Chapter 14
Eve
The blue ribbon is still warm in my hands for the mini tree decorating contest. That makes five wins this week including the snowman-building contest that Luke swears was rigged. It wasn’t. I’m just that good.
Soon to be six wins if you count my mom’s award-winning gingerbread cookie recipe that’s going to sweep in tomorrow’s contest, too.
I hold the ribbon up for Luke to see. “Guess who’s the reigning queen of Christmas, Reindeer Boy?”
Luke grunts, arms crossed, his flannel shirt dusted with pine needles. “Don’t call me that.”
I grin. “But it suits you so well.”
We’re standing just off the main square, where twinkle lights are strung between the storefronts like a canopy of stars.
The town tree stands proudly in the center, a forty-foot behemoth dripping in red bows and glittering ornaments.
It's the pinnacle of Holly Ridge’s Tree Lighting Festival, and tonight, the entire town has shown up in hats and mittens, sipping cider and cocoa like it's the lifeblood of December.
“You know,” I say, sidling up to Luke as I pin the ribbon to my coat, “you could try being happy for me. Just once.”
He glances down at me, the corner of his mouth twitching. “If you win one more event, and the town’s going to rename Christmas after you.”
“Hel-lo. I practically already have the day before Christmas named after me… Christmas Eve.”
Before he can come up with a comeback, Mr. Thorne waddles over in his oversized Santa hat, his cheeks already red from the cold snow or the hot cider… or both. “Luke, we need the reindeer in place. The countdown’s about to start.”
Luke nods and starts to head toward the pen at the edge of the square, pausing when he only makes it two steps, realizing I’m following him.
He turns, a smile curving on his mouth. “Are you assisting me tonight, too?”
“I thought maybe I should follow you to the pen,” I say, then I drop my voice to a whisper. “If we’re lucky, maybe we can get a few minutes alone.”
Luke grabs me by the belt loops of my jeans and pulls me into him, close enough that our noses brush. “You sure you can tear yourself away from your adoring fans for that long?”
“Oh, I think they can live without me for a few minutes.”
“And what about the little ankle-biter?”
“My dad took Cringle on a walk for me.”
His mouth brushes gently over mine causing a shiver to tumble down my spine and my toes to curl within my LL Bean boots. “A thousand points and an extra blue ribbon if you meet me there in two minutes.”
“Done,” I whisper as he releases me.
With a sigh, I watch him stalk away toward the edge of the square where the pen for the reindeer is set up. My eyes are fixed onto the tight twitch of his amazing ass.
It isn’t fair. Men shouldn’t have asses that sexy.
I’m already giddy at the thought of getting a few extra minutes alone with Luke, away from the prying eyes of the entire town.
I give it a few moments so that we don’t look too suspicious slipping away, but then I begin to make my way through the crowd as well, smiling at the many people stopping me to congratulate me on the tree decorating contest.
Finally, I chase out after Luke and push past the makeshift curtain that the mayor hung to hide the reindeer so that they would be a surprise.
Behind the curtain, Luke’s already waiting at the pen for me. “Hey,” I start to say, but then I see him scrubbing a palm down his face, frustrated.
It seems that where Luke is concerned, when I follow, chaos ensues. And sure enough, when I peek into the reindeer pen, it’s one reindeer short.
“Blitzen,” Luke mutters. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“Ahhhh. The escape artist with the attitude problem. Follow the trail of candy canes and I bet we’ll find her.”
Luke gives me a scathing look that’s only softened by the slight upturn of his quirked mouth. “Thanks to you.”
A bloodcurdling scream startles both of us followed by the screaming cries of a child. “That was my candy cane!”
“Dammit, Blitzen!” Luke shouts as he rushes toward the noise, dodging through the crowd with me, following right at his heels.
Sure enough, Blitzen, that little bugger is prancing around the candy station, with a telltale red and white peppermint candy sticking out of her mouth.
She catches sight of us and makes a beeline to the candy table, stealing a full bag before running toward a snowman.
“Oh no you don’t!” I mutter, barely sidestepping a cluster of toddlers in reindeer antlers. We make a sharp turn, almost colliding with the popcorn machine, and close in on the wildly zigzagging reindeer.
Blitzen veers for the road but I’m right ahead of her, arms outstretched as if I have any hope in corralling this giant creature with sheer willpower alone. Shockingly, though, it works. “Got her!” I yell as the reindeer whips around, right into Luke’s grasp.
Leaving the bag of candy behind, Blitzen tries to dart between us, but Luke is faster and grabs hold of the reins, digging his heels into the snow to halt Blitzen from further chaos.
