A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Christmas Goes Camo Anthology

ISBN # 978-0-85715-366-1

Trapped by Ice ©Copyright Allie Standifer 2010

Tempered by Ice ©Copyright Brenna Zinn 2010

Melting the Ice ©Copyright Desiree Holt 2010

Cover Art by Lyn Taylor ©Copyright December 2010

Edited by Rebecca Hill

Total-E-Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing.  Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2010 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank,

Ruston Way

, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom

.

Warning:  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers.  This story has been rated Total-e-melting.

CHRISTMAS GOES CAMO ANTHOLOGY

Trapped by Ice

Allie Standifer

Tempered by Ice

Brenna Zinn

Melting the Ice

Desiree Holt

TRAPPED BY ICE

Allie Standifer

Dedication

This one’s for Brenna & Desiree:

Thanks for joining me on this journey. I’ve had a blast getting lost with the two of you and I really can’t wait to do it again. The Vinions need a happily ever after too.

Allie

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Wii: Nintendo of America Inc.

Popsicle: Unilever Supply Chain, Inc.

Chapter One

White ground beneath his Mickey’s, white flakes in front of his face—white, white, white as far as the eye could see. Teague Jester despised the soft flaky substance. Give him a warm beach and hot sun any day. Too bad his orders demanded he freeze his ass off in the middle of an Antarctic blizzard. Five minutes or five hours ago, time had stopped meaning anything once the winter storm hit. He’d lost communication with his two other team members. All were military trained, shot full of the same experimental drug developed by Doctor Axel Cole. Thermavan maintained the body’s temperature at ninety-eight point seven, or at least that’s what the good doctor hoped. They were all guinea pigs for the drug. According to Axel, the only side affect so far—a heightened sex drive.

While he forced his extreme cold weather white boots, otherwise known as Mickey’s, through the calf-deep snow, Teague could admit, at least to himself, he should have paid more attention to Axel’s warnings. Scoffing at the man’s cautious nature, Teague had ignored the lecture. No man with any sense of self-preservation would get a hard-on in the middle of an ice cube. The tenting of his thermal underwear, and Arctic parka and pants, made a liar out of him. His cock wanted to fuck. Even with the risk of frostbite to his favourite body part, the stupid organ wanted out. He looked down, and frowned. “Not going to happen, buddy. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.” Great, he’d sunk so low he was talking to his penis.

Teague needed to get his bearings, set up a temporary shelter and keep trying to reach his two other team members. How the hell experienced, combat-trained military soldiers managed to get separated, he’d never understand. The parachute drop had been routine, as had the repacking of equipment and communications testing. One minute they walked as a cohesive group in standard formation, and the next Teague stood alone in a nightmare of white. His throat mic had stopped working, the GPS attached to his wrist bouncing the needle so much he couldn’t tell shit. Grateful the medication seemed to work at least half the time, Teague forced himself to stop. Snow blindness meant he could be two steps from the frozen ocean and not know it until the icy water closed over his head. Time to play it smart.

* * * *

The snowball in her hand glowed bright red before Kendil Jolly sent it crashing to the ground.

“I’m a B.E.L.L.,” she cried out to the mass of swirling storm. “I’ve been promoted to head of the South Station toy production. Where does it say I have to spy on soldiers too stupid to get out of the snow?”

Granted, B.E.L.L.S. did stand for Battle Elves trained in Logic warfare and Land defence Scouts. Kendil was trained to fight other magical beings, not human warriors. Those creatures were unpredictable and lacked any magical ability. Give her a good, old-fashioned fight with the Easter Bunny or Cupid, and she’d be there. Fighting mortals…that felt too much like taking candy canes from hairy, overgrown, not-so-smart babies.

“Watch the humans, Kendil. Keep them away from any possible sites, Kendil.” She kicked the snow and stopped to admire her new footwear. Pink, faux-leather boots with their four-inch heels looked sexy against the white background. They matched her pink, fur-trimmed cat suit perfectly. Too bad the only things out here to admire her stunning fashion sense were the penguins and humans. After dropping her perfectly shod foot, Kendil continued her mutterings. “Don’t let them die, Kendil. Don’t lead them onto a loose iceberg, Kendil.” Accidently set a human adrift once in three hundred years and no one lets you forget it.

