by Nikki Moore
'So, you've been in the Fortnum's Lodge in the West Wing, and you know there are shops in the Christmas Arcade too?' Holly turned to Noel as he and Jasper trailed along behind her.
'Yes,' Noel nodded, hooking a quick hand into the hood of Jasper's coat as he made to dance off somewhere. 'We had a quick look as we left yesterday.'
'’Ncle Noel bought me some sweets, and Daddy told him off,' Jasper ratted him out.
'He did not tell me off, cheeky, he just said they would make you hyper!'
'And?' Holly looked at Noel, eyes shining with amusement. He wondered how he'd ever thought of her as an ice princess. She was one of the most engaging people he'd ever met.
He mumbled something under his breath.
'Pardon?' she leaned closer and he inhaled her perfume, something fresh and sexy.
'I said, it took me over an hour to get him to bed last night.'
She let out a giggle. 'Hilarious.'
'Yeah, right. So come on, show us around.'
'No problem,' the look she gave him quite plainly said you lost that one, but she let it slide. 'As I said, I don't know much, but Somerset House was established as a charity in 1997 as an arts and culture hub to enhance the education of the general public. It's also meant to maintain the historic buildings. Apparently they're of English national heritage interest. The public programme includes open air films, festivals and art exhibitions, but other than that I can't tell you any more. You'd have to come back for a guided tour for that.' She smiled over her shoulder at him, gesturing to one of several sets of double pale grey doors of the South Wing facing the rink. 'But I'll tell you about my favourite bits, like Rizzoli’s bookshop. It's got illustrated subject books and gorgeous home-made cards, pads and other stationery. In here.' She led them into a lovely shop with white walls, shelves and displays of books, puzzles, notepads, pens and knitted Christmas toys laid out on antique wooden tables, decorated with red berry wreaths, seasonal prints and posters. The shop was arranged in a series of connected rooms, and they were in there for five long minutes, Noel browsing at the same time as trying to stop Jasper from touching the merchandise and asking for everything. Several times he let out exasperated breaths, and caught Holly holding back smiles.
'I know a little girl who will like this.' He showed Holly an embroidered journal, with something about dreaming, planning and doing on the spine. 'Do you mind?' he jerked his chin at Jasper.
'No, that's fine. I'll take him along the corridor into the main lobby of this wing. Just use the door over there,' she gestured opposite the till, 'rather than the one back out into the courtyard. Turn right.'
'Thanks,' he nodded. For an instant he wondered if he should trust Holly with his godson but when she smiled down at the little boy and squeezed his shoulder, he relaxed. He was just being paranoid.
A few minutes later he found them relaxing in matching curved black leather chairs, exactly where Holly had said they'd be. 'This is another favourite spot.' She explained, smiling lazily up at him. 'I mean, there are some great places to eat in here, like Tom's Kitchen, and Fernandez and Wells in the East Wing, where they do mean mince pies and hot dogs, but I like sitting here and people watching. Seeing their faces. And this is pretty cool,' she pointed her thumb at the wall behind her head, where there was a painting in an alcove, something grey and orange with antlers on top. He stepped closer to read the writing next to it, absently resting his hand on her shoulder. She fidgeted under his touch as he read the quote from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe out loud, about the Snow Queen and it always being winter but never Christmas.
'A bit like you'd have it,' Holly jumped up, shuffling a few feet away and catching hold of Jasper's sleeve as he leapt out of his seat, 'imagine that.'
'Wrong actually,' Noel smiled wryly, 'I'd have it always summer and never Christmas.'
'Silly me, of course you would,' she let go of Jasper and swung away, heading for a pair of doors that lead outside, but on the opposite side of the building to the courtyard. 'Right,' she called, 'time for one last thing before I have to get back to work.' She threw open the right-hand door with an unintended bang, 'Oops! Every time,' and headed outside and down a flight of wide stone stairs. Throwing her arms out, she spun around as Noel and Jasper reached the bottom. 'The River Terrace,' she said, sounding content, 'with a view of the London Eye and Westminster.' She indicated the busy Thames, length of the stone terrace and rows of chairs and tables set out along it. 'I'm coming back here in the summer. I might not get on with the sun, but can you imagine how heavenly it will be when it's nice weather and people can sit out here enjoying it?' Her eyes lit up further. 'I wonder if they have weddings here. What a venue.'
