What the Sleigh? Read Online Free Page A

mouth, and sinful lips. His touch, his taste…the little rumble he always made in the back of his throat when he was aroused.
    Had Ginger liked that rumble as much as she always had?
    The thought was like a dash of cold water in the face. Rudi snatched her lips from his, turning her head to break the kiss.
    “Nick, no.” Her protests were weak, even to her ears. He didn’t stop, kissing the corner of her mouth and along her jaw instead. When he nuzzled under her ear, her knees weakened, her hands clutching at his shoulders for support. She couldn’t…
    “Please—”
    “She said no, asshole.” A rough voice broke through the sensual haze surrounding her and the next second Nick was ripped away from her. The sound of fist on flesh was like a gunshot in the silence of the alley.
    She gasped at the sudden lack of contact, swaying on her feet only to be propped up by Darrick’s arm. He stood protectively in front of her, his leather clad body tensed for action as he glared at the Christmas elf sprawled on the ground in front of them.
    Nick wiped blood from the corner of his lips with the back of his hand and flicked a glance up at Darrick. If looks could kill Darrick would have been stretched out cold and unmoving on the dirt beneath their feet.
    “You’ve a good right hook, Pixie, I’ll give you that.” His voice was dangerously quiet and he flipped to his feet in a movement worthy of any martial arts movie, stalking toward Darrick with murder in his eyes. “Now it’s my turn.”
    “Yeah? Bring it on, asshole.” Darrick, never one to back down from a fight, snarled. “No one hurts my girl without answering to me.”
    “No! Stop it, both of you!”
    In a heartbeat, Rudi slid under Darrick’s outstretched arm and got between the two of them. Darrick was a good fighter, yeah, but Nick was something else. Before they’d taken on the magic of Christmas, the northern elves had been a warrior race. One which fought polar bears for fun. With the sort of magic Nick could pull, he’d end Darrick in a heartbeat.
    “Get out of the way, Rudi,” Nick snarled and kept coming. “This is between him and me.”
    “No!” She planted a hand in the middle of Nick’s broad chest, her back against Darrick. “No more fighting. I won’t have either of you hurt because of me.”
    “Oh, I won’t get hurt. He will.” Nick grinned nastily and pulled her hand out of the way. She slammed the other into his chest to stop him.
    “Yeah? You and who’s army?” Darrick was just as bad, snarling back. She had to side step and literally body slam him against the wall to stop him going after Nick.
    “ STOP IT!” she bellowed, the sound loud in the alley, startling them into silence. They might both be male and bigger than her, but she had the power of her deer backing her up. “Behave, or I’ll knock you both on your asses.”
    The door behind them opened, but locked in their own battle of wills, none of them looked around.
    “Everything okay, Rudi?”
    She didn’t turn around at the question, keeping her eyes on Nick while holding Darrick pinned between her and the wall. The voice, full of gravel and way too low to be human, belonged to Jared Stone, one of the agency’s werewolves. An alpha, he tended to keep an eye out for all the other shifters on the payroll.
    “Yeah. I’m good. We’re good. Aren’t we?” She directed the question at Nick, her gaze firm. “Aren’t we, Nick?”
    Finally, he nodded, body relaxing a little so it wasn’t pressed hard against her hand. “Yeah…”
    “Good.” She nodded. “Briefing tomorrow. 9 a.m. sharp. Don’t be late.”
    He searched her eyes, then the smallest hint of a smile crossed his lips. “Thank you…”
    She almost thought he was going to say something else, but instead he stepped back and walked away, nodding to Stone in the doorway and disappearing inside.
    Thank fuck .
    She breathed a sigh of relief, closing her eyes for a moment. That had been tense.
    “That’s