Page 5 of Santa's Knotty Workshop

His gaze roved over my pajamas. The heat of his gaze on me had my skin tingling. Could he tell? Did he scent the arousal on me? Sugar plums. He was Santa. He had the naughty and nice list at his fingertips. For all I knew, he got an alert saying I traversed over to the naughty side and was here to figure out what I’d done to deserve that.

I quickly grabbed the nearest item of clothing and covered myself. “Nope. I’m just getting ready for bed.”

I hastily buttoned my shirt, trying to keep my chest hidden as I did, more fumbling with the buttons than getting them fastened.

“You missed one.” He gestured toward my shirt, a mischievous smirk on his face. He knew. There was no way he didn’t know with a smile like that. Where was an avalanche when I needed one? “Meet me downstairs by Whipsy Lane, okay?”

“Okay.” My head bobbed up and down like a bobblehead like my last department made.

He turned and left, leaving me standing there, my head spinning at all that had happened in such a short period of time.

I was a disaster, and now? Now I was going to the workshop, probably to be fired all because I couldn’t let anyone else have that dildo. And even knowing that, the thought of giving it back made me sick to my stomach.

It was mine and only mine. If that meant I lost my job, I lost my job. There were plenty of jobs at the North Pole, but no other cocks like that in the entire world. I didn’t need to see them all to know that was a fact. This one was special, and I was never letting it go.

Chapter 4

Nick

Seven Days Until Christmas Eve

My mate was absolutely adorable. When he opened the door, I wanted to wrap my arms around him and hold him close, to tell him he was mine and I was his. To have him sink into my embrace.

Planting that almost-perfect replica of my cock in the naughty warehouse—enhanced with just enough magic to ensure it landed in the hands of my fated mate—was the most brilliantidea I’d had in a long time. Right up there with the time I came up with the remote-controlled vibrator. There was a reason I had the position I did.

Of course, it had taken quite a bit of effort to make sure the magic worked just right. I couldn’t have the toy landing in the wrong hands. What a disaster that would’ve been. For a split second, I imagined Chester getting a hold of it. I shuddered at the thought and pushed it all the way down.

I knew there were elves in the warehouse who had their eyes on me, thinking they could snagNaughty Santafor themselves. Well, it wasn’t happening—not for them. But itwashappening for this perfect little elf. My mate.

And hewaslittle. I could probably wrap my hands around his tiny waist and manhandle him any way I wanted—provided, of course, that he gave his enthusiastic consent. How beautiful the sound of him begging me for more would be. But I was getting ahead of myself. My mate was shy, innocent, and sexy as fuck.

I had a sneaking suspicion my little mate might enjoy all sorts of deliciously dirty things sometimes. Other times, though, I imagined he’d prefer a very soft touch—to lie in each other’s arms and simply be. I couldn’t wait to unwrap all the layers that made up my mate.

The mess I had found on Whipsy Lane was just a happy little coincidence. If my suspicions were correct, it was a ploy by a certain elfcoughChestercoughto spend time with me. He’d been getting more and more brazen as time went by. I’d have to deal with him soon enough, but in this one incidence, I wasgrateful. I was using it as an opportunity to call upon my mate for help.

It didn’t take long for Percy to make his way to the workshop. His eyes widened, and his cheeks flushed as he surveyed the chaos in the Whipsy Lane storage area.

“What happened?” He kept scanning the disaster.

“Not a clue.” Maybe a slight clue, but that was purely conjecture and tonight wasn’t a night for gossip.

A shelf had tipped over, scattering inventory all over the floor. But not everything on the ground belonged to that shelf—some items clearly came from other shelves entirely. It was obvious this mess was elf-made and not an accident. I’d discover the why of it soon enough, but for tonight, I didn’t care. It meant I got to spend time with my mate.

It would take hours to sort it all out and make sure the toys made their way back to where they belonged. Hours I got to spend inhaling the intoxicating scent that was all Percy, listening to his bashful words, and watching his cheeks pinken as he discovered a new toy. It was going to be better than gingerbread and cocoa on a snowy night.

“Oh my. Are you sure I can handle this? Maybe we should call Chester. He’s the lead of Whipsy Lane.”

“Calling him won’t be necessary,” I assured him. “I know you’re the right elf for the job. I have a knack for knowing these things, you know.” I tweaked the side of my nose and winked at him.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Percy’s mouth. His tongue darted out to lick his lips, and something primal stirred within me. How I wanted to lean in and do the same, to taste his lips, to show him how attracted I was to him. But for now, it was only his tongue that got to do the honors.

A flash of jealousy reared its head, but I pushed it down, focusing instead on the task at hand. I wanted to taste those lips, and if I played my cards right, I would have a chance. But first, I needed to get to know my mate.

“How can I help?”

“Let’s get the bins set up.” It was a two-man job, making it the perfect place to begin. “We can start organizing from there. We’ll need the list.” I cleared off the table that was in the center of the room and placed the empty bins that had spilled onto the floor on the table.

“I don’t know where Chester keeps it.”

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