Page 2 of Christmas Wishes
There was nothing to look forward to anymore. No anticipation. No surprise. There was only dread. He felt it. Humans felt it. He couldn’t help wondering what the point of it all was. If there even was one.
His mother would tell him that he had a case of the Bah-Humbugs. In humans, it was seasonal depression. They couldn’t have such sensible and non-Christmas terms at the North Pole. There was always a silver lining. Never a fading bulb.
Rand looked around. Elves power walked from one building to the next, always in such a hurry. Why? Why couldn’t they slow down? Why couldn’tanyoneslow down? Why couldn’t they stop and appreciate where they were, who they were?
And when did you become so damn philosophical? He grumbled under his breath at the voice in his head, turning in the direction of the paddocks, but a whiff of sugar and cinnamon wafted past him and he took a slight detour towardWishes Bakery.
He, like every other inhabitant of the North Pole was addicted to sweets. His weakness was cookies, and a pretty, sexy little elf named Blix.
She was the one. Like,the one. He’d known for more years than he could count that he wanted her, was going to marry her, was going to spend hundreds of years with her. Black hair, a pert nose, bow shaped lips, and silver eyes so brilliant they sparkled.
They matched her personality and they matched her name. Blix Silverberry.
He dated other elves. Even dated several doe shifters, but it had always been Blix he wanted. He’d never found the courage to tell her, though. His friends would find that funny. Tomas would find it pathetic. Rand didn’t know how Blix would feel. She never treated him any different than she treated anyone else. He couldn’t imagine she saw him as anything more than the maverick shifter he’d spent years cultivating a reputation for.
He was the daredevil. The one who took chances, tempted the magic flowing through his veins.
And, he smiled, if he was lucky, there was also Blix.
Only… She loved the North Pole. She loved being a baker elf. It was one of the most coveted positions among the elves. She loved everything about Christmas, every day of the year. And if he were banished, what then? He couldn’t take her with him, couldn’t ask her to give up her life.
InsideWishes Bakery, a long line had formed, starting at the register. A fresh batch of cookies must’ve come out. He loved when they were just out of the oven, when one of the elves brought out a tray of them for the customers. They would melt in a spicy mix of goodness on his tongue when they were warm.
Rand took a spot behind a group of elves who, once they saw him, turned away and started to whisper and giggle. That wasn’t a new thing. His role on the sleigh team this year was a well known fact and he was some sort of celebrity among the citizens of the North Pole. He grinned down at one of the elves when she glanced over her shoulder at him. He winked and her eyes widened.
He didn’t mind the extra dose of popularity. He minded that he could never get near the one elf he wanted most. The one coming from the kitchen carrying a large stack of gift boxes. The one who just tripped and started falling forward, disaster written all over her face. Rand jumped from his place in line and stretched out his arms as the boxes began tumbling down. He caught all of them, lifted them high, and put his body directly in front of her. She fell right into him. He hardly felt the impact.
Beneath the sparkle of her eyes lurked embarrassment accompanied by a blush staining her already rosy cheeks. “Rand,” she said, breathless and hushed.
“Hey, Blix.” He raised his brows. “You okay?”
She righted herself quickly and let go of where she’d grabbed his shirt. She was barely five feet, and the small heels on her shoes helped minimally, but her soft curves and plush weight was felt in every region of his body. He’d been the buffer between her and the floor and if he let his mind wander, it’d wander straight to wanting to take her to the floor, a bakery full of curious eyes or not. He didn’t care. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to make love to her.
He simply wanted her. There was no way around it and there was no way to fight it.
“Yeah, Rand. I’m okay.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and straightened her dress. Red and silver, a scoop neckline and a skirt that swished around her knees when she walked. “Thank you for catching the cookies for me.”
“You’re welcome. Where were you headed with them?”
“Oh, the display table behind you and the front window. They’re the first chocolate sugar cookies of the season and I wanted to make sure there were plenty ready. I got a little over excited.”
“I see.” He’d like to see hera lotexcited, but right then and there wasn’t the time or the place for it. “Let me help you set things up.”
“T-that’s not necessary. Really. I can do it.”
“I’d still like to help.”
She nodded after a brief hesitation. “All right. Sure.” She took three boxes from the stack he held. “I’ll take these to the window, if you’ll put yours on the table.”
“Any particular way?”
“A pyramid is fine. It’s what I was planning to do until I brought out some other things.”
Rand smiled. “A pyramid it is.” He was aware of the stares from the line behind him, but he didn’t give anyone the satisfaction of looking at them. They were curious and he’d let them be. Blix had disappeared into the opening of the display window where she painstakingly arranged and rearranged her three boxes.
Was she avoiding him? Was she trying to take as long as possible so she wouldn’t have to talk to him again? Was she still embarrassed about having almost fallen? Whatever it was, Rand wasn’t going to let her get away with it. She was going to have to face him, talk to him just a little bit more before he went away.
At the window, he positioned himself so that when she turned around, she’d come face to face with him. She’d be the perfect height for a kiss. A kiss he couldn’t give her in such a public place, but a kiss he’d love to give her nonetheless.
