The View From Santa's Sleigh Read online

  The man panted and she could tell that he tried hard to catch his breath.

  “When you caress an elf’s ears, like you are, you put him in a near state of ecstasy. It is very common in lovemaking to stroke an elf’s ears, but you must be prepared to accept the consequences.” His look was as soft as a caress.

  “The consequences?” she questioned, still stroking the soft flesh. There was a tingling slowly building in the pit of her stomach.

  “Yeah…hard and fast consequences,” he murmured. He looked at her and the double meaning of his gaze seemed very obvious. His gaze dropped from her eyes to her shoulders to her breasts. “Among other things.”

  “Wow…” she murmured and continued to gently caress the appendage, allowing her hand to trail to his neck. Tessa watched his eyes become darker and stormier by the minute. Soon, she became tired of sticking strictly with the head region…she wanted more. “Do you mind if I touch you in other places?” she murmured, slowly licking her lips.

  “Mind?” his voice came out almost a croak. “No…I don’t mind at all…do you mind if I do the same?”

  She grinned and scooted down to face him. “By all means…let’s take this as far as you want…I need to make sure that I get what Angie paid for.”

  “Angie?” he asked. “Who’s Angie?”

  “You know, my roommate and best friend, the woman who paid you to cheer me up and get me out of the dumps,” she purred and caressed his chest with both hands. He felt so smooth and hard under her touch that she continued to his back with a gentle caress. She found herself extremely conscious of his sensual appeal. “You feel wonderful…I haven’t touched any one is so long…how could I forget what it was like?”

  Jedrick dipped his lips to her neck and began a slow assault of her senses. “I don’t know who Angie is, but I have to agree…you feel wonderful, too…and I want to pleasure you beyond your wildest dreams.” He continued his assault on her neck; slowly his tongue licked a path from her collarbone to her cheek. Putting his hand behind her head, he snaked his other one up under her dress to tenderly tug at her nipple as he brought her face close to his. “I hope you don’t mind that I kiss you now.”

  “Okay,” she breathed. The smoldering flame of his eyes startled her with its intensity. “I think I would like that very much.” Tessa allowed him to tip back her head and she watched him through slitted eyes.

  “Beautiful…just beautiful,” he leaned toward her, taking her lower lip into his mouth and gently sucking on it. Sliding his tongue along its cherry redness, he soothed any hurts he might have caused. Slowly, his mouth covered hers completely and he tasted the fruitiness of her lip-gloss. Sliding his tongue inside, he felt her sigh of satisfaction. “I hope that meets with your approval.”

  Tessa just stayed there, eyes closed, mouth half open. She took a shuddering breath. “Uh…yeah… that definitely has my approval.”

  Lovingly, he caressed her bare arm. “We should probably take off your dress. I wouldn’t want to ruin it.”

  “Huh?” Tessa looked down at what she wore. “I’m still wearing my party dress,” she murmured, confused.

  “Yeah…I didn’t want to wake you when you arrived to change your clothes.” Jedrick continued to caress her body and nuzzle her neck. “Can I take it off?”

  “Sure…but let me ask a couple of questions first…where am I and how did I get here? I guess I didn’t get that when I first woke up.” She stared at the man lying at her side, noticing for the first time that his ear didn’t have an attachment seam for the point.

  He sighed and pulled slightly away. “You’re at the North Pole and you arrived in Santa’s sleigh.”

  “Yeah…right…Santa’s sleigh and the North Pole.” She lay there shaking her head, giggling out loud. Wagging her finger at him, she retreated to the side of the bed. “You almost had me there. What did I do? Get too drunk for you to take me home?” Putting her feet over the side of the bed, she looked all along the wooden floor. “Where are my shoes?”

  “Why?” Jedrick asked. “You can’t go anywhere, because there isn’t anywhere to go to.” He swung his legs over the edge, put his feet on the floor and sighed. “I believe they are under the bed.”

