Bad Santa (Paranormal Christmas elves Romance) (Paranormal Protection Agency Book 13)

by Mina Carter

  She didn’t blame them. Born and bred in a pixie barrow, she’d never seen any man move the way Nick did. He was lightning fast with a ruthlessness that spoke to her pixie half. When he’d pulled his blades from thin air, even she’d been impressed. Sliding his shoulders a sideways glance, she wondered how he’d done it. It wasn’t a spell she recognized, nor did he wear any rings or other jewelry that could have been enchanted.

  Her gaze fell to his tattoos. Which had moved. Again. Was that it? Was the ink itself the spell?

  “Big place,” he commented, pausing at the foot of the stairs to pull her into his arms again. She went easily, aware that they had to sell the illusion of a couple if not in love, then at least in lust. If the warriors didn’t buy it, they were both dead.

  “Shhh,” he murmured, enfolding her in his arms and kissing along her neck. “I know this has to be difficult for you. Just relax and let me do the work.”

  She tipped her head back, a sigh of pleasure easing from her lips as he kissed along the soft skin of her throat. As much as she wanted to tell herself that it was all for the benefit of the men who even now watched them from the shadows behind them, she knew it wasn’t. Kissing Nick, being held against that lean, hard-muscled body was no hardship. No hardship at all. Her only regret was that it couldn’t go any further. This was a job to him, nothing more.

  “What do you mean, difficult for me?” she whispered, taking charge and brushing her lips over the side of his neck. Pushing the collar of his jacket aside, she found the line of his collarbone and traced it with her tongue.

  He jerked, a small motion of surprise she barely felt before he shut it down. A growl escaped him and he drove his hand into her hair, holding her still as his lips covered hers again for a brief, hard kiss.

  “Your husband… he died not too long ago?”

  Ah, yes. She was supposed to be the grieving widow.

  Pushing against his chest, she managed to move him enough to look him in the eye. “If you imagine I was ever in love with my husband,” she spat, “then you’re very much mistaken. I was given to him to seal an alliance between him and my grandfather, nothing more, nothing less.” She lifted her voice so those spying on them could hear. “Do you want to talk all night, or do you want to fuck?”

  Pulling away away from him, she started up the stairs, expecting him to follow. It was a complex dance they wove, of illusion and deceit, but she couldn’t help the small feeling of relief that filled her as his footsteps sounded behind her.

  Nick was… she didn’t know how to describe him. Hell, she wasn’t even sure what he was, but he certainly wasn’t the pixie or elf he pretended to be. She wasn’t fool enough to think he took orders from anyone unless he had a damn good reason to. He was ruthless and brutal in a fight though, which was exactly what she needed to bring down Andri’s empire.

  Despite her commitment to that cause, and her own pixie blood, putting others at risk didn’t sit right with her, but Nick had proved he could look after himself. She didn’t need to worry… actually, she suspected that everyone else was more at risk from him than he was from them.

  Her footsteps slowed as she reached her rooms, and she stopped with her hand on the door. Even though she hadn’t been born a Krasniqi, the barrow had taken to her as soon as she’d arrived as Andri’s unwilling bride, and it created a suite of rooms for her. No man, not even her husband, had been in here.

  Nick caught her gaze, a little frown creasing his handsome brow. “Is there a problem?”

  She studied him for a long moment, wondering if she could do this. Could she let someone into her sanctuary, a place she’d never allowed anyone to enter before…

  He tilted his head to the side, and for a moment his expression changed. The harshness of his features softened a little as the look in his eyes warmed. For a moment she thought she heard sleigh bells. Shaking her head to dispel the odd feeling, she smiled and pushed the handle down. It swung open to reveal a small sitting room. Her suite was tiny; a lounge and her bedroom with an en-suite. She didn’t need anything larger.

  “No problem at all.”

  Stepping into the room, she held the door open so he could walk past her. He did, with all the arrogance and swagger of the warrior he was pretending to be, and stopped dead in the middle of the room. Too busy ogling the tight ass in his leather pants, the fact he’d stopped so suddenly didn’t register for a moment. Lords and ladies, the man had a backside on him tight enough to crack walnuts. Then she realized his posture was stiff and rigid.

