I took in a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do it. Gabby, are you ready?”
“Yes!!” she squealed.
Ranger and Jacob were waiting for us by the front door. “Ronan had Cameron pull the car around front so you could make a grand entrance.”
I laughed. “I can’t make a grand entrance when it’s not even open yet.”
Jacob snorted. “Mom, the field for parking is almost full.”
“What?”
“It’s packed. And they’re waiting for you. So, let’s go.”
As we rode to the village, I had to fight back the tears trying to fill my eyes. Even though I refused to acknowledge it, I had been so worried that the entire project would be a complete flop.
The car came to a stop and Ronan opened the door. Jacob exited first, followed by Keegan, then Ranger. “This is it, sweetie,” I said to Gabby, who was beaming with pure happiness.
“Let’s do it, Gigi.”
She stepped out and Ranger quickly scooped her into his arms, causing me to frown. Ronan extended his hand but stepped in front of me the moment I was out of the car. “What’s going on?”
“Just more people than we expected. It’s a large crowd to get through and I didn’t want it to overwhelm Gabby. We’re clearing a path right now,” he said calmly.
“Jacob said the field was almost full, but that’s a good thing.”
“It is,” he agreed and touched his ear. “All clear.”
With that, we walked through the crowd lining the path to a podium in front of the ice-skating rink. Once we were closer, I took Gabby’s hand and stepped up to the microphone. “Good evening! Thank you all for coming to our opening night. I’m Jacquelyn Marks and this is my granddaughter Gabriella Marks. When I learned of Gabby’s ideas for Tinsel Town, I saw an opportunity to bring Christmas cheer to our community as well as raise funds for charity. One hundred percent of all Tinsel Town profits will be donated to our selected charities. Each Tinsel Town home has a dedicated activity or treat, so be sure to stop by each one. Show your admission ticket at the blue and white home to my left to check out a pair of ice skates. Now, my sweet Gabby is going to light the tree and Tinsel Town will officially be open!”
I nodded to Gabby as the crowd cheered and clapped. Gabby carefully climbed down from the podium and flipped the switch beside the rink to light the tree in the middle of the rink.
“Welcome to Tinsel Town!” I shouted and watched as the crowd dispersed.
Jacob stepped up beside me and put his arm around my shoulders. “You did good, Mom.”
“Thank you. I may have funded it, but it was a group effort,” I said as I continued to watch the crowd.
I caught sight of a familiar face, and then another, and another. I turned to my son. “You didn’t tell me your friends were coming!”
He laughed. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know until they got here. But I bet Ranger did.”
“Oh, that reminds me; I have something for Ranger. Where is that man?”
“Seriously, Mom? I’ll give you one good guess where he is.”
“Damn it. Be a dear and get the box from the car while I go save the gingerbread cookies.”
“That’s not necessary,” Ronan said and produced the very box I’d requested.
We found Ranger exactly where we expected, passing out cookies and helping himself to as many as he wanted along the way. I held the box up and opened the lid to show him what was inside. “These or the gingerbread cookies. What’s it going to be?”
“Don’t toy with me, woman. Are those your special mint chocolate brownies?” he asked.
“Two dozen of them, just for you, on one condition.”
“I won’t touch another gingerbread cookie,” he vowed.
“For the duration of Tinsel Town, not just tonight,” I clarified.
“Deal,” he said without hesitation and reached for the box.
“What kind of trouble are you causing now?” Phoenix asked as he approached our little gathering, causing us all to laugh. He extended his hand to me. “Jacquelyn, I’d like you to meet my wife, Annabelle,” he said and gestured to a beautiful woman pushing a stroller with two babies dressed like elves in it. “And these are our twins, Blaze and Flint.”
“Oh my! Aren’t they precious?” I exclaimed.
“They have their moments,” Annabelle said and extended her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too. If it gets too cold for the little ones, let me know and I’ll have someone escort you to the house.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate the offer.”
