Kissing Santa Claus

by Donna Kauffman, Jill Shalvis

  Snow.

  And more snow.

  It was piled high in berms along the roof line now that the roof had unloaded. Shit. With a sigh, he pushed to his feet, gripping his towel like it was a lifeline. He offered her a hand and she popped up so quickly that she had to put a hand out for balance, which happened to land on his chest.

  A simple touch.

  An accidental touch.

  And yet somehow, it rocked his world. He looked into her face, braced for a mocking smile, but she appeared to be as shocked as he as she stared down at her hand on his bare skin, almost as if it were touching him against her will.

  He wasn’t touched a lot in his world. He had friends, some of the female persuasion, and he dated.

  But it’d been a while.

  So Hope’s hand had a bolt of heat shooting straight through him. It weakened his knees and left a knot of anticipation in his gut.

  Possibly feeling the same, but probably not, Hope shoved free of him and headed for the hallway that led to her rooms. Her pj bottoms were low on her hips, her cami not quite meeting them, revealing a strip of smooth, creamy skin low on her back. Her shoulders were bare, too, and he stood there in his towel, feeling extremely naked. “Where are you going?”

  “To watch Oprah and eat bonbons,” she said over her shoulder. “Because that’s what I do, lay around all day and let this place fall apart.”

  “I never said that.”

  “I’m going to get dressed. I advise you to do the same. There’s enough cracks in this old house. Oh, and I wouldn’t bother with the fancy clothes.” She stared back at him. “Wouldn’t want you to get dirty.”

  The clothes he’d brought were his work clothes, but she had a point. They were good for his office, but certainly not hers. “I don’t mind getting dirty.”

  “Hmm,” was all she said, and kept moving, those thin cotton pants sagging even lower on her hips, making him wonder if she wore anything beneath. He didn’t see how, which didn’t help, and he gripped his towel tighter. Not that it mattered, she’d seen everything he had to see.

  Plus she was already gone.

  The storm had dumped four feet of fresh snow overnight, rendering Danny’s car completely useless and also temporarily closing the roads.

  Since Hope had made it clear what she thought of him being around, he decided to get some work done while she cooked up a breakfast for her guests. Problem was, the Internet connection was shoddy. The only place to get a steady connection was at the kitchen table, which apparently put him in Hope’s way because every time she passed by, he felt her boring holes into him with her eyes.

  “The roads are closed,” he told her lightly, not looking up from his laptop. “I can’t leave.”

  “Which apparently is karma’s idea of a joke.” With a sigh, she moved through.

  “Don’t worry about her.”

  Danny turned to Lori, who came in the back room door taking out the trash. She was taller than Hope, darker skinned and brunette. Beautiful, and simply dressed in jeans and a hoodie sweater. “She’s all bark and no bite. Well, mostly.” Lori held out a mug of coffee, which he gratefully took.

  And then moaned in sheer pleasure. “That’s good.”

  “Better than Starbucks.” It wasn’t a question, and Lori smiled confidently when she said it. “It’s Hope’s homemade blend.”

  “She’s amazing in the kitchen.”

  “She is. She wants her guests to go back to their life and wax poetic about their time spent here.”

  “You just need more of them.”

  “True,” Lori said on a laugh. “She’s working on that. Working her ass off, actually. We’re having a big paint party next week—a bunch of friends are coming out, painting for her by night, skiing by day. And she’s placed a bunch of strategic ads for after the first of the year, which should be just about when we get the plumbing upgrade finished.” She nodded confidently. “She’s going to make it, Danny.”

  “She’s had all this time.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s been a rough year.”

  “Rough how?”

  “None of your business.” This from Hope herself as she came into the room and gifted Lori with a frosty look.

  Lori didn’t back down or apologize, just smiled sweetly and handed over the second mug in her hands. “Have some caffeine, honey. You need it.”

