Page 18 of One Night on the Naughty List

She lifted a finger. “They have to be good LEGO sets.”

“I’ll make a note.” I looked at Samantha, who gave a quick nod.

“On it, Santa.”

Ella smiled. “Okay. Well, be careful flying around to all the other houses.” Her missing front teeth turned “houses” into “houthes.”

“I will.”

She hopped down. Samantha held out her hand, but Ella shook her head. “It’s your turn.”

Samantha frowned. “What?”

“Your turn.” Ella gave my knee a pat, her candy-coated fingers sticking to the cheap polyester of my suit. “You won’t get what you want unless you sit on Santa’s knee and tell him.” She said this in a slightly irritated tone, as if she could scarcely believe she had to explain how it worked.

My throat went dry. Under any other circumstances, I’d roll out a red freaking carpet if it meant getting Samantha on my knee. But this wasn’t the time or place for it. Not when the mere thought of having her exquisite body perched on my thighs made my dick twitch.

I looked around for my brother, but the seats around the fireplace were deserted. As if on cue, muffled laughter and the sound of clinking glasses drifted from the dining room. The rest of the adults were MIA, which meant Samantha and I were on our own.

“Go on,” Ella said, taking Samantha’s hand and urging her toward me. “It’s not scary.”

Easy for you to say, kid.Because my heart pounded so hard I felt lightheaded.

Samantha looked a little faint herself. Her gaze dipped to my lap then jerked straight back up again, her brown eyes huge in a face that had gone pale.

“I’ll help you,” Ella said, pulling harder.

Samantha dug in her heels. “It’s all right, Ella. I’ll tell Santa later.”

“But he’s leaving now.” Ella’s mouth turned down, her small face anxious. “If we keep him waiting, he won’t make it to all the houses.” Her voice rose and her lower lip trembled.

I knew an impending tantrum when I saw one, so I had no choice but to gesture Samantha forward. Cool. Play it cool.

“Hop on up,” I told her, making my tone as light as possible. Easy. Impersonal. That approach had served me well over the past three years, hiding an inconvenient attraction to my employee. It could get me through another thirty seconds.

Samantha moved slowly, never taking her eyes off mine. As she neared, vanilla and sugar teased my nose, making me wish I could tug my beard down and take her in properly. I reached for her without thinking, my hand going around her hip to guide her down.

She sat gingerly. Carefully. Like she thought she might break me.

Maybe she was right to think that, because I felt like I was on the verge of shattering. The second her ass met my knee, a shock wave went through me, the ripples of it traveling across my skin. Stroking every nerve ending.

My cock tightened. Alarm bells clanged in my head. I couldn’t look at her—not directly, anyway. Not without losing control. Still, she was hard to ignore. Warm, soft woman filled my lap, her creamy breasts trembling at the lower edge of my vision.

She shifted ever so slightly, her thighs rubbing against mine. My cock hardened even more. The alarm bells clanged louder. I was like a car coming apart as it raced down the road, the engine choking and the wheels flying off. Sweat trickled down my back. I was losing it, straitlaced Bain unraveling at last.

Voices reached me—my brothers and their wives moving back into the great room. Samantha twisted a bit, obviously straining to see who was coming, and her backside nudged my shaft.

“Get up,” I said, the words blunt and hard. I gripped the arms of the chair, because if I touched her, I was done.

The voices grew louder. I grew harder.

Samantha moved, but she was too slow.

I sprang to my feet, self-preservation forcing me up so fast I nearly dumped her on the floor. She stumbled, letting out a sharp gasp. I reached for her, but she was already rounding on me, her eyes two dark pools of shock and hurt.

“Samantha.” I forgot all about being Santa. Forgot about our audience.

But it was too late. Her mouth pinched, the hurt in her eyes deepening to pain.

Then she spun and left the room.

---