A snowball formed in front of her face, but Kendil didn’t want to hear any more lectures. She wanted to scout for the new Toyland location, keep the big babies from falling into the chilly water, then get home before the reindeer games started. She had big money riding on Dasher this year.

With a quick swipe of her hand, Kendil dissolved the communication ball. She kicked her way through the soft, fluffy powder and wondered what to do with any humans she found. Since the ice flow idea had been vetoed, maybe she could put them on the cliffside, warn them not to move, finish up her real work then get them back to their base.

Really, what good were humans, anyway? Granted, some of the more creative ones had invented the Wii, which she loved. Currently, she held rock goddess title among all the elves. Except now that she was stuck caring for and babysitting the humans, those tricky flower elves would do anything to take the title away from her.

So humans had their uses, but sticking their fragile, big butts on the South Pole made her temper rise. Only humans could be so asinine and full of themselves to think they’d make it out alive And for a training exercise of all things.

What would the goofy beings think of next?

If Kendil had her way, she’d dump them all back where they came from, terrified of the South Pole and everything related to it.

“Sounds good to me.” Her pink shod foot swung forwards in anticipation, and the pointed toe of her boot stabbed into something soft and mushy in some places and hard in others.

“Sugar cookies,” she cried out, jumping up and down on one leg while holding her wounded foot. “Demented humans!” Only those silly creatures would be foolish and lazy enough to leave their rubbish in the middle of the Antarctic desert. She’d be more than happy to return their rubbish personally. Mortals seemed to always do their best to destroy the gifts Mother Nature bestowed on them. Leaning down for a closer inspection, Kendil gasped in amazement and released her injured leg.

“A human,” she said covering her mouth in shock. “Who would have thought I’d find one so easily.”

Kneeling in the snow to get a better look, she laughed. “He looks like a deranged polar bear.” With an unusual scarf wrapped around his head, big puffy white leggings and coat, he truly did resemble one of the native bears near her home.

“Hello?” Kendil poked a sparkling, pink-painted finger into his chest. “Are you alive, human?” If it was dead, did she have to care for it any longer? Could anyone blame her for its demise? If a human died in the Antarctic would anyone really care? Would it still be her responsibility if the thing died out here?

Decisions, decisions…

Biting her bottom lip, Kendil stared hard at the creature before her and wondered what to do. As an elf, cold weather never bothered her. She enjoyed dancing naked in blizzards, swimming with the seals, diving off ice sheets to hunt with the whales. Magic made her immune, so for the first time in a long time she felt lost and unsure. How did one handle an unconscious human? Why didn’t they come with manuals like the twinkle lights surrounding her home? A few simple instructions would come in handy right about now.

Resigned and feeling resentful because of it, Kendil expended a bit of magic to form a communication snowball. If anyone knew what to do with a possibly dead mortal, her best friend would. Hadn’t Tash fucked one into a coma last year? Given the details the other elf had shared, Kendil had had a few naughty fantasies about riding a human male until he cried Santa.

Things never worked that way in her experience. The way her luck ran, this human would look like the back end of a moose and probably smell just as bad.

“Cookies in a tin,” she muttered, and finished building her communication ball.

As she directed the magic to contact Tasha, she wondered if her friend had had better luck finding a possible location for Santa’s new shop, or if she’d run into anymore of these pesky humans?

“Hey, Tash, set any deer butts on fire today?” she asked as soon as her friend’s face showed in the glittering snow. So far Kendil’s day had been spent looking for lost humans. Then possibly killing the first one she’d found. The darn things were so breakable. Someone should have stamped fragile on their shiny behinds a long time ago.

“Bite me, Ken.”

“Maybe later.” Kendil looked down at the still figure at her pink-booted feet. “Hey, how do you tell if a human’s dead?”

Tasha’s exotic face paled while her pretty green eyes narrowed in accusation. Her friend huffed out an exaggerated sigh of patience. “Tell me you did not plunk another mortal on an iceberg?”

“Are we really going to do this? ‘Cause I have a whole list of things. I can start with last year’s hide the candy cane with that human scientist.”

“I was helping him,” her friend protested while a rosy blush stained her cheeks. “He could have died without me.”

“I wish someone would help me out like that.” Oh boy, how she wished someone would help themselves to her, over and over again. Preferably on a bed, with peppermint sauce involved.

Tasha’s sigh of defeat wavered over the magical link. “Blackmail is such an ugly thing.”

