Secret Santa (novella)

by Rhian Cahill

  Morgan bent forward to whisper in Jenn’s ear. ‘Don’t worry. Your real Secret Santa gift is beneath our family tree.’

  ‘But I didn’t bring anything.’ Her eyes were wide with worry.

  ‘I kept my present from last night.’ He realised his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth.

  ‘How did you know I drew your…wait. Did you rig the envelopes?’

  Morgan could see her mind ticking. ‘I’ll explain later.’

  She glared at him through narrowed eyes.

  ‘Now, now, children, let’s not fight in front of the adults.’ Morgan had forgotten his grandmother was near.

  ‘Who’s fighting?’ he asked, trying denial as a defence.

  Trud laughed. ‘Oh you might not be there quite yet, but I’ve seen that look plenty of times in my seventy-five years. You, my dear boy, are about to be blasted by an angry woman.’

  Morgan glanced back at Jenn and hated to admit it, but his grandmother was probably right. Hoping to deflect Jenn’s wrath, he pointed out the tree in the far corner of the room as they entered, knowing the huge fresh-cut pine would capture her attention and possibly give him time to come up with the words to explain what he’d done without making her any madder.

  ‘Welcome to the Campbell family Christmas lunacy.’ Morgan swept his arm out to indicate the room full of people and the tree that loomed over all of them.

  ‘Oh my.’ Jenn brought her hand up to cover her throat. ‘That’s the biggest tree I’ve ever seen.’

  She headed across the timber floor and every occupant of the room stopped what they were doing to stare. Morgan knew her appeal; he couldn’t help but admire the sway of her hips or the gentle slope of her waist or the ripple of muscles as they flexed along her spine beneath her light summer dress with each step she took. It wasn’t until his grandmother elbowed him in the stomach that he remembered to follow and introduce her to the various family members in attendance as they made their way to the twelve foot monstrosity that Trud insisted the family needed each year.

  ‘Oh, these are homemade.’ Jenn traced her fingertips over a few of the decorations. ‘Yeah, all of us have at least one on here.’ Morgan looked for his to show her. ‘Here. This is mine.’

  Jenn laughed. ‘Is that Santa in a chef’s hat?’

  He smiled. ‘Did you expect anything else?’

  ‘I guess not.’

  ‘C’mon.’ He grabbed her hand. ‘Let’s find a seat so Trud can start handing out presents.’

  The only spot left in the room was an oversized armchair and Morgan tugged Jenn in that direction. ‘We’ll share.’ He nudged Jenn into the seat and perched his butt on the arm beside her.

  Morgan couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He’d played a game of chance rigging the Secret Santa lottery and he’d managed to hit the jackpot. Now if he could just morph this moment into the start of something more, he’d have his ultimate Christmas Wish.

  December 25th

  Christmas Night

  Jenn collapsed into the plush sofa in Morgan’s living room. ‘Oh my God. I’ll never eat again.’ she moaned.

  Morgan snorted out a laugh as he dropped down next to her. ‘You hardly ate a thing.’

  ‘Not true. I had two helpings of whatever the hell that chocolate dessert thing was.’ She rubbed her full stomach. ‘I’m going to regret that when all those calories find their way to my thighs.’

  His gaze lowered to her legs where the hem of her dress revealed a little too much flesh. She wasn’t flashing him or anything, but she was definitely giving him a bit more than was acceptable for a boss/employee relationship, especially when she had unrequited lust for the man. Tugging on her skirt she managed to cover about an inch of extra skin, no more.

  He cleared his throat and brought his gaze up to meet hers. ‘You know, I think we’ve ignored this thing long enough.’

  Before she could comprehend his words, he leaned over and placed his lips on hers. Jenn’s brain short-circuited. Every thought disappeared bar one — Morgan. He pressed closer, slipped his tongue out to lick across her mouth and she was powerless against the need to invite him inside.

  Her lips parted on a moan and Morgan took advantage, sweeping inside to caress her tongue with his. He kept the kiss easy — a testing of new territory while hinting at more. She’d never been kissed quite so reverently. His lips and tongue explored until her breath grew choppy, her pulse raced, and she was on the verge of whimpering in need.

