing. “This isn’t…” He stopped and rubbed his forehead, staring appealingly at Abigail. Then he sighed and gestured around the tiny room. “Is this how you see Christmas? Festive and fun on the outside, barren and cold inside?”
Abigail’s mouth fell open. She snapped it shut, wrapping her arms around her. “No,” she burst out. “No, I just— I wanted to—” She paused and swallowed hard, willing the sudden queasiness in her stomach away. When she spoke again, her voice was small. “I thought you would like it. That you’d think it was… fun.”
And see where that got you.
Jasper thought she’d planned this as some sort of jab at Christmas. At him. She couldn’t even bear to look at him, remembering the stricken look on his face as he looked around the attic. As he looked at her.
What must he think of her? What kind of monster did he think she was?
Her shoulders slumped.
“Abigail—”
She didn’t hear Jasper move, but suddenly his arms were around her, surrounding her with his warmth and strength. She took a deep, ragged breath, burying her face in his chest.
Jasper’s hand landed tentatively on her head, stroking her hair softly. His heart beat against her cheek.
“I think it’s wonderful,” he said softly. “I think you’re wonderful. Thank you for bringing me up here.”
“You’re thanking me for almost getting you decapitated, and then making you think I’m insulting you?”
Abigail squeezed her eyes shut. She kept them shut as Jasper slid one hand up to her chin and tipped her head back.
“My head is still where it’s meant to be, but that di
dn’t stop me being an idiot. Forgive me?” He kissed the tip of her nose, and then brushed his lips over her eyelids. Her nose twitched as his breath tickled it. “This is the sweetest, sexiest thing anyone has ever done for me,” he whispered, and kissed her.
Abigail melted into the kiss. She didn’t believe him— her idea was ridiculous and stupid and almost ended in disaster, not sweet or sexy. But if her stupid plan made him want to kiss her… well, she could live with that.
Jasper’s lips were soft and every moment they were pressed against hers, her body seemed to become softer, too: the knots in her shoulders dissolved, the tension in her forehead melted away, and even the aches and pains in her feet from running after customers all day faded away.
She ran her hands up Jasper’s chest, fingers pressing into his coat to feel the muscles beneath. A small moan of happiness escaped her lips.
Jasper’s arms tightened around her. His tongue flicked out between her lips and Abigail’s moan turned into a delighted gasp. She pressed against him, fingers tangling in his jacket, going up on tip-toes as their kiss became more passionate.
Jasper grabbed her around the waist and took advantage of her unstable position to tip her back, pushing her against the attic wall. Abigail nipped his lower lip, making him groan. They were pressed close enough together that she felt him go hard. She rolled her hips against him, excitement shivering inside her. How was it that this man she’d only met a few days ago could make her feel so good, at the worst time of the year?
She slid her hand up over his collarbone, worming her fingers in under his scarf to brush against his neck. Her fingertips scratched up against the stubble under his jaw and his pulse pounded against her touch, fast and urgent.
Jasper murmured something that she couldn’t hear, but she felt the reverberation through her fingers.
“Hmm?” she asked wordlessly, and he groaned in response. He stepped forward, one hand pressing against the wall as he—
“Ugh!” Abigail flinched forward as icy water cascaded down the back of her neck. It dripped down her back, like frigid fingers clawing at her skin. Shuddering, Abigail tried to wipe the water away, twisting her spine to stop the icy fingers reaching further. She overbalanced and her foot slipped.