Lucky Christmas: A Novelette (The Possessed Series Book 4)

by KL Donn

  Lucky Christmas

  Possessed Series Book 4

  KL Donn

  Contents

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Epilogue

  Lost & Found

  About the Author

  Also by KL Donn

  Copyright © 2018 by KL Donn

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Editing by - KA Matthews

  Cover & Formatting by - Sensual Graphic Designs

  Created with Vellum

  Blurb

  You met James Wallace in Lost & Found, now it’s time he gets his happy ever after!

  A guy walks into a bar… No, too cheesy.

  A girl sees him across the room… Nope, not quite.

  He’s a Grinch, she’s an Elf… That’s the one!

  Grumpy about caving to his partner’s request, James Wallace dresses up as Santa to please some kids he doesn’t know. The girl playing his helper elf has him intrigued from the moment their eyes meet.

  All Georgina “Gigi” Grant wants for Christmas is to have some luck in love. Her brother and his wife suggest she help Santa at the local kids’ club. Dressed up like a helpful elf, Gigi isn’t prepared to be snowed in with the grinchy Santa.

  Given her brother’s friend is behind the grinchy demeanor, she hesitates until he takes her in his arms and suddenly, all she wants for Christmas is…

  The Grinch.

  Dedication

  For everyone looking to have a Lucky Christmas ;)

  James Wallace was not what you could consider a man about the holidays. He had no one to celebrate with, and typically, he spent the days working. As a head detective for the Vancouver Police Department, with the Missing Person’s Unit, he was busiest during the Christmas season.

  The irony of the unit he worked in wasn’t lost on him given the fact that his sister went missing nearly two years ago, and he couldn’t find her. But Pepper kept reminding him that while she hated what she had gone through, she was also grateful because it gave her Nick and Ace, her two husbands.

  It was hard to wrap his head around their relationship dynamics at first, but ten minutes in the presence of the three of them, and James knew they were meant to be. When their parents died in a car accident with Pepper in the back seat, he’d noticed the change in his little sister immediately; however, the way she’s blossomed with her men around, tells him all he needs to know. Love comes in any form and can’t be defined.

  “Hey, Jay, got a favor,” his partner of six years, Jack Grant, called, coming into the squad room of the downtown precinct.

  “What’s up?” Leaning back in his chair as the tall man walked closer and sat at the desk opposite his, James waited to hear what his friend needed.

  “Georgie is volunteering as an elf for the Boys and Girls Club over in White Rock.” His sister was always doing something. That girl couldn’t sit still for ten seconds. “The Santa fell through; got the flu or some shit. Feel like helping her out?”

  “Me?” James scoffed. “Play Santa? You know how insane that is, right?” Christmas was in five days, and he knew he wasn’t going to be doing anything but waiting by the phone for a call about some drunk frat kid getting lost in the cooler weather.

  “Come on, man, I can’t do it. Nadia’s parents are coming to town, and Georgie’s really upset these kids will miss out.” Using his wife as his own excuse to get out of it was a low blow James would comment back on when he wasn’t so exhausted. The woman was sweet as hell, but they had news for her parents, and he wasn’t going to disrupt that.

  “I’ll think about it,” he said to Jack. If he gave in too easily, the man would gloat.

  “Thanks, man! I owe you! Pick her up at her place at nine tomorrow morning.” Not getting a word in as Jack walked away, James contemplated kicking his friend’s ass.

  Packing up his desk for the day, James shut down his computer and left the empty squad room. For a Friday night, it had been quieter than it usually was, and that’s how he knew something was about to hit the fan. What, he didn’t know. But quiet never lasted long in his world.

  Living in the greater metro area of Vancouver for his adult life, James never became shocked by the amount of rain versus snow they got in the winter. The weather cooled down but not like some of the provinces in Canada. In a way, he liked it best here because when victims went missing in the winter, they didn’t freeze to death from the negative temps. Ordinarily, they’d just turn out to be drunk and stupid.

  Driving the streets on a busy downtown evening with families running around doing last minute shopping, he wasn’t surprised that it took him longer than normal to get home.

  A restful evening was all he had planned until he had to leave to pick up Gigi in the morning. Jack’s sister was the one woman he could never figure out. She hated her full name, Georgina, but she hated when anyone but him called her Gigi. Not that they spent much time together.

  The real problem between them was his attraction for her. Energy or not, lack of attention or not, James had feelings for Gigi. He had from the first time they met, and he found out she was his partner’s sister. Pretending that she was a nuisance to him was easier than admitting his feelings and acknowledging that he could never have her.

  For a long time, Gigi and his own sister Pepper were pretty close. Pep could handle the other woman’s insane amount of energy and lack of focus.

  There was a reason for her behavior, of course. She had been diagnosed with ADHD when she was in middle school, and even though she followed an established regimen to help with it, her hyperactivity remained a challenge.

