The school was in a state of ordered chaos. In a matter of days, the semester would end and Justin would finally be able to take a break. He'd been busy dealing with last-minute lesson plans and budget issues, as well as the day-to-day issues of being a principal in a town where he was the authority figure for most children. Every time there was a scuffle, an argument, or a child who just wouldn't listen, Justin would deal with it in stride. She'd stopped by some days to pick him up for their training, where she’d help him funnel his magic safely, and she'd watch the way, even though he was being stern, he still knelt down on the level with the kids and talked to them calmly. He never yelled, never threatened. He genuinely liked kids.
He would make a great father.
Rina stiffened and tried to control her erratic heartbeat. Where had that thought come from? No, she couldn't think like that. She didn't know whether this was going to be temporary or not. Even though Justin had professed his feelings, at least some of them, she still didn’t know where they were in terms of their relationship.
She wanted to be with him so much. To be his assistant, to be his partner, to be his everything. With such far-fetched goals, she tried not to even think about it by living one day at a time. Something the list maker in her hated.
“Rina?” a sleepy voice asked behind her as Justin kneaded her breast.
“I would hope it was me considering what you're doing right now with your hand.” She gasped as he pinched her nipple and rolled his rock-hard erection into her ass.
“True. But I was mostly wondering what you are thinking about and what has you so stressed and stiff.”
She sighed and arched her back, grinding into him. “Speaking of stiff.”
“You're insatiable, you know that?”
“Only with you.”
“Good.”
He lifted her leg and slowly entered her from behind, his cock filling her completely. They both lay still when he was fully seated, her body growing accustomed to him. Leisurely, he thrust in and out of her, playing with her nipples and trailing kisses down her neck. Her hips met him thrust for thrust, her body growing warm and tingly. He slowly trailed a hand down to where they joined and ran circles over her clit. She threw her head back and screamed his name as her body came in a lightning-quick spark of energy and need.
Justin followed soon after then held her hips close to his so she could feel his cock twitch within her.
“I could wake up like that every morning,” Justin whispered then bit her ear lobe.
The feeling of contentment filled her again as she thought of forever. Ignoring the little seeds of doubt that weren’t so little anymore, she turned her head and captured his lips in a soft kiss. “Me, too.”
“Good.”
“Wait? What about a condom?” she asked, fear and a little excitement flowing through her.
“Shit.”
“It’s okay, I’m on birth control and I can’t get human diseases.”
Justin relaxed and kissed her neck. “Thank God. I can’t wait to be bare in you again.”
She smiled, loving the feeling of just him within her.
They lay there for a few more minutes until she finally had to deal with nature. She quickly squirmed out of the bed, Justin’s now-soft cock leaving her. When she came back, she found Justin sitting up on the bed, his back resting against the headboard.
“So, what do we have planned for today?” Justin asked as she purposefully sat at the other end of the bed so she wouldn't snuggle near him. They had things to do today, and if she touched him, they weren't going to be getting out of bed anytime soon.
“I know it's your day off from school, but not so much from your other job.”
Justin closed his eyes and leaned his head against the headboard. “This seven-days-a-week work thing is going to kill me.”
Rina bit her lip and reached over to pat his hand. She wasn't going to touch anything else if they wanted to get out of there. “You're in training. That's why it feels like you're doing so much. Plus, your body is still adjusting to the fact that you have so much more magic now that needs to release, so we need to figure out what to do with that. I know it sucks, but it will be better. Plus, school is almost out, and that means you can focus on being an executive for a bit. Then, after the holidays, you can take a little break before starting school again. After Christmas, the new job with Santa won't feel as big. It will just be something that you do subconsciously, something that I can help you with.”
Justin opened his eyes and smiled at her, his blue eyes twinkling, the lock of black hair falling over his forehead begging her fingers to brush it away.
“I like the fact… no, I
love
the fact that you're thinking about my future with you by my side.”
