Santa's Perfect Package: A Collection of Holiday Romances

by KB Winters

  Even at the annoyance in her tone, I couldn’t help but smile. She shot straight from the hip in a way that most women didn’t even dare when they knew who I was. I’d had more than my fair share of gold diggers who wanted nothing more than access to my bank account and a good time every so often. Maci was so different. I hated the thought of telling her the truth and having her change in any way.

  “The proceeds of the photographs go toward a few local charities. The Santa gig is a volunteer thing. My dad’s been the Cascadia Mall Santa for the last seven years. He got hurt and I offered to take his place.”

  Well, offered wasn’t quite the right term, but it worked anyway.

  “That’s nice and all, but what I don’t appreciate is being blind-sided. You should have told me. You knew I worked part time at the mall. You really didn’t think I would notice? I’m there every day. I walk by Santa’s station every night on my way to the food court.”

  “To be honest, I didn’t think about it until it was too late.”

  She sighed. “It’s fine. It just caught me off guard. Way off guard.”

  I allowed a soft chuckle. “What? You never dreamed of getting down and dirty with Santa?”

  She laughed and the pressure in my chest released. “Ya know, it never cracked the top ten.”

  Heat flashed through me and I found myself sitting up a little straighter behind the wheel. The light turned green and I rolled forward slowly. “I’d love to know what the top ten things entail.”

  Maci paused and for a moment I worried I’d taken it too far. Asking a woman for her darkest sexual fantasies—over the phone, no less—after one date wasn’t exactly up to the gentleman’s code of conduct I tried to live by. “I’ll just bet,” she finally said, the smile evident in her tone of voice. “Let’s see, where to start…Santa might not be my thing but ya know who gets me hot? The guy on the paper towel wrapper.”

  “The Brawny man?” A wide grin split across my face.

  She giggled. “Oh, yeah. So hot.”

  Even though she was clearly joking, the thought was getting me hot nonetheless. I’d wear a flannel shirt and pair of boot cut jeans any day of the week for her if it would get her moaning like she had the night before. “I’m almost home. Mind if I call you right back when I can fully enjoy every delicious detail?”

  “Of my romp with a cartoon character?”

  I laughed loudly and hit my blinker. “Yes.”

  “Alex, I don’t know what to make of you.”

  “Guess that makes two of us.”

  She laughed softer and after a pause said, “Sure, call me when you get home. Drive safe. It’s slick out there.”

  She disconnected before I could thank her and I set the phone back in the cup holder.

  I called her back before even getting out of the car. I reclined the seat back and listened to the silky purr of her voice as she answered the call. “Boy, you promise a guy some dirty talk and he’s Johnny-on-the-spot with the call back!”

  I chuckled and nodded. “You’ve got my number, baby.”

  “Where are you?”

  “The garage.”

  She laughed loudly and I smiled like a fool. “You’re in pretty deep, huh?”

  “Well, as much as I would love you to talk dirty to me, what I really want to know is when I can see you again. Preferably while not wearing a three-sizes-too-big crushed velvet suit.”

  Maci cracked up. “Why not? If any Santa can get me hot and bothered, it’s definitely you.”

  “I’m flattered.” I shook my head. What was this woman doing to me? “So, dinner? Or, we could skip right to dessert. That worked well last time.”

  “I would love to, but I really should stay here with Alyssa. Between working two jobs I don’t see her nearly enough and taking another night away wouldn’t be the best right now.” She paused and my heart fell, trying to decipher if it was a brush-off or if she sincerely couldn’t. “Would you like to come to dinner tomorrow night?”

  My eyebrows shot up. Hours before I’d imagined I’d seen the last of her, now she was inviting me to her house, for dinner, presumably with her daughter present.

  Maci scrambled to add to her invitation. “If it’s too much, too soon, I get it. But I had a really good time with you last night and I don’t want my chaotic schedule to get in the way of getting to know you a little better. You’re obviously a natural with kids. I think you and Alyssa would hit it off.”

  This was massive. Even without seeing her face I knew this was her way of baring herself to me in a way far more intimate than she had the night before. This wasn’t just sex. And as I thought about it, I realized that I’d somehow known that from the moment she joined me at that sticky food court table.

