Santa's Executive

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Rina bit her lip and reached over to pat his hand. She wasn't going to touch anything else if they wanted to get out of there. “You're in training. That's why it feels like you're doing so much. Plus, your body is still adjusting to the fact that you have so much more magic now that needs to release, so we need to figure out what to do with that. I know it sucks, but it will be better. Plus, school is almost out, and that means you can focus on being an executive for a bit. Then, after the holidays, you can take a little break before starting school again. After Christmas, the new job with Santa won't feel as big. It will just be something that you do subconsciously, something that I can help you with.”

  Justin opened his eyes and smiled at her, his blue eyes twinkling, the lock of black hair falling over his forehead begging her fingers to brush it away.

  “I like the fact… no, I love the fact that you're thinking about my future with you by my side.”

  She blushed and ducked her head. She hadn’t quite meant to place herself in that future. The bed moved as Justin got up and crawled toward her, and then he put his finger below her chin, raising her gaze to meet his.

  “Rina, I like you thinking of me as more than just a holiday retreat. I can't explain it, but ever since I saw you, I just keep thinking about my future with you. Maybe we’re moving way too fast, but I really don't care. I'll do what I have to in order to make sure you stay by my side. I just hope you want to be there.”

  “I want to be there,” she whispered.

  Justin smiled then leaned down and took her lips in a heated kiss. “I glad to hear that, baby. Now, what is it that you have planned for us to do today? I know you have lists of your lists. Let's get cracking so I can come home and unwrap you like a Christmas present.”

  Her body tingled at the thought of Justin undressing her and tasting her, and she blinked. “Enough of that. If you keep talking in that deep, sexy voice of yours we’re never going to get anything done. And, before you say you don’t want to get anything done, remember that this is for the children, and not for you.”

  Justin let out a putout sigh then laughed. “Fine, anything for the children.”

  She reached over and grabbed a pillow to smack him with it. “You are a dork.”

  “Yes, but I'm your dork.”

  “That was really cheesy.”

  “Just wait until you meet the rest of the family at Christmas dinner. I'm going to be cheesy in public.”

  She froze at the thought of being included at the Cooper dinner. “What?”

  “You're my girlfriend, and I want you to be with me and my family on Christmas.” He lowered his brows and frowned. “Was that too presumptuous? Did you want to go spend Christmas with your parents? I mean, I've never been to the North Pole, so I can spend the holidays there, I guess. I think my family would understand.”

  She smiled, leaned over, and kissed him softly. “It just surprised me that you wanted me to be included in that. My family will be with the rest of the elves at a huge event at the North Pole. You're welcome to come and join me up there, though you'll be the tallest one there by a long shot.” She grinned, and he chuckled. “But, I think this year I’d rather be with you and the Coopers. I don't really know them that well.”

  “We're gonna have to change that now, aren’t we?”

  “Okay, now that we have Christmas Day plans out of the way, let's plan the rest of today since that comes first.”

  “You're a smart one.”

  She hit him with a pillow again. “Ass.”

  “I thought you liked my ass,” he teased.

  “Yes, I love your ass, but that is beside the point. Now, we're going to go to the children’s Christmas play. I know the school doesn’t run this one, but we’re still going to go and make sure the kids are okay and infuse cheer when we can.”

  He leaned over and kissed her again, and she leaned into his touch just for a moment. She was only human after all. Okay, she was an elf, but she still had no control when it came to Justin sometimes.

  “Then let’s go take a shower and get ready to go.” Still naked, he stood up and pulled her into his arms, his cock hard again and pressing into her stomach.

  “Oh, no, I don't think so. We need to take separate showers and get ready so we actually get out of the house on time.” He stuck out his lip and pouted. “That is so not a sexy look on you.”

  “Fine, I'll go wash my own back, but I blame you for this.” He pointed down to his cock, which twitched at her attention, and she laughed.

  “I thought I’d taken care of that today. Not my fault you get hard just by thinking.”

  “Hey, I'm not just thinking of anything. I'm thinking of you.”

  “Aww, that’s sweet, but I'm still not going to have sex with you this morning. We’re going to be late.”

  “You’re mean when we have things to do.”

  “You better get used to it.”

  “Oh, I plan on it.” He grinned then strode confidently toward the bathroom. She narrowed her eyes as he flexed his ass, taunting her. Darn man, he knew how much she loved every single muscle on him.

  By the time they’d showered and made it to the Christmas play, the activities surrounding it were already in full swing. She glared at Justin, but he merely shrugged it off and smiled at her. He knew exactly what his smile did to her, and that was dangerous.

  The play was an outdoor play with the pond and skating rink right next to it. People were bundled up, and most held paper cups of hot cocoa or coffee in their hands. Though it was cold, the wind had died down and the heaters were in place to keep everyone relatively warm. The children had wanted to have real snow for their play, so this year the adults had permitted the play to be held outdoors. By the looks of the rosy cheeks and cold faces in the crowd, she doubted the event would be held outdoors again in years to come.

  “I see you two finally decided to grace us with your presence,” Jack sneered as he walked toward them, his suit in pristine shape and totally out of place in the small Montana town.

