Page 33 of The Santa Rules
“How am I wrong? Just because it takes place during Christmas doesn’t mean it’s a Christmas movie.”
“Then how are we defining a Christmas movie? What does it have to have in order to qualify?”
His eyes light up as he thinks about his answer. “It’s gotta have certain items that make it Christmas.”
“This should be good, because I guarantee whatever you’re about to say is going to either prove my point, or rule out a lot of other traditional holiday movies, thereby also proving my point,” I say, crossing my arms.
“Okay, it needs to have a tree,” he says.
“There are plenty of holiday movies that don’t have a tree, so that’s vetoed. Plus, there are multiple trees inDie Hard.”
“Shit.” He taps his chin. “Okay, I got it. It needs decorations, and Santa. If it has all of those things, it would qualify. And I’m not trying to rule out other films as holiday movies, I’m just trying to negate the merits ofDie Hardbeing one.”
“Have you even watchedDie Hard?”
He crosses his arms. “I’ve watched it.”
“Then you should know that it takes place at a Christmas Eve party at Nakatomi Plaza, and the party includes various Christmas decorations, including a large tree. John McClane even wears a Santa hat.Andhe sends the body of a terrorist down an elevator wearing a Santa hat and writes ‘Ho ho ho’ on his shirt. Not technically Santa, but I’m counting it. Check, check, and check.” I cross my arms over my chest, mirroring him.
“I said Santa, and that’s just two hats.”
“So, you wanna play it that way?” I crack my knuckles. “Here’s a list of movies off the top of my head that don’t have Santa but are traditionally thought of as Christmas movies:Scrooged, White Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Love Actually, It’s a Wonderful Life, Krampus,andHome Alone.”
“There’s no fucking way all that’s accurate.White ChristmasandGrinchhave Christmas in the title, andIt’s aWonderful Lifeis a well-established classic. I’d hardly callKrampusa classic. I’ve never seenScrooged, and I think there’s a similar debate aboutHome Alonebeing a holiday movie.”
“Never seenScrooged? BesidesChristmasVacationandElf, it’s in the top three for me.”
He shrugs. “I was always out on calls or at the station.”
“Don’t you guys watch TV in your downtime?”
“I liked to read so I could be alone. The TV room at the firehouse was always full of people.”
“Hardy, we have to remedy this. But not tonight, because I actually want you to watchScrooged.”
“Are we not going to watchDie Hard?”
“I wasn’t planning on it. I figured we’d start it and see what happens from there, but I gotta be honest, this whole conversation has shaken me to my core.” I try to stifle a laugh. “I’m not sure I can continue this tryst. It’s a shame because I was really looking forward to you meeting Righty.” I place a palm to my chest in mock astonishment.
He grabs my hand and pulls me against him, lying back on the couch as I balance on his broad chest. His other hand slides up and holds my cheek as he pulls my mouth to his. Fuck John McClane, I want to yippee-ki-yay this mother fucker. Or would that make him the mother fucker, since I’m the mother in this scenario?
“Whatcha thinking about?” he says as he comes up for air. I blink down at him. “Fine, it’s a Christmas movie. Now stop overthinking and kiss me.”
His hands are everywhere, groping my ass, my hips, my back. My senses are on overload as his scent surrounds me. Pine, bergamot, and something smoky.
Our movements are frenzied as we hurry to undress each other. I tug his shirt over his head while he slides his hands up my torso, forcing me to lift my arms as he removes my shirt.
I sit up and make a show out of slowly undoing my bra, letting the straps fall off my shoulders as my hair cascades around my face. His cock hardens beneath me and he pushes it against me, growing impatient. He sits up, gripping my waist as his thumbs trace circles on my stomach.
Holding my bra up with one hand, I push him onto his back with the other as I rub against his erection.
“Fuck, Bella. What are you doing to me?”
“Making you work for it.”
“Tell me what I can do.”
“You can be a good boy and beg for me.”