  “Yes.” I gave a decisive nod. “Tell me time and what to bring and I’m there.”

  Maci breathed what sounded like a sigh of relief and then told me to bring nothing but myself and rattled off a time.

  I hung up and went inside, wearing a wide grin that didn’t leave me the rest of the night.

  Chapter Seven

  Maci

  “Mama, someone is at the door!” Alyssa bellowed down the hall.

  My heart stopped, skipping a few beats before launching into a frantic tempo. I set down the third plate at the small, round dining table and straightened slowly. “Okay, angel. I’ll be right there.”

  Alyssa bounded into the room, her socked feet slipping on the hardwood floors. “Who is it?”

  “I invited a friend over to have dinner with us. His name is Alex and he’s a very nice man.” I squatted down in front of her as the doorbell chimed a second time. “Is that all right?” I asked, realizing this conversation probably should have taken place before Alex was physically on the doorsteps.

  Alyssa nodded. “Can I open the door?”

  I smiled and stood up. Reaching for her hand, I replied, “We can do it together.”

  “Okay.”

  We went to the front door and after a quick peek through the peep hole, I let Alyssa unlock the door and pull it open. Alex smiled down at her first and I cringed, hoping she wouldn’t realize that she’d met him the day before. Luckily, she didn’t seem to make the connection as she reached out her hand, very ladylike, and said, “I’m Alyssa!”

  Alex grinned at me and then took Alyssa’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Alyssa. My name is Alex.”

  “Is that for me?” she asked, eying the bouquet he had tucked against his side.

  Alex nodded and presented her with one of what turned out to be two bouquets. One was wrapped in hot pink—clearly for Alyssa—and a second, he presented to me, wrapped in ivory and green.

  Alyssa, eyes alight, took the flowers and held them up to me. “Look, Mama!”

  “That’s very kind. They’re beautiful, Alex. Thank you.” I stepped back and guided Alyssa with a hand on her shoulder to make room for Alex. “Come in, please.”

  Alex crossed the threshold and shrugged out of his coat. He wore a dark blue thermal underneath and my cheeks flushed at the thoughts that raced through my mind. I hadn’t had nearly enough time to inspect every inch of his sculpted physique and with the molded shirt displaying his perfect, swimmer’s body, I was more than ready to skip to dessert again.

  “Smells good in here, what’s cooking?” Alex asked.

  Before I could answer, Alyssa took charge and started telling him everything she had helped with as she led him to the kitchen. I followed behind and got a vase of water. Alyssa reluctantly handed over her flowers and I put them into a separate vase that she could keep in her room.

  “You can sit here, next to me,” Alyssa said, pointing Alex at a chair.

  He shot me a grin over her head.

  I brushed a hand over her shoulder. “Lyss, go wash up and put your pretty flowers in your room. Okay?”

  She took her vase and scampered off down the hall.

  “Sorry,” I said to Alex once she was out of earshot. “She’ll talk your ear off.”


  Alex chuckled. “I don’t mind. She’s delightful.”

  “Thank you.”

  He glanced into the kitchen. “You need a hand with anything? I was going to bring a bottle of wine, but I wasn’t sure you’d like that around Alyssa.”

  “Oh? God, that’s so thoughtful. I don’t mind having wine around her. I have a bottle in there somewhere,” I said, gesturing at the fridge. “Now, if you’d suggested Jagger bombs and Jell-O shots we’d probably need to talk.”

  He chuckled. “Noted.”

  “I’m glad you’re here.”

  Alex moved closer and brushed his hand over mine. “Me too.”

  Alyssa charged back into the room and we set some space between us. I’d never navigated—or even attempted to navigate—the waters of dating when a single mom, but the brief snapshot was proving far less terrifying than I’d imagined. As we all took our places around the table and dug into the mountain of tacos, it was almost too easy to slip into the part of my imagination that wondered what it might be like if a man like Alex were to become a more permanent fixture in our lives.