She blushed and ducked her head. She hadn’t quite meant to place herself in that future. The bed moved as Justin got up and crawled toward her, and then he put his finger below her chin, raising her gaze to meet his.
“Rina, I like you thinking of me as more than just a holiday retreat. I can't explain it, but ever since I saw you, I just keep thinking about my future with you. Maybe we’re moving way too fast, but I really don't care. I'll do what I have to in order to make sure you stay by my side. I just hope you want to be there.”
“I want to be there,” she whispered.
Justin smiled then leaned down and took her lips in a heated kiss. “I glad to hear that, baby. Now, what is it that you have planned for us to do today? I know you have lists of your lists. Let's get cracking so I can come home and unwrap you like a Christmas present.”
Her body tingled at the thought of Justin undressing her and tasting her, and she blinked. “Enough of that. If you keep talking in that deep, sexy voice of yours we’re never going to get anything done. And, before you say you don’t want to get anything done, remember that this is for the children, and not for you.”
Justin let out a putout sigh then laughed. “Fine, anything for the children.”
She reached over and grabbed a pillow to smack him with it. “You are a dork.”
“Yes, but I'm your dork.”
“That was really cheesy.”
“Just wait until you meet the rest of the family at Christmas dinner. I'm going to be cheesy in public.”
She froze at the thought of being included at the Cooper dinner. “What?”
“You're my girlfriend, and I want you to be with me and my family on Christmas.” He lowered his brows and frowned. “Was that too presumptuous? Did you want to go spend Christmas with your parents? I mean, I've never been to the North Pole, so I can spend the holidays there, I guess. I think my family would understand.”
She smiled, leaned over, and kissed him softly. “It just surprised me that you wanted me to be included in that. My family will be with the rest of the elves at a huge event at the North Pole. You're welcome to come and join me up there, though you'll be the tallest one there by a long shot.” She grinned, and he chuckled. “But, I think this year I’d rather be with you and the Coopers. I don't really know them that well.”
“We're gonna have to change that now, aren’t we?”
“Okay, now that we have Christmas Day plans out of the way, let's plan the rest of today since that comes first.”
“You're a smart one.”
She hit him with a pillow again. “Ass.”
“I thought you liked my ass,” he teased.
“Yes, I love your ass, but that is beside the point. Now, we're going to go to the children’s Christmas play. I know the school doesn’t run this one, but we’re still going to go and make sure the kids are okay and infuse cheer when we can.”
He leaned over and kissed her again, and she leaned into his touch just for a moment. She was only human after all. Okay, she was an elf, but she still had no control when it came to Justin sometimes.
“Then let’s go take a shower and get ready to go.” Still naked, he stood up and pulled her into his arms, his cock hard again and pressing into her stomach.
“Oh, no, I don't think so. We need to take separate showers and get ready so we actually get out of the house on time.” He stuck out his lip and pouted. “That is so not a sexy look on you.”
“Fine, I'll go wash my own back, but I blame you for this.” He pointed down to his cock, which twitched at her attention, and she laughed.
“I thought I’d taken care of that today. Not my fault you get hard just by thinking.”
“Hey, I'm not just thinking of anything. I'm thinking of you.”
“Aww, that’s sweet, but I'm still not going to have sex with you this morning. We’re going to be late.”
“You’re mean when we have things to do.”
“You better get used to it.”
“Oh, I plan on it.” He grinned then strode confidently toward the bathroom. She narrowed her eyes as he flexed his ass, taunting her. Darn man, he knew how much she loved every single muscle on him.
By the time they’d showered and made it to the Christmas play, the activities surrounding it were already in full swing. She glared at Justin, but he merely shrugged it off and smiled at her. He knew exactly what his smile did to her, and that was dangerous.
The play was an outdoor play with the pond and skating rink right next to it. People were bundled up, and most held paper cups of hot cocoa or coffee in their hands. Though it was cold, the wind had died down and the heaters were in place to keep everyone relatively warm. The children had wanted to have real snow for their play, so this year the adults had permitted the play to be held outdoors. By the looks of the rosy cheeks and cold faces in the crowd, she doubted the event would be held outdoors again in years to come.
