Page 54 of Hiding for the Holidays
“You guys are up,” the elf assistant tells us and we head up towards Santa.
When he sees the four of us, his eyes widen slightly, then he gestures for me to sit on his lap.
“Oh, hell no,” Leo says, scooping me up and plopping himself down on Santa's knee, with me in his lap.
I chuckle, wrapping my arm around his neck as I whisper, “Leo, what are you doing?”
“No way you’re sitting on any man’s lap but ours.”
Ours.
The way he says that makes my whole body tingle. I’m not sure why he saidours, and notmine. I’m distracted as the elf gets our assistance snapping a few photos before Leo finally stands and carries me down the few steps, only placing me on my feet when we’ve exited the photo area.
I glance up at him and can almost feel a strange caveman-like energy rolling off of him.Is it strange that it turns me on?
We decide to go skating next, and we head over to the ice rink. I’ve never seen one that looks so natural before, surrounded by trees. This whole festival is so pretty, and it makes me wonder if it’s something I’ll be able to visit every December.
Where will I even be next year? Back to using my real name with the danger of Scott long gone? Will I still be here, or will I have to move to a new town? They might not be happy I’ve been lying about my name, or the fact that I don’t want to choose between them. Besides, I'd hate to come between their friendship.
“You need help?” Asher asks as I finish tying up my skates.
“No, I think I’ve got it.” I finish up, and he helps me stand as we hobble the few steps from the bench to the edge of the rink. He steps down first then holds my hand as I step onto the ice.
I need my hands free so I can use my arms for balance as I get used to the skates. It’s been a while, and I’m a bit rusty. The guys are actually pretty decent, so I shoo them off to do a few laps while my muscle memory catches up.
I’m keeping my eyes down on the ice in front of me, not paying attention to them, so when someone grabs my arm hard enough to hurt, stopping my momentum, I hiss in pain, my head whipping up to the side in surprise.
When I see him standing there, my arm in his grip, all the blood drains from my face as my body starts to shake.
“Scott,” I whisper in fear.
He grins at me, and it’s not a charming one the way Leo might do it; it’s full of evil and ill-intent.
I try to pull my arm out of his grasp, but he pulls me closer to him, making me stumble, my other hand landing on his chest for support.
I realize he’s not in skates because he’s standing right at the edge of the rink.
“Rosalie, I have to admit, it was harder to find you than I expected. I didn’t think you were smart enough to stay hidden this long.”
“Let me go,” I hiss, trying to push away from him, but his free hand grabs my other arm so hard I’m sure it will bruise.
He glances behind me before lowering his voice. “I just wanted to let you know I’m here, and I’m coming for you. Maybe not today, but soon.”
“Hey! Let go of her!” Leo yells from behind me.
Scott smirks, glancing up at them before looking back down at me. “See you soon, darling. Sleep tight.”
He pushes me backwards so hard I lose my balance before turning and running into the crowd.
“Clara!” Grant gasps as he catches me just before I hit the ice. Asher and Leo skate to the edge of the rink, looking to see where Scott disappeared to.
They seem to realize he’s already gone, and by the time they get their skates off, he’ll probably be long gone. They turn around to face me, looking furious, and I swallow heavily as Grant helps me get steady on my skates.
“Who the fuck was that?” Asher hisses angrily.
“That was Scott. My ex.”
Chapter 18