  ***

  A little after nine I left Alex in the living room to put Alyssa down for the night. She was so sleepy from the night of excitement that she didn’t ask a lot of questions before drifting off to sleep. However, I knew in the morning there were likely going to be a few things she’d want to ask about. None that I was really prepared to answer. She was clearly smitten with Alex and had been on the top of her charm all night long.

  Her lashes finally fluttered closed and stayed there, fanned over her freckled cheeks. I leaned down, kissed the bridge of her nose, and then turned off the bedside lamp. I tiptoed from the room and pulled her door closed softly behind me.

  Alex was in the kitchen, his sleeves rolled up, standing at the kitchen sink. A dish towel was slung over one shoulder. He craned around to look at me, offered a wide smile, and I nearly lost control of my limbs.

  “You’re doing dishes?” I asked him, flabbergasted.

  Talk about a lady boner.

  “Sure. Why not?” He shrugged and went back to scrubbing. “You prepared the meal, it’s only fair I help tackle the clean-up.”

  I joined him at the sink and propped a hip against the counter. “Where on earth did you come from?”

  Alex laughed softly. “Pretty sure I picked you up in a mall food court.”

  I cringed. “God, that is so not glamorous. We’re going to have to come up with a better story.”

  He rinsed a glass, dried it, and replaced it in the cupboard. He hung the towel up on the stove handle and then turned to me, his smile even wider. “Any ideas?”

  I poised a finger under my chin and gave him an appraising look. “We could work the Santa angle.”

  He dropped his head back and laughed. “No, no. This is not a chapter I want etched in stone.”

  “You mean you’re not adding professional Santa Clause to your CV?”

  “God no.”

  I laughed and leaned into his side. It felt so good to release the pressure and just have a good ole’ belly laugh. I was finding it was true that a man who could make you laugh was irreplaceable. All the stress and weight that followed me around from day to day seemed to melt away whenever I was with Alex.

  “Thank you for coming to dinner,” I said.

  “You don’t have to thank me for everything, Maci,” he said gently.

  “I know. It’s just been a long time since I’ve done this and I think I built it up to be this monstrous mountain in my mind. You’re making it easy on me. I mean, Alyssa couldn’t have been more impressed and she’s clearly a tough crowd.”

  Alex chuckled. “She’s a real hard ass, huh? I guess I can see that.”

  I laughed and reached over to pull the stopper on the sink. I wiped my hand off on my jeans and sighed deeply. “I actually do have a bottle of wine, if you want to hang out for a little while.”

  “Hang out?” Alex grinned. “That what the kids are calling it now?”

  A quip raced to the tip of my tongue but Alex’s mouth was descending to mine before I could fire it off. He captured my lips with his and kissed me slowly. His hands went to the counter on either side of me, boxing me in against it. I loved the way his body fit against mine. He wasn’t a muscle-bound meathead, but his shoulders and back were broad and well-defined like a swimmer and he had a few inches on me, even when I stood on my tiptoes.

  Wearing high heels would never be a problem with Alex as my date.

  The kiss deepened and left me breathless. I wanted more, more, more. Each taste was only enough to tease me and get me yearning for his touch. I took him by the hand and led him down the hall. Luckily the floor plan of the apartment was designed with roommates in mind, with both bedrooms on opposite sides of the hall and a bathroom in between them. Alyssa was a sound sleeper but I was even more reassured knowing there was some extra space between us.

  Once inside, the door closed softly behind us, Alex peeled my shirt off and dropped it to the floor. I reached around and unclasped my bra and let the silky straps fall off my arms. Alex immediately swooped in and captured a tight nipple with his greedy lips.

  I moaned and dropped my head back as he teased the tender bud with his lips and then raked his teeth along my skin on his way to the other. My nails dug into the thick fabric of his long-sleeved shirt and I clawed it off him, desperate for the feel of his hot skin against mine. We crashed together, a tangle of limbs and lips. Moans and growls.

  He stripped my jeans from me and grinned appreciatively when he slid his thumb over my pussy and found my panties were soaked. I arched against his hand and gripped his shoulders. “Alex, take me.”

  “Oh, I’m planning on it, baby.”