  Tessa leaned over, looked, and pulled them out from exactly where he said they would be. “I almost believed you really were an elf.” She stopped and looked him over. “That was quite a trick with the ears and your penis. I don’t know many men who get an erection when their ears get stroked.”

  “Really?” He grabbed a T-shirt and pulled it over his head. It was obvious he tried not to let his disappointment color his voice.

  “Well…” she began, “you don’t have to cover up because of me.” She felt an inexplicable feeling of emptiness when he put on his shirt.

  “It’s rather cold outside, and I think I better be there when you open the door.”

  “Why? It’s just Reno in the winter, and if you’ve seen one winter, you’ve seen them all. Besides, it wasn’t that cold last night when I left the party.” Slowly, she stood and he was instantly by her side. “Wow…you move fast.”

  Smiling down at her, he said, “It’s one of the traits inherited from my father. We all move fast when necessary. I’ll escort you to the door.”

  She wanted to pout. She really didn’t want to be pushed out the door; she wanted to crawl back in bed and touch this gorgeous man some more. “Well…we could get back in bed,” she whined, wondering now if this weren’t a bad decision.

  Jedrick stared at her for minute before shaking his head. “I think you need to see this…we might as well get it over with…for your sake.”

  “All right.” She reluctantly headed for the door. She hesitated once she got there. “I’m not so sure about this.”

  Jedrick placed her hand on the doorknob. “Just do it.”

  Turning the handle, she pulled open the door and saw a world of white swirling snow. Stunned, Tessa stood there. It couldn’t be true…she should be home in Reno…she’d passed out or something.

  “Tessa? Tessa?” Jedrick inquired, moving his hand before her eyes. Quickly, he closed the door, guided her to the couch and gently pushed her down. “Are you okay?”

  “Cold,” she muttered, still stunned. She only half listened as she struggled with her memory. The North Pole, he’d said…what the hell was she doing in the North Pole? She wondered just what she’d done to deserve this…she’d been a good girl…wait a minute. There had been that one time that she thought Jason was in love with her, but surely those infractions were not enough to get her banished to the North Pole?

  “Tessa?” he questioned as he shook her gently.

  Scratching her head, she turned and gazed at him, seeing a bewildered expression on his face. “What am I doing here? And who are you, anyway?”

  He sighed, thankful she’d responded. “My name is Jedrick Locklin, and it’s unusual that I have a last name at all. My mother is human and my father is an elf. I’m in charge of new designs here at the North Pole. And other than that, Tessa, Santa didn’t mention a thing.”

  Tessa still stared. There were women in the world who would kill for the opportunity she had at this moment and she couldn’t get past her tongue. “My last name is Winston, since you obviously know my first.”

  “Do you even remember talking to Santa last night?” he questioned.

  * * * *

  Jedrick thought back to when Santa arrived last night and was stunned when the jolly old man pushed the woman into his arms.

  “Take care of her, love her and give her anything she wants—within reason,” the old man had said before hopping in his sleigh to return to the main compound.

  Jedrick had stood in front of him, momentarily in shock. “It’s a woman, sir,” he finally managed to get out.

  “And what a woman,” Santa replied, then peered at the young man more closely. “You do know what to do with a woman, don’t you, son? And this one supposedly needs sex.”

  He clear
ed his throat and stood rock still, cradling the woman close to his body. “My mother taught me the facts of life long ago, sir.”

  “With this one, I think you’ll need to know a little more than the facts of life.”

  Jedrick swallowed hard. One didn’t put their sex life on display for one’s employer, especially when that employer was the red-suited man himself. He knew exactly how to make love to a woman. How he acquired that knowledge was his own business. Holding the wild-looking blonde woman in his arms, he felt the slightness of her body and the stirring in his loins. Yes…this one could make him very happy…would she feel the same?

  Then, as if reading his thoughts, Santa had told him it would be all right. But just looking at this seductress that sat beside him, he wondered if for once in his life the old man could be wrong.

