The scene inside had a couple kissing in front of a fireplace, a sprig of mistletoe above their heads. It depicted a redheaded man, and a much taller man, with long silver hair. It was Nik and Keegan’s living room, and I shook it, watching the snow fall around the kissing couple.
Blinking sudden heat from my eyes, I stared at Bal. “It’s us.”
Bal nodded, looking shy, and picked at the blanket with his hand. “It is.”
“But…how?”
How had he had this made? This had to be a custom job, and why this scene? What did it mean? It had to mean something, didn’t it?
He grinned, and that grin went straight to my heart, filling it with warmth and my stomach with all kinds of butterflies. “I have my ways. I am the head elf in Santa’s workshop. If I can’t get something special made, we have a problem.”
“It’s beautiful, Balfour,” my voice was thick, the words rough. “Thank you. I’ll cherish it.”
He looked down at the floor, scuffing the thick carpet with his bare foot. “Well, like you said, we needed to keep up appearances. I figured it would be sappy enough to convince Nik and everyone else.”
Of course, that was the reason he had given it to me. I needed to stop reading all kinds of things into it.
“Of course.” I placed it carefully on the nightstand next to me, where I would be able to stare at it. Faking a yawn, I slid down into the softness of the blankets. “I’m pretty sleepy. You would think I had slept enough the last few days.”
I suddenly needed some space, to be alone, with all the things I was feeling. To remind myself, that whatever had happened between us during my heat, whatever Bal had made me feel, it wasn’t real. Sure, he’d helped me through it, but it was nothing more than an alpha helping an omega. A friend helping a friend. Keeping up appearances for this ruse we had started to get through the holidays.
“Heat is hard on your body.” He stood. “I’ll let you get some sleep. We have Christmas with your family later.”
I nodded, closing my eyes. “And tomorrow you take me home.”
I wanted him to say he wanted me to stay. That he didn’t want to take me home. That he wanted to make our fake relationship real.
Instead, he said nothing, just quietly left me alone in the bedroom. After three days and nights, wrapped in his arms in this bed, it felt too large, too cold. It felt wrong.
Balfour
Past…
Me:OMG the new elf we hired in electronics is stalking me. I’m sure of it.
Nemesis:They aren’t stalking you.
Me:He is everywhere! Everywhere I go, there he is.
Nemesis:It’s a small village. Complete coincidence. And don’t you run the electronics department? Seems to mean you will see him like…I don’t know, every day. And you are the head elf. Doesn’t he report to you? Or something like that. What is it exactly you do, besides stalk around, grumbling about schedules?
Me:I do ALL the things. Your brother insisted I come for dinner and guess who else was there? Seated right across from me! Smiling and batting his eyes the entire night! No matter what I said, he giggled! It was maddening.
Nemesis:You’re right, he must be stalking you. You aren’t that funny. I mean, I think you’re hysterical but only when I’m fucking with you and your stupid schedules.
Me:See! I TOLD you. Totally stalking me.
Nemesis:You want me to talk to Keegan? I’ll totally tell him no more ambush dinner fix ups.
Me:You would do that?
Nemesis:What are friends for?
Chapter Sixteen
Balfour
I tapped once on Nik’s front door, before entering without waiting for anyone to answer it. Holding Kendrick’s hand firmly tucked in mine, Nik stopped on the stairs, Kieran on his hip, and stared at me wide-eyed.