“Yep, which is why I hate doing it to one of my favourite people.” Kendil assured her.

“So did you or did you not kill the human?”

Humour leaked into the other elf’s tone and Kendil fought not to squirm with embarrassment.

Kendil angled her head, looking down on the lumpy figure already half-buried in ice and snow. Gingerly she poked her boot tip into what she thought might be the side. “Not really sure, I accidentally ran into him. Think my boot might have killed him?”

Long copper hair swirled around Tasha’s face as the wind picked up. “I doubt you’ve done any permanent damage. Get him some place dry and warm. Then get any wet garments off him before you really do some permanent damage.”

“A human…naked?” she asked, looking over the prone male. She’d seen better specimens on late-night satellite TV.

“Or you can hang out in the open, wait for Cupid’s Vinions to find you. Those bubble-headed bimbos would have a blast shooting your wide load full of arrows.”

Kendil didn’t take offence. She’d said much worse after a few bottles of Mistletoe Wine. “Great, I’ll figure something out. You done for the day?”

“As soon as I get rid of Reggie,” her friend informed her. “I was having such a good day too. I found the perfect site to set up our new shop.”

Kendil moaned in sympathy. Reggie acted like a bull moose in heat and pretty much looked like one, too. “Good luck with that. Let me know if I can help.”

Tasha shook her mane of curls, a small smile dancing over her lips. “I can handle things on my end, but I have a feeling your night’s just getting started.”

* * * *

He had to be dreaming. No reality Teague knew of included a roaring fire surrounded by ice, and a beautiful, half-naked woman dancing around in front of him.

“Jingle my bells, jingle my bells, jingle me all the way,” she sang. Long ropes of silver curls swayed with her fluid movements.

Teague really wished she’d let him jingle her a time or two. He licked his dry lips at the thought and ice blue eyes darted in his direction.

A wide smile broke across her lips. “Oh, thank the Toymaker, I didn’t kill you, mortal.” Her nicely curved frame closed the distance between them until she knelt at his side. “It’s your own fault really,” she accused with a soft, lilting accent he couldn’t quite place. “You are so…not made well.”

Teague jolted at her words. What the hell? He worked out daily to keep his body in fighting condition. “How the fuck would you know?” The words didn’t come out nearly as threatening at he’d intended. “I’ll have you know it’s a scientific fact that cold weather is not a man’s best friend. There are certain shrinkage issues when the temp drops.”

Pale blue eyes flashed a ‘duh’ look at him. “Check under your blanket, genius. Think you had enough smarts to get naked by yourself?”

With steady hands, Teague pulled up the soft, red and green throw covering him. Sure enough, everything hung out there. Well, except for the part of him that went straight up. Wait until he got his hands on that damn Axel. Occasional erections his ass.

“I will say this, you are extremely well developed in that area.” She smiled and patted his well-developed area.

Teague jerked his head up to find the strange woman checking out his goods with him. “Hey,” he protested and pulled the covers modestly up to his chin. “There are some things that should remain private.”

“Why?” Mesmerising eyes looked at him with confusion.

His mouth dropped open as his hands clenched defensively around his only source of modesty. “Woman, why am I here? And where is here?”

Obliviously giving up, at least for now, she sank back on her pink leather-clad heels and gave him an irritated look. “I saved your life.”

Didn’t she sound thrilled with her actions, Teague thought sarcastically.

“Ah, didn’t you just praise a toy that you didn’t kill me?”

Seriously, only he would get stuck in the middle of nowhere with the world’s hottest woman only to find out she was a few bullets short of a full load. Damn shame, too, but he made a point never to mess with the riders of short buses. They got damn mean when you pissed them off. This one didn’t look to be any exception.

“Phft.” She dismissed his words. “I stumbled across you, completely different situation. Now that you’re not dead, you need to leave, mortal. So goodbye and don’t let a Vinion’s arrow hit you in the ass on the way out.”

Oh yeah, she played for the slow team down the lane. Nothing out of her mouth so far made sense. Maybe he should be the one worried about her medical condition?

“Have you been out here long?” Teague made sure his voice sounded calm and easy. No sense in riling up any other personalities she may have.