  He hoped that the thumping of his heart against his chest wouldn’t give away just how much she had affected him in the last few minutes. He wanted to be with her, but he knew he had to give her some space and he was determined to give her what she needed.

  He took in her blank stare and vague voice. He knew that some of what he’d said had registered but a lot of it hadn’t. So…this was it…she was going to demand that he take her back right now. Sex with a woman who seemed made just for him, and one that he wanted desperately, would be a distant memory.

  Chapter Two

  The gorgeous guy with the pointy ears was talking to her, asking her questions for which she didn’t readily know the answers. Trying hard to focus, she sighed and reached into her memory yet again. “Well…I do remember a little bit…I put out some cookies and I’d been drinking tequila. Have you ever had that?”

  He shook his head and smiled. “Can’t say that I have. My exposure to alcohol has been rather limited. Even when I was in college.”

  “Well, it’s an alcohol from Mexico, and it makes this kick-ass drink called margaritas.” She frowned. Just what had happened last night? She still wasn’t ready to believe that Santa had brought her here. “I guess I had a few of those and did some baking. I made some really ugly cookies.”

  “You cook?” he questioned lightly, ignoring the ugly cookie remark.

  “Yes, actually quite well usually,” she said, surprised by his interest.

  “I do too. I really enjoy it, matter of fact.” Goosebumps danced upon her arms and she hugged herself for warmth. Jedrick pulled her close to his side, gathering a knit blanket to pull over both of them. “You’re shivering cold. You’ve had quite a shock.”

  Tessa enjoyed the touch of his hands holding her close. She looked at them with their smooth contours and neatly trimmed nails. Somehow his hands had a comforting effect on her. She knew he was right, she was in shock. He was such a nice man, and no matter what happened, she would appreciate this gesture.

  She tried to remain calm by looking at her surroundings. The room was dominated by a large fireplace with a beautiful mantel of reddish wood. There were two wingback chairs facing them in a wonderful red and gold print and matching red wood. A large comfortable, overstuffed chair dark leather chair faced the fireplace. The couch seemed to be of a similar material and design as the chairs, but it was hard for her to tell as she didn’t want to move out of Jedrick’s arms. She could also see an end table and a coffee table. A variety of pictures hung on the wall that she assumed were family.

  “Thank you.”

  “Please continue. So what happened after you baked?”

  Snuggling up to his side, she began. “I put the cookies on a plate for Santa and put them out with a strawberry margarita. The icing was really bad, but we won’t talk about that now.”

  “He wouldn’t care if the cookies were ugly or the icing was bad. But I bet you curled the old man’s toes by giving him that alcoholic drink,” he chuckled.

  “I don’t know…I don’t remember him drinking it…I do remember a little bit about our conversation.”

  “So, what did you talk about?”

  “Well…it was kinda personal,” she looked up at him through veiled lashes, suddenly shy.

  “Well…I think we were in a ‘kinda personal’ situation when we woke up…don’t you?” Jedrick quirked an eyebrow at her and smiled.

  “Guess we were,” she murmured. The man really was gorgeous when he smiled, she thought. Her heart did little flip-flops when he looked at her that way.

  “So we can probably talk about almost anything, don’t you think?’ he asked lightly.

  Tessa sighed. “Yes, I suppose so.” She snuggled herself closer to his body and placed her hand on the flat of his stomach.

  “Well?” His body language spoke of restrained desire lurking just beneath the surface as his stomach muscles undulated under her touch.

  “We were talking about the fact that I deserved to be loved…that everyone deserves to be loved…don’t you agree?” She turned her face to look at him fully. “And then we talked a little about sex. Not too much, you know…after all, he is a married man…and I didn’t want him to think I was coming on to him!” Without thinking she leaned toward Jedrick and took a whiff. “You smell like a cool winter day.”

  “Thank you…I think…” he said. Leaning toward her, he placed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss. “Tell me everything that happened so we can get back to what we were doing.”