  James was just the opposite. More relaxed, he liked to have a plan for everything. Structure and routine were what he thrived on, while Gigi was unpredictable and spontaneous. They clashed, but he was still aroused by the spitfire. She was full of life and always saw the good in everyone. Her optimism could be contagious.

  As James entered his third-floor condo, the landline rang, and a smile crossed his face because there was only one person who called that number.

  “Pepper.”

  Laughter flowed through the line. “How’d you know it was me?”

  “You’re the only one to call this number, kid.” No matter how far away she was or that she was married and expecting a baby, she would always be his kid sister.

  “How are you, James? I feel like it’s been forever since we last spoke.” It’d only been a week.

  “Good. Jack has me roped into doing some Santa gig for Gigi tomorrow.” Still bitter, the tone of his voice displayed it.

  “Oh good!” Pepper seemed happy about. “She’s been in a funk lately, and I know how much she’s been looking forward to it.” That got his attention.

  Putting his gun in a safe in the top closet, he walked to the kitchen to grab a Kokanee and relaxed on the couch, hoping to catch the first period of the Canucks game. “What do you mean she’s been in a funk?”

  A loud sigh reached his ears before she spoke again. “She and her boyfriend broke up. It was ugly.”

  “Ugly, how?” Gigi might’ve been a thorn in his side, but he’d be damned if he sat back and allowed anyone to mistreat her.

  “He didn’t hit her or anything.” James could practically hear the shrug in
her voice.

  “What did he do then, Pepper?”

  “Well, you know how she is, James.” She was alluding to the younger girl’s flightiness.

  “Okay.”

  “He hurt her feelings. Wasn’t very nice to her in the end. She just hasn’t been herself.”

  Well, shit. James couldn’t very well ditch her now. The rest of their conversation was centered around how Pepper was feeling and then him talking to Nick to find out how she was really doing. The baby was due in three months, and the three of them couldn’t be happier.

  James was left feeling slightly envious of the trio as he hung up the phone and sat back into the couch to watch the game. With Gigi on his mind, he knew he’d be there tomorrow to help her out.

  “Oh, dammit.” Georgina Grant was anything but organized. Her house was a mess, and she kept stubbing her toes on boxes full of crap she had no idea what to do with.

  After moving out of her brother Jack’s home six months ago when he and Nadia started trying for a baby, she was lucky to find such a steal of a house in Surrey. It was more like a large cabin than a house, but for it worked well for her.

  She was one tiny person that didn’t own a lot, or so she had thought. So, having a dozen boxes still unpacked drove even her frazzled mind nuts.

  Diagnosed with ADHD when she was thirteen made Gigi more self-conscious than she already had been. There had never been a doubt that she was different than her classmates but having it confirmed left a scar.

  She was lucky to finish college with the grades she did and land such an amazing job that kept her from having to sit for too long as a youth counsellor. Working primarily with kids similar to her, Gigi found she actually had been helping the youths she worked with at the Boys and Girls Club in White Rock.

  Some of the kids were more difficult behaviourally-wise, and others were so closed off that she had a hard time making eye contact with them. The reward from every smile, every successful homework session, made it worth the effort, though. She was making a difference in those kids’ lives, and that’s all she cared about until Sonny Powell came along and shattered her confidence. Now, she was left picking up the pieces and struggling to keep from showcasing it to the kids and her brother. Jack was overprotective. Even with a wife and new baby on the way, he’d always been her warrior.

  Moving out was supposed to be a good thing. Now, she was just lonely and miserable with all the damn boxes strewn about.

  Just as she was about to pour a cup of her favorite vanilla tea, a loud banging on the door shocked her, and she spilt the boiling water on her hand instead.

  “Son of a bitch!” Clenching her teeth, she turned the cool water on and called out, “I’ll be right there,” to whoever was making such a ruckus.

  Wrapping her hand in a towel, she stumbled over a large box on the way to the entrance. As she opened the door, she was startled by two things at once: there was a smoking hot man dressed as Santa standing there and about a foot and a half of snow on the ground—the precipitation so heavy, it spilt in the door as Santa walked through it.

  “I don’t think we’re going to be going to that party today,” Santa grumbled behind the white beard covering his face.

  It took a minute before the voice registered, and she was left even more surprised. “James?”

  His gaze narrowed on her as he shed the bright red coat and shook it off outside before closing the door and hanging it on the hook on the back of it. “Who did you think it was?” He was grouchy. The man should be dressed as the Grinch and not Santa.

  “Well, no one, honestly. The party was called off last night because the forecast had been calling for all this snow,” Gigi explained as she walked back to the sink.

  “What do you mean, last night?” he snapped.

  “Why are you dressed as Santa? And why are you here?” Ignoring his question, her own curiosity heightened. Gigi had crushed on James for a long time and seeing him here when she was already feeling defenseless wasn’t good for either of them.

