She gave him a long look. “You should know, I typically only take alpha orders in bed.” It was a total bluff, of course, pure bravado. And okay, maybe she was trying to goad him into kissing her again.

“Molly.” He took a deep breath. “You can’t say things like that. I’ll take advantage.”

“Promises, promises.”

He shut his eyes and groaned. “Killing me.”

“Am I? Cuz it seems like you’ve resisted pretty easily.”

“Trust me,” he said, voice low and gruff. “Nothing easy about it.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Molly, look at me.”

Oh boy. She inhaled a deep breath and turned to face him. They were no longer playing around. His expression was serious, very serious, as he stroked a finger along her temple, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re incredible, and you should know that it’s been a long time since I’ve felt so tempted by someone.”

“Come on,” she said on a scoff. “You don’t expect me to believe that when you went out with that redhead from the pub like two weeks ago.”

“Not the kind of tempted I meant.”

She stared at him, trying hard not to read too much into that statement. “What does that even mean?”

“It means I want you, and I’m tired of resisting. But when I get you naked, it won’t be in an office where anyone can walk in, or in my car, and it sure as hell won’t be something one of us can’t remember.”

All her girlie parts quivered and she ordered them to behave. “You said when, not if,” she murmured.

The fingers he’d just run over her temple sank into her hair. Pulling her face to his, he kissed her long and slow and most definitely not sweet. By the time he pulled back, she’d forgotten what they were talking about. Hell, she’d forgotten her own name.

“When,” he repeated in a voice that made her toes curl. “Definitely when.”

Okay then. With hands and knees shaking a little bit, she got out of the car and headed to the entrance gate of the Christmas Village. They had to pay ten bucks to get in. “Yikes,” Molly said to the older woman staffing the ticket booth dressed in an elf costume complete with pointy shoes, pointy ears, a little green dress made out of a cheap material that couldn’t help but cling, and matching cap that didn’t quite hide the fact that she was about three decades past looking good in anything little and stretchy. “Ten bucks seems kind of steep for an empty Christmas Village.”

And it was true. The village wasn’t exactly hopping.

“Hence the ten bucks,” the woman said in a bored tone, hand held out for the dough. “Each.”

Lucas handed her a twenty and she winked at him. “Thanks, handsome.”

They stepped inside the village, their senses immediately assaulted by the scent of popcorn, the bright lights stretched across and along the individual stands, and the odd quiet. The temps had dropped and the fog had rolled in, playing peekaboo with the night.

“I feel like we’re in a horror flick,” Molly whispered. “If a clown jumps out at us, you’ll shoot him for me, right?”

“Absolutely.” Lucas took her chilled hand in his warm one and led her across a lane lined with hay towards a popcorn and hot dog stand. It was run by yet another elf. Lucas bought two dogs and two lemonades and gave the woman a flirty smile. “Slow night, huh?”

She smiled back. “Honey, they’re all slow when bingo’s running,” she said. “Everyone’s keeping warm while playing in the big old building at the end of the aisle.”

They ate their hot dogs and popcorn and walked most of the aisles. Or rather, Molly ate popcorn and hot dogs. Lucas strolled along with her, looking casual and laid-back, although he was anything but as his sharp gaze took everything in. “You’re not hungry?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m hungry.”

She looked up from her hot dog and met his hot gaze. His smile was pure sex and she swallowed hard and went back to her food, which felt far safer. Somehow it’d been a whole lot easier to resist him before he’d put his mouth on hers.

The craft stands held some beautifully created things and Molly used that to instigate some conversation with the two elves in charge.

“Holiday shopping,” Molly said with a friendly smile and picked up a small reindeer knitted cap. “Cute.”

“It’s for dogs,” one of the elves said. “I make them. My own Fluffy was the model for that one.”

“Cute,” Molly said and bought it for her dad’s new emotional support dog. And to hopefully encourage some more chatting. “What a fun job this must be.”

“Used to be,” the elf said wistfully. “I’ve been doing this with my girls for years now. Last year we made enough to go to Vegas. Eleanor, my sister, she married an Elvis impersonator.” Her smile faded. “But this year’s different.”

“How so?” Molly asked.

“Well, for one thing, the big boss isn’t paying us nearly what he should. He’s claiming he’s not making any money this year.”

Lucas looked around. “That might actually be true.”

The elf waved this off. “Everyone’s just in seven o’clock bingo right now. Emptying their social security checks and pockets into Santa’s coffers. Trust me, he’s making plenty. It’s just not trickling down, the bastard.”

“Alice,” the elf in the next booth called out. “Loose lips sink ships.”

Alice rolled her eyes and went back to her knitting.

Molly and Lucas moved down the aisle, but though the few other elves working were friendly, they didn’t open up in spite of the fact that Molly bought another hat, a scarf, and a throw blanket.

At the beginning of the next aisle of stands, there was a sign.

Elves wanted

And another at the end of that row too. This sign was out in front of a large trailer, the kind that construction sites used as offices. Molly stared at the trailer and then turned to Lucas.

“No,” he said.

She crossed her arms. “I don’t know if you realize this or not, but when someone tells me no, I tend to rebel for rebelling sake.”

“Good to know,” he said and gestured with his hand. “Then by all means, apply to work for a guy who’s a known asshat and also a possible felon.”

“His brother’s the felon,” she said.

He shook his head. “I stand corrected. Go to work for two known asshat felons.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Thrusting her lemonade at him, she headed to the office door.

“Shit,” he muttered to himself. “You walked right into that one, Ace.” He tossed her drink into a trash bin and started to follow her.

She held out a hand to stop him. “You’re waiting here.”

He came forward enough that her hand bumped into his chest. “Like you did at my mom’s?”

She left her palm on him. She had no idea how he did it, but he was always warm, and given the even steady beat of his heart, always collected. “You have to,” she said. “They’re not going to hire me if I have a big, badass bodyguard with me.”

His hand came up and covered hers still on him. “I’d be happy to guard your body any day of the week, but don’t forget you made a deal. We’re partners in this.”