The man opposite was his younger brother. Cole.
Unable to help himself, he lifted a hand to wave back and the look of surprise and happiness on Cole’s face cracked what was left of Rhod’s resistance. His eyelids dropped as memory after memory flooded his mind. Of the time before the snot-nosed brats, of Christmases past…even before he was born.
He saw gifts in crude, cheap paper a mother had saved months for, right through to a hand-made gift of Jam in the most expensive paper. Gifts from military parents not able to make it home wrapped with so much love it brought a lump to his throat. Gifts from all walks of life, all wrapped with care and thought…right through to gifts found wrapped and ready, made all the more precious for the fact the giver didn’t make it home one night after work thanks to a hit and run accident.
The collective memory of all Clauses everywhere and everywhen who had ever delivered a much-longed for present to a child slammed into and through him, swept everything else…all his arguments, misgivings and disappointments…away. Washed through him and filled him up with the joy and happiness of Christmas until he was fit to bursting.
Opening his eyes he looked again at Cole. His brother smiled and gave him the thumbs up before turning to grab the heavy sack from the back of the sleigh. Hauling it over his shoulder, he set off across the snow-laden roof with a spritely step that belied his apparent age.
Swiping a hand over his face to clear the tears leaking from his eyes, Rhod turned to the bed and the box waiting for him.
“You sneaky bastard,” he muttered and reached for it.
No more running. It was time to do his duty.
“Oh my, you look great. Thank you so much for doing this, Jared, you don’t know how grateful I am,” Candy said as she and Jared stood in the cold corridor outside the main hall of the chapel.
“You’re welcome. Just don’t tell anyone, okay? It would quite ruin my street cred,” he replied with a wink and a grin.
The costume wasn’t great. Cheap and a little on the tacky side, it was all she could get on such short notice. Built for a smaller man, the jacket was too tight in the shoulders and too short, so if Jared twisted just a little wrong, the padding across his flat stomach was visible.
It didn’t matter though. All that mattered to the kids packed into the hall behind them, belting out Christmas songs with more enthusiasm than musical ability, was that Santa was here delivering presents.
She breathed a sigh of relief, taking a moment to relax as they waited for the end of the song. They’d done it. Eloise, Jared and Rhod had been fantastic, chipping in to help with the repairs and get everything set up for the party. Without them, particularly Jared playing Santa, she wouldn’t have stood a chance.
“Speaking of street cred, where’s that no good partner of mine? Not like him to miss an opportunity to take the piss,” Jared commented, pulling the too-short jacket down again.
She shook her head. “Probably caught in traffic or something. He’ll be here.”
The song drew to a close and she lifted the bells in her hand, ready to ring them and announce ‘Santa’s’ arrival. But before she could strike them, silence descended like a blanket, cutting off all sound. Anticipation filled the air, and then, faintly at first but growing louder and louder, sleigh bells.
“What the…it’s not me,” she whispered to Jared, just as the door at the end of the corridor blew open. A few scattered snowflakes tumbled through onto the polished wooden floor.
“Ho ho ho!”
The booming laugh drifted on the air as a large man filled the doorframe. Amazement surged through Candy as the familiar figure tramped down the corridor, stamping snow off his black boots. Her eyes grew wide as she looked up. Red suit, huge belly encircled by a black belt, the white beard… It couldn’t be. Not the real…
“Santa?”
He stopped in front of them, each movement leaving a small trail of fairy dust and magic hanging in the air for a moment.
“Fuck. Me.” Jared muttered softly as Santa turned to Candy and reached out a hand to touch one of the curls tumbling over her shoulder.
“Hello Candy. Have you been a good little girl this year? Or should I put you on my…very naughty list?”
She blinked, something about that voice…those eyes. Astonishment arced through her. “Rhod?”
He smiled and suddenly she could see past the lines and the beard to the sexy as hell man she’d left in her apartment earlier.
“Oh my, you’re…you’re Santa? The real Santa?”
“I am. The real deal. One of anyway. You think one man could deliver all the presents in one night? Even for an elf, that would be pushing it. There’s a whole clan of us, but keep that under your hat, okay?” He tapped the side of his nose and hefted the sack over his back as he looked at Jared. “I got it, bud. You’re off the hook.”
Then his voice grew in volume, the hint of the ho ho ho back. “Now, I hear there are some children here that I have presents for. Would you like to lead the way, little elf?”
Epilogue
Three years later…
Each year, Candy put up the Christmas tree and, each year, it was more amazing than the last. Finished with his rounds, Rhod stood in the middle of the room and admired it for a moment. Christmas and Candy, the two things he needed to make his life complete. The two things he couldn’t live without. Sure he missed the North Pole, but Candy liked life down here, and for her he’d do anything.
Besides, they visited often enough, even if the presence of a pretty woman drove most of his brothers insane. They pulled all sorts of tricks to try and get her attention. He smiled; it just gave him an excuse to hand their asses to them on a plate. He might be Santa one night of the year, and he was a damn good one, but for the other three hundred and sixty four days he was a bodyguard, and he was a fucking good one.