She buffed her perfectly manicured pink nails along her matching cat suit. “Oh, not too long. Reindeer are great fliers, but their landings need work, which turned out to be lucky for you. I should have landed six miles east of here, but Comet is directionally challenged.” She stood in one sexy, fluid movement as her words flew out. The woman wanted to vent and from where he lay, the view couldn’t be better. Even if she didn’t have a cuckoo in her clock.

“And to think I went all the way down to Fairbanks to buy that walking jerky a portable GPS unit for Christmas last year. You’d think he’d be grateful, but noooo, he tried to antler me where the sun don’t shine. Last time I try to play nice with a flea motel.”

“Is there a hospital with bouncy, soft walls missing you? Or nice men with little cups full of pretty-coloured pills?”

She stopped her pacing to stare at him, as if he was the one with a missing link. “Mortal, you say the weirdest things.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because it’s annoying. What if I started calling you loose screw?”

A perfectly shaped shoulder shrugged in a careless gesture. “Why should I care what you call me? You’d be dead, just like that.” She snapped her fingers together and Teague felt a shiver of fear.

“You’re not planning on sewing my skin and wearing it like another outfit, are you? I hate to tell you, but I’m not a one-size-fits-all type of guy. My body is specially made for me alone. No resale value at all.” He edged away from where she stood staring at him as if he’d grown a second head.

“You do say the strangest things, mortal,” she mused not looking scary or cannibal-like at all.

“Call me Teague.” He gave up on rational conversation. What would be the point? His brain had gone numb and his cock wanted to burst with need. Slightly horny, his ass, Teague mentally fumed. Axel had some explaining to do if Teague got out of this alive.

“Weird name.”

He almost bit through his tongue to keep from snapping at her. “Your name is?”

“My name is Kendil Jolly,” her tone full of pride as she said the name.

“And you think my name is weird?” Takes all kinds, he reminded himself while his hand eased between his legs. Just a little relief was all he needed to take the edge off. If he could get crazy Kendil out of…wherever the hell they were, he’d finish himself off and get back to his unit.

“If you’re going to play with it, can I watch?”

He jerked his gaze from the rainbow-coloured ceiling, roof or whatever the hell it was, to stare at her. “Come again?”

She licked those sexy, pouty lips before repeating herself. “Can I watch you touch yourself? I promise not to bother you.”

“You’re nuts.” It must be catching because Teague actually spent half a second thinking it over.

“Are you embarrassed of your massive size? You shouldn’t be. I, for one, think it would fit nicely inside me.”

Teague swallowed so hard he could hear the echo of it in his ears. “You want to have sex with me?”

Kendil laughed and clapped her hands. “Oh yes. My friend Tasha fucked a human last year. For the next three months she glowed, said it was the best lay of her life. If you knew how old she was, you’d know that’s saying something.”

He shook his head, not sure where or how the conversation had turned. “You don’t like me.”

Now she frowned, sinking back on her heels. “What has one thing got to do with the other? I saw your cock. You are hard and dripping with need. I want to fulfil that need with my body. Are you a specist?”

“What the hell is a specist?” he demanded while his brain formed images of them, naked, skin-to-skin, devouring each other like horny wild animals.

“You know, someone who hates based on species?”

The little devil on his left shoulder smacked him. “What the fuck do you care? She’s hot. She wants to screw your brains out.”

The angel on his right shoulder only shrugged. “Dude, we need to get laid.”

“Come here.” He drew the blanket away from his body, giving her room to slide in beside him.

Kendil shot him a breathtaking smile before her clothes disappeared like magic and she pressed her hot, silky, naked flesh against him.

“If this is a dream,” he whispered against her soft mouth, “don’t ever wake me up.”

What in the name of winter was she doing? Kendil couldn’t stop her body from reacting to the human’s touch. Her skin ached for the callused caress of his hands while her mouth watered for the taste of him. Never before had she wanted a male, elf or otherwise, with such a desperate, burning need.

Damn Tasha and her big mouth, Kendil mentally cursed. Before her friend’s sexual encounter with a mortal, they’d both viewed humans as cute, but breakable.

One minute, she wanted this Teague person as far away from her as possible, and the next, she couldn’t get close enough to him. Was this what Tasha had meant by, ‘not being able to resist her mortal’?

“How can you smell so good?” His hot tongue fired the nerve endings at the sensitive hollow of her throat as he licked his way to her ear. “Like candy canes and fresh snow.”

