Seducing Santa (2 page)

Chapter Two

Of all the crazy . . .
Neeva shook her head as she walked past the stand of coconut trees to the main road that stood between her house and the beach. She made sure no traffic was coming in either direction before she crossed the street to her front door.
Nicholas Kringle.
She thought the man was cute, blond hair neatly cut to his nape. He had a smooth jawline that free of a beard, was kind of rugged and sexy, and a quick charming smile that lit his ice blue eyes as well. Oh, she noticed it all before he began to spew all his nonsense about being Santa Claus. It never occurred to her that the handsome, blue-eyed devil could be actually coo coo for Cocoa Puffs.

Neeva walked straight through her small house to the backyard shed where she kept her tools. It was hard sometimes, running a small rental and souvenir shop. Half the time, the tourists thought they could haggle with her about her prices, and then the half, they left her equipment mangled or derelict on the beach. It always seemed to be worse around the holidays, but then everything seemed worse at this particular time of year. Neeva felt the familiar sadness creep into her chest and squeeze her heart. She tried to push it back with no success, and it caused tears to fall from her eyes.
No, I won’t give in to it. Not
today!
She swiped at her eyes and dug through the familiar tools she would need to make her Jet Ski workable again.

Her thoughts went back to the blond guy claiming to be Santa Claus. She half hoped he would still be there when she returned, but then playing with the mentally ill was dangerous. She loaded up the small workbag next to her and headed back the way she had come. Before stepping out of the stand of coconut trees, she looked around to see if he was still there. She breathed a sigh of relief when he wasn’t. After walking to the Jet Ski, she knelt beside it and lifted the seat again and began to work on the engine. The sound of the sea breaking gently against the sand calmed her. To Neeva, it was better than any music that played all day. She worked with speed, borne from the knowledge of how the machine worked, and soon she had her equipment up and running.

“Ho, ho, ho!”

With a screech, Neeva dropped her socket wrench and whirled to see a grinning Nicholas behind her.

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Neeva stomped her foot in anger against the soft sand.

“I would not damage a heart as sweet as yours,” Nicholas commented.

“Oh shove it, Kringle. Why are you pestering me anyway?” She picked up the fallen tool from the sand. ‘You ask one guy for help pulling a Jet Ski on the sand, and he becomes a stalker.”

“Can you blame me? You are just magnificent in your anger,” he replied. Neeva heard the charm oozing from his voice and snorted. “I brought you these.”

Nicholas hand came from behind his back with a flourish. He held a red ceramic pot of the most beautiful orchids she had ever seen. Neeva could not help gasping with pure delight. She loved orchids. They were delicate and complex but had the simplest beauty anyone could imagine. She had never laid eyes on the colored flowers he held in his hands. Deep red petals burst from green stems. The edges were tinted with white, and she couldn’t help but to reach out her fingers to touch the delicate buds.

“I take it you like them,” Nicholas asked, his voice gentle.

She looked up at him, and those ice blue eyes were staring at her with such intensity, as if he was trying to look into the deepest recesses of her soul. Neeva pulled her hand away in a quick movement. ‘They’re okay.”

“Oh no, no, no!” Nicholas laughed. “You like these. I am betting they are your favorite. Come on, admit it. Santa did good.”

“You are not Santa!” Neeva stomped her foot again. “If you are Santa Claus, prove it.”

Nicholas just kept smiling at her. “I could, but I’m not going to. You have to believe in the magic to see the magic.” He made a sad boyish face. “But here, these are for you even if you won’t admit that you like them. I guess I’ll just go throw these lovely orchids into the sea.”

“No!” Neeva yelled, and then she sighed in the futility. “Fine, I like them okay? God, I’ve only known you for a couple of hours, and already you are the most infuriating man I have ever met.”

Nicholas handed her the pot. “Here, I hope they make you happy every time you look at them.”

“I thought you would have said you want me to think of you every time I look at them,” Neeva countered.

This time, the boyish smile left his face, and the look in Nicholas’s eyes changed. Something more was there. It thrilled her and scared her all at once.

“These are for your happiness. It would be selfish to say those words. When you think of me, it will be for something more than orchids.”

His words left her speechless. What did she say to a man who thought he was Santa Claus, who brought her flowers, and who made her breathless all in one single day.

“Okay, thanks I guess.” Neeva took the pot from him and looked around. “Um, I’ll have to take this to the house before I come back for my Jet Ski.”

“I can fix that.” Nicholas pulled the small wheels braced on the back of the Jet Ski downward. He lifted the front of the ski and began to pull it forward with ease. “Which way am I going?”

“I don’t know if I want you to know where I live, Kringle,” Neeva couldn’t help but have doubts. The man did claim he was Santa Claus after all.

He gave her that same look, the one that made her knees feel like jelly. “I am no threat to you, Neeva. I would never hurt you, not in a million years.”

She could only nod. “I guess I could offer you a meal for helping me and for giving me the flowers.”

“I was hoping you would offer. I am starving. Plus, I want to sample the local cuisine.” Nicolas began to move, and Neeva fell into step beside him.

