Naughty St. Nick (5 page)

“Wow.”

The sultry voice never far from his mind—the one that starred in all of his fantasies—suddenly seeped through his veins, turning his blood to liquid fire. His head snapped up from the runner he crouched before and inspected.

In the middle of his backyard stood Vixen. Looking astonished—and so damn kissable, it took all the willpower he possessed not to scrounge around for more mistletoe so he’d have an excuse to lay one on her again.

Though, Nick didn’t want to
need
an excuse. He wanted to be able to kiss her any time he pleased.

Standing, he eyed her from head to toe, taking in the long-sleeved, crimson-colored shirt she wore, that clung to her full breasts, dipped into the curve of her waist and then flared slightly over her jean-clad hips. The temperature had actually dropped a few degrees, so he surmised she’d finally packed away the cooler apparel.

She really was too pretty for words, with her plump, shiny black curls that fell over her shoulders. She was all made up, as usual, dazzling him, especially with those glossy lips that tempted him beyond all belief.

His groin tightened and he bit back a groan. She revved his engine too damn quick. Made him want to drop everything, sweep her up in his arms and carry her off to his bed.

But Vixen would have a thing or two to say about that—and the earful she’d give him would be painful to hear.

Gesturing toward the sleigh he worked on, she said, “That is the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever seen. It’s gorgeous, Nick. My God, you’re talented.”

He grinned. “Yeah, it’s something else. But not my design. I’m just tinkering with it. You know, helping out—uh—a friend.”

“Nice of you.” She eyed him curiously, as though seeing something she hadn’t quite noticed before.

He said, “You’ve never actually been back here. What’s the occasion?”

She seemed to have difficulty tearing her gaze from him, but eventually did and surveyed the workshop and all the tool chests and various saws scattered about. Santa’s sleigh sat on the thick carpet of grass that really ought to be covered in two feet of snow at this point, but that was fairly moot, since Nick couldn’t do anything to fix the weather.

“This is quite the setup,” she commented. “I had no idea...” With a shake of her head and a soft, slightly tormented-sounding laugh, she said, “I guess I had no idea what you really did.”

“Mostly design work,” he told her. “But then this project unexpectedly landed in my backya—in my lap—and I have to admit, I’ve really enjoyed getting back to fixing up sleighs, not just conceptualizing new ones.”

She took a few steps closer and gingerly ran her fingertips over the shiny red exterior. “This pretty much looks like the ultimate ride.”

Hadn’t he thought the same thing the first time he’d laid eyes on it? “It’s impressive. And I’m the lucky guy who gets to work on it.”

Her gaze drifted to him and she smiled enticingly. “It’s incredible. Clearly, whomever it belongs to is also lucky—to have you taking such good care of it.”

His chest puffed out a bit. Could it be he wasn’t just some dumb mechanic in Vixen’s eyes?

True, that concern had been buried in his subconscious mind all this time, keeping him from being upfront and honest with her about his feelings. His intentions toward her.

Trying to get a grip on his jumbled thoughts, he asked, “What brings you by?”

“Oh, right.” She quickly composed herself. “I just wanted to thank you again for fixing all the lights around town. It was a very kind thing for you to do, Nick.”

“I was sort of goaded into it,” he confessed. “But that’s a story that can’t be told without a lot of alcohol.” He let out a half-snort. That Christmas Bomb had certainly blown his mind—and worked its holiday magic. “Anyway, I’m glad I got the wakeup call. We really have needed a kick-start around here.”

And, admittedly, Nick had needed an attitude adjustment. He still wasn’t sure he’d cleared his name from the Naughty List—that might never happen given the sizzling thoughts he always had about Vixen—but he gave it his best effort.

“Are you doing all of this so that your parents will come back?” She pinned him with a serious, challenging look that almost knocked his legs from underneath him.

“I, uh...”
Whoa
. That was a loaded question.

Vixen rushed on. “I get it, you know? I mean, you always had a really tight family. So it must have thrown you for a loop when they decided to move to Florida. Florida!” She gave a strained laugh. “Talk about going from one extreme to the other. But at the same time...maybe that was exactly what they needed. Everything changed the year my granddad died. Like we’d all secretly believed in Santa and then suddenly, with no warning, he was...no more. It’s not the same as when some kids are eased into the reality of the situation. For us...we all believed in our hearts. Because my grandfather was here every single day, sitting in that chair at the department store, more than happy to hear everyone’s wish list no matter what time of the year.”