“I’m a being of Christmas magic.” She shuddered with each hungry lap of his tongue.

“I don’t really care what you are right now. You feel too good to let go, no matter what medication you’re on.”

Kendil tried to object, but immediately his lips covered hers. His kiss was eager and hot as he claimed her mouth and she felt her own passion rise up to meet his. She brazenly pressed her body against his. Felt his thick erection against her stomach.

Though she’d been kissed before, nothing compared to the way Teague devoured her. He was the most talented man she’d ever locked lips with and she couldn’t wait to see what else he could do with that talented tongue.

One rough hand slid down her side to grip her waist while the other rubbed the soft skin of her stomach. His teasing hands trailed lower until she arched into his touch, nearly ready to beg for more.

Wanting to feel him, she ran her palms down his wide, muscled chest, enjoying the strength of his body. He groaned as her hand dropped lower, past the flat ridges of his stomach and into the dusting of hair leading to his cock.

“No,” he panted, tearing his lips away from hers. “You touch me and I’ll come.”

“So?” she shrugged, wondering what the problem was with that. “You’ll get hard again.” She’d make it so, and she nearly groaned with all the erotic ideas popping into her head.

Teague took a deep breath, pressed his damp forehead to hers and exhaled. “I have to be in you when I come the first time. Please.”

Kendil quivered with desire and need, and knew she’d do anything to fill the emptiness inside her. “Then do something,” she demanded, her body bucking against his sleek flesh.

High colour rode his cheekbones as he simply stared at her for the longest moment. Kendil had almost reached the point of getting herself off when he moved like a blizzard. One minute they lay side by side, and the next, she found herself on her back, knees bent, with his head between her spread legs.

He laid his rough hands on her inner thighs and pushed her legs further apart. She trembled, waiting for his touch. When he licked his lips she shook.

“Human.” She bit her bottom lip to keep from begging.

His startling navy blue eyes burned up at her. “Teague, woman. My name is Teague and you will be screaming it before I’m done with you.”

Ohh, she loved a challenge! “We’ll see who’s screaming whose name before this night is through.”

He didn’t respond, just settled himself deeper between her legs. Using his fingers, he bared her sex. When he pressed his open mouth against her moist skin, thrusting his tongue into her secret lips, she pushed against him, desperate for more, raking her fingers through his hair. He groaned against her quivering flesh as his hands tightened on her thighs.

With half-closed eyes, she stared down at him. He licked and teased, his eyes shut, absorbed in his task.

“You taste so sweet.” His hot pants teased her already aroused body.

Kendil didn’t fight the tension growing in her. She wanted to snap, to leap over the cliff to the fulfilment this human had promised her. When he sucked hard on her clit, flicking his tongue over it, she screamed his name.

“That’s it, honey, come for me.”

Her body jolted upright at the force of her orgasm. Gripping his hair, she circled her hips, pushing her clit harder against his tongue. All the while, he murmured erotic encouragements, licking and sucking her from one peak of pleasure to another.

Her bones puddled into melted butter, her muscles liquid with satisfaction when Teague finally lifted his head and slid up her body.

He caught her face between his broad palms and kissed her deeply. He nipped her lip then licked the spot with tender sweeps of his tongue. Kendil rubbed her aching nipples against his hair-roughened chest. She didn’t think she’d make it another minute without feeling him pulsing deep inside her.

His flat nipples were as hard as her own, and she moaned at the additional proof of his desire. The glide of the back of her hands on her own nipples turned her on even more.

She was wet with desire, aching with need. She restlessly shifted her legs against the thick blankets under her, wanting him inside her, but knowing the anticipation flamed the fire higher. Taut as a pole, Kendil bowed her upper body off the bed when his lips left her mouth to bite down lightly on her breast.

She yanked his mouth back to hers. The kiss went supernova. A frantic mating of tongues and teeth.

Finally, when she could stand the suspense no more, Teague’s knees spread her legs apart and he slid over her. He rocked against her wet slit, pushing inside the juicy, greedy opening.

And slipped balls deep with one desperate thrust.

He was huge, hard and moving the moment he bottomed out inside her. The sensation blew her immortal mind. Unbearably aroused, Kendil wrapped her arms around him. The muscles in his back flexed and flowed beneath her exploring hands. She revelled in the feel of him around and in her. Passion, burning and desperate and out of control, had her body bucking up to take more of him. He shoved all the way to her cervix, withdrew, only to come back harder and faster. His lips left her mouth, trailing passion marks along her neck. He fucked her deep as his harsh breaths teased her ear and added another layer to the haze of desire boiling inside her.