“Gotcha, you candy-coated monster,” he grunts, giving Blitzen a stern look as the reindeer licks remnants of candy from her snout.
I rush forward, catching my breath as I give the mischievous reindeer a pat on her neck.
Luke looks at me and shakes his head. “You created this monster.”
“I did not!”
“You taught her to eat candy canes.”
Blitzen looks so smug that I swear she smirks at me.
“Well… everyone likes candy canes. Besides, she’s spirited,” I say. “Like me.”
“Like trouble,” he says, but I can see he’s fighting back a smile. It’s a pretty fair bet as to who is more trouble between me and the reindeer. I think it’s me, but I suspect Luke would agree. As we drag Blitzen back toward the pen, I have to stifle a laugh.
As we lead her back through the crowd, dodging kids and cocoa spills, something soft and insistent unfolds in my chest. Luke’s hand brushes mine, and even through our gloves, it sparks.
We laugh, bump shoulders, and I can’t help it—I look over at him and realize: I’m falling for this grumpy, stubborn, infuriating man.
Falling in love was not on my Bingo card this year.
Then again, neither was losing my job.
Or taking it upon myself to save my parent’s inn.
And they think I have a plan. But I don’t. Not really. Not beyond getting through the next contest and securing a goddamn win.
And maybe… maybe that’s okay.
Maybe falling for Luke doesn’t have to be a disaster. Maybe it really can be me doing what I want for once because, for the first time in years, I’m not operating on a tight plan. For the first time, I’m actually listening to my heart.
How did I go from desperately trying to win this festival to falling head over heels for the guy who lives and breathes Christmas disdain? And why am I not even mad about it?
Because he’s good to me.
Because he makes me feel like I have something here I never knew I needed.
Because maybe, just maybe, he’s the missing piece in my life.
Luke’s voice breaks through my spiral, reeling me back to the here and now. “Do you think we’ll make it through the rest of the festival without her escaping again?”
“Unlikely,” I say, breathless as we approach the pen.
I hold open the curtain for them as Luke guides Blitzen back inside her pen with Prancer.
Only after Luke secures the latch like it’s Fort Knox does he relax against me, draping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me in close.
His breath is hot and sweet against my ear. “You didn’t meet me here in two minutes, by the way. So that whole thousand point thing? The extra ribbon? All null and void.”
I shrug. “Small price to pay to watch you chase your renegade reindeer through the whole town square.”
Luke leans down and whispers against my ear. “What about your consolation prize?”
I whirl to face him, clutching his flannel collar with one hand and his neck with the other. “Oh, I’ll take that now.”
I kiss him. Or maybe he kisses me. Hard to tell.
It’s like leaning into a fire. One second of soft pressure and then it ignites, deep and dizzying.
His hands cup my face, his body pressing me back against the wall, and I melt into it because I’ve wanted this forever.
Since high school. Since before either of us knew how to say what we felt.
His lips part mine and I gasp against him, threading my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. He groans, so deep and low in his chest that I could drown in it.
I feel his hands drift to my ass, squeezing, then I’m in the air, being lifted up and I wrap my legs around his waist, hooking my ankles at the small of his back. He’s clutching me against him as he pushes me into the wall of the sleigh, the ridge of his cock pressing between my legs deliciously.
Then—the curtain falls.
Literally.
A gust of wind knocks down the makeshift velvet backdrop separating the main square from our private little alcove.
Somewhere in the background, the entire town gasps.
I freeze.
Luke freezes.
And there we are. Center stage of the town square. Again. This time, literally dry humping each other against Santa’s sleigh.
The sleigh bell jingle on the speaker dies out in a quiet electronic whine.
Children drop their ciders. Someone—probably Aunt May—lets out a delighted, theatrical shriek.
His hands are still on my ass. My fingers are still tangled in his hair. We’re flushed and breathless and tangled.
“Oops,” I say to the crowd as Luke lowers me back to my feet.
No one moves. Then a slow clap starts. One person. Then two. Then the whole town is clapping.
Mr. Thorne mutters something about “youths.”
Luke lets out a sound between a groan and a laugh and leans close. “I was wrong about Blitzen. You’re the real menace here.”
“You like it,” I whisper.
I straighten my scarf and coat and turn to face the crowd with a tight smile, waving. Then with the back of my hand, I smack Luke in the side. “Wave like we’re supposed to be here!”
Snickering, he does as he’s told even though neither of us are fooling anyone. If the whole town wasn’t aware we were a couple before? Well, they do now.
The tree lights flick on overhead, and the town erupts into cheers.
But I barely hear them.
Because Luke leans in and kisses me on the cheek gently.
And I know, without a doubt, I’m all in.