by Mina Carter
Secret Santa
Mina Carter
Published: 2011
Published by Summerhouse Publishing. Copyright, Mina Carter. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.
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Mina Carter
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
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Chapter One
“Oh wow Jo, those are gorgeous! Did you get them in the Secret Santa?”
Jo Micheals, senior nurse in Newbolton Accident & Emergency, looked down at the earrings in the little box on the desk in front of her and nodded. She hadn't got over her surprise at receiving them herself.
“Oh, now why didn't I get something like those? I got kitty cat socks!” Emmie, a junior nurses on the department shoved the socks under Jo’s nose. Cartoon cats picked out in wool waggled merrily before her eyes.
“Emmie, you like cats.” Jo pointed out, grinning up at the younger woman. “You've got a cat bag, cat umbrella, cat scarf… hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you've got cat panties!”
The junior nurse narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion, “Hey, how'd you know? You been sneaking into my apartment and checking out my underwear drawer or something?” she giggled, snatching the cat socks back, as though Jo would steal them given half the chance. That Emmie loved cats, and by extension anything that had a cat on, was well known in the department. Jo knew for a fact Adrian, one of the porters, went out of his way to find cat things to leave around for her. No doubt the person responsible for the socks.
Jo laughed, rapidly working down her notes and signing them off. “No hun, I guessed. Doesn't take a genius to work out, does it?”
“Nope,” Emmie looked at her new socks with a smile. “They're cute though aren't they?”
“They are.”
“Still,” Emmie cast a covetous glance at the earrings in Jo's hand with a wistful sigh. “Cat earrings would have been fantastic as well!”
Jo hid a smile as Adrian walked past them pushing a trolley, a thoughtful expression on his face. Santa would no doubt bring Emmie some cat earrings as well now. She hoped Adrian would admit to Emmie he fancied her sometime soon and ask her out. Emmie was good at her job and all, but with men she wasn't the sharpest tool in the box.
“Ok, got to go and deal with the gentleman in cubicle four, catch you in a bit Jo.” Emmie tucked her new socks into her pocket and grabbed the notes she needed.
“Yeah, sure thing Em,” Jo answered, not realising her friend had already gone, her attention caught by the earrings again. She hadn't expected these when she opened the small package handed to her in the traditional department Secret Santa give out. Every year, instead of having to buy gifts for everyone all the names went into a hat. Everyone drew a slip with a name on, the person they were to buy a present for. The budget had been agreed to suit everyone's pockets. Nurses didn't make much, porters less, so it had to be something which wouldn't break the bank.
She nudged an earring with a delicate finger, making the inset crystals dance in the overhead light. They were more than the budget they'd been given. She knew because she'd been admiring them in the jeweller’s window the other day. Tilting the box she read the name inside the lid 'Keystone & Hammersmith Fine Jewellers'. Yes, they were the same earrings.
Biting her lip as guilt washed through her she stood and slid the box into her pocket. She should find out who'd given them to her and give them back. They were far too expensive a gift to accept, even though everything in her that liked pretty things wanted to keep them.
Temptation filled her. On her wages and with bills to pay she would never be able to afford them herself. But now someone had brought them for her? Perhaps a hint that she should have them... Shaking her head, she grabbed the next set of notes from the pile. She'd find out who had given them to her and give them back. Besides, she was late with her own secret Santa gift, a fact which made her squirm in guilt as soon as she recalled it.
Her low heels clicked on the polished floors as she walked down the corridor, heading for cubicle seven. She'd drawn Drew Carson, the department's lead consultant, for her name. Even after three weeks she still had no clue what to buy for him. A brilliant doctor and trauma surgeon, Carson was grumpy and particular. His office was laid out with the precise he insisted in theatre and they'd had many nurses in tears after working with him. His gruff manner and sharp tongue often upset people.
Jo though, had no problems with him. No one could argue his abilities and she liked the blunt, no nonsense attitude. He was a magician in trauma surgery, especially the paediatric cases, his touch light and delicate for such a big man.
But that didn't mean she had the slightest clue what to buy him. A sigh on her lips she realised she'd just have to brave the Christmas crowds and trawl the local shops at lunch. With any luck she'd be able to pick something up, wrap it and drop if off in his office before she left tonight.
Reaching cubicle seven, she pulled the curtain aside, a reassuring smile on her face for the young boy and his mother sat waiting. “Hi, I'm Jo, a senior nurse here. I'm just going to clean up that knee for the doctor, okay?”
The day came and went. Jo barely had chance to catch her breath and by the time she looked up at the clock again, it showed an hour to the end of shift.
“Oh shit,” She murmured, reaching for the earring box in her pocket. She'd forgotten to go out at lunch to get her Secret Santa gift for Carson. In fact, thanks to a rush around break time, she hadn't eaten today either. Her stomach growled to remind her but she ignored the rumbling, more concerned with the lack of a present.