He plunged again, his teeth biting into her shoulder like an animal holding its mate in place. A shot of pure lust jolted straight to her pussy as she came again, this time screaming his name. Large, callused hands cupped her ass, pulling her tightly to him.

“Squeeze me hard,” he demanded as sweat glued their bodies together. “Milk my cock, honey.”

Kendil did as he asked, too lost in the demands of her body to even think of refusing.

When he withdrew, she followed him, thrusting her bottom off the bed, digging her heels into his tight ass, leaving her clit open to his every downward stroke.

“Fuck that feels so good.”

He fucked her harder. The wet sounds of their bodies slapping together was the only noise in their small hideaway.

“More,” she demanded, her body already winding up for another orgasm. “Fuck me harder…oh…oh…yes.” Kendil leaned up, her mouth near his ear. “Fuck me, Teague. Please. Just fuck the—”

She didn’t get a chance to say another word as his mouth slammed down on hers and he fucked her exactly how she needed it.

The shocking intensity of her orgasm went on and on, shoving her out of her body while the whole world exploded around her. Bright colours showered through the darkness around her.

Kendil’s body shook with each ripple of sensation that flowed through her, drawing out her pleasure until she knew nothing but Teague and the pleasure he gave her. She tightened around him as her familiar world disappeared.

Somewhere in the background, she heard a masculine cry of fulfilment. Hot splashes of cum flooded her depths as Teague came hard, shuddering and shouting her name. Right before he collapsed on top of her.

Chapter Two

“We’re not done.”

Sleep had just eased over him when he felt a finger poke his never-ending hard-on. “Trying to sleep here.”

“How can you possibly sleep with all that going on?” the beautiful, demented illusion demanded to know while her tricky fingers teased his too-sensitive flesh.

“It’ll still be there when I wake up.”

Her magical, ice-blue eyes narrowed in thought. “So, no matter how many times you come, you’ll still be like this?”

He almost grabbed his poor cock in self-defence, but held on to remnants of his pride. “Anything sounds bad when you say it like that.”

Staring at the colourful swirl of the ceiling, Teague jumped at Kendil’s next move.

With a shout of pure glee, she straddled him, positioned his cock at her dripping entrance then pushed his hard dick inside her again.

He stared up at her in amazement. “You can’t be ready so soon.”

Long silver curls danced around her shoulders as she shook her head. “You think I’m going to let this go to waste?” she squeezed her internal muscles around his cock in a way that had him bucking hard beneath her. “Then you’re crazier than Mort, the one-eared moose. The first round just took the edge off.”

Teague gritted his teeth to keep from grabbing her hips and slamming into her as deep and hard as his instincts screamed for him to do. “Then by all means, use me like a cheap whore.”

Her smile should have sent him running for cover. Instead, he felt his heart race and his dick pulse. He truly was a sick, sick man and somehow that didn’t seem so bad anymore. Not with Kendil kissing his neck and rubbing her nipples against him. He found it hard to care about anything.

For just a second, Teague stopped moving. He allowed himself to feel her body against his. Her pussy tight around his cock. He’d never felt anything better than Kendil’s wet sheath grasping, pulling him deeper.

He leaned up to press desperate kisses on her forehead, cheeks and mouth. Then he dropped his head back onto the cloud-soft pillow beneath his head. “Fuck me,” he demanded. “Take my cock and ride me hard and fast.”

And she did. Time after time they took each other until Teague didn’t remember what it felt like to not be in her body. He’d licked and sucked her pussy until her unique flavour had imbedded itself in his brain.

They’d fucked against the wall, across the small table, on their hands and knees. Everything either one could imagine, they did. And still his cock rose from the dark nest of curls needing more.

Kendil eyed his wet cock with possessive eyes then licked her lips. “Good thing I’m still hungry.”

“Is that a fact?” he choked out, not wanting to ruin the moment by begging.

“I figure I need a little protein after all that hard work.”

He nodded his head like a lame ass bobble-head doll. “Uh huh.”

She smiled up at him. “You okay with that, mortal?”

Again came the head nod. “Uh huh.”

