A Mate for the Christmas Dragon Read online

  Jasper.

  God, he was amazing. Sexy, and funny, and sweet, and— Really, really sexy. He’d made good on his promise to enjoy every inch of her body the night before. They had made love over and over until they both fell asleep in each other’s arms. Abigail had never been so thoroughly satisfied in her life.

  She stretched out one arm. Her bed wasn’t that big; he must be…

  Not here.

  Her eyes snapped open, proving what her questing hand had already discovered. She was alone. Just her, the tangled bedsheets, and the cold lump growing in her chest.

  She sat up and wrapped her arms around herself. The happiness that had enfolded her as she woke up fell away in tatters. She felt cold, and weak, and above all, stupid.

  What did you expect? Of course he hadn’t stuck around. Why would he?

  A heavy feeling settled on her limbs. For a moment, the desire to fall back into bed, cocoon herself in blankets and hide from the world was almost too strong to resist. But she had to resist it. She couldn’t let herself marinate in unhappiness, not now, not this close to Christmas. She had to move.

  She jumped up and hurried to the bathroom. There’s no point feeling sorry for yourself, she told herself firmly as she turned on the shower. You just got laid more in one night than you have in five years. You should be happy, not moping around just because…

  She sighed and hung her head under the pounding spray. Anyway, he was a great distraction, if nothing else. And late nights start tonight, so it’s not like you’d have time for anything else, even if he didn’t have better things to do.

  By the time she got out of the shower, Abigail had almost convinced herself that she was fine. Not happy, maybe, but… fine. She wrapped a towel around herself and automatically trudged over to her clothes horse. She was working a double shift today so there was no point her getting dressed in normal clothes when she’d be in uniform all day—

  She stopped, and swore. Her work costume wasn’t hanging on the clothes rack. Because she hadn’t washed it last night. Abigail pinched her nose and groaned. No, she’d left it bundled into a wet, smelly lump at the bottom of her bag, while she was busy with her great distraction.

  Abigail glanced at the clock. Forty-five minutes before she had to be at work. Shit.

  She yanked her wardrobe door open. Nothing that would pass muster as an elf costume, of course. But maybe there would be a spare tunic at work she could borrow. Or— she shuddered— maybe if she just wore a normal skirt and leggings, and Carol’s jumper, that would be Christmassy enough for Mr. Bell…

  Someone knocked at the front door. Abigail frowned. She wasn’t expecting a delivery. Maybe they had the wrong place. She shook her head and sorted through her clothes. Is blue or purple more Christmas-appropriate? she wondered, and then grabbed a plain black skirt and a pair of thermal tights.

  Whoever it was knocked again. Abigail pulled on the skirt, frowning. Had she ordered something? No. There was no way. She was always careful to cancel all her deliveries around Christmas, because she didn’t want to wait around expecting packages that might run late, or never come.

  Rat-tatta-tat!

  Abigail groaned and grabbed a top. Whoever it was, they weren’t giving up. And she had forty minutes to get to work. Enough time to grab a bite on the way— not at Gustaaf’s, she really couldn’t handle that right now— and get there in time to try to sweet-talk the boss into letting her get away with being out of costume…

  She yanked the door open, and her mouth fell open. “Jasper?”

  Jasper was standing with one hand up to knock. He was wearing the same clothes he’d had on last night, but slightly rumpled. The moment he saw her, a smile lit up his face.

  Abigail stared at him. “You… you came back?”

  Jasper laughed self-deprecatingly. “And got myself locked out. Here,” he said, raising both hands. “Breakfast. Coffee. And your elf costume, freshly laundered. I woke up early, so I thought I might as well make myself useful.”

  “I— you—” Abigail swallowed hard. “Uh, you better come in. You brought food? Definitely come in.”

  She stepped back, feeling dazed. He had come back. There he was, knocking snow off his shoes before he came indoors. Hanging up his coat. In her apartment.

  Reaching out to tip her head back, and kissing her, in her apartment. Abigail’s whole body flushed with delight and surprise.

  “I can’t believe you did my laundry,” she muttered as he handed her the garment bag.

