Chapter Six
She was a total creeper.
That was the thought that ran through Nikki’s head as she spied on Joe from her spot hidden among the cafeteria customers near the Santa line. It was seven thirty and his shift would end in thirty minutes. She’d been sitting here with Sarah under the pretense that they were eating dinner before their date. Of course, the little girl didn’t know they were going on a date. Instead, Nikki had told Sarah that they were going to meet one of Nikki’s friends for a surprise.
From the moment he had walked out of the bar last night until now, Nikki had been reminding herself of all the reasons why this mating wouldn’t work. So why the hell was she so damn nervous about this date? Her stomach was in knots and she was practically trembling in anticipation. Part of her knew it was crazy to sit here and watch Joe while he worked, but she just couldn’t seem to help herself. It was her panther’s pull to their mate. The cat inside of her wanted nothing more than to go someplace private, have her mate bite her and then lift tail for him.
She internally scolded her cat for being a hussy and told her to stay quiet. Now was not the time to lift tail. But they could sit here and observe their mate. Perhaps it wasn’t his natural habitat, but it was one way of getting to know him.
He was not the best Santa. In fact, he wasn’t even a passably good Santa. But then she remembered how kind he’d been to Sarah when she’d made her Christmas wish and it softened her heart just a little—just enough to be dangerous.
Nikki swooped her hand with cat-like reflexes to save a cup of dipping sauce that teetered dangerously close to the edge of the table. Sarah had been dunking her chicken nuggets with far more enthusiasm than skill. At least, Nikki thought, as long as she’s eating she isn’t sucking on her thumb.
The time crawled by. When she glanced at her phone for the thousandth time and saw that it was finally eight o’clock, she turned her attention to Sarah. Other than the fact that she was wearing a clown smile made of barbecue sauce, not too much damage had been done. She took wipes from her bag, then she cleaned her little sister’s face and the hot, sticky mess of her hands. “Are you ready to go meet my friend?”
“Yes!” Sarah said excitedly and jumped up from her chair. Nikki took the tray with their leftover food and garbage to the bin, watching Sarah from the corner of her eye the whole time.
“All right, munchkin, let’s do this,” Nikki said. Some of her trepidation must have crept into her voice because Sarah’s excitement faded just a bit. She gave Nikki a puzzled look with her head cocked, emphasizing the fact that her ponytails were just a little crooked.
“Don’t you want to see your friend, Nikki?”
“I do,” Nikki said. It was offered as a reassurance to Sarah, but it rang with a sincerity that unnerved her. She had to admit, whether she liked it or not, that he excited her, and not just physically. He was funny, cocky, sexy with an easy charm that, before her whole life had been upended, would have been exactly what she was looking for. “But I don’t know him really well yet, so I guess I’m just a little nervous.”
Sarah’s mouth formed an ‘O’ of surprise and her eyes widened comically. In a whisper that was at least a thousand times louder than her normal speaking voice, the little girl asked, “Is it a boyfriend?”
“It’s a friend who is a boy,” Nikki insisted. “That is not a boyfriend. Or a boy friend. He’s just a friend. Only a friend. Got it?”
Sarah grinned before popping her thumb back into her mouth and nodding happily. But looking down at Sarah, Nikki wasn’t so sure that her little sister understood after all. And why would she? She was three years old. As far as Sarah was concerned, everyone was their friend. She wasn’t even sure where Sarah had heard the term boyfriend, which was definitely something she would need to interrogate her about later.
Nikki took her sister’s other hand and walked toward the main entrance of the mall where the line for the carriage rides started. Joe was already there. She could feel him, smell him, sense him—every part of her was attuned to his presence already. What would it be like to have that kind of a connection to someone? The sort of attachment that only fate could bring into a person’s life? Not just a mate, but a soul mate.
Her parents had had that and Nikki couldn’t imagine having it for herself. Being so wrapped up in another person that others around you just didn’t matter anymore. She wouldn’t do that to Sarah and she wouldn’t do that to herself. No way was she ever going to be so locked in and tied to a single person that she’d forget her family. When she thought about her father’s final choice, Nikki got so angry. The corner had told her that her father had stayed in that car as it caught fire. Nikki knew it was because he wouldn’t leave his mate, even though she’d died instantly in the crash. Had his children really mattered so little to him?
The anger and bitterness boiled up inside her again. Every time she thought of it, of the fact that her father had chosen to stay in the vehicle and die with their mother rather than come back to them, she was overwhelmed. Yes, she got it. Mates were for life. But so were kids, dammit.
The line grew shorter, and Joe smiled and stepped forward as they drew nearer. “Hey there! I was beginning to think I’d been stood up.” He dropped to his knees in front of Sarah. “And hello to you, too. You must be Sarah. I’m Joe.”
The little girl cocked her head and then tugged her hand free of Nikki’s. She put her hand over Joe’s mouth, then nodded. “You’re not Joe. You’re Santa.”
Joe shook his head. “No way!”
The little girl rolled her eyes. “Not the real Santa, silly! The here Santa!”
Joe shushed her. “Not so loud. Not everyone is as smart as you to figure it out. I don’t want to get in trouble with the big man at the North Pole if he finds out I gave away his secret.”
Sarah leaned in and whispered, again at deafening volume, “What’s the secret?”
Joe grinned. “It takes a lot of energy to deliver all those presents on Christmas Eve night. So he rests up beforehand and has people like me come to the malls and other places to find out what all the little kids want!”
“I won’t tell,” she vowed.
Joe gave her a wink, just as the line moved forward again. He rose, looked at Nikki, and the heat in that single glance scorched her to her toes. She’d dressed for the occasion, even as she’d told herself she shouldn’t. The denim skirt and over-the-knee high-heeled boots were probably a little much for a carriage ride and hot chocolate, but they made her feel sexy. Beyond that, they made her feel powerful.
As they moved toward the next carriage that had pulled up, Sarah squealed in delight. “Can I pet the horse?”