  Morgan pulled back, separating their mouths on a harsh gasp. He didn’t move away though. Resting his forehead on hers, he slipped his hands into her hair and held her close. ‘My God, you’re potent. If I don’t stop now, I’m not sure I’ll be able to, and we’re not ready to take this thing all the way yet.’

  Jenn was ready. After that kiss, she’d happily strip off her clothes and jump him. ‘But

  He pressed his thumb to her lips. ‘No. We haven’t danced around this for two years to risk tumbling into bed too soon.’

  She groaned. The images of the two of them rolling around on a huge bed made her insides quiver. ‘That’s not helping back the train up,’ she murmured.

  Morgan chuckled. ‘Good to know I’m not the only one suffering.’

  ‘Why should either of us suffer?’

  ‘Because you’re worth it.’ He smacked his lips to hers in a quick kiss before letting her go and pushing to his feet. ‘Okay, let me get us something to drink.’

  Jenn watch him walk away. His hitched stride didn’t escape her notice and she smiled. They’d definitely made each other a little uncomfortable with that kiss. Sighing, she leaned back against the sofa and contemplated Morgan’s words. Was she worth it? She’d dated a lot before starting work at Morgan’s, but she couldn’t recall any guy kissing her socks off quite like Morgan.

  Her sexual partners could be counted on one hand, but she didn’t think of herself as inexperienced. Well, not until she’d been kissed by Morgan anyway. He’d worked her up so tight with just his lips that Jenn was a little nervous about what he could do with his clothes off. Perhaps his we’re not ready to take this thing all the way yet was the right move. And really, she’d never jumped into bed with a guy on the first date; she shouldn’t break that personal rule now.

  She could hear Morgan moving around in the kitchen behind her. He was mumbling under his breath, but the words were indistinguishable from where she sat. Getting up, Jenn made her way around the sofa and over to the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen.

  ‘Want some help?’ she asked.

  Morgan glanced over his shoulder. ‘Nope. I’ve got it. Not exactly brain surgery to use this thing.’ He smiled.

  ‘Is it the same coffee machine as the one at work?’ She couldn’t see with his broad back blocking her view.

  ‘Yep. I got a two-for-one deal on them.’ He grinned, the action reminding her of the skill his mouth possessed and sending a shiver down her spine.

  ‘Perhaps I should call a taxi…’ Jenn looked at her watch and was surprised at how late it was. It was well past dinnertime. Not that she’d be eating anything for a week after the huge lunch Morgan’s family had put on.

  ‘Why? Do you need to be somewhere early in the morning?’ Morgan turned with a mug in his hand. He placed it in front of her. ‘Aren’t we taking a ride on the bike tomorrow? I wasn’t planning to leave early.’

  ‘Oh, yes.’ She’d forgotten all about that. Actually, thanks to this man, she’d been distracted a lot in the past two days and not remembered a number of things she thought would be impossible to forget.

  ‘It’s about two hours from here, so if we leave around eleven then we’ll be in the mountains by lunch time. There’s a great cafe near The Three Sisters lookout we can eat at.’

  He joined her at the counter with his coffee and she couldn’t keep the question in any longer. ‘Morgan, why did you rig the Secret Santa envelopes? How did you rig them?’

  His gaze lowered to his cup
and he took a deep breath before looking her in the eye once more. ‘I didn’t want you to be alone over Christmas.’

  The answer was simple, but it brought about so many other questions. ‘You’ve been trying to keep me distracted, haven’t you?’

  ‘A little.’ He ducked his head. ‘I couldn’t let you go through Christmas by yourself.’

  Jenn wasn’t sure how she felt about Morgan’s manipulations. On one hand, she was happy not to be alone in her apartment, but on the other she couldn’t ignore the fact that his actions had been deceitful.

  His motives were good.

  Of course the road to hell was paved with good intentions too.

  ‘You tricked me.’

  ‘I’m sorry, but you left me no choice.’ He came around the counter and stood beside her, brushing the hair off her face with his fingers. ‘You don’t know what it was like to see you in the pit of grief, Jenn. I couldn’t stomach that again.’