Her big blue eyes turned watery, and a fat drop rolled down her cheek.

Nick felt a peculiar tightening in his chest. Well...maybe not so peculiar. He’d experienced it a time or two. When Mr. White had died. When his parents had left town.

Shit
.

He dropped the mallet he’d been holding in one hand and it hit the lush lawn—frustrating him even more, because all this damn grass should be lying dormant under a thick layer of snow.

“It’d be okay to admit you miss them,” Vixen said in a quiet voice.

His gaze locked with hers. “I don’t exactly hear you making your own admission.”

They stared at each other a few moments. Then she nodded and said, “That’s fair enough. I suppose neither one of us are good at sharing our feelings.”

She had him on that one, didn’t she? Not just when it came to his family, but Nick had never once taken a chance and told Vixen he had a thing for her—a serious thing. From as far back as he could remember.

“So,” he said, trying to sound casual, “I’ll concede that I do wish my parents would come back, and I don’t have the slightest idea how to convince them to.”

“And I’ll say that losing my mom was devastating, and then for my granddad to pass... It really feels like too much sometimes, you know?” She swallowed hard, as though pushing down a lump of emotion. “Like we had this perfect place in which to live where no one had major worries, but...that’s ridiculous, right? We all have worries. No matter where we live.” She sighed. “Still... In so many ways, it was our own utopia.”

He reached for the towel on the seat of the sleigh and wiped his greasy hands on it, giving Vixen’s words some thought. Then he asked, “What are your big worries these days?”

Vixen diverted her attention, examining the sleigh a bit more closely. Nick tensed. He didn’t need her digging too deep when it came to this particular project. But the fact that they were finally talking... That was worth keeping his mouth shut and letting her decide what it was she had to say.

Endless moments ticked by. Then she lifted her gaze from the shiny ride and told him, “My finances are pretty screwed right now. Mom and I always lived with my grandfather and I inherited the house—it’s paid for. But I put all my eggs in the writing basket, thinking that the success I had as a kid would continue. Unfortunately, you have to keep publishing books to generate new income and I just haven’t had the...
heart
...to do that. I’ve been living off of savings and miniscule royalties for years.”

“What about the work you do for your aunt in Bangor?”

“Oh, that...” She shook her head. “Totally pro bono. Sales are down with so many people ordering online from bigger companies, so they’re pretty tapped, too. I fill in for free.”

“Vix.” He let out a heavy breath.

“I know. Not financially smart, but...she’s family. And they have a mortgage, a kid and a car payment. My stuff is all paid off. Well, except for—”

Her mouth snapped shut.

Nick tossed aside his rag. “Except for, what?”

“Nothing,” she said. “Let’s just drop it, okay?”

She turned to go.

“Vix,” he said again. He raked his hand through his hair in agitation. “Don’t just walk away. Not this time.”

She remained rooted where she was, not facing him.

“Come on,” he coaxed. “Throw me a bone here. You can’t keep all this shit bottled up.”

Planting her hands on her hips—though she didn’t turn around—she said, “I took on all of my mom’s hospital and cancer treatment bills. My grandfather’s only income came from the department store. It was nowhere near enough to make a dent in the debt. And I had some pretty decent advances at that point to help out. Though...I’m still covering the rest of the payments.”

“Shit.” He groaned. “I had no idea. Hell, Vix. That’s a lot to take on as a teenager. And to still have it all hovering over your head.”

“I didn’t really have a choice, now did I? And I’ve never mentioned it to anyone, so please don’t say anything.”

“It’s not like I would,” he told her in a quiet voice.

Finally, she turned back to him. “I know. You don’t exactly share your secrets around town. Mostly, everything said about you has nothing more to do with than your—your—” She raised her hands in the air, as though searching for the right words. Then made an exasperated sound and dropped them to her sides.

She whirled around on her heels, as though suddenly deeply disturbed.

