Page 20 of Sleigh Rides With St. Nick

I rolled my eyes at my friend, but mostly because I knew she wasn't wrong.

Nick rose to his feet, his red cloak back around his shoulders."Good evening everyone," he called out.

The room fell surprisingly silent.But from what he'd told me about tonight, I suspected that made sense.Most of those invited were people known to him, so why wouldn't they want to listen?

"Thank you all for coming tonight.The season is all about celebrating, and this feast is just that.So eat, drink, and be merry.I hope you have all the joy you wish for in this season and the next."He raised a glass.

All around the room, people did the same and gave a cheer.

I lifted my own glass of champagne and then took a sip.

"Thank you for coming with me tonight," I said to my friend, wanting her to know that I appreciated the company.

"Any time.I could get used to going to events hosted by gods.Do you think Eloise can get us a discounted membership to Jinx?"

"You'll have to ask her," I responded."But it's probably still going to be out of our budget."

"Mmm, true.Well, I wouldn't mind coming back next year if you can keep things good with Nick."

I almost choked on my champagne."Next year?"

"Of course.This is a yearly event, right?So if you're still on good terms with Nick, he might invite us again."

"I honestly hadn't thought about it."

"No, I don't suppose you have," she responded."But that's okay, I love you anyway."

I laughed and settled back into my seat."Right back at you."

I snuck another glance over to where Nick was sitting, but he'd already been caught up in conversation by someone else.I suspected the chance to be alone had already passed, which was a shame, but at least I now knew what it felt like to be kissed by him.

Though that might be a potential problem with the fact that we were supposed to wait to do that untilafterI was done with the contract that tied me to his company.

Chapter9

NICK

I'd never had any particular feelings about Mondays one way or another.They didn't really bother me, but I also didn't particularly enjoy them.ButthisMonday was different.After the feast on Friday, and a few messages back and forth since, I was looking forward to the chance of getting to see Ivy again.I knew I shouldn't, especially when it was going to be impossiblenotto think about the kiss we shared, but I couldn't help it.

I hummed to myself as I made my way down to the staffroom from my office.I didn't plan on lingering long in case a member of my staff wanted to use it, but I could really do with a coffee.

The door to the office I'd assigned to Ivy opened as I passed it and I inhaled a deep breath, smelling her perfume as I did.

She stepped out and turned, stopping in her tracks as she saw me.

"Hi," she said, looking up and meeting my gaze.Her lips parted and I didn't even have to ask to know that she was thinking about the kiss too.

"Hi," I responded, leaning against the wall, being careful to leave her a way to get away from me if she wanted to.

Instead, she leaned in."The feast was a lot of fun," she murmured, looking up with dark eyes full of promise.

"It was the best one I've hosted in years," I said.

"Was it the food?The venue..."

"The company," I responded, moving closer."It was much better than in previous years."

Her lips quirked up into a smile."Is that so?"

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