“One thing you’ll learn about these guys, there is nothing fun and games about this.” He does that in air quotes. “They take this very serious, despite the name of their team. Last time I played, I was sore for a week.”
Gage and I are on the same team. We are the Elves, wearing green uniforms and the opposing team are wearing red and called the Reindeers. I want to laugh, but I’m only a guest and if I do laugh, not only will I get my ass cross-checked by the opposing team, it will happen with my own teammates.
I am quickly introduced to the players as we enter the ice rink. I’m impressed with the decorations. The rink is decked out like a winter wonderland and, apparently, the winning team will be awarded the silver trophy at the next weekend’s Icicle Holiday Party hosted by the Carr family, right here in this very small arena.
After we skate across the ice to our assigned bench, we watch the opposing team glide past us and wave at the cheering crowd.
My eyes roam the small stadium and I wonder where Tiffany is sitting. I spot Hannah sitting next to a man with a cast, and I assume he’s Tiffany’s younger brother, Chase. There’s an older woman who must be Tiffany’s mother. But to my surprise, Tiffany is not sitting next to them.
It’s been a week since I spoke to Tiffany on the terrace. I never got a chance to get her phone number to inquire about her brother’s accident. But received information from Gage instead. Turns out Chase suffered from a broken arm and a few scrapes. I also never got my answer from Tiffany if she would go on a date with me.
Even though I spent a brief moment with her on the terrace with the backdrop of the most amazing skylines in the world, it was just that . . . a special moment. I should chalk it up as such, but there is no way I am leaving without her saying yes to me.
All I’ve thought about is her. How I can wow her. I know she said she’s a simple person, but there is nothing simple about her and she is exactly what I need. And as much as I hate to admit it, I want her, in the worst way, too.
A woman with a lovely voice sings the National Anthem. The moment she finishes her ballad, a roar echoes around the ice rink.
I look around the stands one more time. No Tiffany. Then the horn blows.
Let the games begin.
Face-off. The referee releases the puck, and the moment it hits the ice, all hell breaks loose.
The clicking of the sticks.
The metal of my blades gliding across the surface.
Cross-checking by another player.
Then a slam into the boards by me.
My breathing is heavy, sweat drips over my forehead, and my heart is racing.
The ref blows the whistle. A damn penalty by one of our players which puts him in the penalty box. Now we are down a teammate and the possession of the puck is in the opposing team’s possession.
The buzz of the horn echoes and the roar of the crowd goes wild.
A goal for the Reindeers. Zero for the Elves.
It’s intermission now and we are getting a pep talk from Jason, our coach and who is Tiffany’s father. Speaking of, I have yet to see Tiffany. I wish she was here to see me in action. To see a different side of me, and not some corporate ladder-climbing, tie-wearing, ass-kissing executive.
But I can’t focus on her, even though she’s all I thought about for the last twenty-four hours.
The buzzer sounds shaking me out of my thoughts. It’s the last period and time to get back on the ice.
Another face-off and it’s like every motion and every play is on a repetition.
A swing of my teammate’s stick and the puck goes flying. Their goalie freezes the puck.
Damnit! Not one of us can get the black disk past their goalie.
An assist, a deflection, another line change, and a breakaway.
This time I now have possession as I hold my course and focus my attention to tie the game so we can go into overtime.
If Tiffany can see me now.
My breathing is labored.
My body is sore.
My brain is fixated on getting this puck in the goal crease, past his feet, and five-hole this black disk to hit the net.
Winding my arm back, the stick going behind my body, and with one swift motion, I slap it across the rink.
Everything is in slow motion as I watch the countdown of the clock just above the net . . . Three, two, one.
My head hangs low when the puck lands in the goalie’s glove. The crowd is on their feet, antlers on their heads, and red towels twirl in the air as a cheer loudly kills the decibel scale.
Fuck! The Elves lost and the Reindeers won.
Damn goalie, he’s really good, not letting a shot get past him!
The Reindeers rush to their goalie and lift his body in the air, yelling Tiny Tim.
With his goalie mask still on, we line up and shake hands with the opposing team.
I shake his hand with our oversized-padded gloves still on. “So, do I get to meet the goalkeeper face to face and congratulate him on a job well done?” I ask.
I stare for a beat as he slowly lifts off the plastic mask and tawney hair tumbles down.
“Hi, Michael,” she says.
“Tiffany?” I say with shock. “It’s you?”
Holy fuck! She’s the goalie? She’s the girl from the holiday party . . . And she’s the girl that was holding the jewelry box from the store a couple of weeks ago.
“It’s me,” she says shyly.
The guys around us chuckle as I continue to stare at her.
I don’t know whether to kiss her or walk away. So I do what I have done in the past when I’m lied to. I walk away.
Tiffany
The day after Chase’s accident, I wasted no time and got on the ice to practice his position as goalkeeper for the rest of the week. And it paid off.
The Reindeers won!
