Santa's Assistant (A Holiday Office Romance Bundle Books 1-3)

by J. L. Beck

  I needed to call someone and talk to them, someone who knew exactly what it was that I was feeling. I fished my cell out of my suit pants and unlocked it. I scrolled through my contacts until I came to a stop on Ryan Nelson’s name, my finger covering over the call key as I debated with myself about calling him.

  Ryan had his own secret office romance, a woman he hired for a friend and fell for within moments of meeting. Yeah, it wasn’t conventional for a man to fall head over heels in love with a woman upon meeting her, but it wasn’t impossible.

  I pressed the call button and waited, knowing that if anyone could relate it would be him. The ringing echoed through the line, and continued to do so until his voicemail played.

  Did I want to leave a message?

  “Leave a message after the beep.” The automated voice played, and then the sound of the beep went off.

  “Hey. It’s Nicolas. I… I’m having some personal issues and I needed some advice and maybe just someone to talk to. I know you’re busy and all, so give me a call back when you get a chance.” I hung up the phone, pushing the feeling that maybe I made a wrong choice from my mind.

  I hadn’t made a wrong choice. There was no way. There was no wrong choice when it came to confessing your feelings for someone. I would just have to trust in myself that I did the right thing.

  You’re a businessman, Nicolas, act like one.

  I smirked as I opened my laptop to get some work done for the day, all while knowing just outside my door sat a beautiful curvy blonde named Lucy, who owned a piece of my heart.

  Chapter Three

  Lucy

  I was giddy like a girl that was ready for her first date. Every single inch of my body seemed to be on edge and since leaving Nicolas’s office I hadn’t got one ounce of work done. Luckily, the day was over and I could go home for a few hours, and maybe have a glass of wine before I had to go back out into the cold with little to no clothing on. I didn’t look at the elf costume because I was way too taken aback by the fact that he wanted me, like really wanted me. It was more than just asking for help, he wanted me to be his, and when his lips pressed against mine I could feel it.

  I grabbed my purse off my desk, and headed towards the elevators. It had been snowing all afternoon, which would make for an excellent drive home, if I could even get my damn car started.

  I took the elevator down to the parking garage just like all the other employees, and made my way to my car, crossing my fingers and toes that my car would start. With Christmas right around the corner I couldn’t afford any new repairs on my car.

  “Please start, please start…” I whispered to myself, as I unlocked the older than dirt Jeep. Yeah I could get a new car, something fancier, something nicer but my grandfather had given me this car when I was sixteen and since his passing it became nearly impossible to let go of things he had given me.

  Opening the car door, I hopped inside, shoving the key into the ignition. This right here should be yet another reminder of how different Nicolas and I were from each other. He could afford a brand new BMW and I could barely handle the repairs on my Jeep.

  As soon as I shoved the key into the ignition and turned it, and heard nothing but a clicking resonating through the car, I knew I was screwed. I would have no other option but to call my parents, who would lecture me about taking care of myself and remind me of what an inconvenience I was to them.

  Tears pricked at my eyes, the frustration of the entire day settling onto my shoulders. This was the cherry on top.

  A tapping on my window caught my attention. “Is everything okay, Lucy?” Nicolas’s deep smoky voice met my ears, and his eyes pierced mine just as I wiped away the tears that had started to form in my eyes. The last thing I needed was him realizing just how much of a hot mess I really was.

  “Oh, hi!” Somehow I found my voice, and laced my words in cheer, hoping that would convince him that I was okay.

  “Are you okay?” He questioned, little puffs of air forming with each word he spoke. It made me realize even more how fucked I was. It was going to be getting colder, and here I was sitting in my jeep that wouldn’t start, in the parking lot of my office, speaking to my boss who I had a crush on.

  Was I okay?

  “Honestly, no. My Jeep is a piece of shit. I can’t afford a new alternator which is what I need, and it’s going to be colder than hell in just a few hours.” I wanted to throw my hands up in the air in frustration, but didn’t.