  “Nick?” she reached his side. He was looking at the Christmas tree by the side of the fireplace.

  Small, it was brightly decorated with colorful ornaments she’d had since she was a child. She and her mother had dressed a tree each year until her mother’s death just before Joy had married, and she’d carried on the tradition. Now that she looked at it, though, the tree looked a little sad with it’s cheap baubles and cartoony Santas.

  “Sorry, just a thing from when I was a kid,” she said, her cheeks warm with embarrassment, especially when he turned that cold blue-green gaze on her. For a moment she felt like an insect under the microscope being studied prior to dissection.

  He made a small sound, somewhere between a huff and a snort of amusement. “It’s okay. I just didn’t figure you for the whole Christmas deal. Most people stop believing in m… Santa Claus before they hit their tweens.”

  She shrugged. “Something my mom and I did together, that’s all.”

  “These rooms are secure?” he asked suddenly, his deep voice a rasp in the silence of the room.

  “Apart from a maid in the mornings to clean after I leave for breakfast. I… don’t like people sneaking up on me or being around when I’m asleep.”

  She didn’t add she usually slept with a dagger under her pillow as well. One could never be too careful in a pixie barrow. Assassination was a viable promotional method.

  “Just one door and the balcony in? What about windows?”

  The dangerously rough warrior with lust on his mind had totally disappeared as he questioned her, the change making her feel a little disorientated. Instead, he was cool and professional, a look in his eye that told her she was talking to the trained bodyguard.

  “Just one door.” She managed a small smile. “Two windows in the bedroom. One in the en-suite but that’s too small to even get a cat through, and this balcony…” She nodded toward the French doors behind them directly opposite the door. “Don’t worry, though. The only way in there is to fly.”

  He just nodded, turning to study the room, and then announced, “I want to check the windows in all the rooms. Then if you could get me some blankets?”

  Blankets? The request blindsided her for a moment and she looked at him blankly.

  “Why do you want blankets?”

  “Unless you plan to make this charade a reality, I’ll sleep on the sofa out here.” His lips quirked into a sinful curve as heat flared suddenly in his eyes. “Because if I get you in a bed, sweetheart, you’ll definitely be on Santa’s naughty list.”

  4

  Was it possible to die of sexual frustration?

  Joy sighed as she logged onto Andri’s computer, her hands swift on the keys, and waited on a knife edge for it to log in. Please don’t let him have changed the password, she prayed as the icon spun on the screen in front of her, taunting her as though it knew she needed the information it held. Bastard thing.

  While she waited, she tried not to watch Nick out of the corner of her eye. Ass leaned against the edge of the desk, he was dressed in leathers and a tight, white t-shirt that clung to his muscled body like a jealous lover. He looked good enough to eat. But that wasn’t the problem… or rather, it was. He was the problem, and the fact that after a night tossing and turning in her sheets, she’d finally fallen asleep at daybreak, only to wake an hour later grumpy and disorientated.

  Rolling out of bed, she’d padded to the bathroom to take care of business… to find her show
er occupied. Images of Nick’s naked body filled her mind. Acres of tanned skin over steel-like muscles, the sleek slide of soap down rippling abs. His big hand wrapped around the thick length of his shaft as he soaped himself… She coughed and snapped her eyes open to glue them to the screen in front of her.

  Perving on a guy in the shower was so not okay. Not even when they were supposed to be lovers. Not even when he was as hot as hades and kissed like a sex god. Not even—

  The icon cleared with a small chirp and the desktop appeared in front of her. She almost cheered. Only a sharp look from Nick stopped her, bringing her back to the reality of their situation. If any of her husband’s men realized what she was doing, downloading incriminating evidence, they were both dead.