  Rina wanted to do the cowardly thing and hide behind Justin, but she was stronger than that. She had to be. “We're here, Jack, don't worry.”

  “It's my job to worry. Especially when I have an uneducated, well you, and in charge of something far greater than anything you could even imagine.”

  She narrowed her eyes and shut her mouth. Jack could take everything that she ever wanted away from her so she had to make sure she didn't antagonize him.

  “Rina is doing a great job in helping me out. Know when to back off, Jack,” Justin growled.

  “Justin,” Rina whispered.

  “No, dear, let the man speak,” Jack said. “He is, after all, your superior. You can't tell him what to do.”

  “She can say whatever she wants, but in this case, I'm a gonna tell you to back off. We can handle it; your interference is only that. Interference.”

  Jack narrowed his gaze, and Rina gripped Justin's hand. Her lover didn't quite understand the powers that Jack held, and she didn't want to endanger anyone, especially the children. Even though he was Santa’s second-in-command, she’d still heard the rumors about what he could do from the other elves. She looked around and bit her lip. There were starting to gain attention, something that she wanted nothing to do with.

  “I'm sure we’ll be okay, Jack. Thank you for your concern,” she said stiffly.

  Jack glared, but he didn't say anything else. Justin gave a nod, and then led Rina away from what could escalate into a more heated confrontation.

  “I don't know what that guy has against you, but he’s really pissing me off,” Justin growled.

  She rubbed his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked. “I don't know either; he’s just mean.”

  Justin looked down at her and narrowed his eyes. “He wanted you, didn't he?”

  She stopped where she was and blinked. “How did you know that?” Her pulse increased, and she bit her lip.

  Justin lowered his he
ad until their foreheads touched. “I didn't know until you just said that. I was only shooting in the dark. He has the look of a scorned lover.”

  “I never went out with him.”

  “No, but he wanted to, and that's why he's acting like an egomaniac. Next time, tell me everything so I know what I'm getting into.”

  “I didn't even think about it. I mean it was so long ago and not even important to me. He's always been a bully. I just thought it was that.”

  He kissed her softly, and she noticed the glares of some of the women. It seemed she wasn't the only one with past issues, but that wasn't a surprise. Justin was a gorgeous man, and she didn't fault any of those women for wanting him. They just had to make sure they didn't touch him. He was hers.

  He threaded their fingers together, and they walked toward the group of children getting ready for their play. They were dressed up in various Christmas and holiday costumes. There was a Santa, some elves—who looked nothing like her, but she wasn't going to say anything—a few reindeer, a snowflake, a snowman, even Jack Frost. Jack had to be getting a kick out of that. This play wasn't a religious one, but consisted of all the fantasy and myth that had to do with the holidays. Oh, she was going to love it.

  She could feel the tension radiating through Justin as he gripped her hand harder. Of all the people around, and all the Christmas cheer that was slipping through their systems, she knew that Justin needed to release some of the energy and help even more. Their gazes locked, and she smiled. He gave a nod, and she could feel him let go. The energy slowly built through her, and she released it slowly. The small children who hadn't been smiling at the time lifted their gazes and grinned. The adults in the audience, who looked as if they wanted to be anywhere else but here, started to smile and quiet down as they got ready for the play. It was working. Justin was going to make a great executive.

  Rina slowly funneled his magic and watched as the Christmas cheer did its job. She loved the holidays and everything to do with them. She might have been resentful when she was at the North Pole in her basement job, but that didn't mean she didn't love Christmas. Her connection to Justin solidified and strengthened. He looked down at her and smiled, squeezing her hand. She squeezed back and leaned into him. Their magic molded, connected, and intensified.

  It was as if they were meant for each other. In all the warm and cuddly ways possible.

  As soon as she thought that, a coldness spread through her limbs, and her lungs seized. She tried to remove her hand from Justin’s, to break the connection, but she couldn't. Justin looked down at her, his lips turning blue.

  Jack.

  He was doing this, mutating their connection, their magic.

  She tried to breathe, but couldn't, and her body shook. She leaned against Justin, and he leaned against her. She could feel him trying to cut off his magic, but neither could. Instead of the warmth and happiness that had been flowing through them, there was ice and loneliness. A child cried, and a parent ran to help but failed to reach them, sliding on the ice that formed beneath their feet. People started to scream, frantically trying to reach their children, not knowing why the sudden need had entered their minds.

  Rina looked through the crowd, trying to find Jack. She finally spotted him on the other side, his hands outstretched, a snarl on his face. Why was he doing this? He was going to hurt these children. She tried to break down the magic again, but it was no use. Jack was controlling them. The screams intensified as she looked up and noticed icicles forming on the railings. The sharp ice fell, fracturing on the ground in thousands of pieces. People started to run away, but the ice was too slippery. Her body was cold, her labored breath coming in short pants.

  She felt Justin’s muscles tense beside her, and then he fell to his knees. Their entwined hands pulled her to the ground beside him as her body shook.

  “Justin, we need to stop this,” she said, her voice shaking.

  “I’m trying,” he grunted.

