Page 12 of The Naughty Elf

I make a second round to be sure everyone’s gotten a treat, and stash the leftovers in the mini fridge in my office. Four left. We’ll see who comes first to claim them.

Sinking into my work is easy, and when I ask Jackson for some butcher paper or poster board, he happily obliges me with a ream of plotter paper.

“What are you up to?” He follows me upstairs, stopping in the doorway to my office before laughing. “Look at all of this. You’re much farther along than I imagined you would be.”

“Oh, this barely scratches the surface. Ideas are messy when they’re new. I’ll wrangle this all into a plan before you know it.”I take the roll of paper from him and start tacking it up on the wall.

Jackson helps, arms framing me to hold the edge up as I push in the tacks. He surrounds me with his body, lingering a few extra seconds. Tension swells between us, and I turn between his arms, mouth pursing to avoid a smile.

He drops his hands but doesn’t back away. “You’re a little efficiency elf, aren’t you?”

I raise my brow at him. “Elf?”

“Yeah. Gonna start calling you that.” Jackson rubs his chin as I frown at him. “Oh, did I mentionthat you’re going to be the elf at the carnival? You’re the only one who will fit into the outfit.”

6

JACKSON

Crowding Ginger this way isn’t a smart move. Not if I want to maintain any semblance of professionalism between us.

It’s hard.

Especially when she purses her mouth like that, just begging to be kissed.

I lean in a little further, dropping my voice into her ear. “I dare you to try it on. Let’s see how it fits.”

Silence meets my challenge, and when I pull back to look at her, Ginger is assessing me.

Here I am, sliding down that balance beam toward inappropriate again. I can’t help it. She’s too much fun to mess with.

Lifting my hands in placation, I tease her with my grin. “All you need to do is say the word, and I’ll dig it out of storage.”

Her arms cross. “You mean to tell me, there are Christmas decorations in storage, and you didn’t mention this before?”

“You didn’t ask.” I straighten, loving the mock anger in her stance and narrowed eyes.

“Show me.” The look she gives me is a bit more serious. She’s back to strict work mode. Oh, this is going to be cute, I can just tell.

I take her to the attic, pulling down the stairs and waving her forward. “There’s a light string dangling right at the top. Head on up. I’m right behind you.”

That brow of hers rises again, like she’s caught me. Sure, I’ll get a good look at her ass. Not complaining there, but I’m more concerned with making sure she doesn’t fall in those heels.

She turns and grabs the stairs to lift herself up. The dark blue slacks are tight against her curves. My hands cramp with restraint, and I flex my fingers wide. I desperately want to grab onto her.

She climbs slowly enough that I swear she’s doing it on purpose.

God, this is ridiculous. She’s a young woman who works for me. Crossing that line is not good for either of us. But as she pulls herself over the edge, I start after her, making it up the steps easily in time for her to find the light and yank the cord.

The orange light makes her look more golden, more red. Her hair is haloed by the bright bulb. I stare at Ginger, her profile looking more elf-like than human. Her soft beauty promises me everything I might ask for.

Trouble. These thoughts are trouble.

I nod toward the rear of the house where a pile of five boxes sits around the window. “Christmas stuff should be back there.”

Ginger crouches, walking toward them and reading their sides before tearing into the top one.

The rest of the attic is packed with boxes for other seasons: Independence Day, Valentine's Day, Easter, and Thanksgiving. We will need the last one soon to set up for our annual Thanksgiving party.

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