She dropped to her knees teasing his enormous throbbing dick. With the tip of her tongue, she licked off the small bit of pre-cum shining on the head.

Lifting her eyes up, they stared at each other for a heartbeat. Teague had stretched his arms above his head, hands clenching a metal rod that had magically appeared out of thin air. That was something he should be thinking about if only he could get his brain working. Too many weird things weren’t adding up, but Kendil’s eye’s flared with desire and he let any thoughts of rational thinking go. He couldn’t take the intensity of her gaze and closed his eyes on a sigh. He leant his head back, ready to be brought to his knees by this mysterious, magical creature who’d appeared out of nowhere to save his life. And give him the best orgasms of his life.

How could he give this woman up?

Kendil leant forward and let her tongue swirl around the head. Only once, a gentle tease, like the ones he’d used on her all throughout the night. She pulled away, her eyes rising to meet his navy-blue ones. Slowly, with great deliberation, she licked her lips.

“Fuck, are you trying to kill me?” he asked as his hips thrust forward.

“No way. I have a great many plans for this big fellow.” She patted the head with her palm.

Teague broke under her touch. “For the love of all that’s holy, if you don’t want me to keel over here and now, you’ll put my cock in your mouth and deep throat me like you can’t get enough.”

“Why didn’t you just say so to begin with?”

Without waiting for him to reply, Kendil opened her mouth and swallowed Teague’s enormous cock until the tip hit the back of her throat. She tightly closed her lips around the swollen head and sucked on the sensitive flesh, hard.

Teague shouted something she didn’t understand, his hands fisting tight on the bar she had manifested above his head.

She pulled back until only the swollen, red-veined tip rested in her mouth. She teased it with her tongue then sucked on it. With a deep sigh of pure pleasure, she deep throated him again. She hadn’t known sucking cock could be so much fun. Most men made it feel like a chore, one to get over with as soon as possible. With Teague, she savoured his unique flavour and taste.

All she wanted was for her new lover to lose control. To fuck her mouth the way she knew he wanted to. She stroked his dick with her mouth, sucking hard when she pulled back, licking when she went down again. She used her hands to cup and roll his balls. They were tight, and she knew he’d come soon. Kendil couldn’t believe how desperate she was for him to come in her mouth. She wanted to taste him in the back of her throat.

She sucked and swallowed, his shout of release fuelling her need to take everything he had to give. He came with a cry, his hot cum filling her mouth almost faster than she could swallow. His hands gripped her hair. He tugged, forcing her to look into his face. Without releasing his cock, she did. What she saw in his blue eyes shook her to her very core.

More than lust, more than need or desire, Kendil saw emotions she didn’t want to name. Instead, she continued to suck and tease his flesh until he grew hard within her mouth again.

Kendil finally released her grip on his dick when he nearly yanked her to her feet by her hair. Stunned and shocked by this primitive side of him, she stared open mouthed until he crushed her to him in a brutal kiss that made her whole body burn. She knew he had to taste his own release on her tongue, but that seemed to only fuel his need higher.

Teague spun them around until her breasts were pushed against the cold ice wall. His insistent dick slid between her dripping folds.

“How can I still want you this much?” Teague didn’t wait for an answer.

He used his legs to spread her thighs apart. With one hard, flesh-slapping thrust, he filled her, over and over again, until once again her world exploded, leaving only Teague to hold onto.

* * * *

Kendil woke up with her head resting on a hard chest, her arm thrown over Teague’s gently rising stomach and one leg tucked between his hot thighs.

“You’re finally awake.” His warm breath tickled her ear as he spoke.

Embarrassed and not sure why, Kendil nodded her head, refusing to speak, afraid her voice would wobble.

“Good, then you can explain exactly what the hell is going on here.” The harshness of his tone belied the gentle stroking of his hand over her back.

Swallowing hard, Kendil risked lifting her head from the comfort of his body. “What do you mean?”

He gave her a ‘duh’ look. “I mean, where are we, how did I end up here and more important, how did you get here?”

All easy questions to answer if she wanted to tell him the truth, but the truth wasn’t something she spoke of lightly. Her people’s whole existence relied on secrecy.

He must have read the start of lies in her eyes because he gently shook her. “No, don’t insult either one of us with lies after the night we’ve shared.”

