“We just have to wait a while for him to get into a deep sleep.” I unbutton my shirt. Her eyes roam over my body as I throw it on the chair. My belt clinks to the floor along with my trousers and I climb onto the bed, dipping the mattress.
I pull the duvet over our legs. The room’s warm despite the cold outside. Joy shines under the glow of the bedside lamp. She’s radiant, like the star she is. Only tonight, she shines for me and me alone.
Only in darkness can you see the stars. That’s what she is for me. She’s my guiding light out of the darkness. She came to work for me when I was at my lowest. Having her around brought me out of my grief and gave me hope for the future. It was too late to save the business, but she saved me.
Her fingers trace the muscles on my stomach. “Is this okay?”
My voice is a little rough, with my ragged breathing at having her hands on my body. “Yes. You can touch me anytime. You never have to ask.” I lift her chin and kiss her lips. Both of us slide farther beneath the covers. Our legs tangle underneath the duvet and I deepen the kiss. I’ll never be able to get enough of this woman until I’m balls deep in her heat.
My hand slips under her t-shirt to grip her ass and yank her flush with my body. “I can’t get enough of you, Joy.”
“Same.” She traces her fingers along my body, over every muscle and vein, as if mapping out new roads to travel with her mouth.
The door clicks and swings open, a shower of light pouring into the room from the landing. Joy and I jump to opposite ends of the bed, like two teenagers caught in the act by a parent.
Teddy stands with his Rudolph soft toy hanging from one hand. “I don’t feel well.”
My heart sinks for all the wrong reasons. As much as I love my son, a man has needs. “What’s wrong now?”
“Nick,” Joy says with a frown. She turns back to Teddy. “Is it your sore throat?”
He shakes his head and enters the bedroom. “I feel sick.” He steps closer to the bedside lamp, looking rather pale. “Can I sleep with you tonight?” Before I protest, he climbs into my bed as he always does when he’s unwell.
Joy doesn’t seem to mind, and she pulls the duvet around him. She leans over and whispers to me, “I can go if you like.”
With his eyes closed, Teddy snuggles against Joy. “Stay.”
She strokes the hair on his forehead and gets comfortable in the bed. I get up to turn off the landing light and close the bedroom door, taking one last look at the two most important people in my life, and wonder how I got this lucky.
20
JOY
Icame straight to the office in full elf attire this morning, the same way I left yesterday lunchtime. Theo’s feeling better, apart from the sick feeling from too many cookies. Nick said it was either school or the office and he chose to go to school.
Halfway through the night, he woke us both up with a kick in the back as he starfished between us. Nick carried him through to his room, still asleep, and came back to bed and snuggled up behind me.
Today’s been busy catching up with work as well as manning the grotto. I wipe my mouth after finishing my sandwich. Nick’s voice travels down the corridor. He’s been particularly frustrated today and I wonder if he’s irritable from the poor night’s sleep we had with Teddy.
He slams the door to the office and stomps towards his desk.
“What’s wrong?” I can’t help the smile. He looks hilarious, all grumbly in a Santa suit.
His head snaps to mine. The white ball of fluff on the end of his hat bobs in front of his face. “First, Mr Price calls in because his wife’s got the flu now and he needs to look after her, then Molly was late in. She should have been here an hour ago. Said she needed some ‘me’ time.”
“Molly’s having a rough ride lately.”
“So am I.” His green eyes soften when he glances over at me. “I wouldn’t mind, but she’s just had a fucking week off.”
“I think you need to go easy on her. She can’t help being poorly and her dog was having an operation yesterday. You shouldn’t go mouthing off at the staff when you don’t know their personal business.”
“I don’t remember putting you in charge.” He raises an eyebrow with a challenge in his eyes. “Maybe you need to learn your place, Joy.”
My walls flutter. He took that line right out of my book,The Brat and the Boss. Oh, crap on a candy cane. I stand with weak knees and saunter over to his desk. Hiking my green dress up, I straddle his lap on his leather office chair. “I know my place, right here on Santa’s lap.”
His hands grab hold of my ass cheeks, forcing me closer to him so I can feel him stiffen beneath me. “You got that right.”
“Christmas is the time to spread joy, Nick. But I think you have to experience it before you can share it.”