It had been a long time since I’ve played for fun, and once the final horn sounded, I couldn’t believe I was able to block every shot. Including Michael’s.
But was it all worth it?
I knew he would be disappointed in me once he knew who I was behind the mask. The look on his face when he took one look at me was statement enough and all he did was walk away.
Now, my head is in a daze as I wander the party aimlessly smiling and making small talk with all who attended our Icicles Holiday Party. Will Michael show up tonight? Will I ever see him again?
It’s been two hours since the party started. The ice rink is crowded and has transformed into a dance floor with a few tables scattered for people to sit to enjoy their food, dessert, and cocktails. Games are being played in the corner, a photo op with Santa for the children, and an extravagant decked-out tree stands on the other side with gifts underneath.
“Hey, Tiff,” Hannah says from behind me. “What are you doing?”
I’m standing at the entrance and looking for the missing mistletoe that should be hanging above the doorframe.
“It’s here somewhere. It must’ve fallen,” I answer as I look behind a planter by the door.
“What, hon?”
“Ah-ha! Here it is.” I lift the green sprig and dust off the snow.
“I thought you didn’t care about that thing?” she asks as Hannah steps in front of me.
“I don’t. But it’s tradition. It’s always been here.”
“I’ll go grab the stool in the office so you can hang it,” Hannah says. “I’ll be right back.”
“Thanks,” I say.
Staring at the round ball of twig of green leaves and white berries, I’m curious how many kisses happened under this mystic wonder.
I rise on my toes and try to hook the mistletoe on the top of the frame, but my five-six height is fleeting when it slips from my fingers and onto the ground.
When I bend down and grab the ribbon, another set of hands takes it from me. My breath hitches when I look up.
“Michael,” I whisper as butterflies begin to flutter in my belly.
“Hi,” he replies wi
th a shy smile.
“You’re here,” I say. Our eyes lock and my heart beats in my chest; I swear he can hear it. “I didn’t think you were going to come.”
“And why would you think that?”
“I don’t know.” I sigh. “I thought you were disappointed I didn’t tell you who I was at your company Christmas party.”
What is it about Michael that makes me swoony for him? Remembering the first time I met him at the shop when he bought the jewelry box and when we had talked on the terrace, he’s a man I see myself falling hard for. But I’m afraid and I don’t trust my heart.
I was broken last Christmas and somehow, in a matter of a few stolen moments with him, Michael made me forget the hurt.
“I was at first. But I was more disappointed in myself.”
“Why?”
“I knew I recognized you at my company party last weekend, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. The moment you took off the goalie mask and put two and two together, I felt like an asshole for not remembering.”
“If it’ll make you feel better, I was dolled up hiding behind caked-on makeup, a new hair-do, and a dress I borrowed.”
“You were gorgeous that night. But, tonight, you are absolutely breathtaking.” His eyes roam my face as if he’s cataloging my features.
I look down at my oversized cream-colored sweater, blue jeans, and brown boots. “I am?”
“Yes, you are. Which is why I needed to see you again,” Michael says, pulling my chin up so I’m forced to look at him.
“Really? Why?” I ask, trying to hide the giddiness brewing inside of me.
“I wanted to make you like Christmas again.” He lifts a brown paper bag with red and green tissue spraying out of it. “And I wanted to give you this.”
I tilt my head. “What is it?”
“Just open it.”
I take the bag from him and fish out . . . the jewelry box.
My mouth falls agape as I open the lid and the little figurine skater spins to the melody. “I don’t understand,” I say, lifting my eyes and find him not only locking his gaze with mine but pushing my hair away from my face with his fingers.
“The first time I saw you at that small store on Fifth Avenue, I felt awful for taking this from you, but you were so sweet to let this go after I told you I needed it for my work. The difference is your reason had more meaning than mine did.” He clears his throat. “I was going to get your number and give it to you after I was done with it.”
“How did your ad campaign go?” I ask.
He chuckles. “It went well. As soon as the project was over, I had to get this back from the photoshoot, and it’s been sitting in my apartment. Every day that I looked at it, I thought about you.”
“Me? But I thought you didn’t care who I was.”
Michael’s hand brushes my cheek. “Oh, but I did. Meeting you in that little shop that day was one of the best Christmas experiences I’ve had. You calmed my mind and took my mind off work. You did something to me that day as if we had a connection and I couldn’t stop thinking about you since. Your adorable glasses hiding the most beautiful lavender eyes I’ve ever seen. The cute freckles on your nose. Those kissable lips. And best of all you touched my heart without using your hands. You reminded me what this holiday season is all about.”
“I, I don’t know what to say.” My legs weaken as each word passes his mouth, yet I manage to find the strength to stand.
“Stumbling into you that day was fate.” He caresses the frame of my face, holding me spellbound and speechless. “Look up,” he says, and I do. He’s holding the mistletoe above our heads. “I’m going to do what I wanted to do when I saw you on the terrace and give you what you’ve always wanted.”