  Hope rolled her eyes, but sipped the brew, then sighed in what could only be deep pleasure. Her eyes were slightly less chilly as she turned to Danny, who was still quite certain her next words would be “get out if you have to fly out.” Except Lori subtly intervened, crossing directly between the two of them to walk up to a guy who’d appeared in the doorway.

  “Ben,” she murmured warmly, sliding her arms up around his neck and kissing him.

  And kissing him.

  “Ah, man. Get a room.” Hope set her mug down on the counter before sighing and looking at Danny. “They’re saying the roads might be cleared by four. But honestly? Probably not. Might have to stay another night.”

  “Let me guess. For quadruple the going rate?”

  She shrugged. “Depends on how big a pain in my ass you are.”

  “I’ll try to control myself,” he said dryly. “How about we go over your books and—”

  “Sorry. I have other things to do.”

  Lori came up for air and smiled into Hope’s eyes. “It’s a snow day, honey. Take a day off.”

  “You’re the boss now?”

  Ben headed directly to the refrigerator. “Lori likes to be the boss. Hey, baby, you can be the boss of me.”

  Lori laughed. “Already am, big guy.” And she gave him another kiss.

  “Oh, good God,” Hope said.

  Lori leaned into her husband with a silly laugh that somehow warmed Danny. Watching them banter was like watching a really great old movie. It gave him both an odd sense of comfort—they were a family, one who cared about each other—and also an even odder sense of longing.

  This. This was what was missing from his life. His family lived back East and there weren’t a lot of visits. His friends were nice, but they weren’t a replacement for family, not like these guys clearly were.

  Ben took a big bite of the bagel he’d taken from the refrigerator, squeezed his wife’s ass, and sighed. “I’ve got to run. The gas station’s electricity’s on the blink.” That said, he leaned in and kissed Lori again. And then, grinning, turned to Hope, who rolled her eyes but gave him a smacking kiss.

  “Hey,” Lori said to her. “You never kiss me.”

  “Maybe Ben kisses better than you do.”

  “Kiss,” Lori demanded.

  With another laugh—God, she was beautiful when she laughed—Hope leaned in and kissed Lori right on the grinning lips. “There. Now can we all get to work?”

  Ben’s mouth had fallen open. “I’ll be able to work all day on that alone.”

  Yeah. Danny, too.

  Hope took in the dazed expression on both men’s faces and shook her head. “Men.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Ben said, and headed out.

  Lori grabbed her bin of cleaning supplies and followed him.

  Danny walked toward Hope, who was dumping leftover breakfast dishes into the sink. “I’ve already proven that I can do dishes,” he said. “Let me do those for you.” He gave her a nudge but she didn’t move out of the way. “What’s the matter, you can’t give up the control enough to even let me help with dishes?”

  “Hey, I’m not that much of a control freak.”

  “No?”

  “No.” She turned to the sink and turned on the water. “Give me some room, Genius Boy. Or should I say Runs Naked Genius Boy?”

  “I thought there’d been an earthquake,” he repeated on a sigh as she laughed.

  “Yes, and you were trying to save me.”

  “Yes,” he said as she once again tried to nudge him away. “You could just go do something else.” He reached for the dish soap.

  “I could
,” she agreed, but didn’t move.

  “Maybe you want to be this close to me.”

  “I don’t do close.”

  “Because you’ve been burned.” He met her surprised gaze. “Right?”

  “Right,” she admitted.

  “How?”

  “Two exes, both assholes if you must know.”

  “They hurt you?”

  “Not physically, no. One stole my heart, the other my money. There’s nothing left of either.”

  “I’m sorry. About both.”

  “Truthfully? The money thing hurts a lot more than the heart thing.”

  “Which means maybe it was never really available for him to steal in the first place.”

  She stared at him. “Huh?”

  “Maybe he didn’t steal your heart at all. Maybe he just bruised it.”

  She thought about that as she dug into the dishes at his side, him washing, her rinsing and drying, and when she didn’t say anything more, he figured that was the end of that conversation.

  “Okay, you might be right,” she finally said. “No one’s stolen my heart, it just got run over a few times. I can’t tell you how much better that makes me feel.”

