Page 43 of Santa Daddies

She narrowed her eyes on me. “I thought you needed to talk to me.” She grabbed my wrist. “Are you jealous? Because I didn’t ask him to do this.”

“I’m not jealous,” I said, but it came out harsher than I intended. I softened my expression. “I know you didn’t ask him to set you up.”

“Well then what’s going on? And don’t deny there’s something going on.”

“That’s between Lucas and me. But, Little Red, I hope you know you have no obligation to either of us.” I saw the instant I said it; she took it wrong.

She huffed. “And before all this bullshit I was going to tell you I was ready to tell my brother and sister about us.”

“Emily, you misunderstood.”

“Last night meant something to me, Kristoffer. You meant something to me.” She spun on her heel and stormed from my office doorway. “But apparently it was one-sided.”

“Emily!”

I called after her, but she only held up a flatted hand and walked faster.

“Don’t follow me.”

Later, when everyone met up at the ski lift, Little Red looked less irritated with me, so I skied over to her. She was wearing theadorable toque she’d been wearing when we went skating and a puffy pink ski jacket with black ski pants.

“You look adorable. May I ride up with you? I want to apologize for earlier.” I thought she was going to say yes, but then her eyes went to something behind me.

“Mydate is riding with me. Sorry, dude,” Lucas said, butting in and throwing his arm around her shoulder.

I gritted my teeth. Especially because Emily didn’t seem to want his arm around her. I started to speak up for her when she gave me a look and stepped forward making his arm fall off her.

“Right,” I responded, hopefully sounding as civil as I intended.

Emily opened her mouth to say something, but Lucas guided her to the open lift chair, and they were gone.

“I don’t know why the girls are so pissed at me for setting her up,” David said as he skied up on me. “I did it for her own good. She can’t choose a decent guy to save her life.”

I shook my head, shooting him an exasperated look as I loaded myself on the next lift. “Must be genetic,” I mumbled and was swept off.

“What? You don’t like Charlotte?”

“No, you can’t choose a decentguyto save your life.”

He scratched his head through his toque, looking confused.

When I was near the top, I saw Lucas. He was hard to miss with his one-piece neon-green ski suit. Pointing toward the double black diamond run, he stepped aside, and I saw Emily jabbing a backward thumb toward the green run. It made sense she’d want to do a green run first even if she could handle the blue. She’d said it had been a while.

I cursed the slow lift as I watched Emily change to point toward the blue run as if she was negotiating, when Lucas began tugging on her arm. Thankfully, she dug in her heels and ripped her arm out of his grasp. Lucas shook his head and left her whereshe wobbled and fell on her ass. I’d never been so relieved in my life as I hopped off the lift and skied toward her.

“Thank god!” I said sharply, startling her. “I thought he was going to drag you to the black diamond. Jesus, that would have been insane.”

“I handled it.”

I smiled. “Yes, you did.”

“I’m okay, Kristoffer, you don’t need to play papa bear and protect me from him. We had our fling, it was a great time, but it’s over and it doesn’t obligate you to be my bodyguard.”

“It wasn’t a fling. And I’m not playing papa bear; I’m playing Santa Daddy.” I looked to the top of the run he went down and frowned. “And he’s on my naughty list.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“I want more, Emily.”