“Ronan,” I heard Ian say from behind me. “I need to speak with you.”
The urgency in his tone had me turning around to inquire, but Jacob spoke before I could. “I’ll stay with Mom while you attend to that.”
“Thank you. I shouldn’t be long,” Ronan said and walked away with Ian at a brisk pace.
“We won’t keep you,” Phoenix said with a smile.
“Once again, thank you for your help and support,” I said. “With Tinsel Town and with Jacob.”
“Mom,” Jacob admonished.
“You’ll never be too old for me to embarrass you in front of your friends,” I teased.
He sighed dramatically and made a show of looking at his nonexistent watch. “How long did Ronan say he would be?”
9
Ronan
“What’s going on?” I asked as soon as we were out of earshot.
Ian stopped in front of Santa’s home and grimaced. “Santa is supposed to be here in less than an hour and just called to cancel. Apparently, he’s sick, but it sounded very much like a party was going on in the background.
“Fuck,” I said under my breath and looked around as if a solution would suddenly make itself known.
“Seth has called a few other agencies, but no one is available on such short notice.”
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
“The easiest thing would be for you to step in and play Santa,” Ranger said from the shadows where he was shoveling brownies into his mouth like a pig.
I scoffed at his suggestion and shook my head. “I can’t do two jobs at the same time and Jacquelyn is my top priority.”
Ranger stepped into the light and rolled his eyes dramatically. “Have her play Mrs. Claus. It will give her the opportunity to personally greet all of the guests, and she will be within arm’s reach of you all night.”
I looked at him incredulously. “Don’t look at me like that. I have all the answers, but you hard-headed people never ask me.”
“He has a good point, and we do have a suit,” Ian hedged.
“Fine,” I agreed. I didn’t want to play Santa by any means, but I was willing to do anything to make Jacquelyn happy. So, I sucked it up and carried the suit to Jacquelyn’s limo to get changed.
“Not one word from any of you,” I grumbled as I returned to the group huddled behind Santa’s townhome.
“Where’s your beard?” Ranger asked.
“Mrs. Claus made me shave,” I snapped.
Ranger threw his head back and laughed. “That’s a good one.”
“Am I supposed to just go in and sit down or was there going to be an announcement?” I asked.
“There was going to be an announcement, but we’ll get Jacquelyn over here and turn the lights on and open the door when the two of you are ready. I’m sure it won’t take long for the kids to notice Santa,” Seth suggested.
“I’ll get her,” Ranger said and already had his phone pressed to his ear.
“We have a camera set up just inside the door. Here’s the remote to it. Before each child leaves, snap a few pictures. We’ll have Mrs. Claus give the parents a card with the website and login information to download the pictures at their convenience,” Seth explained.
“What’s going on? Where’s Ronan?” Jacquelyn asked from behind me.
I grimaced and slowly turned ar
ound to face her. “Santa called in sick…so, it looks like you and me are Santa and Mrs. Claus for the evening.”
Her eyes widened as she looked me over from head to toe. “Well, you certainly look the part, but I can’t possibly be Mrs. Claus. This is our grand opening and I—”
“—will be able to personally greet each family that comes to see Santa. I can still do my job while playing Santa because you’ll be right by my side.”
She looked down at herself and tugged at the hem of her sweater. “Well, it seems as though you have this all figured out, and I suppose I am dressed for the part.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll make sure everything continues to run smoothly,” Jacob assured her.
I opened the door to the back of Santa’s home and gestured with my hand, “After you, Mrs. Claus.”
Jacquelyn winked and stepped inside the small room. I followed behind her and blindly felt around for the light switch. “I can’t find the light switch. Is it on your side?” she asked as she proceeded to turn around and run right into me.
My hands landed on her waist to steady her. “I was just about to ask you the same thing, but I’m suddenly liking the dark,” I said softly and leaned down to kiss her.
“You do make one handsome Santa Claus,” she murmured. Her arms circled my neck and she pressed herself against me as she returned my kiss with just as much fervor.