  He laughed softly at her sarcasm. “Hey, unless you’ve been screwed over, you can’t appreciate the good stuff. Consider it a rite of passage.”

  She cocked her head at him. “Have you been screwed over?”

  He thought of all the girls in high school and college who’d dismissed him as a nerd. And the women since, none of whom had stuck. “I invented being screwed over.”

  She shook her head. “Are you trying to tell me you’re a player, Danny?”

  He laughed. “The only thing I play with any skill is Guitar Hero. All I’m saying is that we’ve all been hurt. Everyone has baggage. You getting ripped off by your ex is a crime, but it happens. It’s how you move on with what you know now.”

  She arched a brow. “And what do I know now?”

  “Admit your taste in men sucks.”

  She laughed, as he’d hoped she would. “So you’re suggesting a change in men?” she asked.

  “Most definitely.”

  “Any ideas?”

  “As a matter of fact…”

  Her laughing gaze met his. “Let me guess, I should try a nerdy brainiac who’s attempting to ruin my world?”

  “More like a nerdy brainiac—a very sexy one, by the way—who’s going to do his best to help you stay in control of your world.”

  “Funny, but I’ve never considered nerdy brainiacs all that sexy.”

  “Maybe you haven’t met the right ones.” He waggled a brow, stood up a little straighter, and flexed.

  Which cracked her up as she slid another dish into the sink. The angle of the plate caught the stream of water and sprayed him in the chest. At first, he thought it was an accident, but then she did it again.

  “Sorry,” she murmured.

  Sorry, his ass. He pulled the wet plate from the sink and set it on the counter. “You don’t want to take me on, Hope.”

  “No?” She grabbed another plate, but he was quick, reaching his arms around her and bracketing her wrists with his hands.

  “Okay, you’re good,” she admitted. “But so am I.”

  “Are you?” He shifted as she wriggled, pressing her between the counter and his body so that her back was plastered up against his front, her very sweet ass solid to his crotch.

  At the realization, she went still.

  So did he. Well every part of him except one certain part.

  “Danny?”

  “Yeah?” His voice sounded like his vocal cords had been roughed up with sandpaper.

  The moment stretched out, humming with tension that was no longer temper or good humor, but something far more dangerous, and Hope let out a low breath. “What are we doing?”

  No clue.

  He turned her to face him. She looked up at him, her face quiet and solemn, but there inside the watchfulness was something else, something he’d needed to see.

  Desire.

  Hunger.

  And her conflict over feeling those things.

  Slowly he reached out for her, and just as slowly, lifted her up against him.

  Her hands went to his shoulders, but she didn’t push him away. Instead, she sank her fingers into him.

  Letting out a breath, his mouth brushed her jaw, and he closed his eyes to better absorb the feel of her in his arms. Then she turned her head, and somehow their lips met.

  At the kiss, a soft sigh escaped her, a sound of both excitement and pleasure, and he opened his mouth on hers.

  God, yeah. He deepened the connection, and she met him halfway, sliding her tongue to his in a rhythm that took him from zero to full speed ahead, and only when they were both breathless and panting, did she pull away.

  Eyes wide, she lifted a finger and pointed at him. But though her mouth opened, words apparently failed her. “That was…”

  Amazing?

  Perfect?

  Both?

  “Unexpected,” she finally managed, shaking her head as if to clear it. “Clearly a fluke.”

  Hell if it was. “Care to test that theory?”

  “No.” She stepped clear when he reached for her again, and pointed at him. “You. With the amazing mouth.” She gestured him away from her. “You just stay over there, since obviously, when it comes right down to it, I’m the only one with any control around here.”

  And with that, she left the kitchen.

  5

  “Okay, here’s the plan,” Hope said to Lori and Ben just before noon. Ben was back from his electrical job, helping with snow removal. They all stood outside in their heavy weather gear, being dumped on by more snow as they shoveled the front walk. “We make Danny’s stay miserable.”