  He grinned. “Well, I figured it was my fault you didn’t have a chance to get everything sorted last night. I got them to do the stockings, too, I didn’t know if you’d have spares or not.”

  Nope, candy-cane leggings are not a part of my normal wardrobe, Abigail thought. She glanced at the clock. Thirty-five minutes. Shoot. “Thank you so much.”

  “Save your thanks for when you see what I bought for breakfast.” He set a paper bag on her kitchen bench and Abigail grabbed plates.

  Thirty-three minutes. Oh, why the hell did I sign up for double shifts?

  Jasper grinned at her. “Thankfully, Cole wasn’t around to sabotage things this time, but you know, we are related. It might run in the family.” He unfolded the top of the bag and the delicious smell of warm, fresh baking wafted out. “Voila!”

  “That smells amazing.” Abigail inhaled deeply. “I’m not getting any traces of orange, or mint… that’s a good sign.”

  “Nope. Traditional, long-tested flavor combinations only.” Jasper paused, his eyes flicking to hers. “Er, I got them to do them fresh, without any of the icing decorations…”

  He tipped a pile of breakfast muffins onto the plates. Abigail recognized them: the bakery a few streets away sold them. She would have grabbed one on her way to work. But she would have had to choose between muffins decorated with piped-icing snowmen, trees, and Santa hats. These ones were plain.

  “Thanks.” She was so surprised, she couldn’t stop the smile that stole over her face. She ducked her head, feeling like an idiot, and grabbed a cheddar and chives muffin. Her favorite. Especially when she didn’t have to bite through a grinning snowman to get at the good stuff. “For the drycleaning, and getting breakfast, and… well, putting up with my stupid Christmas thing…” She stuffed the muffin in her mouth to stop herself from talking.

  Jasper’s eyes danced as he grabbed a pumpkin and cream cheese muffin. “Honestly, sugar icing on savory muffins? I don’t know what they were thinking.”

  Abigail swallowed. “Well, you know this town. Everyone goes crazy over Christmas.”

  “Which does make me wonder what a person who hates Christmas is doing, living here.” Jasper’s eyes went wide. “Er, I mean that in a non-judgmental way…”

  Abigail waved his apologies away. “No, it’s all right.” She took another bite of muffin. It really was good. “I moved here a few years ago. Grew up back in the city, but after Mom died, I wanted a change. I’d always loved mountains, so I packed up and moved here one spring… and didn’t realize what I had gotten myself into until the decorations started going up. In August.”

  “You didn’t want to move back?”

  Abigail shrugged. “Sure, maybe after another few years of double shifts I’ll be able to afford it.” She laughed. “It’s not so bad the rest of the year, though. I still like the mountains. Just have to tunnel-vision my way through the holidays.”

  “You work at a gift shop. That must require a bit more than tunnel vision.” Jasper brushed crumbs off his fingers onto the plate. “Creamer in your coffee?”

  “Please. And who needs tunnel vision when I have that stupid hat falling over my eyes at work all day? Speaking of…” She glanced at the clock and swore. Surely they hadn’t been talking that long? “I have to get to work. My shift starts in ten minutes, and Mr. Bell is a stickler for punctuality. In fact, according to him, I’m already late…”

  She ripped her elf outfit out of the garment bag and hesitated. Yes, Jasper had a
lready seen her naked. But it still felt weird to undress in front of him.

  Her lips tingled where he’d kissed her hello.

  Yeah, taking your clothes off in front of him when you’re already late to work is a terrible idea, she decided, and darted into the bathroom.

  Jasper had tidied up their breakfast by the time she came out again. He handed her a takeaway cup of coffee as she checked the clock. “Three minutes. Think we can make it?”

  She stared at him. “You’re not coming to work with me.”

  “Aren’t I?” He linked his arm through hers. “When else will be get a chance to plan our next date?”

  “Our next— ?” Abigail’s eyes flicked to the clock. No time. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Jasper

  Abigail was marching at top speed down the street, and Jasper couldn’t decide which he would prefer: marching arm-in-arm with her, or following a few paces behind and enjoying the sight of her candy-cane legs. Her elf dress was shorter than her coat, giving the appealing illusion that all she had on under her quilted winter jacket was the stockings.