  Shivers of anticipation rolled over my flushed skin. Everywhere Alex’s lips, fingertips, and tongue moved were immediately ignited on fire.

  Alex backed me up to the wall and ducked his mouth to explore the side of my neck. He sucked the sensitive lobe of my ear and a lick of fire scorched through me and exploded between my thighs. I clenched them together even harder, desperate for an ounce of relief. I reached for his hand, trying to drag it to the place I needed him most.

  He took my wrist and pinned it above my head. I whimpered, straining against his hold. He moved down my body, using his lips and tongue to tease every available inch of me. He released the grip on my wrists and sank down to his knees. While his eyes remained locked on mine, he slowly stripped the panties from me and tossed them aside. Still watching, he lifted one leg and hitched my thigh on his shoulder.

  So that’s why women instinctively like broad shoulders…

  He delicately parted my lips and ran the flat of his tongue over my clit. I cried out and slapped a hand over my mouth to muffle my own moans. Alyssa was a room away, not in a sound proof bunker, I reminded myself.

  Alex was good at everything. Especially tongue-fucking.

  My fingers burrowed in his thick hair and held tight as he sucked my clit and pumped two of his deliciously thick fingers inside me.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I panted. “Allllleeex.”

  I ground my teeth as the tight springs of my core ratcheted down another notch. I was about to let loose, dancing on the edge, and then he slipped his pinky finger up to tease my ass. The cords of pleasure twisted together, tighter than before, and then unraveled like a spool of thread. My entire body convulsed and then released with the force of a hurricane.

  Alex pumped my pussy slower as I came down from the heights. When I could see straight again I realized I was gripping his hair too tight. I relaxed and laughed softly. “I’m pretty sure what you just did is illegal in six states,” I teased, still quivering from the shocks of pleasure.

  “Well then buckle up, baby, cause what I’ve got in mind next is going to be a federal offense,” he teased, before scooping me up by the ass and carrying me to the edge of the bed.

  ***

  We lay together in silence, our ragged br
eathing the only sounds. Alex clutched me against him and it was all I could do to keep from grinding up against him. My body was spent but I desperately wanted more of him. It had been so long since a man had left me both completely wrung out and on fire at the same time. As I tried to recall, I realized no one had ever made me feel the way Alex did.

  The words stumbled to my lips but I couldn’t find the last drops of bravado to say them out loud. No parameters or rules had been placed on the situation. I didn’t want to risk spooking him by turning into a clingy stereotype.

  After a few minutes, our breathing stilled, Alex spoke, “I should probably go.”

  I hated the sound of it, but knew he was right.

  As if reading my mind, he rolled me to my back and dipped down to kiss me slowly. He let his tongue take a detailed tour of my mouth as if attempting to memorize every sensation. When we broke apart, hearts racing once again, he smiled down at me. “One for the road.”

  I smiled. “A very good policy.”

  When I pushed up, ready to see him out, he placed his fingertips on my bare shoulder. “I can see myself out,” he said softly. “Stay here where it’s warm. I’ll lock up.”

  My eyes felt heavy as I nodded, as though the mere suggestion of sleep gave me the little push I needed over the edge into dreamland. The last thing I remembered was watching his perfect ass disappear as he pulled on his jeans.

  Chapter Eight

  Alex

  To my horror, my mom was still awake when I slipped through the door of my parent’s house a little after midnight. She was in the kitchen, casually sipping tea from her Crazy Cat Lady mug—complete with tail shaped handle—and perusing a magazine. The picture of serene innocence.

  She wasn’t fooling anyone.

  “Mom,” I sighed. “You’re really waiting up for me? You do remember that I’m thirty-two now, right?”

  She grinned like one of the smug cats painted on the side of her kitschy mug. “I wasn’t waiting up for you, Alex. But now that you’re here, pull up a seat and tell me where you’ve been.”

  I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help chuckling. She knew I couldn’t say no to her. I pulled up one of the stools on the opposite side of the island and she poured me a cup of tea. This one served in an I Love My Goldendoodle mug with a picture of my parent’s dog, Ricco, etched on the side.