  ‘Oh.’ She was shocked by the obvious pain he felt on her behalf. It was filling his gaze, etched in the frown on his face.

  ‘Do you know how hard it was not to do this?’

  Pulling her close, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Jenn didn’t know what to do other than return his embrace. She held on. His comfort was something she’d needed all those months ago and never allowed herself to ask for. She took it now.

  ‘God, you have no idea how many times I had to clench my fists or leave the room to stop from grabbing you to hold like this.’

  ‘I’m glad you didn’t. It would have broken me.’ And it would have. She’d made it through because she had to. Because there was no one to lean on. Not anymore. ‘I’ll take the comfort now.’

  ‘Dammit. I didn’t want you to think about it,’ Morgan mumbled.

  Jenn laughed and pulled free of his arms. ‘It’s not like it hasn’t been in the back of my mind all day, but it hasn’t consumed me like I thought it would. I have you to thank for that. If you hadn’t forced me to leave my place with your tricky gift, I wouldn’t have.’ She offered him a smile of thanks as she picked up her coffee mug then headed back to the sofa. There was an awkwardness hanging between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

  ‘Want to play a game?’ he asked as they sat down.

  ‘A game? What kind?’ Jenn took a sip of coffee.

  ‘Cards?’

  She hid a smile behind her mug. ‘What? Strip poker?’

  Morgan snorted coffee up his nose. He slammed a hand over his mouth and tried not to spray the rest of his mouthful across the room. Coughing and spluttering, he finally managed to get himself under control and swallow.

  ‘Jesus, woman, are you trying to kill me?’

  Jenn sat next to him laughing so hard she held her sides. ‘You should see your face.’

  He frowned. ‘You did that on purpose?’

  ‘Yeah. I figured we needed something a little uplifting after…’ She tipped her head in the direction of the kitchen.

  ‘Okay, how about a movie then? I’ve got a good selection in the theatre room,’ Morgan suggested.

  ‘You have a theatre room?’

  ‘Yeah, up at Trud’s, but we can bring it back here to watch. The family will carry on for hours yet, so there’ll be no quiet movie time up there.’ Morgan got to his feet.

  ‘Actually, they’re playing one of my favourite Christmas movies on TV tonight.’ She turned her wrist to look at her watch. ‘We’ve missed the first few minutes, but that won’t hurt.’

  ‘Okay. What channel?’ Morgan grabbed the remote off the side table and sat back down as he powered on the TV.

  ‘Seven.’ He flicked through the channels until he found the right one. It took a few seconds, but once his brain registered what he was seeing, his mouth dropped open. ‘You’re kidding me. This is your favourite Christmas movie?’

  ‘One of them.’

  ‘What’s the other? Frosty the Snow Man?’ Morgan couldn’t believe they were going to sit here and watch a kid’s movie. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, for God’s sake.

  ‘That’s a good one too.’ She smiled at him. ‘If you really don’t want to watch this, there’s always the replay of the carols.’

  ‘Oh, hell no. I’m not sitting through those.’ Morgan’s muted the sound.

  ‘What’s your favourite then?’ Jenn turned sideways on the sofa, her knee brushing against his thigh.

  He knew the reaction he’d get when he told her. His sisters always rolled their eyes and gave him hell when he pulled it out to watch. ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.’

  ‘Oh, I love that.’ She actually bounced in her seat a little. ‘Do you have it?’ Morgan grinned. ‘You like the Lampoon movies?’

  ‘They’re hilarious. I have them at home.’

  Well that was something he hadn’t expected. He was thrilled to discover something they had in common. ‘I’ve got the full set here.’ He got up and offered his hand. ‘C’mon. They’re on the hard drive attached to the other TV.’

  She took his hand and he led her down the short hallway to his room. He did most of his viewing in bed, so the bigger TV and his movie drive were hooked up in the bedroom.

  ‘Ah, Morgan…’ Jenn tugged on his hand.

  He stopped. ‘What?’

  ‘I don’t think this is a good idea.’ Morgan could see her point, but really it was no different than sitting next to her on the sofa. ‘I’m not asking you to strip and climb beneath the covers, Jenn. Just lie on the bed and watch a movie together. The only difference between here and out there is the bed and it doesn’t bite.’