“I see you two finally decided to grace us with your presence,” Jack sneered as he walked toward them, his suit in pristine shape and totally out of place in the small Montana town.
Rina wanted to do the cowardly thing and hide behind Justin, but she was stronger than that. She had to be. “We're here, Jack, don't worry.”
“It's my job to worry. Especially when I have an uneducated, well
you,
and in charge of something far greater than anything you could even imagine.”
She narrowed her eyes and shut her mouth. Jack could take everything that she ever wanted away from her so she had to make sure she didn't antagonize him.
“Rina is doing a great job in helping me out. Know when to back off, Jack,” Justin growled.
“Justin,” Rina whispered.
“No, dear, let the man speak,” Jack said. “He is, after all, your superior. You can't tell him what to do.”
“She can say whatever she wants, but in this case, I'm a gonna tell you to back off. We can handle it; your interference is only that. Interference.”
Jack narrowed his gaze, and Rina gripped Justin's hand. Her lover didn't quite understand the powers that Jack held, and she didn't want to endanger anyone, especially the children. Even though he was Santa’s second-in-command, she’d still heard the rumors about what he could do from the other elves. She looked around and bit her lip. There were starting to gain attention, something that she wanted nothing to do with.
“I'm sure we’ll be okay, Jack. Thank you for your concern,” she said stiffly.
Jack glared, but he didn't say anything else. Justin gave a nod, and then led Rina away from what could escalate into a more heated confrontation.
“I don't know what that guy has against you, but he’s really pissing me off,” Justin growled.
She rubbed his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked. “I don't know either; he’s just mean.”
Justin looked down at her and narrowed his eyes. “He wanted you, didn't he?”
She stopped where she was and blinked. “How did you know that?” Her pulse increased, and she bit her lip.
Justin lowered his head until their foreheads touched. “I didn't know until you just said that. I was only shooting in the dark. He has the look of a scorned lover.”
“I never went out with him.”
“No, but he wanted to, and that's why he's acting like an egomaniac. Next time, tell me everything so I know what I'm getting into.”
“I didn't even think about it. I mean it was so long ago and not even important to me. He's always been a bully. I just thought it was that.”
He kissed her softly, and she noticed the glares of some of the women. It seemed she wasn't the only one with past issues, but that wasn't a surprise. Justin was a gorgeous man, and she didn't fault any of those women for wanting him. They just had to make sure they didn't touch him. He was hers.
He threaded their fingers together, and they walked toward the group of children getting ready for their play. They were dressed up in various Christmas and holiday costumes. There was a Santa, some elves—who looked nothing like her, but she wasn't going to say anything—a few reindeer, a snowflake, a snowman, even Jack Frost. Jack had to be getting a kick out of that. This play wasn't a religious one, but consisted of all the fantasy and myth that had to do with the holidays. Oh, she was going to love it.
She could feel the tension radiating through Justin as he gripped her hand harder. Of all the people around, and all the Christmas cheer that was slipping through their systems, she knew that Justin needed to release some of the energy and help even more. Their gazes locked, and she smiled. He gave a nod, and she could feel him let go. The energy slowly built through her, and she released it slowly. The small children who hadn't been smiling at the time lifted their gazes and grinned. The adults in the audience, who looked as if they wanted to be anywhere else but here, started to smile and quiet down as they got ready for the play. It was working. Justin was going to make a great executive.
Rina slowly funneled his magic and watched as the Christmas cheer did its job. She loved the holidays and everything to do with them. She might have been resentful when she was at the North Pole in her basement job, but that didn't mean she didn't love Christmas. Her connection to Justin solidified and strengthened. He looked down at her and smiled, squeezing her hand. She squeezed back and leaned into him. Their magic molded, connected, and intensified.
It was as if they were meant for each other. In all the warm and cuddly ways possible.