Page 53 of Fire in My Heart

“I was worried about that too. Kids don’t usually approach me in uniform, and I always thought it was me. Maybe it’s just the uniform.”

I nodded. “Santa is more approachable.”

“Right?” Teddy asked, a sparkle in his eye. He looked around, then leaned in closer. “When can I get my elf alone?”

I laughed. “When you’ve seen every kid in line.”

“Can’t we sneak off to a broom closet somewhere?” Teddy asked, looking around.

“There isn’t a broom closet in the barn,” I said matter-of-factly.

Teddy grabbed my hand and pulled me outside and around the corner. The back of a food truck was facing us, and there weren’t any people milling about. The sound of the trucks running drowned out the noise of the festival.

“I’ve been wanting to get you alone all day.” Teddy leanedagainst the wall, pulling me into his body. His hands ran up the tights on my legs to my ass. “Have you been naughty this year?”

I relaxed into his arms, Rick forgotten. “So naughty.”

I felt his hard length against my stomach, his hands cupping my ass. “I wish we were alone and had more time.”

“Me too,” I said breathlessly, my nipples hard points under my bra, desire flowing through my veins.

I used his beard to pull his mouth down to mine. He kissed me hard, highlighting what he wanted to do to me if we weren’t in the middle of a festival.

All too soon, he pulled back. “We’ll have to continue that later.”

I loved that he wanted to continue whatever it was we started yesterday, but I was aching for more now.

Teddy set me aside. “Try to be good.”

“I don’t think I can be,” I said as we walked toward the back entrance to the barn.

“I’ll have to take you over my knee later then,” Teddy said with a wink before he slipped inside. He put his beard in place and sat on his chair, waving for the next kid to come over. I needed a few more seconds to cool my heated body.

I was proud of Teddy for going out of his comfort zone and tackling the role of Santa. He’d even gotten into it and role played with me. It was sexy and sweet, and I should have been enjoying all the things going on in my life, but Rick always managed to pop up when I least expected it. It was like he could sense when I was happy and had to show up to destroy it.

I didn’t want my past with Rick colliding with my present with Teddy. The thing between us was so new. I wasn’t even sure it would turn into anything. But it felt special. And I didn’t want to tarnish it with Rick’s ugliness.

What would Teddy think when he heard I allowed myself to be in that situation? That I hadn’t seen the signs before ithappened? Would he think less of me? Would he want to distance himself from the drama in my life?

I wouldn’t blame him.

I walked in a few seconds later, needing to regroup. Teddy was already in the Santa chair, his Santa hat straight, his beard on. The little girl in his lap said, “I want a tablet for Christmas.”

“Were you good this year?”

The little girl nodded. “So good.”

“Great. Now smile at the camera so your parents have a nice picture for the mantle.”

The girl giggled, and even Teddy’s lips twitched. He wasn’t so grumpy after all. Maybe I just needed to keep kids around him so that he could lighten up more.

I was right to insist that he be Santa. He was a good size for it, and his voice was large and booming. And when he wasn’t grumpy, he was quite nice, pleasant even.

For the rest of the afternoon, my body hummed from the kiss we’d shared against the barn. I was surprised by the number of people who attended the festival and the seemingly never-ending line for Santa.

Many parents expressed their pleasure that the farm offered the pictures. It was a nicer space than the inside of a mall or a fire hall. I had to agree. I’d gotten this one right, and it was something the Calloways could easily replicate. They just needed one person to play Santa, a photographer, and someone to keep the line moving.

I made sure to lean over and touch Teddy whenever I could. If I was going to be revved up for the rest of the day, so was he.

---