“You’re immortal or something like that, remember. Do you need to eat, or can’t you just pull something from out of the air?” She sent him an owlish look.

“What would be the fun in that? Geez, I might be immortal, but I do love to eat,” he responded with ease.

“Of course you would have the answer to everything, wouldn’t you?” Neeva felt a smile curve at her lips. She would give Nicholas Kringle the benefit of the doubt for now. She didn’t believe in anything anymore. Magic could not exist, but even if it did, that did not matter because what she loved most was gone from this world.

* * * *

He was unsuccessful in trying to hide his joy at the invitation to her home for dinner. Now, as he sat at her kitchen table watching her cook and move with grace around the small room, he felt like one of the children he delivered presents to for Christmas morning. He was full of happiness at his unexpected windfall. The orchids were displayed in the middle of the kitchen table where the morning sunlight would find it with ease, but throughout the day, it would not get the effect of the full rays of the sun.

Standing there with her on the beach, he had just formed the first flowers that came to mind in his hand. She never suspected, and he would not tell her. Not yet anyway. There was something so sad about her. He wanted to hold her and chase away those demons, but he knew that it would only be the right time when she let him in. They talked about anything while she prepared dinner. Delicious smells were coming from the various pots on the stove. He watched her rub her toes along the back of her leg every once in a while as she stood cutting vegetables at the counter. He already longed to feel if her skin was a smooth as it looked.

“Daydreaming over there?”

When he looked at her, there was a twinkle in her eyes and a soft smile. “No, not really. I’m distracted by the tempting smells that are in this room,” Nicholas responded. “What are you making?”

“Here we have steamed red snapper with a tomato and onion sauté, breadfruit to go with the snapper, and steamed veggies.” Neeva pointed to each item with the flourish of a presenter.

“Well, now my stomach is officially rumbling. Do you need any help?”

Neeva brandished a spoon at him. “My kitchen is my territory, Mr. Kringle. No one enters my domain.”

“Um, I am technically in your domain as we speak.”

“But not to cook.” Neeva announced. “It’s done anyway, so let me make you a plate.”

She worked to dish out the steaming food, and she set a plate in front of him at the table. She sat across from him and watched as he took the first bite. Flavor exploded in his mouth. The fish was moist and almost melted in his mouth. Along with the breadfruit and the veggies, he had tasted nothing like it but enjoyed each bite.

“You are amazing, Neeva.
This
is amazing.”

She inclined her head. “Why, thank you, sir. A simple island fare from a simple island girl.”

“You are nothing of the sort,” He took another bite of food. “I think you are a goddess in disguise sent to tempt me.”

“What would I get for tempting you?”

“You would get my heart of course and my undying love.” He stared at her in hope that she could see his intentions in his eyes. “In fact, I think you might already have it.”

“Oh, you are a nut job.” Neeva giggled and went back to eating her dinner.

Nicholas grinned and let the comment slide. He had four days before he had to head back to the North Pole. That was plenty of time to win her heart and take her back with him.

By the end of dinner, they were laughing and talking like old friends. No mention of him being Santa Claus, just them learning about each other. She liked to fish, and he did too. She read voraciously, and he invited her to see his vast library of books. She declined, but he left the offer open. The conversation went back and forth until they stepped outside to sit on her patio. The sunset left them both speechless, and the orange, golds, and reds of the sun reflected off the water as it dipped behind the sea.

“It never ceases to take my breath away,” Neeva whispered as she sat on the wooden steps.

“I can see why. It’s breathtaking.”

His attention was not even on the picturesque scene before him but on the woman who sat on the wooden step so close that he could feel the warmth of her skin. The sunset’s colors danced on her skin and painted a pallet of beauty that could not be compared to, in his opinion. With her features, nothing could have taken his eyes away from her at that moment.

She turned when his silence went on for a few moments and caught him gazing at her face. Their eyes locked, and he was lost. Nicholas leaned in, deliberate, giving her time to move away before he took her lips in a kiss. He touched her lips with his, expecting her to pull away. When she didn’t, he pressed another butterfly kiss against her lips. Neeva sighed in consent, and that was all he needed. He pulled her close and took what he longed for. She opened her mouth beneath his, inviting his tongue to explore and to dance with hers. She tasted as exotic as the island around him.

She smelled of the sea and some unusual flower he could not name. Nothing compared to how her lips moved under his, how she pressed against him. She kissed him as fervently as he did her. She cupped the back of his neck, and her moan of pleasure rocked him. He wanted to pull her into his lap and feel the muscles of her legs as she
 
wrapped them around him. He wanted to sink his cock so deep inside her that where he begun and she ended did not exist. He had never wanted anyone or anything as much as he wanted her at that moment. That was what made him break the kiss and pull away from her. He wanted her so much, but he knew it was too soon.

“I should go, Neeva,” Nicholas said, his voice husky and low. He saw desire in her eyes, her lips swollen from their kiss, and he felt his resolve buckling. He stood and looked back at her with yearning. “I really should go.”