What was she going to do now? All the local shops would be shut at this time of night, and she couldn't leave it until tomorrow. Well, she could, but she wouldn't feel right.
“Kisses under the mistletoe! Only a pound! All proceeds to the hospitals preemie unit!” Two voices rang out in merriment behind her. Jo turned in curiosity to see two nurses from the special care unit cruising the waiting room, decked out in tinsel and angel wings and dangling mistletoe to collect kisses.
Jo grinned; she had to admire their inventiveness. The hospital always needed funds and, in Jo's opinion, there wasn't a better place to collect money for. She'd worked a couple of shifts up in special care but she hadn't been able to hack it. She was too soft-hearted around babies. She’d always wanted kids, but James hadn't. So they hadn't had kids. A blessing in disguise.
Her face shuttered a little at the thought of her ex-husband. With determination she pushed those memories to the back of her mind and locked the door on them. The divorce was done and dusted, she had a restraining order out on the jerk and it was Christmas. The one t
hing she didn't need to do was trawl it all up and make herself miserable.
“Kisses under the mistletoe!! How about you handsome? A pound a kiss!” The two giggling nurses rounded on an elderly gentleman in a wheelchair who grinned broadly. His delight at having the attention of two young women obvious. But then, who didn't like the old tradition of a kiss under the mistletoe?
Her eyes narrowed, a thought hitting her. Of course! A kiss under the mistletoe. Even old Scrooge Carson couldn't turn down a Christmas kiss, could he? And a kiss didn't cost anything, a gift she didn't need to go out and get. Perfect! Before she changed her mind Jo headed over.
“Hey, can I borrow some?” She indicated the mistletoe in their hands.
“Of course you can love, you off to spread a little Christmas cheer?” The taller nurse grinned and snapped a bit off to pass to Jo.
“Something like that, thanks!” Jo called over her shoulder as she headed for the stairs. She needed to do this now, before her courage ran out.
Doctor Drew Carson sat behind his desk and shuffled paper between files. Then, when he ran out of paper to shuffle, he shuffled the files. He was in no hurry to leave his office and head home. There was no one there, and he hated going home to a cold, empty house. At least here there were people around and activity. He didn't usually get lonely, except at around Christmas.
He knew what they called him on the department. Scrooge Carson, the grumpy old man and various other names which attested to his abrupt and blunt manner. He'd heard about the book running on whether he'd smile before New Year. Perhaps he should place a bet. He'd make a killing!
Snorting, he gave up on the files, leaning back in his chair to run a hand through his close cropped, dark hair. His admin assistant, Pat, wouldn't thank him for messing them up, he'd better not fiddle with them anymore. She might never forgive him.
He should get going. Take a cruise through the department and check everything was okay... he sighed. Okay, so he wanted to check and see if Jo had received the earrings. He'd been holding off going down all day and asking what she'd received in the Secret Santa. He knew she had to have opened them by now. He wanted to see the look on her face, hopefully a glow of happiness.
He liked Jo, felt for her. She had a sadness around her that pulled at his heart, an organ he'd long thought dead. When he'd pulled her name out of the hat he hadn't been able to resist trying to lift that sadness a little.
And he'd known the perfect gift. When he'd been in Keystone’s dropping off his watch for a repair the other day he'd spotted her looking in the window. Absorbed in her study she hadn't seen him. But he'd seen her and the wistful look on her face as she'd looked at the earrings on the central display. So when he’d pulled her name he'd gone right back to the jewellers and brought them.
He hoped she did like them now and he hadn't misread her expression. Drew was the first to admit he wasn't the most astute when it came to women. They were a whole different species. A weird species, especially nurses who always seemed to burst into tears around him. Although he hadn’t managed to make Jo cry. Another reason he liked her; calm and efficient, she dealt with his outbursts in trauma without so much as batting an eyelid.
A soft knock at his door brought his hands down and he straightened up. “Come in,” he called out, quite unprepared for the woman who'd just been occupying his thoughts to sidle into the room. She closed the door behind her with a small click.
“I'm not disturbing you, am I?” She had one hand behind her back as though ready to escape, leaving him alone. Whatever else Drew wanted, it wasn't to be left alone. Not by this woman.
“No, no, come in.” He ordered, his voice brusque. Great, nice one Drew, he berated himself as she stepped back a little.
“Please,” he added, trying to soften his tone. The whole department knew she'd been through a messy divorce and had a restraining order out on her abusive ex. Hell; he'd even rung here to threaten her. After that Drew had security keep a special watch out for her car in the staff car park. Watching to make sure she got to her car without incident. The one thing Drew couldn't understand was a man who hit a woman. His anger rose at the thought. Men like that weren't men at all, they were cowards and bullies.