Click.
Click.
Click. Click. Click.
Breaking the kiss, Jacquelyn whispered, “What was that?”
“The remote for the camera,” I grumbled.
She giggled. “I guess the first ticket is for me.”
She was still in my arms and we were both laughing when the light suddenly came on. Jacob stuck his head in the back door, “Sorry about that. One of the breakers was off,” he said, his voice trailing off at the end when he noticed our close proximity.
Jacquelyn tensed in preparation for her son’s reaction. And he made her wait a few long moments before he finally smiled and said, “It’s about damn time.”
“Jacob!” she scolded, but he had already disappeared.
“You’ll have to worry about that later. It’s time to get this show on the road,” I told her and took my seat. Right on cue, Ranger and Jacob pulled the front doors open and secured them, revealing our version of Santa’s living room.
“Mommy! Mommy! It’s Santa!” a little boy screamed and started to run toward us.
“Freeze, little man!” his father bellowed, causing the child to do just that. The man quickly scooped him up and carried him over to see us. I immediately recognized him as John Wayne “Duke” Jackson, a member of the Blackwings MC.
“Hello, little James,” I said in a tone much deeper than my regular voice. James turned his head to me with a look of pure shock on his face.
“You know my name?”
“Of course, I do,” I laughed. “Santa knows if you’ve been naughty or nice.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I didn’t mean to run away. I just wanted to see Santa!” he cried.
“Just don’t let it happen again,” Duke said and put James on his feet. “Go tell Santa what you want for Christmas.” As James ran over, Duke looked at me and mouthed, “Well played.”
Seconds after James’s impromptu announcement of my arrival, a lengthy line of kids waiting to see Santa had formed. And for the next three hours, child after child climbed into my chair and told me what they wanted for Christmas. Surprisingly, none threw up on me and only a handful burst into tears at the sight of me. My absolute favorite was the little girl who kept coming back to bring me cookies because something was wrong with my belly.
At one point, I was concerned that the line would never end, but as it got later, the line began to dwindle. Thirty minutes before closing, Jacob went to the podium and announced that the line for Santa would be closing in fifteen minutes, which was a brilliant idea. I saw the last child of the night exactly three minutes before ten o’clock.
I stood from the chair, stretched, and promptly coated myself in hand sanitizer while Jacquelyn laughed. “Oh, it wasn’t that bad, was it?”
“No, but I’m not taking any chances. Little kids are cute, but they are also riddled with germs. Which reminds me, we need to pick up a case or two of disinfectant spray.”
“We have plenty of cleaning products in the storage shed,” Jacquelyn reminded me.
“That’s for Tinsel Town. I want more just to fumigate my Santa suit,” I said seriously.
She gave me a sly grin and her eyes filled with desire. “We definitely want to make sure nothing happens to that suit.”
“Is that right?” I asked and stalked toward her. Gripping her hips firmly, I pulled her close and pressed my lips against the shell of her ear. “Maybe I’ll let you help me take it off later.” Capturing her lips with mine, I didn’t give her a chance to respond.
A throat clearing interrupted our heated moment. Jacquelyn dropped her head against my chest while I turned my head and glared at the intruder. “I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus,” Jacob sang.
“Jacob Kingsley Marks, do you want me to show your biker friends the pictures I have of you playing dress up in my makeup?” Jacquelyn asked with an arched eyebrow.
“Nope, I sure don’t,” he said and cleared his throat.
“But I do!” Keegan laughed.
“Wifey,” Jacob growled, causing Keegan to laugh even harder.
“Did you need something?” Jacquelyn asked.
“I was just coming to let you know all the guests are gone. Keegan and I will close up if you want to go on back to the house,” he offered.
“We would love that. Thank you,” I answered for her.
“Where’s Gabby?” I asked.
“She fell asleep in Ranger’s arms about an hour ago, so he went back to the house with her,” Keegan said.
