“Sit, Becken,” Aunt Inla said, urging me down onto the throne.
“I think?—”
“Becken.” Carla’s voice held gentle amusement. “Just do it. Think of the children if that helps.” She held up one of the bell-covered collars she was making for the sorhoxes and hung it around her neck. “Just call me your elf.”
“What’s an elf?”
“In Lord of the Rings, elves are incredibly sexy.”
“Then maybe I should be the elf in this situation.”
Aunt Inla blinked and looked back and forth between me and Carla. “Santa is not sexy.”
“My point exactly,” I said.
“In the North Pole, elves are tiny beings who assist Santa,” Carla said, chuckles breaking through her statement.
Grumbling, I sat on the throne, feeling absurd but unable to disappoint Carla and my aunt.
Aunt Inla turned to Carla. “Test it. Sit on his lap.”
“What?” Carla took a step backward. “Aunt Inla, I’m not a child.”
“Details,” Inla waved her hand. “Someone needs to ensure the experience works properly. What if the children are nervous? What if they’re too heavy? We must test everything.”
“I really don’t think?—”
“Carla.” Inla used her get-out-of-the-kitchen tone on my mate. “Sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what you want for Christmas.”
Carla looked at me helplessly. I shrugged, though every rational part of my brain screamed this was a terrible idea. Having her on my lap, even for testing purposes, would be torture.
She approached, her cheeks pink. “This is silly.”
“Life often is,” I said.
She perched on the edge of my knee, careful not to put her full weight on me. Even that minimal contact sent heat shooting through me. The scent of her shampoo filled my nostrils, and I had to concentrate on breathing normally.
“Perfect,” Aunt Inla said. “Now, Carla, what do you want for Christmas?”
Carla’s gaze met mine, and something in her brown eyes made my heart stutter. Longing flickered there, so intense and raw it stole my breath. She opened her mouth, then closed it, clearly struggling with her answer.
“I want…” she said, then stopped.
Silence stretched between us. The warmth of her body crept into mine, and her pulse fluttered in her throat. Her lips parted, and I found myself leaning forward.
“I want the rodeo program to succeed,” she said, though her words lacked conviction.
Disappointment crashed through me. The longing in her eyes hadn’t been professional. If only she was longing for me, for us, for something more than a business relationship.
Because…I was beginning to suspect I wanted her. Very much.
“A worthy wish.” Aunt Inla sounded disappointed too. “Santa will do his best to make your wish come true.”
Carla slipped off my lap, putting distance between us. “The costume looks perfect, Aunt Inla. The children will love it.”
“They will indeed.” Inla waved to me. “Change out of it, and I’ll put it away until the parade. I’ll send pillows with it next time. You’re not filling the suit out like you’re supposed to, Becken. Do practice your ho-ho-hos. I want them nice and cheerful and jolly.”
Which was anything but me.
