kissed the corner of one eye, tasting salt, tasting her. Then he showered kisses down the side of her face until she tilted her head toward him.
Their mouths met, and tentatively, hesitantly, they kissed. Then the kiss got deeper, and he finally understood what his parents talked about: that rightness, that sense he had found his other half, that sense of perfection, of—
“Oh, no,” said a male voice. Delbert’s voice. “Now I really will have to report this.”
13
THE SLEIGH ROCKED as Delbert climbed inside. He put both hands on the side of the door as if he was blocking someone’s escape, but Julka didn’t know whose.
It certainly wouldn’t be her. She didn’t want to move. She hadn’t wanted to break the kiss, but Marshall had done so, looking startled—again.
She almost brought her fingers to her mouth in amazement. She had never been kissed like that. She had never felt anything like that before. Never.
And she wanted to feel it again.
“Report?” Marshall asked, sounding a bit unsettled. “To whom?”
“You’d think it’d be to the big guy,” Delbert said, “but he doesn’t handle small personnel matters. Still, this is one of those things. I don’t like reporting anyone for fraternization, Julka, especially since I know how it can go, but I’m on double-secret forever probation, and if I don’t and they find out, I’ll never be able to leave the North Pole again. I’m sorry.”
He sounded sorry. She had never seen him look so upset, actually. He reached over to that flat countertop area and touched a red button she’d never noticed before.
And then he vanished.
“What?” Marshall said. “What was that? Is he still here?”
“No,” Julka said. She felt heavy suddenly. Her legs wouldn’t support her, and she had to grope for one of the chairs before she sat down. She had known it was a risk bringing Marshall here, but somehow she hadn’t thought Delbert would report her. Maybe he wouldn’t have without the kiss. Or maybe he was just giving her a chance to come to her senses.
Which she hadn’t.
She still didn’t regret this, no matter what the consequences.
“Where did he go?” Marshall asked.
“Headquarters,” she said miserably. “They’re going to bring the goon squad here, and they’ll clean up after me.”
“How will they do that?” Marshall asked.
She didn’t want to tell him, although it really didn’t matter if she told him. None of this would matter to him in…oh, five minutes or so.
But she didn’t want to lie to him, not even now, not when she could leap back into his arms and kiss him senseless until the goon squad got here.
“They’ll wipe your memory,” she said. “Delbert should have done it, but they’ve limited his powers.”
She had asked Delbert to do it, but that was before the kiss. It had broken her heart then. It would destroy her now.
Oddly, it felt like she had known this man her entire life—or maybe, it felt like she would know this man her entire life. Better than anyone else.
But that was going away too.
Her hands were shaking.
“They’ll make me forget?” Marshall asked. “They can do that? With magic?”
“I don’t know how they do it,” she said tiredly. “I just know that they do. S-Elves can. Santa can. To protect the myth, you know. It’s all about protecting the myth.”
“From what?” Marshall asked.
She shook her head. “We’re supposed to control the message.”
“And the message is that pretty women can’t kiss men they’re interested in?”
“No,” she said. “We can’t fraternize. You’re not part of the community. You can’t know about us, and I told.”
She worse than told. She showed him everything that she could in the short time allowed. He’d been inside the sleigh . No one got inside the sleigh. No one except people with clearance.
She hadn’t even had clearance until a few months ago.
“I can’t forget this,” he said. “This is
Their mouths met, and tentatively, hesitantly, they kissed. Then the kiss got deeper, and he finally understood what his parents talked about: that rightness, that sense he had found his other half, that sense of perfection, of—
“Oh, no,” said a male voice. Delbert’s voice. “Now I really will have to report this.”
13
THE SLEIGH ROCKED as Delbert climbed inside. He put both hands on the side of the door as if he was blocking someone’s escape, but Julka didn’t know whose.
It certainly wouldn’t be her. She didn’t want to move. She hadn’t wanted to break the kiss, but Marshall had done so, looking startled—again.
She almost brought her fingers to her mouth in amazement. She had never been kissed like that. She had never felt anything like that before. Never.
And she wanted to feel it again.
“Report?” Marshall asked, sounding a bit unsettled. “To whom?”
“You’d think it’d be to the big guy,” Delbert said, “but he doesn’t handle small personnel matters. Still, this is one of those things. I don’t like reporting anyone for fraternization, Julka, especially since I know how it can go, but I’m on double-secret forever probation, and if I don’t and they find out, I’ll never be able to leave the North Pole again. I’m sorry.”
He sounded sorry. She had never seen him look so upset, actually. He reached over to that flat countertop area and touched a red button she’d never noticed before.
And then he vanished.
“What?” Marshall said. “What was that? Is he still here?”
“No,” Julka said. She felt heavy suddenly. Her legs wouldn’t support her, and she had to grope for one of the chairs before she sat down. She had known it was a risk bringing Marshall here, but somehow she hadn’t thought Delbert would report her. Maybe he wouldn’t have without the kiss. Or maybe he was just giving her a chance to come to her senses.
Which she hadn’t.
She still didn’t regret this, no matter what the consequences.
“Where did he go?” Marshall asked.
“Headquarters,” she said miserably. “They’re going to bring the goon squad here, and they’ll clean up after me.”
“How will they do that?” Marshall asked.
She didn’t want to tell him, although it really didn’t matter if she told him. None of this would matter to him in…oh, five minutes or so.
But she didn’t want to lie to him, not even now, not when she could leap back into his arms and kiss him senseless until the goon squad got here.
“They’ll wipe your memory,” she said. “Delbert should have done it, but they’ve limited his powers.”
She had asked Delbert to do it, but that was before the kiss. It had broken her heart then. It would destroy her now.
Oddly, it felt like she had known this man her entire life—or maybe, it felt like she would know this man her entire life. Better than anyone else.
But that was going away too.
Her hands were shaking.
“They’ll make me forget?” Marshall asked. “They can do that? With magic?”
“I don’t know how they do it,” she said tiredly. “I just know that they do. S-Elves can. Santa can. To protect the myth, you know. It’s all about protecting the myth.”
“From what?” Marshall asked.
She shook her head. “We’re supposed to control the message.”
“And the message is that pretty women can’t kiss men they’re interested in?”
“No,” she said. “We can’t fraternize. You’re not part of the community. You can’t know about us, and I told.”
She worse than told. She showed him everything that she could in the short time allowed. He’d been inside the sleigh . No one got inside the sleigh. No one except people with clearance.
She hadn’t even had clearance until a few months ago.
“I can’t forget this,” he said. “This is
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