13. Ivy

13

ivy

12 days until christmas

T he sunlight streaming through the window woke me, as did the smell of coffee and cinnamon rolls baking. I practically moaned at the sweet scent in the air.

Who was this man, and what had he done with Theodore Claus?

He was spoiling me.

All I could think about was how he’d kissed me last night, practically devouring me. I knew if I had let it, we would have gone farther. Why was I still holding back? I had felt the press of his length against me, and knew from his sheer size he was big, but it was something different feeling it.

And damn, I wanted it.

But I’d never been good at asking for things I wanted. Just the idea made my cheeks heat. I wasn’t a virgin, but I’d never particularly enjoyed sex before, either. But somehow, I knew that things with Teddy would be different. That when I gave into this heat between us, he would focus his sole attention on me and my pleasure.

No one else would ever compare, and I knew it. Damn him.

“Morning.” I leaned my hip against the counter, watching him cook. He was wearing a pair of plaid pajama bottoms but no shirt. I bit my lip. How was he so effortlessly sexy? And he’d been sleeping on his couch the last few nights. I’d run back to his bedroom like a coward after he’d kissed me, falling asleep with the smell of him around me.

That dimple popped in his cheek as he turned to face me. “Hey.”

“What’s on the agenda for the day?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

“Thought we’d mark off another item off the list.”

My cheeks must have been bright red because all I could think about was that last addition to the list. Was that why he’d kissed me last night? “Oh?” I finally choked out.

“Mhm. What do you think about making cookies?” He slid a plate of cinnamon rolls in front of me, and my mouth watered.

“You don’t want to go outside?”

Teddy shrugged. “It’s snowing like crazy out there. Seems like a good day to stay in. We can even put on a Christmas movie, and I’ll make more hot chocolate.”

“Okay. Sounds fun.”

“You’re surprisingly agreeable this morning.”

I blushed. “You’re doing so many nice things for me. I can’t really complain.” All the clothes and things I’d purchased yesterday had filled up his extra closet and the house, but Teddy didn’t seem to mind. “Are you sure you don’t have any work or anything to do?” I frowned.

He’d been working on some proposals back at Christmasland. I hated to think I was keeping him from that .

“Nah. I’ll finish them after Christmas. Besides, Dad’s always telling me I work too much, anyway.”

“Oh. I mean, if you’re sure…” I trailed off.

“I’m sure, Poison Ivy. Now eat up before they get cold.”

I complied, devouring the plate in record time.

What had I done to end up here? It felt a little like fate that Teddy had walked into my life, swept me off my feet, and then brought me home for Christmas.

“Alright,” I said, standing in the kitchen. Since we didn’t have to go outside, I was wearing a simple green dress that I’d packed, while Teddy was wearing a plain blue T-shirt. There was a fire burning in the fireplace, and the entire place felt so cozy. “Let’s do this.”

Teddy pulled ingredients out of the cupboards.

“I’m surprised your kitchen is fully stocked,” I admitted as I watched him. “Aren’t you always on the road?”

He sighed. “Lately, I have been. But I try to come home between jobs. Perks of working for your family’s company is you have a bit more flexibility with your schedule.”

“That makes sense.”

“Yeah.” He turned, looking directly at me. “It gets lonely though.”

“All the traveling?”

Teddy nodded, pulling out mixing bowls and measuring cups. “Constantly staying in hotels. Never being settled. I don’t think I even realized how lonely I was until…”

“Until what?” I whispered.

“Until I met you.”

“Oh.”

I’d never felt as seen as I did right at that moment. Because here was this man—this very attractive, handsome man, who was telling me things I’d been feeling for years. But I hadn’t realized just how empty my life was until Teddy had swept in. Maybe barreled in was a better word for it.

“So, what’s first?” I asked him, pushing my hair back behind my ears.

He brandished a recipe card, handing it to me. “Want to measure out all of the dry ingredients?”

“Sure.” I grabbed the sugar cookie recipe card and started dumping flour into the mixing bowl. He was using the mixer to cream the shortening, slowly adding in sugar as he worked on the mixture.

I didn’t know why I found it so hot watching him, but my eyes were glued to his forearms, and there was more than one time that I almost lost count of what I’d been measuring.

Doing great, Ivy , I scolded myself. I needed a distraction from how delicious this man was. I’d just focus all of my energy on the cookies.

We worked in tandem until the time came to mix all of the ingredients together when I took over, continuing mixing everything in the bowl while Teddy continued to give me instructions.

“Uh-huh. And then you mix it in like that.” He stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my body to help me mix the dough. It seemed highly unnecessary, but I wasn’t complaining. Not when he was pressed up against me, and his warmth was seeping into my skin. “Afterwards, we’ll put it in the fridge and?—”

“Teddy.” A laugh slipped free from my lips. “I have made cookies before, you know.” I poked at his forehead. “It’s not hard to follow a recipe.”

He groaned. “Why did you act like you didn’t?”

I shrugged. “This was more fun.” Rising to my tiptoes, I wiped the hair off his forehead. “And I wanted to do this with you.”

Dough forgotten in the bowl, I dipped my hands into the flour, flicking a small handful at his face.

“Oh, I’m so gonna get you for that,” he said, a roguish smile transforming his face. “My wicked little Poison Ivy.”

He grabbed a handful of flour, and I shrieked, running away from him. But it was no use—he was much taller and faster than me—and he caught me, swinging me around in the air, getting the flour all over me.