  It was then that Nicolas did something that I never expected. He opened my car door and took my cold hand in his warm one. The heat from his skin warming my body almost immediately.

  “When I told you I’ve been watching you every day for months, I wasn’t lying. I don’t leave this parking garage until you do, because I want to make sure you’re okay.” His admission should’ve terrified me but instead I found it rather endearing.

  “Well, thank you… For making sure I make it home every evening. It’s almost like you’re a guardian angel.” I smiled, my cheeks growing warm. Why the hell did I say that last part?

  “That’s because I am.” He leaned into my face. his lips mere inches away from mine. Would he kiss me back if I pressed my lips against his?

  “I….” The words I wanted to say caught in my throat. Every time he came around I forgot how to speak.

  “What, Lucy?” His voice was a whisper against my lips as he leaned in closer, his fingers brushing back a strand of hair that had landed against my lips.

  “I should be going…” Here I was, once again, caught in this man’s web. His lips, and words, and body did crazy things to my heart. Was it possible to feel like you needed someone in order to breathe?

  “Come home with me…” I almost missed the words he had spoken, my eyes focused on his lips, imagining our next kiss in my mind.

  “Home? With you? I… I couldn’t.” I really couldn’t. It didn’t seem right, even if I really wanted to. Everything between us seemed to be moving at an impossible pace, and I was afraid if I didn’t reach out and grab onto something soon that all of this would spiral out of control.

  Nicolas smiled, and my eyes caught a glimpse of his white teeth, “Just because you come home with me, doesn’t mean we have to do anything, Lucy. I’ve wanted you for a long ass time, so if I have to wait a little longer for you, then I will. I just can’t leave you alone out here without a car that works properly. It would be wrong, and I would worry about you..”

  Goose bumps formed against my skin. This man really did care about me. It wasn’t just an I want to sleep with you and move on kind of thing, he had studied me and noticing the things that had been taking place in my life, and he was clearly worried about my safety. Did I really need any more convincing when it came to getting in his warm car and going back to his place?

  “No sex.” My voice sounded weak and I noticed a grin pulling at Nicolas’s lips.

  “Kissing?” He asked. I bit my lip, wondered what the harm in that was.

  “Yes.” I said meekly.

  “Good.” He leaned into my body, his hand reaching up and cupping my cheek as his lips pressed firmly against mine. My body lit up like a Christmas tree, the star on top shimmering brightly. The kiss deepened and nothing else mattered in that moment; not the fact we were in a parking garage, or that we had just admitted the feelings we had for each other. Nothing else mattered as long as Nicolas’s lips were against mine.

  My hands moved of their own accord, my fingers running through his hair like my life depended on it. The softness of his touch, with the roughness of his lips against mine had me thinking crazy things. Things that I shouldn’t be thinking.

  I sighed into his touch, his lips devouring mine as I opened up to him. The second our tongues touched, a fire filled my belly. The need to remove all of our clothing and connect in a way like I never had before consumed me. The feeling was raw, and completely like nothing I had ever felt.

  “Your lips are pure sin, Lucy, and the little sounds that emit
from your throat as I kiss you make me want to do very bad things to your body.” A blush would’ve crept up my throat and onto my cheeks had I not been feeling the same way he was.

  I grabbed my purse and the bag he had given me earlier with the costume he wanted me to wear tonight. I pressed against his chest as I stepped out of my jeep, our eyes colliding, as a wild storm brewed in those sea blue eyes of his.

  “I never expected to feel the way I do about you. I never expected your kiss to make me weak in the knees, and your touch to shatter my soul. I don’t know how you do it, or how you’ve hidden your feelings this whole time, but I hope from this moment on that you don’t hide it anymore, because as scary as all this is it’s the most intense thing I’ve ever experienced and I want to continue to experience it with you.” If I said one true thing today, it would be this.