'Woah, slow down, we've only just met,' Noel said playfully, though he immediately regretted his words when she uncomfortably checked her watch and avoided eye contact.
'I'd better go,' she murmured.
'I was joking, you don't have to run away.' Noel wandered over to her, resting his elbows on the stone balustrade and studying the grey-green depths of the river. Jasper was only a short distance away, running in circles with his arms outstretched, so it was easy to keep an eye on him.
Holly blew out a long breath, 'Sorry. I know you were.'
'Been burnt by a guy with commitment issues?'
'My ex-fiancé,' she stared over at the capsules on the London Eye. 'About the same time I found out I wouldn't be able to skate professionally again, he cut and run. We were too young to be engaged really, but still,' her eyebrows folded together, 'it was crappy of him and I loved him so it hurt, a lot.' She sighed. 'How about you? Been burnt by someone at Christmas, or was it a bereavement?'
Somehow the fact she wasn't looking at him made the question easier to answer. And while he didn't usually offload his baggage on people, she'd shared her angst, so it only felt fair to do the same in return. 'Both,' he admitted grimly, 'my long-term girlfriend and I broke up on Christmas Day two years ago, and it's also the anniversary of my mum's death. I was eight years old when she died.'
Checking Jasper's location over Noel's shoulder, Holly laid a hand on his arm. 'I'm sorry,' she said sympathetically, 'that's utterly awful and sad, on both counts.'
Turning to make direct eye contact, he was horrified to see pity in her eyes and the softness of her expression.
'Don't feel sorry for me!' He shook her hand away. 'I'm fine. I got over it a long time ago.'
'The way you hate Christmas says something different,' she pointed out, hurt shining in her eyes.
'It's not about that, I told you I just don't like or agree with all the commercial rubbish and pressure.' He could feel his teeth gritting, but he wasn't sure how to stop the anger building.
She went to answer, but instead flew past him to yank Jasper down off the wall he'd been trying to climb, a ten foot drop to the street below his likely destination. 'Jasper, no!'
'Jay! You're a liability. Honestly.' He eased the boy out of Holly's arms and unclenched his jaw. 'Thanks. I'd better get him inside before he causes more trouble. And thank you for showing us around. We enjoyed it. I'll catch you later.' Slinging the boy over his shoulder, he took the stairs into Somerset House two at a time without looking back at Holly.
Aware he'd left her standing there, open mouth and wide eyed.
'That was incredible, Jasper.' The dark haired man patted his son on the back after watching him perform a few spins. Holly had spent only an hour showing them to him at the end of her first shift. 'Thank you so much,' Jasper's dad turned to her, 'I really appreciate it.' He grinned charmingly, forest green eyes twinkling.
'No problem,' she said faintly.
'Come on, Jasper,' he turned to his son, 'let's go do a few laps around the rink.'
Holly stared after them. She'd known Jasper would pick the skating up quickly, but what was flooring her, what was making her heart squeeze up her chest and into her throat, was who his father was.
She turned accusing eyes on Noel where he was lounging agai
nst the other side of plastic wall, and skated over to him. 'Matt Reilly is Jasper's dad? Matt Reilly is your best friend?'
'One of my best friends.' He corrected, straightening and plunging his hands into his coat pockets. 'But uh,' he cast his eyes up as if the darkening indigo sky contained all sorts of interesting things, 'yes.'
'Matt Reilly. The Matt Reilly. Mega-famous, mega-rich music producer. The guy in all the magazines-'
'Yes, all right, I get it.' He dropped his gaze back to hers. 'He's got the wow factor.' His jaw clenched, 'And you think I should have told you, but if I had, security precautions would have clicked in because Matt's so overprotective and I wanted Jasper to have normality, just for a few days, while his nanny is away. You wait and see, as soon as Matt thinks people are clocking who he is, he'll take Jasper and vanish.'
Holly watched Matt and Jasper skate around the rink, arms down by their sides. 'Still…'
'Be cross if you want, but I was thinking of Jasper. Like I said earlier, it took a lot of persuasion for me to be able to bring Jasper back and let you work with him. Matt seriously dislikes anything drawing attention to his kids.'