  His kiss sent the pit of her stomach into a frantic swirl of erotic tension. Tessa smiled and leaned away from him. “You have an amazing effect on me…okay…the next thing I remember we’re talking about why things don’t work out with certain people. Santa comforted me. I really thought he cared.”

  Jedrick smiled and the room lit up once again. “Oh, he does care…but sometimes his ways are a little…unconventional. Do you remember anything else?”

  “No…not really…I remember thanking him.” She sat up and frowned, trying hard to put together the snatches of information she saw in her mind. “I remember being cold and thinking I was in an airplane.”

  “Ah…that would be the sleigh ride.”

  “Sleigh ride?”

  “The only way to get to the North Pole.”

  This was insane. Her heart lurched into her throat in disbelief. It couldn’t be true. She never drank more than one or two shots of tequila. Could it be that she’d drunk too much and all this was some crazed hallucination or drunken dream? But a dream or a hallucination wouldn’t talk to her so calmly or feel so real. Nor would a hallucination make her react so strongly to its animal magnetism.

  “So…I’m really here?” she questioned quietly.

  “Ummm…yeah, you’re really here.”

  Twiddling her thumbs for a moment under the blanket, she recognized the need to know still more growing. “Why did he bring me here?”

  Jedrick rubbed her shoulders. “It seems like the old man gave us both a present.”

  “A present?” she snorted. “Some present. I mean, I’m stuck here in the North Pole. What kind of present is that? I mean, who would want to vacation here?” She turned to look at him, surprised to see a pained look on his face as it dawned on her. “Oh…I’m your present.”

  “It would seem so.” Jedrick moved his hands and stood. The blanket fell away from his body. “I’m being a terrible host and haven’t offered you a thing. Could I interest you in some hot cocoa?”

  “Yeah, sure,” she said, almost absentmindedly, pulling the blanket around her.

  Seeing the look of concentration on her face, he got up and quietly walked out of the room.

  Tessa shivered again under the blanket and watched his retreating back. God, she put her foot into it that time. But, dammit, she didn’t want to be anyone’s present, she wanted to be wanted and loved for herself. Still, the man that had left her side happened to be the most handsome man she’d ever seen or been with in her life. She’d be a fool to pass up this opportunity. She needed sex, and she needed it bad. Who cared if it was with one of Santa’s elves? If a relationship with Jason wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t meant t
o be…but she’d a feeling that this man was worth twenty Jason Howells…and she was going to do her best to find out.

  * * * *

  Jedrick stood in front of the stove and stretched to ease the tension in his neck. Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to show her what happened to him when she rubbed his ears. It would be downright painful if he couldn’t bury himself in her body very soon. But he’d seen the look on her face when she’d heard that they’d both been given a present. She must not like him, he thought even though he knew he was good looking according to human standards. But it was the non-human side that sometimes ruled his urges and habits. Elves did things differently than humans did. He had to be very sure that he bonded with a woman completely before he allowed those to surface. And a human woman would have to be very special for the Christmas elves to allow them nor’ahkeem even though sometimes it could just happen without any direction from the elders.

  He wouldn’t allow himself to think of that just now…now he needed to make her feel safe and warm…and loved and oh, so sexy. Quickly, he poured the chocolate into two large mugs and placed them on a tray. He didn’t know how long she would be here but he was going to make every moment count.

  * * * *

  Walking back into the front room, he was astonished to see all the lights had been replaced by candles and firelight. He placed the tray on the coffee table and sat on the couch next to Tessa. “This looks nice,” he said.

  “You have a lovely home. I’ve been admiring the almost Victorian look of this room. Although the colors aren’t quite as dark, the overall look I think could be classified as being of that time period. I wondered what it would look like with all the candles lit and the fireplace going.” She looked at him, happy to see his hungry look. “I hope that hot chocolate is sugar-free,” she said, smiling as she reached for a cup.