Page 74 of Clause & Effect
He presses his forehead to mine.
“Do we have time for this?” I whisper.
His smile softens. “For you? I’ll make time. Stop time, if I have to.”
I grab onto him, slippery warm skin, steam billows around us. I'm in a Santa filled fever dream with the most unlikely hero, the most unlikely person and yet I can't deny what makes sense what drives me insane with each taste of him I wonder if that’s what the real addiction is Stetson, not his magic, but the draw he has on me and the way I feel not only safe in his arms but like I’m his everything Like Santa's heir has been waiting his whole life for a present, please God let me be it. Wrap me up in a bow, untie me with your teeth, look your fill. My eyes close as my body screams with pleasure as his mouth presses small kisses down my neck.
And just like that, the world outside the water disappears—bells, stars, and every other kind of magic caught somewhere between his heartbeat and mine.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The Claus-eum is not at all what I expected.
My body is so sated that I could sleep for a week but I’m too curious not to go. So, I put on the gorgeous outfit Stetson has waiting for me in the bedroom, a pair of loose-fitting black pants and a tighter black sweater with a camel colored jacket and slip on black slippers. Everything feels as expensive as it looks.
I thought we were going to walk right into another place in the sweet, old village where we’d be greeted by some of Santa’s Elves and be given a tour around a fifteenth century looking museum.
This place is not at all what I expect.
Stetson takes me on the sleigh to some obscure area in the valley, right up to a sheet of rock against the mountain. I stare in awe, mesmerized for a minute by the sheer beauty, and then something strange happens?—
I hear child’s laughter…the sound is faint against the wind and then it’s like a thousand voices at once.
Dear Santa… can I please get that train set…
Santa, please let my parents stay together…
Will you get me the new barbie…
“Do you hear that?” I look over at Stetson in shock.
“Hear what?” his eyes are hooded as he watches me closely.
I lift my finger in the air.
“The kids voices?” I realize I might sound crazy now because his look is giving nothing away.
His eyes widen in surprise.
“Christmas wishes,” he tells me softly. “You’re hearing the children’s wishes.”
He doesn’t let me dwell on this. he grabs my hand and pulls me toward a tree and then I don’t have any time to think about the voices, instead I’m zeroed in on Santa’s high-tech village.
He places his hand on one of the trees and a panel lights up. He’s identified quickly and what I thought was mountain rock is actually some high-tech door that slides ride open, leading into a dimly lit cavern.
I look over at him.
“Is this where you dispose of the bodies?” I make what I think is a hilarious joke. Stetson doesn’t laugh. Oh shit do they really have dungeons then too? He wasn’t making that up?
Instead, he grabs my hand and pulls me along into the mountain all while mumbling under his breath.
“Just so you know, you can’t tell anyone that I took you downstairs,” he says.
“What’s downstairs?” I ask as we walk down the dark hall before it explodes into twinkling lights, exposing a giant dome museum showcasing all things Santa, from old looking sleighs, to clothing—for both dwarves and the big guy.
“Holy cow!” I exclaim as I look around.
“This is the Claus-eum,” he says.