  Nicolas’s eyes darkened and I questioned what I had said for a second, wondering if I had said something that would turn him off.

  It was when he gripped both my cheeks in his hands and claimed my lips again that I knew I hadn’t said anything wrong, but that I had said everything right. If I wanted one thing for Christmas this year it would be Nicolas.

  Chapter Four

  Nicolas

  Possessing her lips for the first time was like tasting one of the most forbidden fruits. She was so sweet and tempting, like a decedent apple, begging me to reach out and take a bite.

  I knew being with Lucy would make me want things that I wasn’t sure I wanted in the first place. I couldn’t let her go, not now, not after having tasted her.

  “You live all the way out here?” The astonishment in her voice made me wonder where she had expected me to live.

  “Of course, where did you think I lived?” Curiosity got the best of me and I had to ask her, one of my hands gripping the steering wheel while the other held her hand in mine. How had I gone so long without touching her, or thinking about her? There hadn’t been a moment all day where my mind wasn’t slipping away to her.

  Still, there was this lingering feeling of sadness that crept into my bones. As much as I wanted Lucy to be mine, I wondered if she could handle the things that were going on in my life.

  Yes, she was beautiful and strong, but what she strong enough?

  “Don’t laugh…” She started, her smile was warm and contagious. “I thought you lived in the city or maybe even in one of those high rises down town?” The way her nose wrinkled as she talked, and the way she bit her lip nervously as she spoke made me want to take her right here and now. I had never wanted to possess a woman with my cock as badly as I wanted Lucy. The need to brand myself on her was terrifying and exciting all at the same time.

  “I might be a businessman who has money but I’m not stupid. I’d much rather spend my money on a house where I can raise a family then spend a million plus dollars on a one-bedroom condo.” I trained my eyes back on the road, wondering if I had given away too much too soon.

  “That makes sense, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume something like that, I just didn’t know. Mandy always said you seemed like you lived life on the edge or something like that.” She was letting me in on her secret conversations she had with Mandy, one of her co-workers and one of my employees.

  “Oh, so you do talk about me?” I smirked, pulling up to the gate outside the house. I punched in the key code and the gates opened, allowing me to drive up into the driveway. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Lucy took in the fortress I called home. It wasn’t anything fancy, nor was it as extravagant looking as the other houses on the block.

  It was a simple two-story house that was grey with blue shutters. A three-car garage was added on at one point and I had finished the basement after we bought it, but other than that nothing stood out on it. There was no pool, or tennis court. It was just a house, a place to call home.

  Still, Lucy’s eyes were glued to the house, probably missing the question I had just asked her. I parked the car and waited for her to say something.

  “You live here? This place is huge, Nicolas.” The astonishment and surprise in her voice amused me.

  “Yeah, I live here and believe me, it’s nothing. Did you see the other houses on the block? I have money, Lucy, but I don’t flaunt it. That’s not what being a businessman is about. If you want to run a billion-dollar company, you need to act like a businessman and not a millionaire.” I almost felt as if I was lecturing her and at any point she would jump from the car out of pure boredom, but she didn’t, she sat in place listening to me as if she was eager to hear more.

  “I understand. I’ve just never seen something this large. My apartment is a studio and my parents’ house is a three-bedroom ranch. We didn’t even have a garage growing up.” I can practically see the wheels spinning in her head. I need to nip whatever shit thoughts she has in the bud, because I can’t have her worrying about shit that doesn’t matter.

  “I can see the wheels in your mind spinning and you’re thinking about every single thing that says we shouldn’t be together, and I just want to tell you that none of that matters. Not the car you drive, the money in your pocket or the house you live in. None of that matters to me.” I reassured her, watching the panicky wide-eyed look that had formed in her eyes diminish.

  “I need to tell you something before we go inside because I’m not sure what’s going to take place between us…” I swallowed past the nervousness that had just formed in my throat.

