Seduced by Santa Read online

  “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.”

  About Mina Carter

  Mina Carter was born and raised in Middle Earth (otherwise known as the Midlands, England). After a slew of careers ranging from logistics to land-surveying she can now be found in the wilds of Leicestershire with her husband and young daughter…the true boss of the family.

  Suffering the curse of eternal curiosity Mina never tires of learning new skills which has led to Aromatherapy, Corsetry, Chain-maille making, Welding, Canoeing, Shooting, and pole-dancing to name but a few. A veteran Star Trek RPGer, she’s run both games and groups of games but now finds her home in Bravo Fleet, one of the internet’s oldest Star Trek simm groups.

  She juggles being a mum, working full time and writing, tossing another ball in the air with her cover artwork. For Mina, writing time is the wee hours of the morning before anyone wakes up and starts making demands, or any spare minute that can be begged, bought or conned.

  Her first stories were penned at age 11, when she used a stationery set meant for Christmas thank you letters to write stories instead. More recently, she wrote for her own amusement and to save on outrageous monthly book bills. Now she’s totally addicted and needs her daily writing fix or heads roll! http://mina-carter.com

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Epilogue

  About Mina Carter