But tonight was that one day. The one day he wore the red suit and delivered presents. Like the one in his hand. Carefully he knelt down and placed it on top of the others, the little box brightly wrapped with the biggest bow he could find. A huge bow for a box just big enough to hold one thing, like a diamond ring.
The last present, the last delivery. He was done. Standing up, he sighed in relief and reached to unbuckle his belt. As soon as the leather parted, the magic broke and drained away, leaving Rhod standing in front of the tree a lot younger and a hell of a lot lighter. With a smile he coiled the belt and popped it back in its box for next year. As soon as he closed the lid, the box disappeared in a shimmer of gold dust.
A huge yawn hit him as he padded through the apartment and into the bedroom. Stripping down to his boxers, he slid under the covers and wrapped his arm around Candy, pulling her into his side with a contented sigh.
“All done, sweetheart?” she murmured, snuggling in happily. Love washed through him; she always waited for him to get back before sleeping. One reason they always lay in on Christmas Day.
“Yeah, sorry I was a bit late. Cole pissed off the reindeer again. Had to rescue him from a dumpster. How are you and Junior?” He slid a hand around onto her rounded belly and was rewarded with a solid kick.
“He’s awake; I think he knows what tonight is. You bloody Claus men, don’t you know that if you don’t sleep Santa won’t come?”
Rhod chuckled and dropped a kiss on her hair before closing his eyes. “Sweetheart, Santa coming is why you ended up in that state in the first place.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” She chuckled sleepily. “Rhod?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“I love you.”
Rhod smiled and spread his hand over her bump, enclosing them both in his protective embrace. His family. His life. His everything.
“I love you too. Now get some sleep, this Santa’s tired.”
The End
About Mina Carter
A full time author and cover artist, Mina can usually be found hunched over a keyboard or graphics tablet, frantically trying to get the images and words in her
head out and onto the screen before they drive her mad. She’s addicted to coffee and would like to be addicted to chocolate, but unfortunately chocolate dislikes her.
http://mina-carter.com
A Mate’s Wish by P. Jameson
About A Mate’s Wish
Christmastime at Lake Haven Lodge is the stuff of legends. Tucked away in a crook of the Ouachita Mountains, visitors come to relax and unwind for the holidays. What they don’t know is that it’s run by a clan of virile mountain cats.
Chapter 1
He was stalking her. There was no other definition for it. He’d watched her for weeks since first catching her scent. Learning her habits, her ticks, her schedule. If he were human, he’d have the decency to feel like a creep, to feel some measure of shame. But he wasn’t human and it was his nature to watch and wait… before pouncing.
And oh, did he plan on pouncing.
Renner watched from his perch, as the object of his attention aggressively worked the kinks out of whoever was lying on her massage table. The outdoor spa area of the Lake Haven Lodge afforded just enough privacy that clients could relax without worrying about passersby seeing them in their half-naked glory. But from his vantage point, Renner could see more.
Squinting, he focused on the brunette Magic had hired to help with the extra customers the lodge would see for the holidays. Her mass of hair was coiled high on her head in a bun. He’d never seen it down, but there must be a lot of it. The navy blue uniform shirt was dull but it happened to be the perfect color to go with her creamy skin.
What really had him riveted though, was her hands. The way she moved them smoothly, rhythmically, but with her whole body, like they were an extension of her very breath. The work she was doing was nothing more than business, providing relaxation for their visitors, but the way she moved… it screamed of raw sensuality.
Renner wanted those hands on him. Sooner rather than later.
“This is a horrible idea, you know.” Layna stood a few feet down from him on the footbridge. He hadn’t heard her approach. Which said something about his focus—that it was laser pin-pointed on one particular person. And that person wasn’t Layna.
“Is everything ready?”
She crossed her arms and sighed. “Yes. Magic isn’t happy about this though.”
“I don’t care what Magic thinks. He owes me for that shit he pulled with the wolves.”
“The Ravendale wolves are fine, Ren. They’re good allies to have and you know it. But she’s our best masseuse. We won’t be able to find a replacement before the holiday rush.”
Renner snorted. “Just what does Magic think I plan to do with her? There won’t be any need to replace her.”
“If you say so. Anyway, the only reason I agreed to this is because I like her. So, this is your warning. You screw this up and I’ll make you pay. I don’t even care that you’re my blood. If I see that girl cry or even mope over you, my claws are coming out.”
Renner stared at her. She was practically hissing. Sometimes his sister scared the shit out of him.
She must really like the new girl.
Bethany. Just thinking her name sent shivers down his back. Gave his animal a shot of energy. His cat most definitely wanted to come out to play.
“I still don’t see why you couldn’t just talk to her, get to know her the way normal people do.”
His eyes went back to Bethany as she finished up with her client. “I tried,” he muttered. “She wouldn’t talk to me.”
He’d taken a hit to the ego, but he wasn’t one to give up easily. Something about this woman intrigued him. He’d desired other females, and had his fair share of them. His bed was never empty unless he wanted it to be—as he had for the past months. As crazy as it was, he was tired of the meaningless interactions his love life had become. He was scratching an itch, but never connecting in any way more than physical. That’s all he’d been doing these years since returning to the lodge.