  She glanced at him sideways.

  ‘And I promise not to either.’ He grinned, hoping the joke would erase her concerns. She smiled. ‘You’re right. I’m being silly.’ Jenn entered the room and headed straight for the bed before stopping halfway and glancing over her shoulder. ‘Do you have a particular side?’

  Shit. Way to make him think about doing more than biting. He’d love to share the bed with her. ‘No.’ His voice came out a croak.

  The woman twisted him every which way. He wanted to wait, wanted them to move through the normal steps of dating, getting to know each other. Except they’d known each other for years and they had a working relationship that combined genuine friendship. He respected and liked her.

  Morgan sucked in a breath as she climbed onto his bed. Her skirt rode up revealing the back of a creamy-smooth thigh and his blood rushed through his veins as it headed south. The next few hours would be torture of the worst and best kind.

  ‘What are you waiting for?’ she asked as she plumped up a pillow and shoved it behind her back against the headboard.

  Morgan forced himself to move. He scooped the remote off the dresser as he passed and crawled onto his bed beside Jenn. With the press of a few buttons, the Griswolds came on with their own brand of merry Christmas.

  Within minutes they were both laughing. A few minutes after that they’d slipped down the bed a little. And before the movie got halfway Jenn was snuggled in beside him. Morgan had no idea how they’d gotten cuddled up together and he didn’t care. All that mattered was that she was pressed up next to him and totally relaxed. He’d accomplished his goal for keeping her occupied over Christmas. Now he just had to work out how to turn a few days of being together into forever.

  December 26th

  Boxing Day

  Jenn woke surrounded by warmth. She snuggled in, cuddled close to the source of heat. The sigh and subsequent rush of air over her face dragged her straight out of an easy drift to fully alert in a nano-second. Her eyes popped open, but the blurry haze of early morning took a moment to clear. And then her mind didn’t want to believe what her eyes were seeing.

  Morgan.

  She was in bed with Morgan Campbell.

  Oh. My. God.

  She’d slept with her boss. Panic froze every muscle, dropped a ball of lead the size of a tank into her stomach, squeezed her lungs tight, and sent her e
motions into a tailspin. She took mental note of her position and inwardly cringed. On the outside she remained perfectly still so as not to wake him, but inside… inside she shrank back, mortified to realise she was wrapped around Morgan like a sucker vine.

  With care, she slipped her arm out from under him. It wasn’t until she was half untangled that she registered they were both still wearing their clothes. Breath rushed from her lungs and the vice squeezing her belly and chest let go. They hadn’t had sex. The instant the thought formed, a sense of disappointment engulfed her. She shook her head to dispel the crazy notion.

  The movement disturbed Morgan. He stretched his arms above his head and rolled to his back. Jenn stayed exactly where she was. If he was going to doze off again, she didn’t want to do anything to stop him. Unfortunately, any ideas of sneaking out of his house before he woke were not going to be fulfilled.

  ‘Mmm…’ He turned to his side facing her. ‘Morning.’ His smile was genuine, like he was more than happy to find her in his bed first thing in the morning. She couldn’t stop the little flutter of delight his reaction gave her.

  ‘M-morning,’ she whispered. Jenn cleared her throat. ‘We fell asleep.’

  Morgan’s grin got bigger. ‘Yes. We did.’

  ‘I should…’ She started to sit up, but his hand grabbed her wrist and stopped her before she could get more than a few inches away.

  ‘Don’t.’ He pulled her down beside him. ‘It’s not a big deal, Jenn. We fell asleep, that’s all.’

  Her cheeks heated and she ducked her head to hide her face.

  ‘Hey.’ Morgan tipped her head up with two fingers under her chin. ‘Nothing at all for you to be embarrassed about.’

  If he’d woken a few minutes earlier he wouldn’t be saying that. Good thing he didn’t know she’d been wrapped around him like a groupie on a rock star. She swallowed over the lump in her throat, licked her dry lips, and tried for a smile. Obviously she didn’t pull it off because he traced a fingertip down her cheek to the corner of her mouth and pushed it up a little higher.