  Even though she’d taken control of the clan itself, Andri had been clever. All the criminal operations ran on a cell organization, totally autonomous from the whole. With his and Delin’s death, a power vacuum had formed. She needed to either fill it quickly by seizing control of the different cells, or—and this was her preferred plan—get the information to the PPA. Get everything shut down and those responsible thrown in whatever prison they had that would hold paranormal creatures. She didn’t care where they sent them… just as long as they were off the streets and unable to hurt anyone ever again.

  “We’re in,” she said softly, navigating around the system until she found the information they needed.

  “Good. You know, you could have joined me.”

  Busy copying the files, she didn’t look up. “Joined you where?”

  “In the shower this morning.”

  Oh shit. She looked up before she could stop herself and just knew her guilt was plastered all over her face.

  “Oh yes, I saw you watching…” He grinned. “And I also saw you turn to go, then decide against it, and watch a little bit more. Did you enjoy the show?”

  The heat in her cheeks intensified, her hands shaking as she set the last copy in motion. It was a good thing all these files were in the same place because she hadn’t a clue what she was looking at just now.

  Nick moved closer, leaning over to whisper in her ear. “All I’ve been able to think about all morning is you watching me. Your greedy gaze as I wrap my hand around my cock and stroke it… You know what I was thinking of when I did?”

  She shook her head. A tiny little movement. She couldn’t say anything, all her words frozen in her throat as heat blazed through her body settling low down between her legs. Shit, how long had it been since she’d refused to join Andri in his bed? Two years… three? Not that he’d been any good to begin with. Like all pixies, he was more interested in his own pleasure than hers. Might made right. He’d never spoken to her, teased her with words like Nick was.

  Nick moved a little closer until the heat of his body beat at hers, and she wanted to moan in pleasure. Since when had a man’s mere closeness turned her on?

  “I was thinking of your delicate little hands wrapped around me,” he carried on hoarsely. “Stroking me, pumping me…cupping my balls. Then I’d pull you into the shower, get all your clothes wet so I had to strip them off you, one by one—” He broke off, body going stiff and she looked up, not sure what game he was playing. But his expression was preoccupied. Wary.

  “We got company.” There was barely a second between his announcement and him lifting her. Turning, he dropped into the chair and pulled her down into his lap. Forced to straddle him, she gasped as the hard bar of his cock pressed against her. Only the leather of his pants and the satin of her panties separated them.

  With a hand at the back of her neck, he pulled her lips down to his, his free hand sliding under her skirt, lifting it higher as he cupped her ass with strong fingers.

  The kiss was hot and heavy from the get-go. A gasp escaped her as he filled her mouth, sliding his tongue against hers. At the same time, he rocked his hips. His cock ground and rubbed against her, needy clit aching and demanding more. She whimpered, plastering herself over his broad chest.

  Her hands found his shoulders, ranged over them, and then slid down his sides. She tugged at the shirt where it was tucked into his waistband, desperate to feel skin. They both moaned when her hands slid over the toned strength of his stomach.

  He moved, parting his legs wider to rock his hips. His cock rubbed and ground against her clit, sending wave after wave of hot, hard pleasure through her body. Her whimper was lost in his mouth as he thrust his tongue past her lips again. With each thrust and rock, the need centered in her groin grew tighter. Her pussy clenched, aching to be filled, her arousal blotting out all other thoughts in her mind. She needed this, wanted this… and more.

  Yanking his shirt up, she trailed kisses down the side of his neck. With a groan he leaned back and let her. A devil of temptation in her, she nipped at his earlobe. His reaction was instantaneous, big hands spreading out over her hips to grind her down over his cock.

  Her breath caught in the back of her throat. He was big… like really big. From what she could feel of his cock, it was long and wide, pressing insistently against his leathers. She reached down to play with the button on his pants. It would be the work of a moment to free him, lift up and lower herself over that thick shaft.

  “You’re gonna fucking kill me,” he groaned, as if he could read her mind. “My turn…”

  His hand tangled in the hair at the nape of her neck again, holding her captive on his lap as the other one slid around her hip. Anticipation held her still, every cell in her body attuned to his movements. She knew the exact moment his fingers trailed around the curve of her hip and slid down her thigh. Biting her lip, her gaze flicked up to his as he traced the line of her panties down. Pressure at the back of her neck had her lifting up, just enough to allow him to slide his hand between them.

