Page 4 of The Twelve Knots of Christmas
Clever girl. I grinned. “It would be ungentlemanly of me to leave you here on your own. If you don’t want to get on, I’ll ride slowly beside you.”
At the word ‘ride,’ Artemis’ tail started to wag.
“Oh? You wanna go for a ride, girl?” I motioned to the sled chained to the back of the machine. It was solid steel, meant to carry big trees. Artemis and a whole team of dogs could fit on it.
Artemis stood and her butt wiggled with her excitement. Mariska scowled and let out a little huff. “Fine. I can’t deny Artemis her fun. But I’m riding on the sled with her, so go slow.”
“The sled isn’t meant for people.”
“Then it isn’t meant for dogs.” She shot back.
Mariska held my gaze. I was taller than her sitting and it didn’t intimidate her. Fuck, nothing had ever turned me on this much.
Omegas I’d met in the past were docile women. I either scared them or turned their brains to mush. Since I’d been built by hard work on the farm, I was big and ferocious looking. Most men wouldn’t dare to argue with me when I told them to do something. This Omega was like no one I’d met before, and I refused to leave her behind.
“Alright. You get on with Artemis. It’s not going to be as comfortable as the seat nor as warm.” I raised a brow, hoping to make sitting behind me more tempting.
“We’ll be fine.” Mariska led the dog to the sled and had her sit in the center. She lowered herself to her knees to hold on to Artemis, and a thousand dirty thoughts crammed into myhead. Her kneeling in front of me, hair mussed and lips swollen from being fucked in the mouth. “Okay. Ready.”
I turned and flipped on the snow machine. If only I could wrap her up and take her home… Jasper and Lucian would be as smitten by her as I was. An Omega for our pack was just what we needed. I could already imagine her round with a baby, swollen tits and wide hips. I groaned, letting it disappear under the noise of the engine. My cock was so hard it hurt.
Giving the machine as little power as I could, I let it slowly restart its journey along the road. I glanced back to see Artemis’ tail swiftly swishing, and Mariska rigid as she kept her balance on the cold steel.
After a few hundred feet, I picked up speed. The road had fewer bends, and if there was no one else around, I’d fly down this stretch and see how far I could fly off the final little hill.
Artemis barked and her tongue lulled out of her mouth. While she was having the time of her life, Mariska had wrapped her arms around her dog and half-buried her face against her fur. Yet despite how much she looked like she was desperately holding on, I caught her gorgeous smile.
On the last stretch, I sped up a tiny bit more, but I made sure that my stop was gentle, so I didn’t send them flying. When I pulled to the side near a red van, I shut off the engine and turned to see Mariska and Artemis hop off the sled. The dog pranced and twirled excitedly in a circle.
Before I could say anything, Stan emerged from between the rows of firs and gave me a wave. “Hey, Balthazar. Thanks for bringing the sled.”
He was a tall kid, but still skinny for his eighteen years. He was the son of one of my mom’s friends and a hard worker, looking to make some extra money for Christmas. He wore a red puffy vest over his Silver Tree fleece sweater making him look like a matchstick.
“Hey, man. It’s all good. You need help taking down a tree?”
Stan shook his head. “Nah, I already did it. The family who marked it drove back to the lot to go to the barn. I just need to get my saw and go help the group that just got here before I have you take it back.”
“Well, since I don’t know which family picked the tree, how ‘bout you take it back to the lot and I’ll stay here with the other group.” Which had to be Mariska’s, since it seemed there was only one vehicle here. “You know how to secure the tree to the sled?”
“You’d let me drive your machine?” Stan’s eyes lit up.
Of course I knew it would appeal to him. Like any teen in these parts, he spent most of winter zooming around fields and along trails. My snow machine was a new model with all the bells and whistles. I smirked and nodded. “Yeah. Just don’t go too fast and keep your eyes peeled for cars and people.”
I turned to tell Mariska I’d come with her, but she’d disappeared among the trees on the opposite side of the road. The urge to follow her footsteps and track her down tightened in my gut. Instead, I turned back to Stan, and gave myself a moment to cool down. “Let me help you secure the tree and get your hack saw. I have my folding saw, but they might want a bigger tree.”
Once I’d helped the kid with the tree, Stan took off. I heard him give the machine more gas the second he was out of sight and chuckled. I slipped my radio off my belt and switched it to channel three. Cell phones didn’t get reception this far out, and there were two people who had to know about Mariska.
“Either of you there? Over.”
After about fifteen seconds, there was a crackle, and Jasper’s smooth tone came over the speaker. “Yeah. What do you need? Over.”
Channel three was just for Jasper, Lucian, and I. The rest of the farm worked on channel one. “Is Lucian at the house with you? Over.”
“He’s bottling some more of his special tree food, but yeah, he’s here. What’s going on? Over.”
“Both of you get your asses to the lot. I’ll be bringing back someone I want you to meet. Over.” I tapped the hack saw impatiently against my leg. I was ready to hunt down the luscious Omega and never let her leave the farm again.
“I’m busy. One of our sellers made an accounting error, and I’m trying to figure out where. Who is it? Over.” Jasper handled the business side of the farm. His keen mind never missed any detail, and he had no tolerance for bullshit.