'I- I guess I can't judge. You know him better than I do. And I suppose you were keeping it from me for the right reasons. Still, I wished you'd told me, you can trust me-'
'We hardly know each other,' Noel stepped back, voice cold, 'I've had people I know and trust far more than you let me down.'
Direct hit. It was a good thing she wasn't seriously interested in him, or that one may have hurt. The sharp sensation in her side was a stitch. Just a stitch.
His eyes flickered over the top of her head. 'As predicted,' he nodded at Matt, who was beckoning to Jasper to hurry up as a couple of people started to notice them, 'time to go.'
'Noel, wait-'
'Yes?' he bit, face hard.
There were so many things she could say but Matt was bearing down on them fast, and Noel looked so unwelcoming she doubted he'd listen anyway. 'Nothing, you'd better go. Take care then.' She spun away quickly.
She didn't wish him a Merry Christmas, there was no point. Besides, there was work to do.
'Bye,' he said to her back, and there was a tone to his voice that hinted he wanted to say more. But when she checked over shoulder, he was already striding away with Matt, both their heads down, Jasper between them. That was it then. He was gone.
Making her way into the skate entrance building she stomped off to staff quarters to have a rest and something to eat before getting ready for the club night.
Her eyes stung and she knew moral support was needed. Pulling her phone out, she tapped the screen. 'Carly? It's me. Fancy coming clubbing with a difference tonight?'
Noel leaned up against the rink wall by the oversized Christmas tree, hands stuffed in his pockets for warmth, face burrowed in the depths of his navy scarf. He must be mad, standing in the freezing cold like this.
He hadn't planned to be here. Originally he was supposed to be at home, like he usually was on Christmas Eve, drinking beer, eating a take-away and watching unashamedly non-Christmassy TV. Then Matt had persuaded him to spend a few hours with him and the kids, and this year for some reason Noel had softened and agreed. But as he'd stared blankly at the crackling flames and logs in Matt's fireplace, he'd known he couldn't leave it like that with Holly. So unfinished. He hadn't thanked her properly for everything she'd done for Jasper, or - even as he thought it, he realised how true it was - told her how much he'd enjoyed her company. He'd got up from his chair and found Matt in the kitchen.
'Look, Matt, I need to-'
'Don't tell me. You've changed your mind and are heading home to hibernate,' his friend joked as he made coffee using the space-age looking machine. It probably cost more than Noel earned in a month.
'No. But I am heading out for a while.'
'You going back for the girl? I saw the way you looked at her.'
He thought about denying it but settled on a shrug. 'She's nice. And I just need to clear the air, that's all.'
'Right. Still flying the no complications flag then?'
He avoided an answer, because he wasn't sure he knew it himself. 'I hardly think you're one to talk, mate.' He smiled to take the sting out of it, 'I'll see you a bit later.'
Matt threw a bunch of keys across the kitchen. 'Take the P1, and park in my usual space at the hotel.'
'Thanks.' Noel caught the keys and pocketed them. Matt drove an environmentally friendly Prius but had a few other cars and had insured him and Stephen on them all a long time ago. The P1 was Noel's favourite; sleek, sexy, low to the ground and fast.
Stephen charged in, shrugging into his jacket. 'I'm coming too,' he insisted. 'I want to have a look at the hot blonde totty who's taught Jasper all these tricks. Maybe she can teach me a few things.'
'That's not what I said about her,' Matt protested.
Noel threw Stephen a dirty look. 'I don't think so.' He ground out. 'She's far too nice for you.'
'Come on,' Stephen spread his hands, 'I'm not that bad am I? I wine and dine the ladies.'
Silence greeted his comment. They all knew that while he was good at romancing women initially, he was not good at anything that came after that. Like returning their calls, being honest with them or telling them when the relationship was over.
'Thanks.' Stephen sighed heavily, green eyes mocking. 'Can I come if I promise to behave?'
Noel blew out a breath. 'If I say no, are you going to turn up at Somerset House anyway?'
'Of course.'
'You might as well get a ride with me then.'
'So where is she then?' Stephen asked now, jumping up to sit on the plastic wall, ignoring the dirty look he got from a passing member of staff. He seemed unaffected by the cold, leather jacket open over a white open necked shirt.