“Hey, wait.” He lunged forward and grabbed her arm. “My, what?”

She stared up at him. “Your...momentary
friendships
.”

“What? Jesus, Vix. I’m—”

“You don’t have to explain,” she was quick to say. “You’re young, single, good-looking, whatever. I’m not judging. I’m just telling you that we have nothing to talk about because we’re two very different people with very different lifestyles and very different priorities.” She jerked her arm from his hand and started to stalk off.

He figured it’d be wise to let her go this time. But before she rounded the corner of the house, he called out, “Why don’t you date, Vix?”

She drew up short. Over her shoulder, she said, “That doesn’t have anything to do with...anything.”

Propping a hip against the side of the sleigh, he told her, “Actually, it does. I can’t really figure you out. You seem to put a lot of effort into avoiding me, but then you also know a lot about my personal business. And you’re not seeing anyone around town, so—”

“I’ve gone on a few dates in Bangor.” Facing him once more, she added, “I’ve just got a lot of other stuff on my plate. And I’m not into the whole one-night stand thing the way you are, so—”

“Are you a virgin, Vix?”

She gaped.
The audacity
! flashed in her sky-blue irises.

Nick shoved away from the sleigh and took wide strides to close the gap between them. “It’d be okay if you said yes. In fact, I’m sort of hoping that’s what you’ll say.”

“Why?” she demanded in her provocative tone, her eyes wide. “I am, for the record. But...why does it matter to
you
?”

His jaw clenched briefly, then he confessed, “Because I’ve always wanted to be your first. And your only.”

Chapter Six

She continued to stare at him. Still gaped. He’d pretty much shocked her to the core, he guessed.

He stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and leaned a shoulder against the side of the house. Once again, trying to be casual, non-threatening. Though the urge to press her burned through him.

“Nick...” She shook her head, clearly bewildered. “Where is all of this coming from? The kiss in the square—and Jenny said you were talking about me when you were drunk last week... What is going on?”

“Come on, Vix,” he said in a subtly coaxing tone. “I’ve always liked you. I’ve always been attracted to you. And there have been plenty of times over the years that we’ve busted each other stealing glimpses. So...I stole a kiss. Maybe to get things moving in the right—
different
—direction.”

Now, her gaze narrowed.

Nick added, “Your granddad didn’t want me hitting on you. He made that evident when we were in high school. But that was a long time ago, Vix, and even though I haven’t exactly been the model citizen the last several years, I have been making changes. One of those changes started when I realized who I really wanted to be with.”

She seemed to fight to latch onto what he said—and struggled hopelessly.

Nick groaned. “What do you want, Vix? I mean...what are you looking for?”

Her brow shot up. “Looking for?”

He sucked it up—went straight for the gold. “Yeah. In a man.”

A slightly strangled laugh fell from the glossy, parted lips he longed to kiss.
Really
kiss. Not the careful one he’d given her under mistletoe, but a full-on, passionate lip lock.

“This is all so—”

“Answer the question, Vix,” he gently urged.

“Nick.”

He gazed unwaveringly at her.

She sighed again. “I don’t know. I guess...” She gave a small shrug. “Someone who makes my toes curl. Who leaves me breathless.” Her eyes glowed warmly. “Someone sweet, yet...” Her teeth caught her lower lip a moment as her gaze moved over him. “Sexy. Naughty, but...nice.”

Pink tinged her cheeks. Yet, she didn’t turn away. Instead, she brazenly lifted her gaze to his and held it.

“I want someone who makes me smile,” she added. Her tempting lips curved upward.

Everything inside of Nick went a bit haywire. A new sensation.

Pushing away from the wall, he took those last few steps between them. “That all sounds pretty specific, Vix. Like you’ve put some thought into it.”

“Maybe a little,” she murmured. Her head finally dipped, as though to hide the deepening of her blush.

Nick’s pulse jumped. He lifted a hand and swept his fingertips lightly over her cheek. Her breath caught. He grinned.

“You’re always a bit breathless around
me
, Vix.”

Her chin tilted and her gaze flitted to his, their eyes locking again.

“Why’d you come by today?” he asked.

She gnawed her lip. “I’m not sure.”