Seducing Santa (Holiday Series Book One)

Chapter Seven~Mistletoe And Holly

Holly had no idea what had come over her. She ran outside to get some air, dizzy from having drank the eggnog too quickly. She could hear the auction going on as she sat down at a table, the patio area abandoned since everyone was inside. She took in a few deep breaths of the crisp cold air, trying to clear her head and cool down her burning cheeks. If things had gone on any longer she may have truly embarrassed herself while sitting on his lap, only being able to think about what his lips might taste like and resisting the urge to run her hands over that chiseled chest of his.

She had just met the man! She was never the kind of girl to just go to bed with someone she hardly knew, she had a strict three-date policy. Even though she never went past the dating phase in a relationship she still had her standards. She still had to know someone well enough before she took them to bed.

However, what would be the harm in that? He seemed kind enough and when was the last time she had ever allowed herself to truly just let go and throw caution to the wind? Out of all the men she dated, no man had ever made her feel so alive in a matter of seconds. When they touched it caused a burning ache deep within her core. One that she longed for him to satisfy.

“Five-hundred!” came a very loud voice from inside.

She had only slightly overheard what they were auctioning off. Something about an all-expenses-paid night out on the town? That seemed like a huge bid for something so small. She stood up and headed toward the door and saw Grayson standing next to Evelyn, putting two-and-two together rather quickly. It was not just a night out on the town, it was a night out on the town with him.

“Eight-hundred!” Came another bid, the girl standing near the far corner of the room.

It was the same girl that had stopped by and given them eggnog. Holly had felt how tense Grayson got the moment he saw her, something about her made him nervous. She glanced towards Grayson and could easily see the uneasiness on his face, his stance becoming very stiff. She may have only met him, but Holly had a talent for reading body language, a skill that came along with years of being an event planner. You had to learn how to read a room and right now she could feel the tension rising. On impulse, she stepped farther into the room and raised her hand.

“One-thousand!” She yelled, instantly turning red when all eyes turned to look at her.

What on earth was she doing? It had almost been second nature for her to intervene, hating to see someone in distress. She wanted to slap herself for instantly going into hostess mode and trying to deescalate a situation. She was almost hoping someone would outbid her until she finally got the courage to glance toward Grayson.

“Sold to the pretty blonde in that back!” Evelyn announced.

The smile on Grayson’s face was worth all the money in the world. She could see all the tension was gone as he made his way through the crowd towards her, gratefulness in his eyes, along with another emotion she couldn’t quite place. She heard someone scoff loudly and high heels stomp off, guessing it had been that girl she had outbid but not daring to look away from Grayson. When he finally reached her he grabbed hold of her hand and lifted it to his mouth, placing a kiss over her knuckles.

His lips were soft and warm and she longed to feel them pressed against hers. The thought had come so suddenly into her mind that she snatched her hand away a little too quickly, letting out a nervous giggle. Her mind working fast to come up with a reason for her impulsiveness.

“ I need someone to show me around the town, who better than Santa?” she offered, relieved to see him grin and let out a chuckle.

The whole room joined in on the laughter before Evelyn announced the auction was over and to enjoy the rest of the party, the music starting up again with the soothing sound of Frank Sinatra’s voice singing about mistletoe and holly.

Grayson reached for her hand again and this time Holly let him take it as he led her toward the dance floor. He took her into his arms and began swaying to the music, Holly was a little nervous because she was not the best of dancers. She tried to remember the placing of her feet and glanced down to make sure she was doing it right before she felt a hand under her chin, urging her to look up.

“Just follow my lead,” Grayson said, right before he started turning her around the dancefloor.

Holly tried her best to relinquish control to him, still apprehensive that she would step on his toes or stumble in front of everyone. However, after a few turns around the room, she had given in and started to truly enjoy herself, laughing even when he spun her out into a twirl before pulling her back into his arms.

He was an amazing dancer and it made her forget about everything and everyone, there only being them and the crooning of Sinatra. When the song finally ended she was almost sad, having had so much fun she did not want it to end, but the loud applause of the crowd made reality come rushing back in.

Holly looked around nervously, not used to being the center of attention. She could feel her face burning up again but was able to smile and nod before stepping out of Grayson’s arms and heading out of the room. The eggnog was really getting to her now and she needed to sober up so she could drive back to the B&B and hide.

She made it to the entrance where the front desk was and took a few breaths. The music had started up again and people were back to having a merry old time. Holly walked towards the sitting room she had been in before when she had first met Grayson, relieved to see no one was there. She took a seat by the fire, needing to get her wits about herself again.

“Here drink this.” Said Grayson, suddenly appearing beside her.

She had been so caught up she had not even realized he was there and she jumped in surprise, turning to glance towards the glass that was filled with some sort of pink drink.

“There is no alcohol in this, right?” she asked, taking the glass.

“No, I think we both have had enough for tonight,” Grayson reassured her before taking a seat beside her.

She nodded, grateful for his understanding before lifting the glass to her lips and taking a drink. It was cold strawberry lemonade and it quenched the thirst that she did not even know she had. Alcohol had a way of drying her out which was why she always tried to stay away from it, along with the fact that she was usually was working the party, not enjoying them.

“Thank you so much, I really should get going.” She said, putting the glass down on a small side table and standing up a little too quickly.

“Whoa there!” Grayson exclaimed, standing up as well to help steady her as she stumbled.

“Sorry, I guess I am not sober enough to go anywhere, yet.” She said, gripping onto his arms to get the room to stop spinning.

“You drove here tonight, didn’t you? I have a room upstairs you can go sleep it off, here— “ He explained while reaching into the pocket of his Santa pants and pulling out a key with a red key chain that had the number five written on it.” I can just walk home, but the farm is too far, and it's too dark for you to do that same.”

Holly grabbed the key and was grateful he was giving her another option. She really did have too much to drink, her tolerance level really low.

“Here, let me help you.” He said, wrapping his arm around her and leading her toward the stairs by the front desk that led to the rooms.

They had made it up, very slowly since Grayson refused to let go of her, and Holly was not steady enough on her feet. He continued to assist her down the hall and stopped in front of a door that had a golden five nailed to it, taking the key from Holly to unlock the door and open it for her. Just as she walked into the room and turned around to say thank you, she noticed a ball of mistletoe hanging right above the door frame.

She did not really want to say goodbye, she admitted to herself as she looked into Grayson’s alluring green eyes. Her eyes went to his lips, so full and soft, his light beard would probably be rough against her skin but she would enjoy that. She had wanted to kiss him so badly almost all night and what better excuse than mistletoe?

“Thank you.” She said, before grabbing onto his Santa coat and pulling him close.

Her lips crashed against his, her arms going around his neck. She could tell he was surprised but she could feel him wrapping his arms around her waist as he returned the kiss. She could sense his desire and knew he had been feeling the same way about her that she had been about him all night.

The kiss actually sobered her up a bit, enough to not be sloppy as her fingers entangled themselves in his hair. She parted her lips and nearly groaned in response as Grayson took her invitation, allowing his tongue to push past her lips. Their tongues met and Holly let out a pleasant little moan that seemed to trigger something inside of Grayson who reached down and placed his hands on her bottom, lifting her up. Holly broke the kiss for a moment to let out a sound of surprise but quickly wrapping her legs around his waist to steady herself. Grayson reached for the key that was still in the door and pulled it out before slamming it shut with his foot.