Page 7 of Knot My Secret Santa

“It isn’t Noelle.” My mom bobbed her head in approval as she flipped through the books. “This is really nice. Any guesses who it might be?”

“Absolutely none.” I continued to eat as I thought about it. “It’s not Noelle or Jess. Jess has Noelle, by the way.”

“You gave her a list, right?”

I chuckled and nodded. “Yes, she asked for it.” Tapping my chin, I mused out loud. “I think it could be Gina. She and Noelle are close, and Gina probably knows I’m into sustainable architecture. Or it could be Ruby. It would be funny since I have her name.”

“But as you said, whoever it is had to plan it in advance to get your name because of these books. So with the chances of pulling your name out of the hat, the person must have traded your name with someone else.” My mom and her numbers. She was a math teacher and my dad was an aerospace engineer. So it wasn’t a surprise I grew up to be an architect and my brother a research analyst. We were nerds, the lot of us.

“Good point,” I mumbled through a mouthful of pasta.

A sly smile tugged up her lips. Oh no. “Do you think it might be Kris? Noelle did say he asked about you last week.”

Kris Boone was a junior architect at the firm and a nice guy. He was fairly good-looking with pale hair and stylish hipster glasses, but he was awkward in social situations. We’d talked a little in the past, but I didn’t feel any draw to him. If what Mom was suggesting… “You think it’s him?”

“He could be your own Kris Kringle.” She waggled her brows, and I rolled my eyes at her joke. “Noelle thinks he likes you. And you might like him if you gave him a chance.”

“I’ve got way too much going on to try to squeeze in a relationship.” Now my mind was going a hundred miles a minute. Could my Secret Santa be Kris? If he was, the books said a lot about how much thought he put into the gifts. Maybe I should give him a chance. He would take my mind off my hot boss, and there’s no worry about hormones getting out of control since Kris was a Beta.

“What? Binging the latest Christmas movies on Hallmark?” My mom stood and put the books on my counter.

“No.” Maybe. “I’m busy with work, practicing with the choir for caroling, and then volunteering at the animal shelter. Plus my friends will be in town this month, and all our family stuff.”

“Okay, okay, you’re busy, but they’re things you could bring a date along to do,” she pointed out. Why was she always so logical?

“I’ll think about it.” I then pinned her with a look. “You trying to marry me off now that Lucas is married?”

She laughed, loud and clear. “Your brother just got married in April. I’m in no rush to have my other baby fly out of the nest. I’m happy to have you here. Do your internship and get some big important job and save the world with your designs. That’s all I want for you.”

“That’s all, huh?” And I loved her all the more for it. I stood and hugged her. “Thank you for dinner. It was a bit stressful today, so that helped a lot.”

“My pleasure, sweetie.” She gave me a squeeze before picking up my now empty plate. “I’ve got a few assignments to grade. So you relax and enjoy your evening.”

I held the door open for her and waved as she walked along a small path sparkling with Christmas lights which led to my parents’ house. I tidied up before settling on the couch under a soft comforter with my new books.

Perhaps Kris was my Secret Santa. I wasn’t totally oblivious that he would give me all his attention when we talked, even if Jessalyn was there chattering on. I didn’t know too much about him. Giving him a chance could be the Christmas present I needed to give myself. Though I lived near my parents, some nights were pretty lonely among the tall pines.

It would be nice to have someone to cuddle with after dinner and go on long walks in the snow, and yank off his tie, growling as he pushed me onto the table in the meeting room and had me screaming with his hard Alpha cock.

Groaning, I pressed my face into the soft down of my blanket. I needed to get any idea of Nathaniel being sexy out of my head. He was my boss. There was no way I’d ever cross that line. It killed me to think of breaking any rules.

I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. One Christmas romance coming up. Hopefully it would be able to save me from any more naughty boss thoughts tonight.

CHAPTER SIX – Nathaniel

I arrived early on Tuesday morning to place Avery’s gift—top of the line earbuds since I noticed she listens to a lot of podcasts—on her desk before anyone else arrived. The sweet scent of her around her workspace filled my head, light and addictive like peppermint. As soon as I breathed in that perfume and touched her chair, my dick stiffened and everything in me demanded I take her.

Damn it all. I left the office, rescheduled my meetings, and didn’t return for the rest of the day.

There was no way I could avoid the office or Avery for more than that, though. With the holidays coming, we had several hard deadlines to be met. I was working on a few projects myself, and the designs needed to be finalized. She was a distraction I didn’t need.

So on Wednesday afternoon when it was time for her presentation, I returned to the office from lunch and headed straight to the meeting room with all the walls I could summon in place. Avery and the senior architects were already waiting when I arrived. She watched me warily from her position behind her aunt as I took my seat at the far end of the table.

Let her be leery of me. Let everyone be on edge. I vowed to myself I would not be gentle with my critique. This was my firm. I was in control.

Noting that Avery fiddled with the Ramona Albert bracelet on her wrist which her Secret Santa gifted her today, something purred possessively within me. She was wearing jewelry I gave her as if she had always worn it. Something in me purred as if it were a sign she was mine already.

The silence in the room tightened. I nodded and said, “Begin when you’re ready.”

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