  Instead of trying to break the connection with Justin, she focused on breaking the connection with Jack. She closed her eyes and imagined the ice that was attacking his system then warmed it with the thoughts of Justin and the Coopers. If she couldn't fight with the strength to break it, she could fight with the strength of love and warmth.

  She thought harder and harder even as the screams intensified and the wind howled. She focused all of her energy on that icy connection and groaned. It had to work. It had to. Subtly, the connection snapped, and she could hear Jack scream across the crowd.

  As quick as it had come, the ugly energy was gone. She collapsed against Justin, as they both were now able to clamp down on their magic. The ice melted away beneath people's feet, and she watched as parents gathered their children up and took them away, not knowing who to blame for this chaotic, freak storm.

  “He could have killed them,” Justin whispered as he pulled her onto her feet.

  “I know; he's dangerous.”

  “We have to tell Santa.”

  “I know, but I don't know if he’ll believe me. It's too busy right now. It's not as if I have a direct line to Santa.”

  “Try. We have to. We can't let this happen again.”

  She leaned into his hold and kissed his cold jaw. “I love you.”

  He looked into her eyes, and he captured her lips and kissed them, warming her to the bone. “I love you, too.”

  Chapter 9

  Justin slammed the cabinet closed and cursed. Jack could have killed all of those kids and their parents yesterday. Fucking Jack and his fucking problem with Rina. He didn't know what the exact issue was, but Justin needed to figure out. It couldn't all be because of a rejection. He didn't think Jack was that shallow, but he could be wrong. There had to be another reason that Jack wanted to cause so much destruction and death.

  Justin’s hands shook at the thought. He couldn't control his magic. It'd floated through him and through Rina at such an alarming rate, it had scared him. It scared him more than the fact that his body had grown so cold so quickly, that his lips had turned blue and his lungs had seized. What scared him more than that was the fact that Rina had been in distress right by his side, and he had no power over it. What was the use of having all this magic if he was unable to help the one person who he loved the most?

  Jesus, he was a failure, again. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the fact that he was nothing. A useless, bad boy who just fucked up everything in his path. He cursed again, having finally found the creamer he had been looking for. He poured some into his coffee cup and took a sip. He narrowed his eyes as the coffee burned his tongue.

  Perfect. Just fucking, peachy perfect.

  He poured some creamer into Rina’s cup and added three times the amount of sugar he used. Even though he had a sweet tooth, even more so lately, his little elf loved sugar to a frightening degree. She told him she was an elf and it was just the way she was built. The amount of sugar used at the North Pole must be jaw-dropping.

  He blew on his cup and took another sip of his coffee, this time avoiding burning his tongue. He'd known from the incident in the cafeteria that his powers could go haywire and he would be a dangerous threat, but seeing the way that his powers had morphed into something he couldn't even comprehend had scared him. Nobody knew exactly what had caused the freak ice storm in the town square, but he always would. Even if the town never pointed a finger his way and never judged him the way that they had judged his sister-in-law, Jordan, for being a witch, he would always know that he had been responsible.

  He didn't know how he was going to fix this though. Rina had told him Jack was stronger, having more powers than anything she or he could do. So, no matter what he did, he would not be able to win against Jack. They had tried to call the North Pole, but no one had wanted to talk to Rina. Apparently, they had called her a traitor, or at least someone who didn't follow the rules enough to be cared about. Rina had withdrawn into herself and hadn't spoken to him much since that call. S
o now, other than feeling like a failure about his own powers, he felt like one for not being able to protect her from the people who wanted to hurt her most. All Rina wanted to do was fit in and be worth something, and people were trying to take that away from her. He would do what he could to make sure she felt needed with him and within this town, but he didn't know if that would be enough. He didn't know much of anything anymore.

  “Justin? What’s wrong?” Rina asked as she walked into the kitchen, freshly showered and put together.

  He leaned forward and kissed her softly then handed her the coffee. “Just thinking.”

  “Yeah, but it's what you're thinking about that worries me.” She stood on her tiptoes and traced her finger down his nose. “Your face is all scrunched up, and you’re frowning. That means whatever you're thinking about isn’t good. Do you want to share?”

  He lifted the corner of his mouth and shrugged. “Just the usual, stressful things, but I think I like the way that you can read my face.”

  She smiled then kissed his jaw. “I can't help it; your emotions are right on your face.”

  “Most people wouldn't think that. If anything, your face is more expressive.”

  “Well, that's true. I can't lie to save my life, but I can read your face, and I know something's troubling you. Tell me.”

  He let out a breath and set their coffee cups down on the counter. With his hands free, he pulled her into a hug and let her rest against his chest. She felt so right there, so perfect. “It’s my fault that those people were in danger yesterday.”

  “No, no. It was Jack's.”

  “Yeah? Well, he used us to do it, so it's just as much my fault.”

  “That's my fault, too.”

  He frowned and kissed her forehead. “No, it wasn't your magic.”

  She huffed a breath and punched him softly in the side. “Okay, if you're going to blame yourself for Jack's mistakes, you can't just automatically think it's not my fault too. You make no sense.”

  “I'm angry. I don't have to be rational.”

  “Spoken like a true man.” She grinned when she said it, and he leaned down to nibble on her lip.