  He decided to stick with marching arm-in-arm. She was walking so fast he was worried she’d leave him in the dust if he let go. She’d raced around the apartment before they left, stuffing a few things furtively in a bag, and now she was practically sprinting down the street. If he let go and she left him behind, he’d never get their plans sorted.

  The clock was ticking. He hadn’t felt the strange, sick shaking apart of his human and dragon halves since he first kissed Abigail— but he knew he wasn’t home safe yet. Tick, tock.

  “Four days,” he muttered out loud.

  “What?”

  Damn it. “Uh, I was just thinking. Four days until Christmas. That gives me…” He made a show of counting on the fingers of his free hand. “Hmm… twenty-four hours in a day, minus, I’m assuming, eight-hour work days— I guess we’ll need to sleep a bit, too, let’s say seven hours a night although I don’t think we quite managed that last night… I make it thirty-six hours available for dating.” He lowered his head to whisper in her ear: “Not including the hours where you’re sleeping in my arms.”

  A line formed between her eyebrows. “Less than that.”

  He stared at her, and she grimaced. “Sorry. I’m working double shifts.”

  “Lunch break?” he suggested. She shook her head.

  “The shifts are back-to-back, so I don’t get a long break between them. Just a half-hour lunch. At three. If we’re not slammed, which… we’re a Christmas gift store. We’ve been slammed since Halloween.” She rubbed her forehead and frowned harder. “We’re meant to get a short break for dinner too, but… well, meant to doesn’t always line up with reality. So that’s, what… sixteen hours?”

  “Damn it, and I’m meant to look after Cole from two while his mom gets the Santa presents.” Jasper tried to smile, though his mind was still screaming in disbelief. Sixteen hours?

  He shook himself. Sixteen hours into four made four hours a day for him to woo her. He’d follow her around carrying her grocery shopping, if that was what it took. Date nights at the laundromat. Or, at the very least:

  “Dinner tonight?”

  She grimaced. “I don’t get off until ten again.”

  “You’re kidding me!”

  Abigail let out a bark of laughter. “Afraid not. I’m on late nights until Christmas Eve—”

  “Great, so—”

  “— When I get off whenever Mr. Bell decides the shop is going to close, and no earlier. Sorry.” She bit her lip. “I didn’t exactly plan out my week on the understanding I’d be spending time with anyone.”

  Jasper’s heart twisted. Her tone was ironic, but— She really doesn’t have anyone to spend Christmas with?

  “I don’t see why that rules out dinner,” he said out loud.

  Abigail raised one eyebrow. “Mini pancakes and apple tart again?” She wasn’t quite smiling; he couldn’t read the expression on her face. Whatever it was, it looked precarious, like she was standing on the edge of a cliff waiting for his next words.

  “I’ll think of something even better.” A plan was beginning to formulate in his head. She said she liked mountains… And now she was smiling again. Properly. Jason’s dragon preened smugly as they turned the corner into the square. “Here we are.”

  They came to a dead stop outside Abigail’s work. Abigail turned to him. Her face was flushed with exertion. He couldn’t help but think of how she’d looked the night before, her eyes shining with pleasure as she moved beneath him.

  God, he wished he could take her away, right now. Inside him, his dragon flapped its wings. Fly away with her?

  Maybe in a few days.

  “I’ll see you tonight,” he promised. “Ten o’clock, right outside this door.”

  “Mmm,” Abigail said non-commitally. “All right. If you insist.” She turned to open the door— then spun back around and pulled him into a kiss. “You had better be here,” she whispered into his ear, and then fled.

  Jasper watched her disappear into the back of the shop. Joy glowed inside him like a sun, warming him from head to toe. Of course he would be here when she got off her shift. He loved her. He loved her!

  And his dragon would love her, too. Once it met her properly, not just seeing her through his human eyes. Everything would be perfect. He turned around, looking across at the giant Christmas tree he’d been standing under when he first saw her. This was going to be the most perfect Christmas ever.

  His pocket buzzed and he pulled out his phone. “Opal! Merry Christmas, best and most wonderful of sisters.”