  “..uhh…” She managed the smallest exhalation as he shoved her panties to the side. Was this really happening? Was she really sitting in Nick’s lap as he…

  Her eyes widened as he slid his fingertips along her pussy lips, parting them to find her clit. She bit her lip, unable to stop the little jerk of her hips as he did.

  No words passed between them as he stroked her and then reached down further to collect more of her slickness. His finger circled and rubbed over her beaded clit, each touch sending sparks through her body that circled only to join the hard knot of need in her pussy.

  Her eyes fluttered half-closed in pleasure and her hips rocked, seeking yet more sensation. Her hands spread over his broad chest for support as she rode his hand. They were just small rocks of her hips at first, but then the need took over and she took everything he offered.

  “That’s it,” he rumbled, his voice low and approving. His blue eyes filled with enough heat to rival the surface of the sun as he slid his fingers down and teased the entrance to her body. “Just like that, darlin’. You’re hot and wet, all for me, aren’t you?”

  The grip of his hand in her hair was too tight for her to do anything, even nod, so she moaned instead. A moan that became needier and more breathless as he slid two fingers deep inside her. Her pussy clenched at the invading digits, greedy for something… anything… Heat washed her cheeks. He’d think she was easy… so damn easy.

  But his expression held no condemnation as he thrust in and out of her, turning his hand to curl his fingers back. As soon as they grazed her g-spot, she shuddered, so close to the edge she could practically taste it.

  “Shhh, I got you. Give it up for me,” he murmured, pulling her down so her forehead rested against his shoulder. As he did so, he pressed his thumb against her clit. The added pressure and friction did it. The thread within her snapped, dumping ecstasy through her bloodstream. She came hard and fast, shuddering as she whimpered his name.

  Stroking her softly, he eased her through her release, murmuring tenderly in a language she didn’t understand. It didn’t matter. She clung to him willingly as her body shivered and shuddered, the waves of pleasure dying down until she lay limply across his ches
t and lap.

  “Better?” he asked. The curve of his lips was all she could see of his face from the angle she lay at.

  She started to nod, then blinked, remembering where they were and why…

  “Oh shit!” Shooting upright, she started to turn to check on the computer but then realized she’d give the game away if someone was still watching. Then it hit her that if someone had been watching, they’d seen a lot more than she’d ever wanted anyone to see. Ever.

  “It’s okay,” Nick stole her attention with a gentle stroke of his finger down her cheek. “They’re gone. Went just after you cried my name so convincingly…” he grinned, the devilish expression sending another thrill through her. “Needless to say, I think they believe we’re fucking. The download’s done as well by the looks of it. Wanna grab that and get out of here while our luck’s still good?”

  Blue balls was not the freaking word.

  His ass leaning back against the hood of his car, Nick altered his position to ease his still semi-hard cock into a more comfortable angle. He’d gone too far with Joy. Way too fucking far, and not far enough, all at the same time. All he’d wanted to do was give their voyeur friend a little show. Something to prove that he and Joy were so lust-filled they’d stumbled into the first room they’d come across to find a horizontal surface and fuck, rather than breaking into the late warlord’s computer to steal information.

  Well, that had been the plan. But no plan survived first contact with the enemy, or, in this case, a hot woman in his arms. He frowned. No, it wasn’t just any hot woman… it was Joy herself.

  He wasn’t a saint. Nowhere near. In the years since he’d left the pole, he hadn’t wanted for female company. All the Clauses were blessed—tall, muscled and, if he did say so himself, ruggedly good looking. It would have been a crime against nature to ignore those gifts… but none of his bed partners had left much of an impression. Nameless and faceless, details were lost almost before his feet had hit the floor in the morning. Until he’d touched Joy. Until he’d held her in his arms and kissed her. Passion and fire had exploded through him like he’d never known before. Not even with Eva.