  “Say whatever you need to, Lucy. Nothing you say will change anything between us. I’ve wanted you from a far for a very long time, so believe me when I say I can handle anything because I have the patience of a saint. I’m not kidding.” I gripped her hand more tightly in mine hoping she would take what I said into account. Her blue eyes met mine and in them I could see every emotion she was feeling. Fear. Excitement. Sadness. I could see it all as it reflected back on me.

  “I’m not good with relationships and sometimes I run. My last relationship ended badly and that’s why I’m so quiet and shy. It’s better to be a fly on the wall than to be in the spotlight all the time. I just try to keep my head down and stay out of people’s way, but with you…” Her voice dropped almost to below a whisper. “I feel free, like I can handle being in the spotlight for a little bit. I like being with you, and even though it’s only been one day, I could see myself doing this every day.”

  My heart soared out of my fucking chest as it pounded in my ears. How was this fucking possible, that I had found a woman that was perfect for me? One that didn’t want my money or my clout, but that wanted me.

  “Let’s go inside, Lucy. I want to see you in that costume.” Excitement coursed throughout my body, my cock growing hard at the thought of her in a pair of red stockings. I wanted to fuck her so badly my blood was humming, but I wanted to take it slow first.

  She smiled, and that smile caused her eyes to brighten, the magnificent blue of them making me want to lean in and kiss her again and again until every last piece of her skin had been touched by my lips.

  We exited the car without another word said between us, the silence a welcoming feeling, not because she was quiet but because it allowed us to soak up the emotions and feelings that we were finding in one another.

  I unlocked the house and opened the door letting her step in first. I hadn’t had another woman in this house since Laura, but everything with Lucy felt right, like fate had sent her to my doorstep.

  “Oh dear lord, this place is gorgeous.” A bubble of laughter left my throat, causing her to turn on her heels, a scowl marring her features. She looked at me like, what the fuck are you laughing at?

  “It’s nothing special. I promise.” I assured her. The house was just like any other on the block, it had nice floors and a chef’s kitchen, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary to me.

  “It’s special Nicolas. My apartment doesn’t look anything like this. I’ve never even seen a kitchen like this, aside from in the home magazines my mom has lying around
her house.” She walked into the kitchen, her eyes wide and filled with amazement, her fingers gliding across the marble counter top.

  The longer my thoughts lingered on the things she was saying, the more I felt like she was trying to find ways for us to not be together, and there was no way in fucking hell I was going to let her walk away.. Not after the years of watching, and waiting for the perfect moment to make my move.

  As if on instinct I went to her, my hand cupping the side of her cheek as I brought our faces together, my other hand pulling her ass into my groin. A sweet as hell sigh left her lips, and my cock grew stiff in my slacks.

  “Every time you admire something of mine, I have this irrational fear that you’re trying to find an excuse as to why we can’t be together, and I can’t have that, Lucy. Not after all this time. Maybe a year ago. Maybe last week. Hell, maybe even yesterday, but not after today. Not after I’ve tasted your sweet lips.” My belly ached, as fear coursed through my veins. It had been years since I put my heart out on the line like this.

  I rubbed my thumb across her bottom lip, the image of our lips pressing against one another’s formed in my mind like a movie playing on repeat.

  “It’s true though….” Her breath fanned against my cheek. “How different we are from each other. You live this awesome life, and I…” I couldn’t let her finish. I just couldn’t. In an instant my lips were on hers again, this time the image of us together again became a reality.

  “I don’t care about anything else but you.” I panted, pulling away for a heartbeat as I gripped her under the ass, lifting her gently and placing her down on the counter. Her fingers made their way into my hair as her nails sunk into my skin, scraping against my scalp in the most pleasurable way known to man.

  Her chest was against mine and I could feel the swell of her breasts with every pant that left her lips. Were her nipples hard? Her pussy was right there, right beneath that sexy as fuck dress she was wearing. Would she let me taste her if I asked, begged, or pleaded?