Page 73 of Sexted By Santa
“It’s a date.”
He kissed me one last time and left the room. I heard him let himself out the front door and sighed. As much as I wanted him, my body buzzing with awareness, sleep was an irresistible force that pulled me under within minutes.
I slept hard, not waking until Tori launched herself into my bed in standard Sunday morning wake-up fashion.
19
CHRISTIAN
I surveyed the city block ahead with trepidation. Jaxson, Tori, and I were about to walk into Winter Fest, four blocks dedicated to the season I hated—complete with gaudy decorations, Christmas carolers, a wagon (and the poor horses that must pull it) trussed with lights and garlands, and who knew what else—all leading to a city park that had been transformed into “North Pole Village.”
“You okay?” Jaxson asked, amusement lacing his tone. “You look nauseated.”
My lips twitched as I fought a smile. The things I did for love—or at least, what could lead to love. I certainly didn’t do it for lust, seeing as I had no idea when Jaxson and I would be alone again.
“I’ll be fine. Just keep the carolers from getting too close. They chased me on campus once.”
“Chasedyou?” Laughter trembled in Jaxson’s voice. “Surely, you’re exaggerating.”
“I thought my life was in danger,” I said in a deadpan tone.
Tori grasped my hand. “Don’t worry, Christian. These are nice carolers.”
I glanced down at her earnest expression. This child was so damn sweet. Her little hand clasped mine tightly, to givemecomfort, and my heart fairly melted.
“I’m sure you’re right.” I couldn’t hold back the smile that spread over my face. “Shall we go in?”
“Yes!” she cheered. “I want to go on the Christmas sleigh and get my face painted and make a gingerbread house and play the reindeer games!”
“Pace yourself, Glitterbug,” Jaxson said with an exasperated laugh. “We’re going to start with a walk along Christmas Avenue and go from there.”
The street sign, which ordinarily said Main Street, had been temporarily replaced with the holiday street name. The gray metal of the post was wrapped in red and white ribbon. Each corner boasted a different sign for the block ahead: Candy Cane Lane, Christmas Card Avenue, Mistletoe Drive, and Santa Boulevard.
On the corner opposite us, the dreaded carolers sang an upbeat Christmas song, midway through “Deck the Halls.” A few feet farther along, just in front of a coffee shop, was a table set up with hot chocolate, marshmallows, whipped cream, and chocolate chips. A rosy-cheeked woman in a Christmas sweater decorated with silver bells and red and green lights was ready to make drinks.
“What’s the story with Tori’s nickname?” I asked as we started down the walk.
“Oh, Glitterbug? It’s because—”
“I love glitter!” Tori exclaimed over him. “One time, I got it all over the house. Daddy decided instead of a ladybug, I was a glitterbug!”
“Onetime,” Jaxson said. “More like one hundred times.”
Tori giggled, not at all ashamed. Jaxson’s fondly exasperated smile told me more about their relationship than any amount of explanation Jaxson might have tried to provide. These two were close enough that even their annoyances were coated in love.
A cold gust of wind swirled around us, and I shivered, even though I was bundled in a wool coat, hat, and scarf. I crossed my arms, hunching my shoulders to maintain warmth. “It’s cold. We should keep moving. Or…perhaps grab some of that hot chocolate?”
Jaxson hesitated, glancing at Tori. “We could go inside for a minute?”
Tori shook her head. “I don’t want to deal with it. But you guys can have some. Just hurry!”
Why would we need to go inside?
“Do you mind skipping it?” Jaxson murmured. “I don’t like to eat or drink things in front of her if she’s going without.”
Ah, the insulin pump.It took me a minute to understand the context of what they were saying. I’d seen Jaxson and Tori fiddle with the settings before dinner at the Hayworth holiday party. It made sense that they wouldn’t want to do that out in the cold. Or, for Tori, apparently at all. But then, stopping and administering her insulin with every treat would be a hassle. She was too eager to explore all the activities.
I suppressed my shivers—and my craving for something to warm my insides. “Sure, no problem. I’m sure we’ll warm up if we keep moving.”