'I don't know,' Noel scowled as the DJ started a club anthem up, lights starting to spin across the ice.
He looked around, unable to see her in the heaving crowds of skaters and spectators. And then he did.
Wow.
Jasper had asked Noel to help hang the Christmas stockings above the fireplace the night before, but as Holly skated gracefully onto the ice, and Noel caught sight of an expanse of long, lean thigh encased in black tights below a short, twirly figure-skating dress it was a different type of stocking he was thinking of. Black sheer stockings that ended as lacy hold-ups on upper thighs, leaving inches of bare skin sexily bare below lacy black knickers…he gulped. Shit. He had the hots for Holly. Pity he'd blown it by acting like such a cold bastard earlier.
He watched as she helped someone up off the ice, and then checking she had enough room, went into a series of spins and jumps to the beat of a remixed Ellie Goulding track. Some kind of diamanté studding on her skates flashed and caught the lights and the way she moved her body was stunning. She had control and precision but a flair in the flick of her arms. The way she went so low down to the ice with one leg bent in front of her and the other extended behind, in what he now knew was called a drag – he'd googled figure-skating while at Matt's – was almost artistic. And at the same time, sexy as hell.
Stephen let out a loud whistle and looked at Noel. 'That's her, isn't it?' His grin was wide and knowing. 'She's gorgeous. Looks like an ice princess.' He dismounted and turned to scope Holly out some more, slapping Noel on the shoulder. 'If you don't, I will.'
'Don't you fucking dare,' he shot, returning Stephen's slap on the back with a gratifying oof from the younger man. He was shocked at how possessive he felt over Holly.
'Doing your principled bit, are you?' Stephen raised one eyebrow, looking taken aback. 'Fine. But don't try and pretend it's all about being noble. You want her too.'
Noel opened and closed his mouth a few times, but couldn't actually deny it. He did want her, and he really liked her. He just hadn't acknowledged it until now. She'd definitely managed to creep under his defences.
'I knew it,' Stephen crowed. 'Never mind, I'll find someone else. I always
do.' He smiled arrogantly. Studying Noel's face under the strobes. 'So, what are you going to do about it?'
'No idea, Stephen. Not a clue.'
Carly slithered out onto the ice. It was the only way Holly could think to describe it because her friend inevitably spent more time on her hands and knees, or bum, or spread-eagled on her stomach with her arms pulled in tight to her body to protect them, than upright.
Anyone else who was so bad at skating would look silly, but Carly was one of those girls who was effortlessly graceful and stylish. She made a pair of jeans and plain top look haute couture and Holly had never seen anyone look as devastating in a skirt, slim Bambi legs attracting the attention of every guy around.
'So what do you think?' Holly asked, gripping her friend's arm to steady her.
'Of?' Carly tossed her long black hair away from her face, pale skin looking Snow White-ish in the club lights.
'Of Noel.' She'd spotted him half an hour earlier, but was unsure whether to go and talk to him, and if she did, what she would say. Did he even warrant five minutes of her time after the way he'd spoken to her?
'Do you like him?' Carly challenged.
'I don't know,' Holly moaned. 'I didn't think so, and he was off with me earlier, but there's something about him. Sometimes he's pretty cool. Oh, I don't know. I don't even want a boyfriend so I don't know why I'm bothered.'
Her friend pursed her lips thoughtfully, running assessing hazel eyes over Noel, who was in animated conversation with a younger guy. 'He's kind of hot,' she grinned, 'but not your usual type.'
'Not in looks, no. But maybe my usual type is overrated?' Holly frowned. 'Never mind, this is making my head hurt. Come on, let’s skate.'
'You know I can't skate,' Carly laughed, 'that's a really bad suggestion.'
'Yes, but you can stand still and concentrate on the dancing bit. We both know you can shake that booty.'
Carly grinned, 'Yep, we do. And yes, I can.'
Noel clutched a cup of non-alcoholic punch, watching Holly twirl around the rink. Her friend had gone home, and so had Stephen, thank god. The crowds had started drifting away and the music had been turned down once it hit ten. Club night was finishing early given it was Christmas Eve and the place was closed the next day. Holly was still on the ice though, eyes closed blissfully as she skated around. It was easy to see how much she loved it, how she got lost in the flow.
