Page 1 of Wild Desire

1

NOELLE

"Hey, baby, are you going to sit on my lap?" Santa wiggled his brows at me.

Killian's charm didn't work on me. It never had. Or that's what I told myself.

"You can tell me what you want for Christmas." His dark hair curled out from under his velvet hat; his voice grew lower, more insistent.

All night, the line of children to see Santa was steady, blocking any interactions between us. Where were the kids clamoring to sit on Santa's lap now?

"I doubt there will be any more kids." Killian shoved the sleeve of his jacket up, revealing an expensive looking watch. It probably cost more than the rent for my apartment for an entire year.

I grabbed the basket of candy canes from the floor next to his chair. I was tired of playing elf to his Santa. "We should clean up."

"I don't think so." Killian snagged my wrist, tugging me until I fell into his lap. His arms banded around me.

I was perched precariously on his thigh. His very strong, well-muscled thigh. He'd filled out since he was eighteen. Notthat I'd ever sat on his lap before. I was positive it was the combination of workouts and long days on the slopes.

He pulled me in closer so that my face was close to his, his voice rumbling through my body. "That's better. Now, what do you want for Christmas?"

My jaw tightened, old feelings swirling in my chest I wanted to ignore. "For you to let me go."

He chuckled. "Surely, a beautiful woman such as yourself has lots of things she wants."

Sure, my family's home needed repairs, my siblings required money for school activities and sports, and my mom had an endless stream of doctor's bills in her elusive search for pain relief. Everything got more expensive every year. But what didIwant?

His forehead wrinkled. "Don't tell me you don't know."

I was sure it was hard to believe after watching each child excitedly climb into Santa's lap and list the myriad of items they wanted for Christmas, ranging from video game consoles to dolls to games. "I don't need anything. Can you let me up now?"

He grinned. "Not until you tell me what you want."

I thought about what I needed to do when I got home tonight. Check my work emails, shower, and go to bed, because I rose early to make donuts for a deli in town.

My body ached from the thought of how little sleep I was getting each day, and there still wasn't enough time in the day to get everything done. I needed my businesses to generate more money so I could support my family. "Can you duplicate me?"

The crease in his forehead deepened. "Duplicate you?"

"Can you make more of me, so that I can get everything done?" I took advantage of him loosening his hold to slip off his thigh.

He quickly readjusted his arms so that I stood between his legs. He was tall enough that we were almost face-to-face in this position.

"I don't know. Have you been good this year?" The question was one I'd heard all night, but it took on a sensual tone when he delivered it to me.

My entire body flushed with heat. "I've been a good girl."

He raised a brow. "How do I know if you're telling the truth? You look like you've been bad. Very, very bad."

I rolled my eyes. "I thought you were supposed to be all knowing."

"I think we both know that's not true." His Santa facade slipped slightly to reveal the man behind the beard.

I wrinkled my nose, pretending this entire interaction was distasteful, when in reality, he had my nerves running hot. "This is ridiculous."

Killian hummed. "I don't come home often, but when I do, you don't want to talk to me. It's almost as if you're avoiding me."

I'd crushed on him all through high school while he dated one cheerleader after another. I didn't think he saw me until one night we were alone on one of the slopes above the town, talking about our hopes and dreams. I was excited about the full scholarship I'd been offered to the University of Colorado to be on their snowboarding team.

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