Page 45 of Santa's Mistletoe Playbook

FAIRY LIGHTS & WINTER NIGHTS

a Rippton U Christmas romance

SOFIA AVES

Dylan Mountforth is known for his aggression on the lacrosse field as Rippton U’s goalie and his playful manwhore ways in the Kingsman Allstar frat house. But when he falls–literally–for a girl from a rival college Christmas market, he’s desperate to claim her…right as she runs from him on Christmas Eve.

CHAPTER ONE

DYLAN

“Toffee nut please.” My seven year old nephew, Brandon, tried to sound like a grown up ordering his own ice cream, and nearly got away with it.

It was Christmas Eve, after all.

I grinned and ruffled his hair. “You got it.”

“I want buzzleberry, Uncie D.” Bessie, my niece and two years Brandon’s junior, hopped on one foot.

“You mean Blueberry,” Brandon informed her. “There’s no such thing as buzzleberry.”

“Is so!”

“Not!

“Okay,” I laughed, sliding my hands between my sister’s offspring who went nose to nose over ice cream flavors during the Christmas markets at her fiance's college. “We can work this out. Though why you guys want ice cream when it’s already snowing is beyond me.”

I placed Brandon in front of me, caging him in with my legs, and swung Bessie onto my shoulders.

“Too high, Booboo!!” she shrieked, covering my head with four clutching limbs like one of those freaky aliens they make B-grade porn clips about.

“One blueberry and one toffee nut, Booboo?” the elderly server with a twinkle in her eye beneath her silver bob pursed her lips in an effort not to laugh at me.

I mean, at six feet four inches, and built like a pro wrestler with the thighs to match thanks to lacrosse and training daily,Boobooprobably didn’t quite fit the mould. But fuck it. If the shoe tried to fit, I’d wear that cute little seasonal fucker.

Especially for a five year old with dark, curly pigtails I doted on cause sure as shit I was never having rugrats of my own.

“Sprinkles, pretty please,” Bessie beamed as I put her down.

“Anything for you, love?” The server asked distractedly, heaping on purple sprinkles I just knew Bessie would pick off one by one to eat with her fingers while the ice cream melted.

Or maybe it wouldn’t.

The breeze picked up, scattering the lightly falling snow that dusted Bessie’s beanie.

“Uh, I’m good. I’ll get something warmer.”

“Good choice.” The granny winked, exchanging ice creams and five minutes of happiness for the remaining cash in my pocket.

I drew my borrowed tribe away into a space in the crowd and stared around at Blackstone U. Minnesota was far from mynew to meCali climate, but the snow was a novelty for now, since I hadn’t seen it during the last two years at college across the country.

“Let’s go find your Mom now I’ve sugar bombed you up, okay?” I tousled the blue pompom on Brandon’s beanie, noting the extra snowflakes collecting on top. “Because this winter weather is crusting my knees up.”

Not untrue, as I hadn’t dressed in a star ski suit like the two munchkins.

“Gingerbread latte?” A feminine voice at my side jerked me back to the present. “Hi, Dylan.”

I stared into somewhat familiar eyes of a pretty blonde I suspected I screwed in the bleachers after the last away game. It had been a momentous victory, and she offered up a treat for the victor afterward. We had a fun time. I just never went back for seconds.

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