Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Oh dear.
This is it. Staring me right in the face like a giant red flag—but dressed in a red bow like jolly old St. Nick.
An extremely hot St. Nick. Sexy as hell St. Nick.
And that’s just it—in no world would any man, woman or child believe Stetson was or could be Santa Claus.
Like he couldn’t even be him for Halloween.
If he dressed up like him, you’d think he was about to strip for Magic Mike.
If he told me he was, Thor, this I’d believe without a doubt.
Okay, I wouldn’t believe it at all, but I’d understand it because look at him.
Thor. In the flesh.
This superhero I can get into and just cosplay the hell out of it, but is Santa a superhero? Is the big bellied, jolly, gift giving and lover of all things sugary and decadent—
Wait a minute!
He did eat an unholy amount of candy and sweets yesterday. There was that… you’re reaching, Charlie. You’re reaching. While my mind races in all sorts of crazy directions Stetson has the audacity to smile at me.
Like a normal smile.
Nothing crazy about it at all. Nothing off… It’s sexy.
I sigh.
One resounding truth pops in my head and vibrates around my brain like a psychedelic Rudolph the red nose reindeer trip—I’m going to sleep with him despite the fact he believes he’s Santa Claus.
It doesn’t matter to me. I’ve slept with more delusional.
Hell, my ex thought he was Jacob Elordi…
he really did. Maybe Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein, sure if he was comparing himself to the monster, then one thousand percent, he’s Jacob Elordi. So there.
Santa is a walk in the fucking park!
At least Stetson believes he’s a nice old man who gives kids gifts for Christmas. He’s a giver! Not a taker of faces!
This level of delusion is much more palatable.
“You really don’t believe me,” he states the obvious.
I wonder what gave it away?
I’m guessing the disbelief written on my face.
Ba da bing!
I try to laugh and brush it off. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, per say…”
“Then what is it, Char Char?”
I gasp.
“What did you call me?”
“Char Char.” His voice sounds different now, more serious.
“My little brother used to call me that,” I whisper. Grace doesn’t even know about that nickname. It’s what he’d call me when he was a kid.
I used to love it.
“Ethan,” Stetson says slowly. “Ethan is your younger brother.”
My heart stops.
“I didn’t tell you that.”
He goes on.
“Your parents, Kate and Jeffrey, left you alone with him a lot when you were younger and through your teens,” Stetson takes a step toward me, his face so serious now. “You think of him like he’s your own child, even though there’s only a four-year age gap.”
“How do you…?”
My words trail off because I don’t understand what’s happening. He could have done some deep dive and looked me up, broken into my private social media account and seen my brother, who’s in a lot of the pictures I post for my closest friends. He’s rich enough.
But the rest…
The stuff about my mom and dad. That’s not public domain.
Those are my private memories. Ones I don’t talk about or share. Maybe once with Grace, so she could understand why my relationship was the way it was with my parents. But that’s all.
“I know a lot of about you,” he rubs the side of his thumb against his short beard and looks contemplative.
“Did you hire some crazy private investigator or something?” I ask in disbelief.
And then there’s last night. The things he said, the things he knew.
He laughs and shakes his head.
“No, I don’t need to,” he says. “I can sense childhood memories about every person I come in contact with during these four months of winter.”
“Huh?” I shake my head at him not comprehending.
“You wanted the Wandering Jew for Christmas when you were eleven and you cried for days because your parents didn’t get the plant for you.”
My jaw drops.
“You still have an affinity for that plant,” he smiles. “It is quite unique.”
“There is no way on earth you can know any of this!” I stand up now, more than slightly unnerved.
“I can.” He states calmly, capturing my gaze with such sanity and certainty that I start to believe him.
“You’re just too damn hot to be Santa Claus!” I blurt out the most obvious fact again.
He smiles slowly, his blue gaze lingering on my mouth and chest before capturing mine again.
“I’m glad you think so.”
I flush.
“You don’t even have a belly!”
He laughs. “I’ve got a ways to go,” he says. “I’ve been told it kicks in when I formally take over the job.”
“Formally take over the job?” I yell now. “Do you realize how insane this sounds?”
“I guess,” he shrugs and doesn’t act like he thinks it’s insane at all.
“So the clause I signed… this is what it’s all about?” I ask.
“Yes,” he nods, then, “and there are other things.”
I sit back down in my seat and prepare myself for what other things he could possibly tell me that will outdo the fact he believes he’s Santa Claus. Yes, everything he knows about me is definitely suspect, but I still don’t know if I’m fully on board yet.
I haven’t run for the hills because I’m so damn drawn to him. Like a magnet. From the moment I saw him fight the polar bear. Speaking of…
“Before you tell me about the other things. How did you stop that polar bear?” I ask.
“During these months I can communicate with animals as well. It’s another one of the perks.” He tells me.
“So Santa has superpowers?” I continue on like this is a normal conversation, like I’m not seconds away from passing out and to his credit he’s treating it like one too.
“Yes,” he nods. “I guess you can call them that.”
“What else can you do?” I wonder.
His eyes get all hooded and seductive as they sweep over me
“Lots of things.”
Heat.
Everywhere. Just from that look of his.
“Do you want to know what the rest of the clause is about?”