It wasn’t enough anymore. Not for his cat and not for him.
He wanted more. Needed to blot out the one person he couldn’t let go of. The one he tried not to think of.
Bethany was the first female to really catch his notice since he was a young. Maybe she could give him what he was looking for. But first, he had to get her attention. He hoped, for once, his scheming wouldn’t backfire.
As far as clients go, Mrs. Markel was as entertaining as they came. Most massage small talk consisted of women talking about their prized schnauzers or rare breed cats or, in some cases, their ferrets. With the men, Beth got lessons in hunting deer or racing horses. On a good day, she did her job so well the client never felt the need to fill the silence with words. On the best days, they fell asleep.
But conversation with Mrs. Markel was juicy with a capital J. Her tales were so scandalous, sometimes Beth wondered if they were even true. The older lady was an author after all. Maybe she was story-telling and pretending it was real life for the benefit of Beth’s entertainment.
Beth grinned as she packed up her supplies and wiped down the table.
Or maybe that was just how exciting life was when you had more years under your belt. Maybe you cared less what people thought and lived life more on the edge. Maybe there was such a thing as Golden Girls Gone Wild.
As she made her way to the front of the spa to close up, she wondered if she’d ever feel as carefree as Mrs. Markel. Now, she couldn’t imagine a time when she wouldn’t care what others thought of her. Hard as it was to admit, she spent far too many hours obsessing over her work ethic (she went above and beyond where her job was concerned), her appearance (no matter how much she worked on that, it still wasn’t up to par), and her relationships (that part of her life was an all-out mess).
She sighed, thinking once again of her best friend, Josie, and the way they’d left things after the disastrous summer. Ten years of friendship down the drain over a misunderstanding. It didn’t seem fair.
And her love life was even worse. Nonexistent, and not likely to exist in the near future either. Mama wasn’t getting a grandchild anytime soon, but that didn’t keep her from asking every time they talked on the phone.
First comes love, mom. Then marriage, then the baby carriage. God, don’t you know your school yard rhymes?
Beth froze when she reached the front of the spa. It was closing time but the place wasn’t empty. His back was to her but she’d know that tall muscled frame anywhere. He wore a tight gray tee with a flannel shirt tied around his waist just under his tool belt. He was bent over the door handle, in deep concentration. Wires were strung everywhere, and an array of tools lined the floor.
Renner Blackfoot. She knew him, but he didn’t know her. Or rather, he didn’t remember her. Which made him a total dick. True, she hardly resembled the twelve-year-old girl he teased and tortured for hours on end while he and her brother played video games in the upstairs loft. But still. After two weeks of working at the lodge, some hint of recognition would’ve been nice. When he’d flirted with her that first day and she realized he didn’t know who she was…
Beth cleared her throat but he didn’t look up from his work.
“Hope you weren’t planning on leaving anytime soon, sweet,” he murmured. His voice was soft and strong at the same time. Like leather, and it did strange things to her insides.
Beth gulped. At twenty-seven, her hormones had had enough ignoring. But why, oh why, did they have to be leaping after him? Why not Eagan, from the kitchen? Nothing was sexier than a man who could cook. And especially if he had arms that would look more appropriate on a boxer. Or hey, why not Magic? He was all business, but there had to be a party in there somewhere under all that gorgeous hair. His name was Magic after all. Not to mention, his man-bun was really hot.
“Actually, I was just going. So… if you could open that door a smidge, I’ll slip through real quick and be out of your way.”
Well, truthfully he’d have to open it quite a bit more than a smidge if she hoped
to get her big booty through, but she was making a case.
Renner shook his head. “No can do. Sorry.”
Beth frowned. “It’ll only take a second, and then you can get back to work.”
He turned his head to stare at her, and his eyes were blue orbs of mischief that felt like a teasing caress as they touched on her features. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t. I said I can’t. That door is locked and it’ll be a while before I can get it open.”
“What do you mean?”
He glanced at the panel above the door handle, which was a jumble of metal pieces and wires. “It was supposed to be an easy fix but now I’m going to have to call the lock company. Maybe a crossed wire or something? I dunno, but the e-lock is engaged and I can’t disarm it from here.”
No. No, no, no. She needed out of this room and away from him, sooner rather than later.
“Is… is this a joke? Open that door.”
Renner frowned. “It’s not a joke. The door is stuck.”
Beth pushed past him, trying the handle herself. Ridiculously, she even pulled at the damn thing with all her might hoping something would give, but Renner was right. The problem was electronic. Probably something only a computer in Antarctica could fix.
Damn it. She couldn’t be stuck anywhere with him.
The bridge of her nose tingled and she knew it meant in the next two seconds her eyes would start filling with tears. For the millionth time, she cursed how easily she cried. She hated this part of herself. Everybody thought tears meant weakness. Those tell-tale drops automatically meant whatever thing you were dealing with was too hard, that you were buckling. As if there was a direct correlation between life struggles and what excreted from your eye sockets. But sometimes crying was just an expression. Like smiling or frowning or scowling. It didn’t necessarily mean you were falling apart.
Alphas for the Holidays Page 23