Page 45 of Her Secret Santa

The sun is setting, the fading rays glittering on the blanket of snow over the entire city.

“This is crazy,” Allie gushes, sliding her hands down the dress she’s draped in. “Is the ball going to be like this too? I feel like a princess.”

I laugh, overwhelmed and having no idea where to even begin to process this. Today has felt like something straight out of a dream. Something I’d fantasize about while in my bed alone at night, but I never expected to actually experience.

“I have no clue,” I reply, shaking my head in disbelief. “I’ve never done anything like this, I feel like I’m hallucinating.”

“It’s like you’ve got a secret Santa or something,” Allie teases, grinning widely. “A Christmas ball and a day at the spa? That’s right off your list.”

I haven’t actually thought about my list in a while, but the last time I cleaned out my backpack, I couldn’t find it. It’s probably in my junk drawer somewhere, or maybe I justdropped it. This must be just a coincidence. Yet, the idea of someone secretly fulfilling all my wishes is both the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard and kind of daunting.

I push away thoughts of the mall Santa and his dark, direct gaze. I’m dressed up and being pampered by my Elite, I shouldn’t be thinking of another man right now, especially not one I hardly know.

He probably only popped into my mind because he’s Santa and we’re talking about my Christmas wishes. It doesn’t mean anything.

I laugh at the thought, brushing it off, and Allie and I spend the rest of the ride babbling excitedly. Neither of us have ever done anything remotely this fancy, and we’re both alight with nerves.

The limo drops us off in front of a stunning convention center, the uniformed driver opening the door and helping us out of the car. Before I even get a chance to thank him, more uniformed attendants approach me and Allie and take our invitations before leading us inside. The vision that welcomes us is breathtaking. It’s clear no expense has been spared in decorating the lobby as I take in the garlands and glittering lights draped elegantly from the ceiling. Christmas music fills the space, played by a live orchestra from the second floor. The scent of pine and cinnamon lingers in the air, and multiple lavishly decorated Christmas trees surround the ground floor.

People in stunning gowns and masks mingle throughout the lobby and meander up a wide, winding staircase to the second floor. The whole place is straight out of a Christmas wonderland. The lobby is filled with small cocktail tables and highboys decorated in elaborate floral and candlelit centerpieces while groups of people chat and snag glasses of champagne and hors d'oeuvre from wandering waiters.

“I need a drink to survive this,” Allie jokes.

Her eyes are just as wide as mine, her jaw slack as she takes in the stunning decor. I don’t get a chance to answer her before my eyes catch on a man making his way down the stairs, the crowd parting around his certain stride.

His shoulders are broad, draped in a coal black suit, and an anticipatory smile rests on his lips. I can’t look away, drawn to him with that same unstoppable magnetism that captures us every time we see each other. The look in his eyes is just as familiar as the eyes themselves, hidden once again behind a black mask. The curling designs on the mask match mine, twisting vines of ivy and bramble. My heart leaps up into my throat as he stops in front of us. He holds his hand out in an obvious request for mine, such a blatant copy of the first night we met at Eternity that there’s no doubt in my mind. This man is my Elite.

Standing in front of me, in the outside world, like all of this could be real if I just take his hand.

“Could I ask you for this dance?”

Chapter Nineteen

CLARA

His voice is smooth, princely, more nervous than I’ve ever heard him at Eternity, like he’s unsure of what my reaction will be. I don’t allow myself a second to think.

I take his hand.

Allie says something to me before he leads me up the stairs, but I can’t hear her over the rushing of my own heartbeat in my ears. Eyes are drawn to us as we make our way to the center of the dance floor, but neither of us can look away from each other. The entire world fades away as he pulls me close, one hand twining our fingers together, the other cupping my waist. I have no idea how to dance, really, but he leads me with such confidence that all I can do is follow. I can’t stop staring at him, the lights and music and mass of people all disappearing as I look into his eyes, searching for an answer to a question I don’t even know how to ask.

He twirls me, slow and gentle, and then dips me low in the middle of the dance floor. I clutch onto his shoulders, breathless and overwhelmed.

And then he kisses me, and it feels like something entirely new, something more than we’ve ever shared. It feels like something real.

He pulls away slowly as we straighten up, the fading music hardly registering as I blink up at him in shock. This isn’t a possessive hand around my jaw under the lowlights of Eternity, or a hungry kiss as he pushes me down onto a bed. This is tender, caring, a claim of ownership unlike anything he’s given me before.

“Come with me, little one?”

It could very easily be a command, but he phrases it like a question. I nod without hesitating, squeezing his hand where it still rests in mine. Something like relief flashes in the dark pools of his eyes, his lips curling into a smile.

I follow him out of the ballroom, hand clasped firmly in his. With the lull in the music as the band resets for the next song, I can hear quiet whispers and feel the occasional glance thrown our way, but it doesn’t matter right now. No one knows who we really are, and the anonymity here is just as freeing as it is at Eternity. My eyes are glued to him as he leads me down one of the hallways, obviously familiar with the building. He’s broad and sturdy, but there’s a tension in his spine that I’m not used to. Is he nervous?

We make it to a private lounge, the lights already on inside. His hands shake as he opens the door and beckons me inside.

I walk in, my nerves spiking when he closes and locks the door behind me. I’ve trusted him with far more than a locked door at Eternity, but what if this is some sort of mistake? What if he’s not the man I’ve thought of him as? He obviously knows more about me than he should, considering the NDAs atEternity, but that thought hasn’t ever scared me before now. It hasn’t feltrealbefore now.

He doesn’t move for a long moment, his back to me, shoulders shifting as he takes a long, steadying breath.

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