“You’re sure you don’t mind?” Jacquelyn asked.
“They wouldn’t have offered if they did. We need to take them up on this offer while we have the chance,” I said. They were going home in two days, leaving the responsibility of running Tinsel Town completely on Jacquelyn’s shoulders.
“Well, I think I will take you up on that offer. Thank you.”
Cameron opened the door to the car and did a very poor job of hiding his smile. “Not a word,” I grumbled.
“Of course, not, Nick. Or is it Kris?” Cameron chuckled as he closed the door.
“I’ll never hear the end of this,” I mumbled.
Jacquelyn smiled. “Thank you for stepping in and saving Tinsel Town.”
I reached over and took her hand in mine. “You don’t have to thank me. You have to know I’d do anything for you.”
“I suppose I do.”
When we arrived at the house, I didn’t let go of her hand as I helped her from the car and led her to my apartment. As soon as the door closed, I backed her up against it and kissed her the way I’d wanted to kiss her for the last several hours. “Do you know what it was like having to watch you bend over in those pants all night?” I asked against her lips and slid my hands down to cup the firm ass that had been taunting me.
“Probably the same as it was for me having to watch your dimple pop out every time you smiled at a child.” She slid her hands under my coat and pushed it off of my shoulders. Her hands came back to my body and slid underneath my shirt.
“Jacquelyn,” I warned. I didn’t want to push her or do anything she wasn’t ready for, but I had wanted her for so long that my self-control was almost nonexistent. She either didn’t hear me or was ignoring me, because her hands continued to roam as she was trying to move us, I assumed to the bedroom. “Jacquelyn,” I repeated and placed my hands over hers.
“What is it?” she asked.
That was a good question. There were so many things I wanted to say to her, but one simple sentence would cover it all. “I love you.”
She stared at me for several long moments, leaving me to wonder
if I’d just destroyed our chance at a relationship, not to mention our friendship. Finally, she swallowed and said, “I love you, too.”
And that was all I needed to hear. I scooped her into my arms and carried her to my bedroom. Dropping her onto the bed, I followed her down and captured her lips with my own.
Any control I had vanished when Jacquelyn gently pushed me back so she could pull her sweater off. She was wearing a red, lacy bra that made her look like the naughtiest of presents. When I stood to pull my T-shirt off, she quickly removed her boots and pushed her pants down her legs, sending them flying across the room with a flick of her foot. My eyes zoned in on the matching panties covering what would soon be mine. “I hope you aren’t attached to those,” I growled and shoved my pants and boxer briefs to the floor.
Her eyes widened at the sight of me and fixated on my raging erection. “Attached to what?” she asked distractedly.
“These,” I repeated and ripped her little panties from her body with one sharp tug.
“Ronan,” she gasped. She opened her mouth to say something else, but her words turned into moans when my mouth landed on her core. I licked and sucked and completely devoured her. I couldn’t get enough, and I didn’t want to stop, but I wanted the first time she came for me to be on my cock.
She made a sound of discontent when I stopped giving her my mouth, but she grinned when I climbed over her. Sometime when my face was between her legs, she’d removed her bra. Her tits were perfect. Much bigger than I thought, but she always dressed conservatively and never tried to show them off. I took a moment to appreciate each one before I lined myself up with her entrance.
“Do I need a condom?” I rasped, almost shaking with the effort to hold myself back.
She shook her head. “I can’t get pregnant, and I haven’t been with anyone since Jay.”
“I haven’t been with anyone since my ex-wife and I made sure to have myself checked since she was cheating on me.”
“Okay, no condom. Now, please p—” her words died on her lips when I thrust into her with more force than I intended. “Ronan,” she groaned.
I didn’t wait to begin moving my hips with fervor. I wasn’t going to last long and I needed her to come before I did. “Rub your clit, love,” I ordered. Her cheeks flushed, but she slowly moved her hand between us.
Christmas in Tinsel Town Page 5