  “Seriously, Gigi?” Why the heck did he sound so pissed at her? It’s not like she controlled the weather.

  “What, James? What did I do to offend you this time?” As much as she liked him, he continuously seemed annoyed with her, so she was perpetually trying to move on from her feelings for the stubborn man.

  “You had Jack ask me to do this, even knowing snow was coming. You couldn’t have called me, at least, so I didn’t waste my time?” He blew out an irritated breath as she tried to figure out what he was talking about. Gigi had never asked Jack to do anything. “That’s inconsiderate, even for you, Gigi.”

  She flinched at his words. He didn’t know what Sonny had called her before he walked out so he couldn’t understand the hurt. She turned away from him, not wanting him to see the emotions on her face.

  “I didn’t ask Jack to do anything, James. This entire thing was his idea.” Her words were solemn, and she felt every bit the flake that everyone called her even though this wasn’t her fault.

  “Why else would he ask me then? And why couldn’t you have called him to tell him it was cancelled. You wasted everyone’s time with your foolishness again.”

  Kick a girl while she’s down.

  “Look, James, I get it that you don’t like me. You don’t like my personality, and you think I’m a ditz. I can’t help any of those things any more than I can help why you’re here. I never asked Jack to recruit you to help me out. In fact, I told him that I was going to do it on my own. Not once did he inform me that he was going to ask someone to help, so I had no reason for telling him the party was cancelled.” Taking a deep breath so the tears she’d been struggling to hold on to didn’t fall, she finished with, “I’m sorry you find me to be such an annoyance, but for once, I did nothing wrong.”

  Why did him finding her to be so odd hurt so much? Sure, she’d crushed on him for a long time, but he’d never been all that nice to her.

  Turning her back to him, Gigi returned to running the cold water over her burn. What she had expected to happen was for the front door to slam shut and James to be out of her life again. The man got under her skin unlike anyone else she’d known. What actually happened was that he quietly walked up behind her, his hands gripping her elbows as they slowly slid down to her hands.

  “What’s the matter here?” His whispered question in her ear did things to her body she hadn’t felt in far too long.

  “Your knock startled me, and I spilt my tea water.” Her tone matched his.

  “I’m sorry.” The hot puff of air on her neck froze her in place. “I’m sorry I’m such a dick, Gi. I’m sorry that dick of an ex didn’t treat you right, as well.”

  “How do you know about that?”

  “Pepper told me.”

  Damn her friend. “She wasn’t supposed to.”

  “I’d have found out anyway.” There was something to his voice she couldn’t decipher. Almost like he was angry that Sonny was a jerk.

  Shrugging, she tried to play it off like no big deal. “It’s fine. Everyone treats me the same.”

  The words barely passed her lips when James spun her around and crowded her into the sink with his big frame. “They shouldn’t, though. I shouldn’t have. You’re special, Gigi, and you should be treated like it.”

  What the hell was with this guy? In the fifteen minutes he’d been at her house, his attitude went from volatile to comforting, and she was left reeling.

  “What’s going on, James?” His stare kept darting from her eyes to her lips, and a warmth ran the length of her spine.

  “Things change, Georgina. Feelings grow,” he murmured, leaning into her. Their eyes held until his lips covered hers, and she couldn’t help the way she responded.

  Her eyelids drifted shut, and her body melted into his embrace. His lips were soft, seeking more. Testing what she was willing to give him. James’ hands on her back pulled her in tighter to his body, and she stood on tiptoe as her mouth opened, giving him deeper
access.

  Gigi couldn’t believe this was happening. The man she’d dreamt of for years was kissing her, and her body set on fire for him. Slipping her hands up his chest, she wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her body more fully against his.

  When James’ hands slowly slid down her body to cup her ass, lifting her up into his clutch, he carried her to the couch. Sitting down with her in his lap, he lifted her sweater, tossing it off her body and breaking their kiss to inspect what he’d discovered.

  “Jesus fuck, Gigi.” Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, his stare burned an erotic hole right through her chest as it heated up with desire. “What is this?” His other hand glided up her side and into her hair.

  “I was feeling a little lonely.” She shrugged. “I wanted to feel sexy, even if it’s only for myself.” Embarrassment colored her words, and a red tinge climbed up her chest and into her neck and cheeks.

  “Nah, girl, don’t be embarrassed, this is…” His pause to suck on his lower lip made her squirm in his lap, and she couldn’t help the moan that broke free when she felt his hardened cock between her thighs. “Fucking stunning, Gi.”

  “What are we doing, Jay?” Her heart screamed to shut up and keep going, but her mind begged her to be logical. She couldn’t get hurt again.

  “Good question,” he replied but didn’t make a move to push her off of him or continue the satisfying kissing they had been engaged in. They were at a bit of a standstill, and Gigi wasn’t sure what to do next. She began to squirm in his hold. Her fingers were fidgeting, and her mind was going a million miles a minute with all the negative outcomes that could result from this.