We were both a mess, flour everywhere yet I couldn’t stop smiling. I was still in his arms, and I wiggled from his hold so that I could turn around and look at him.

“Teddy,” I whispered, tracing my fingers through the flour on his jaw.

He grabbed my hand off his face and wrapped his fingers around mine before bringing it up to his lips.

“Ivy.” His voice was hoarse. Maybe it was his touch that did me in. Or the pleading tone to his voice. Or the fact that standing this close to him, his scent wafted into my nose. He smelled like pine trees, clean air, and… man . It made my toes curl in my socks. I leaned up, my lips only inches from his. I wanted a repeat of last night. To know that I hadn’t been dreaming when he’d kissed me.

Instead, he shook his head. “I’m trying really hard to control myself right now.”

I frowned, not understanding. “Why? When you kissed me…” Maybe I wanted him to lose control. It would be so easy in this position to bring our lips together. But if there was something else holding him back… “Did you regret it?” I whispered. I didn’t want him to regret it. Regret me.

“ No .” He looked horrified that I even thought that. “God no, Ivy. But everything in your life changed in the blink of an eye. I just wanted to give you time to process without…” He looked away. “All of this.”

“All of what?” I whispered. “All of you? Have you considered that maybe that’s what I want, Teddy?” I rubbed my nose along his throat, drawing in his scent. “That I want you ?”

He groaned, curling his finger around the point to my ear. “Do you not feel overwhelmed?”

“I’m still me,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “Elf or not, I never knew my parents, and I’m not going to now. Unless you’re telling me I have a whole family here I don’t know about…” I bit my lip. I was still alone. Nothing had changed.

I looked at the ball of dough in the bowl. The recipe said to let it chill for two hours before rolling it out. “Should we watch that movie now?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Lady’s choice.” Teddy bumped my shoulder playfully, and I turned to give him a small smile, only to find him looking at me with an emotion that I couldn’t quite decipher.

Maybe he knew I needed the distraction. But maybe there was something else, too.

I picked Rudolph , of course. It was my favorite growing up, and I didn’t care if it wasn’t one hundred percent accurate to reality. Though I had to admit, I felt even more fond of the creatures ever since meeting Teddy's reindeer.

After the movie, we finished our cookies, rolling them out and cutting them into various Christmas shapes. There were trees, snowmen, and reindeer, not to mention Santa hats and snowflakes. We whipped up a giant batch of frosting to decorate them, and by the time we were done, it was already dark outside .

The cookies were delicious, though, and well worth the wait. Never mind that I was pretty sure most of the icing had ended up in our mouths instead of on the cookies. They’d still turned out looking—and more importantly, tasting—amazing.

“This is my mom’s recipe,” Teddy admitted. “She’s made them for as long as I could remember.”

“I think I could eat these every day for the rest of my life,” I said, moaning around another bite. The frosting added the perfect sweetness. “She’s a genius.”

He laughed. “Sometimes I wonder what her life would have been like if she hadn’t married my dad.”

That surprised me. “She’s not from here?”

He shook his head. “No. My dad… he met her down in the States when he was younger and had one hell of a time convincing her this place was real and to come back with him.”

“But she did. And then they had you.”

Teddy nodded. “And now she’s Mrs. Claus.”

“Is it always like that?” I asked, curious. “How does one become Santa Claus, anyway?”

He chuckled. “The Claus family is a long line. As far as I know, it has been. But the last few generations of Claus’s have come from the same family. Mine. And they’ve always found their wives outside of the North Pole.”

“Huh.” I wasn’t sure why I found that surprising—after all, Teddy bore no pointy ears. There clearly wasn’t any elf blood in him. “What about you?”

Teddy, who had been taking a drink of milk to go with his cookies, spluttered out, “W-what?”

I didn’t know why I was jealous, but I was. For the faceless girl who would become his wife. His Mrs. Claus . Because he wanted to take over for his dad one day.

And that woman wouldn’t be me .

“Never mind,” I said, my cheeks feeling hot. I didn’t want to ask him how he was going to find a wife. “Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun.”

Teddy leaned against the back of the couch. “We could watch another movie, you know. Split a bottle of wine?”

As nice as that sounded, it was dangerous, too. Because Teddy wasn’t mine, and I was already feeling too greedy. The reminder that he would marry someone else was all I needed.

A yawn burst free from me. “I think I’m going to call it a night.”

He nodded, looking away. “Good plan. We have more list activities to check off tomorrow, after all.”

“Good night,” I murmured, trudging over to the door to his room. My hand wrapped around the doorknob, and I looked back at Teddy, feeling guilty. He was six feet tall, and he’d been sleeping on that couch. Meanwhile, I’d been in his bed, cozy and more comfortable than I’d ever been before.

“Teddy?” My voice was quiet, hardly above a whisper.

“Hmm?”

I fidgeted with the hem of my dress. “I think the bed’s big enough for both of us, don’t you?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

A blush crept over my cheeks. “It’s your bed. I feel guilty.”

“Sweetheart.” His voice was low. “I can sleep on the couch.”

“Come on, Theodore. Before I change my mind.”

I heard his footsteps as I turned and walked into his room, not bothering to turn on the lights as I slipped under the covers.

“No funny business,” I murmured, turning over to face him, though I could hardly see him with only the moon illuminating our faces .

“Of course not,” he agreed, a dopey grin splitting his face. “Whatever you say, Poison Ivy.”