“What can I do for you Jo?” He asked into the silence, waiting for her to speak. She didn’t chatter much, at least not to him. But he’d noted she had friends amongst the other staff so he hung around the nurses’ station as he made his notes, listening to the chatter. He liked to listen to her voice. God, that made him sound so pathetic. Brushing the thought off in irritation he focused his attention on her.
“Ermm, I was supposed to get you a Secret Santa gift,” She looked uncomfortable and started to gabble. “I was going to go out at lunch but then the RTA came in and everything went manic and…”
Drew levered himself out of his seat, his lips quirking a little as he realised what she was trying to say.
“You didn’t manage to get out and you forgot?” His prompt was voiced gently as he rounded his desk to lean against the front edge, arms folded over his broad chest. Closed off, closed off, the people management trained part of his brain screamed. Uncrossing his arms he rested his palms on the desk either side of his hips.
“I am so sorry, I feel really bad about it-”
Drew cut her off with a shake of his head.
“Really, it's not a problem,” he said but she wasn't listening to him, pulling some greenery from behind her back. It was a testament to how long his day had been that he didn't recognise the sorry offering. It took him a few seconds before realisation kicked in but by then she had it held over her head.
“Christmas kiss instead?” She offered with a shy smile.
Oh god, he was looking at her as though she'd gone and grown another head or something! Jo quaked in her boots at the stunned expression on his face. Well, she would have been quaking in her boots if she'd been wearing any. Instead she was just quaking in her 'I've been on my feet for twenty hours and can do without blisters' sensible nurses shoes. Which was nearly as bad.
Her hand, the one holding the mistletoe over her head, shook a little. She'd die of embarrassment if he laughed at her. Already she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole!
“A Christmas kiss, eh?” His slow drawl, the one with the sexy hint of a Scottish accent, made her bite her lip, nodding her head a little. Butterflies started to flutter in her stomach as he pushed away from the desk, his eyes unreadable as he held her gaze. Holding her helpless as he walked, no stalked, towards her. His movements screamed pure male predator as he moved to stand in front of her.
“Uh-huh, Christmas kiss. Mistletoe. See?” She squeaked, shaking the already abused piece of greenery. A berry fell off and rolled away under the desk. Amusement flared in his eyes, coloured his voice as she almost took his eye out.
“Indeed.”
His large hand closed around her wrist, moving the sharp points of the twig out of range of his eye. A shiver went through her as his thumb stroked over the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist, causing a cascade of pleasure to run down her spine. A cascade which set off the butterflies again, whipping them up into a frenzy.
He closed in, the scent of expensive aftershave over warm skin wrapping around her as his hand slid round the curve of her waist. He pulled her nearer, until she could feel the heat of his body against hers, even through her uniform. Somehow that was more sensual than if he'd pulled her up flush against him. An overtly sexual move that would have had her running for the door in panic. She swallowed nervously. This was far different from the innocent kiss she'd been thinking of and he hadn't even gotten near her lips with his yet.
His eyelids half hooded, concealing the expression in his eyes as he leaned in. Her eyes latched onto his lips. Full sensual lips. Lips which in the next instant brushed against hers.
Warm and firm they pressed against hers in the softest, gentlest kiss imaginable. The sheer sensuality hit her like a truck. He moved, nibbling at her.
His hands didn't move, the light touch at her back and around her wrist holding her still, a willing captive as she relaxed. Her lips relaxed as she started to respond, returning his kiss.
He lifted his head, pulling his lower lip between his teeth as though tasting her. The dark flash of need and heat in his eyes made her catch her breath.
“Have dinner with me. Tomorrow.”
Chapter Two
Drew had been like a cat on a hot tin roof most of the day. He’d struggled to concentrate but at least he hadn't had Jo around to distract him. Today was her day off and, for once, he wasn't grumbling to himself and missing her.
Well, he had missed her but after their kiss in his office last night, he wouldn't have been able to think straight around her. Ripping a nurse's clothes off and making mad, passionate love to her on the bed in the trauma room was the sort of behaviour the hospital management frowned on. But after that sweet, innocent as all hell yet hot kiss, he didn’t think he’d have been able to stay professional today.
Sitting in the car outside her house he shivered, replaying that little scene over in his mind. When she'd pulled the mistletoe and proposed a kiss he’d been speechless. He didn't know what had surprised him more; that Jo, quiet, restrained little Jo, had offered or the desire which had slammed into him. The instant desire which brought his body to full attention at the merest touch of her lips against his. He wanted her, pure and simple.
Drew groaned and rested his head back. Sure he’d dated since his divorce but everything had been very restrained. Quiet dinners with women in similar situations. Amusement filled him, polite evenings ending with a peck on the cheek and a promise to call which never materialised.
Never once had he felt the urge to pull any of them hard against him and kiss them as though his life depended on it. He’d never once wanted to take them to bed to slake the need surging through his body and stay there for at least a month. For a divorced guy approaching the big four-o that was a hell of a shock!