  Lori stopped shoveling and leaned on her shovel, watching Ben’s butt as he worked. “Why miserable?”

  “Because she likes him,” Ben said, still shoveling at a steady pace.

  “Because he’s here,” Hope corrected, shooting Ben a dirty look. “Even though I’ve not done anything to warrant being watched over like an errant teenager.”

  Lori shook her head. “You’re mad at your asshole brother. Which is understandable, but you can’t take it out on Danny.”

  “Hello, he works for said asshole brother.”

  “If he wanted to hurt you, he’d have done so by now. Give him a chance, Hope.”

  “A chance for what?”

  “To be the guy I wished for you.”

  Hope put her hands on her hips. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Well, I did wish on that mistletoe, remember? I asked for a penis for you.”

  “I remember,” she muttered in tune to Ben’s laugh.

  “Which should be the next logical step, given that you’ve already kissed him.”

  When Hope choked, Ben finally stopped shoveling to stare at her. “You kissed him?”

  Hope looked at Lori, brow raised.

  “Sorry,” Lori said. “But you two were right in the middle of the kitchen. That you never even saw me tells me how good of a kisser he is.” She turned to Ben with a dreamy smile. “He’s a face holder.”

  “Easy,” Ben said, and resumed shoveling.

  Lori looked at Hope. “Come on, admit he’s hot. In a glasses-wearing, intellectual, sexy professor sort of way.”

  “I could be the sexy professor,” Ben said gamefully. “I’ll dress up and put on some glasses.” He grinned when Lori considered that with a cocked head.

  “Can we please put aside sex for a minute?” Hope demanded. “This isn’t high school.”

  “Hey, you’re the one wanting to play high school games,” Ben said. “Making his stay miserable and all.”

  “That’s not even high school,” Lori said. “That’s middle school.” She reached around behind Ben and patted his butt. “Love those jeans on you, big guy.”

  Ben’s eyes heated. “Yeah? Or is it what’s beneath the jea
ns?”

  “Oh, my God.” Hope groaned out loud. “Didn’t you already knock it out today?”

  “I think it’s time for our midmorning quickie.”

  Hope drew in a sharp breath and shook her head. “You two have a serious problem.” She stuck her shovel in the snow and put her hands on her hips. “I just want him gone, okay? I’m this close to making the whole thing work, all I need is some more time with no watch dogs.”

  “Let him help. He said he wants to.” Lori tossed up her hands when Hope glared at her. “So I eavesdropped a little.”

  “I don’t need his help. Just keep him out of my hair until the roads are clear and if you can make him miserable while you’re at it,” she said, only half kidding. “Just to insure he leaves ASAP.”

  “Hope,” Lori admonished.

  “I’m kidding. Sort of. Hey, I know! Get him to help you clean. And you.” She looked at Ben. “Keep him busy doing whatever you’re doing today. He’s a desk jockey, though, so he’s probably worthless out here. Fair warning.”

  “I don’t think so,” Ben said slowly. “I think he’s made of sturdier stock than you think.”

  “Face it, honey,” Lori said. “Fate brought him. You can’t mess with Fate.”

  “Watch me,” Hope said grimly, and struck out for the house to begin Operation: Make Danny’s Stay Miserable.

  Lori watched her go, and Ben watched Lori. “I know that look,” he said. “It says you have a plan. An evil plan.”

  “Not evil. Not exactly.”

  “We’re on Hope’s side, Lori,” he said gently.

  “Of course we are. Which is why we’re going to help her.”

  “By doing as she asked.”

  “By doing the opposite,” she corrected. “You know, the old double switcheroo.”

  He blinked. “Huh?”

  “We’re going to pretend to do as she asked, while doing the opposite.”

  “Let me repeat myself. Huh?”

  She patted her husband on his big, beefy shoulder. “Trust me, honey. There are some wild sparks between those two.”

  “Yes. It’s called temper.”

  “No, it’s sexual tension. They’re attracted. And more than that, he’s a good guy in a shitty situation. Same with her.”