  Her snort crackled through the speaker. “Hey, bro. I couldn’t help but notice our guest bed looks remarkably un-slept-in this morning. And you didn’t pick up the key for the cottage, which I thought you might do, so… Things go well with the roof lady?”

  “Her name is Abigail. And she’s…” His voice trailed off. There were too many words he could use to describe her— wonderful, incredible, heart-stoppingly gorgeous— and none of them were enough. He sighed, looking up at the strings of Christmas lights hanging above the square.

  “Oh, it’s like that, is it?” Opal laughed fondly. “I’m happy for you, Jas. Actually, I’m fucking relieved. You were cutting it kind of close, there. So, are you bringing her up to the lodge?”

  Jasper kicked at a snow-drift, breaking through the crust of ice that had formed overnight. “Hmm.”

  “Jas?” Opal’s voice held a note of warning.

  “She has to work. I’m seeing her again tonight, but she doesn’t get off until late and… I don’t want to disturb everyone once you’re already gotten Cole to bed.”

  Opal gave a disbelieving snort. “You haven’t sealed the deal yet, have you?”

  “Christ, sis, way to take the romance out of it.” Jasper breathed in. The square smelled like spices, and coffee, and— well, not pine, actually. The giant tree was plastic, after all. “She’s human. It’s not like with you and Hank.”

  “Worried you’ll scare her off?”

  “Worried she’ll think she cracked her head open when she fell off the roof and got a concussion, sure.” Jasper’s heart flipped. How would Abigail react when she saw his dragon?

  If she ever does, whispered a quiet voice in his head. His skin went cold.

  Of course she would see his dragon. Before Christmas. And after Christmas. And every Christmas afterwards. She was his mate. She completed him.

  His skin prickled as he realized the absolute truth of that statement. With her in his life, he would be whole. He wasn’t going to lose half of himself.

  And what if you can’t make her fall in love with you by your birthday?

  He shook his head. That wasn’t going to happen. He had a plan. Four days of perfect dates, and then she would be his.

  “You’re still looking after Cole this afternoon, right?” Opal’s voice cut through his thoughts.

  “Wouldn�
�t miss it.”

  “Oh, and you’re still in town, right? Can you pick me up a few things before you head back to the lodge?”

  Jas listened as Opal began to recite her shopping list, but quickly gave up and grabbed a pen and paper from his coat pocket. He was going to need to go all over town to pick up everything she wanted. Which would mean getting a rental.

  Which was perfect, actually. It would give him a chance to organize some things. And pick up a few items of his own…

  * * *

  Jasper tipped his head back, enjoying the crisp breeze playing over his face. It was another clear night. Here in the square, the only lights in the sky were the strings of Christmas lights— and the glowing, glittering Christmas tree. But beyond the electric lights, the sky was clear, and beyond the town…

  “You’re here!”

  Jasper spun around at Abigail’s voice.

  Abigail hurried up to him, her face tight with the sort of contorted half-smile people get when they’re trying to hide how pleased they are. She slowed down a few paces away, and Jasper pulled her into a kiss.

  “How was your day?”

  “Long.” She breathed out heavily and rested her head against his shoulder, just for a minute. “So— you’re here! What’s the plan?”

  Jasper rubbed his gloved hands together. Abigail’s hands, he noticed, were still bare. But her legs…

  “Enjoying the view?”

  Jasper snapped his eyes back up to Abigail’s face. Her cheeks were pink, but she was smirking. She had changed out of her candy-stripe stockings, but the black pants she was wearing instead were tightly fitting enough to capture Jasper’s attention. Really, if their skin-tightness was any indication, they probably didn’t provide much more insulation than the stockings...

  “Because, really, if your big plan is just to stare at my legs—”

  Jasper hauled his eyes up again. Abigail’s cheeks were even more pink— and she looked even more pleased. “It’s part of the plan, but not the whole plan.” Jasper slipped his arm around her waist. With two layers of bulky winter coats between them, he couldn’t feel much more than the outline of her body— but there would be time for that later. “The other part of the plan is… you said you like the mountains, right?”