Lacey Alexander [The Twelve Quickies Of Christmas Book 10 ] by Hot for Santa! Page A

and he d started a surprisingly naughty conversation, wondering what sorts of things she d be willing to do if a guy asked her to. But she d quickly figured out he was thinking of her as Everywoman on that particular evening, mining her for information about the tastes of the average girl on the street. It clearly hadn t been personal.
    Now she smiled and hoped the warmth she felt on her cheeks didn t equate to a blush.
    Reaching up, she pulled down his beard to take a look at that gorgeous, masculine face of his all brown eyes and olive complexion, a dark, sexy, two-day stubble on his chin. You re a pretty hot Santa yourself.
    His grin melted through her like warm syrup. Listen, are you busy tonight?
    What? Had that last signal actually worked ? It was Christmas Eve, so most people had plans, but given that Amy and Cole were both from out of town and neither had flown home to see their families this year, the question was logical and oh-so-welcome to her ears. Um, m having dinner with a friend and her husband, but after that He looked utterly enticing when he raised his eyebrows. Why don t you stop by my place on the way home? I don t have anything happening, and I hate to spend Christmas Eve alone.
    If nothing else, I m sure we can at least find Miracle on 34th Street somewhere on cable. In a teasing, singsong voice, he added, ve got eggnog, as if that would be the factor to push her over the edge.
    Sure. Sounds nice. About ten-ish?
    He nodded. See you then. As he began to stride away, he stopped and looked back at her with another alluring wink. As often as you ve seen me in this Santa suit lately, I hope you ll still be able to recognize me without it.
    * * * * *
    In preparation for Amy s arrival, Cole had plugged in the Christmas tree lights, lit a few candles, and built a blazing fire in the hearth. He d arranged the special gifts he d bought for her under the tree, and he d put his Santa hat back on one last time minus the rest of the outfit.
    Now, as he sat waiting for her, glancing down at his raging hard-on, he hoped like hell he hadn t gone too far, been too bold.
    But from the moment he d understood that Amy had a crush on him, he d wanted her.
    He d wanted her in a way that had nearly consumed him. And sure, they could go the usual route, take the path that began with handholding and gentle first kisses but somehow, with Amy, he d wanted more than that, from the start. She was sweet as hell, but he couldn t help wondering if even hoping that something darker and more feral might lurk inside her, as it did him. And if Amy didn t possess a hot, adventurous side, well, maybe if he was lucky, she would before the night came to a close.
    Either way, he longed to arouse her in a way she d never been aroused before. Already, he wanted to be different to her better than any lover she d ever had. He d always felt close to her, always wondered if maybe something beyond friendship could grow between them, and now that he was finally going to pursue it, he d decided to go no holds barred.
    He only hoped she d be as turned on by his game of seduction as he was.
    * * * * *
    What did you bring? asked Amy s best friend, Kelly, over the cell phone wedged tightly against Amy s ear.
    Cookies.
    Amy sat outside Cole s townhouse in her car glancing down at the cookie tin on the passenger seat. She d been nervous, so she d called Kelly to shore up her confidence.
    Cookies are good. Now, more importantly, what did you wear?
    Black jeans, red Christmas sweater.
    No, silly. Underneath
    Oh. Amy let out a sigh. Well, I wore plain white underwear and a white bra.
    Kelly s voice brimmed with her usual dry sarcasm. That ll really turn him on.
    Look, through my entire elf career, I wore a sexy bra and panty set under my elf suit every single day, just in case he ever started reading my signals and made a move on me.
    And
    And, well, after twenty-eight days of lacy lingerie, I guess I m officially giving up.
    Even if he had told her she was cute