With the soft jingle of the jewelry box playing in the background, Michael smiles and presses his lips to mine. This isn’t just any ordinary kiss. This is an earthshattering kind of kiss. The kind that makes my panties disintegrate and melt the snow falling.
I wanted to know what it would be like to kiss him the moment I saw him at the bakery several weeks ago. But this is better than I ever imagined as I let him take control of this kiss. Michael’s tongue slips past my lips and slides against mine, tasting each other in the most delicious way.
It’s sensual, seductive, and full of hunger.
Michael pulls back too soon, my breath is labored, and the taste of his tongue is still on my lips.
“Wow,” I say as I hold my breath, calming the spark he’s ignited in me.
“Yes, wow. We have something, Tiffany, and I’ve been wanting to do that ever since you told me you’ve never had a kiss under the mistletoe.”
“Thank you for giving me my very first mistletoe kiss.”
“And I plan to give you many more. Merry Christmas, Tiffany.”
“Merry Christmas, Michael.”
Michael leans in giving me another kiss. This time it’s tender, slow, and packed with so much emotion all I can do is savor this moment, my mistletoe moment, reminding me why I really do love this time of year.
The End
About the Author
Michelle Fernandez lives in Southern California with her husband and children. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, laughing it up with her “squad” or simply relaxing with her two pups.
She is an avid reader of multi-genres, but Contemporary, Romance Suspense, and Military Romance are her most favorite. She’s always been passionate about reading and impressed by the influence it has on people. Which is why she started writing in the first place. It started as a hobby. One chapter turned into ten, then a novel was born. Till I Found You is her first book. She writes stories that are swoony, sexy and have a sprinkle of suspense. The sassy heroine and the gentleman hero are who she loves to write about. Making up worlds and characters for readers to utterly fall in love with, is the most rewarding for her.
Michelle loves to hear from her readers. Visit her website at www.authormichellefernandez.com where you can find her links to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for her Newsletter to receive updates about her upcoming books.
Other books by Michelle Fernandez
Till I Found You
TILL I KISSED YOU
TILL I PROMISE YOU
(SPRING 2021)
EMBRACE
DISTRACTED
(JANUARY 2021)
Blue Christmas - Sam Destiny
Blue Christmas
A Camouflage Love Short
By
Sam Destiny
Chapter 1
Kate
Christmas.
The best time of the year.
Yeah, as if I really believed that.
Sighing, I shifted my bag from one side to the other, hoping the load would ease a little. There were four weeks left until everyone would sit together with their family under the Christmas tree, drinking, laughing, being merry.
Meanwhile, I’d be opening a bottle of wine, pulling my boyfriend’s shirts closer, regretting that I washed them, and would wait for a call from somewhere in this world. I didn’t know more than that, just that Blue was somewhere in this world.
Not here with me.
Not on the way to be here with me.
No, somewhere.
Shaking the thought off, I prayed that I wouldn’t start bawling in the middle of Main Street. Camden was a small town near Boston, and while we easily could go there for shopping and entertainment, there was no doubt our small town had stayed exactly that.
Everyone knew everyone else, and usually I loved that. I knew that if we’d ever have kids, they’d be safer here than they’d be in the big city.
They’d be happier here, too, being able to play in the creek not far from the biggest farm in town. They could learn how to horse-ride if they wanted, and they could build snowmen every winter.
Thinking back to the times I’d still been out and about, reporting from bases around the world, I realized that I’d never thought
about how horrible Christmas at home had to be for those waiting.
And I wondered if it would be the same horrible feeling for Blue.
Then again, with our luck they’d have a special mission on Christmas because some baddy or the other was doing something horrible.
God, the army had been my life, my business for years, and I’d loved everything about it.
Now? Now I hated it because my soldier wasn’t home with me.
And my brother was out there, too, while my dad, some high-ranking military general, was out there, trying to make the world better.
Nothing about this was right, and though it wasn’t my first Christmas alone, it seemed to be worse today.
“Kate! Katecia!”
I sighed, then forced a smile onto my lips and turned. “Hey, Carla!” She was someone who’d enlisted me to help out in church.
I wasn’t a believer, and neither was Blue, but church gave me a sense of community that I was missing whenever Blue wasn’t around, and though I never went to the services except for special holidays, no one minded because I was still there, always helping.
“I was wondering, someone mention that your boyfriend might be coming home, and—”
“Blue won’t be able to make it, and neither will Jackson.” Although at this point, I’d almost take either of them because they’d get me over the fact that the other one wasn’t there.
Her face fell. “Oh, man. I was hoping Jackson would be coming.” She had a crush on him, but Jackson never saw her.
Didn’t know what that was about, but I also didn’t poke. “No, sorry. Did you need anything? I haven’t forgotten that we’ll meet up tomorrow.”
She nodded. “Yes. So, there’s the fair this weekend.”
As if on cue it started snowing. We’d been waiting for more snow because then the fair would be even more magical.
Christmas Wishes: A Christmas Romance Anthology Page 4
