I strolled down the street, going from window to window. My selfies looked awesome. I wasn't the only person out—there were tons of people out on the street, even though it was late. I was posting my latest selfie when I saw red out of the corner of my eye. There was a man dressed as Santa. He waved, and I waved back.
"Don't give crazy people the time of day," said a woman hurrying past me. "You won't last long in this city with that attitude."
Her comment shook me out of my Christmas haze. What was I thinking waving at that Santa? What if he was the same one who had followed me at the mall?
I hurried back in the direction of Frost Tower, the wind tugging at my hair. I heard footsteps behind me. Was the Santa was following me?
I turned a corner to take more of a diagonal route back to the tower. The street was quiet. Some people had lights on their balconies, but I could feel I was alone. Picking up the pace, I checked the map on my phone. I was still quite a ways away from the tower; I had walked farther than I meant to. My Fitbit beeped, and I shrieked, clutching my chest, as I realized it was just telling me that I had met my goal.
Go me.
The footsteps behind me sounded louder, as if a man was running towards me. I started jogging, cursing all the cookies and pasta I had eaten that day. In front of me, I saw a figure jump out of an alley. It was a Santa.
I screamed, and a dog barked as someone grabbed me, pulling me back against a muscular chest. I froze for a second then attacked the man holding me.
"Ow! Don’t fight me! I'm trying to save you!"
I clobbered him with my bag.
"Spare some change?" the Santa slurred.
"Leave or I'm calling the police," said the man.
I realized that the deep voice was familiar. It was Jack. I stopped struggling.
The Santa took a swig of his drink then staggered off. The growling husky started to go after him.
"Heel, Milo," Jack commanded. The dog circled back to his master's side.
"Are you following me?" I yelled as Jack released me. My heart was pounding, and I tried to calm down.
"I'm trying to protect you," he said, visibly annoyed.
"FromSanta Claus?" I huffed. Now that I wasn't alone, I was feeling more confident.
"I don't need your help, especially after you insulted me and almost had me eliminated from the competition," I said, hands on my hips.
Jack stared down at me. He looked like the prince of winter, the wind blowing his silver-white hair, his eyes narrowed, his nose imperious. The beautiful husky stood next to him, snapping at snowflakes.
"You have no idea what you're doing," Jack growled. "You're wandering around on side streets in a foreign city."
"It’s a grid," I scoffed. "You can't lose your way."
"But you could be hurt," he said.
I could see the outlines of his abs and pecs through his thin T-shirt. His light jacket was unzipped, though it was freezing cold. His breath clouded around his mouth, which I wanted to kiss.
He stepped closer to me. He was so tall! He leaned down slightly. Was he going to kiss me? His mouth was a thin, cold line, and instead of kissing me, he grabbed me by the arm and started guiding me down the street.
"You need to go back to the tower."
"I can walk just fine, thank you," I said, tugging away. He pulled me back towards him. I decided to just let him have his way this once. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that his arms were strong and the feel of his hand on me sent sparks through my body.
"Where is your coat?" I asked him.
"I don't mind the cold," he said. "It's good for your circulation."
We walked in silence for a few blocks. I had to walk quickly to keep up with his long strides.