Fine. What were the chances he’d believe her anyway? Her mind made up, Kendil started at the beginning, explaining the communication she’d received to be on the lookout for lost humans, literally running into him buried beneath the snow and creating their temporary shelter out of magic to protect him.

She’d just started to explain the Vinion threat when he finally interrupted her.

Leaning up on an elbow, looking better than a human male had a right to, with his shadowed beard, he peered down at her. “Cupid, the little guy with wings and a bow, is out to get Santa?”

“He’s jealous of Nick’s following and the fact that people all over the planet love and respect him. Cupid thinks since he’s the deity of love, he should have all the attention and devotion. With Nick opening up a new Toyland branch, he’ll have more of both while Cupid loses out.” She stared up at his dark blue eyes wondering when he’d laugh and shove her away. “And Cupid is not a cute, small baby with wings and a bow. He’s over six feet tall with a body made for love and the face to match. He’s just portrayed that way because he pissed off the muses once upon a time.”

Teague shook his head, dark hair falling over one eye before he impatiently pushed it back. “This is the story you want me to believe? Cupid is a man-whore with sex kittens out to blast you. Santa is real and expanding his business in order to fulfil more children’s wishes?”

The disbelief in his voice had been expected, what she hadn’t expected was the hurt that filled her. Stupid, she scolded herself. What else had she thought would happen? Feeling like an unschooled, first-year elf, Kendil scrambled out from under the covers, feeling vulnerably naked, and for the first time, she magically clothed herself.

“If you’re done making fun of me, I’ll direct you out of here and back to your comrades.”

She waved a hand and dissolved their shelter, feeling a spark of satisfaction at his yelp of surprise as he fell naked into the cold snow.

“What the hell?” He scrambled out to his feet, shivering and rubbing his exposed skin. “Have you lost the last of your marbles? There is no such thing as magic. Santa, Cupid and the Easter Bunny are just fairytales.”

“Looks like magic just dumped all over your ass.” Looking at him, his naked body turning red from the extreme temperature, she felt a small spurt of pleasure. So much for magic not existing.

He shook with cold and disbelief. “This can’t be happening.” Teague turned in slow circles. “Where did the bed go? Where the hell are my clothes?”

Looking thoughtful, Kendil tapped a finger against her chin. “Since it couldn’t be magic, this must all be one big, bad illusion.”

“No…not…fun…funny.” His teeth chattered as his pleasure-giving lips turned blue. As much fun as watching him suffer was, she didn’t want him to die.

Giving him a wink, she waved her hand again and clothed him in the same gear she’d found him in.

Except she added one minor change.

“Fuck, Kendil,” he shouted, looking down at his now hot-pink snowsuit. “You are a sick woman. Change it back,” he demanded, holding his arms out wide.

“No.”

“No?”

Nodding her head, she repeated, “No. The colour suits your complexion. I bet your colour wheel is spring.”

“Screw my colour wheel, whatever the hell that is. I can’t wear pick combat gear.” He looked over his outfit, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. “It’s just not right. I’ll be the laughing stock of Special Ops. The other guys will kick me out of the clubhouse.”

“Then are you finally willing to accept everything I told you is the truth?” Why she wanted him to believe her so badly, Kendil didn’t know. It’s not as if she’d see him after his mission was completed.

Teague finally stopped spinning in astonished circles. “I have absolutely no idea what I believe anymore.”

He sounded so defeated part of her yearned to wrap her arms around him and offer comfort. The other half wanted to face plant him in the snow and do the Jingle Bell Hop on his naked ass.

What to do, what to do, she wondered thoughtfully?

The decision flew out of her hands as a grey-tipped arrow flew by her, narrowly missing her arm. If she hadn’t had elf speed, the damn thing would have nailed her.

“Duck,” she screamed at Teague as she launched herself across the distance separating them. Wrapping both arms around his knees, she tackled him to the ground as a volley of arrows flew over their heads.

“Damn horny bitches,” she muttered, while gathering her magic. “Next myth celebration, I’m freezing their asses into ice sculptures.”

“Can you stop threatening the arrow-shooting crazy people and get us out of here?” Teague asked. His voice sounded calm, though muffled. Dimly realising she’d smashed his face into the snow, Kendil let up on the pressure.

He lifted his head scant inches, spat out snow and glared at her. “I take it those are the Vinions you were trying to warn me about?”

His long, dark lashes were tipped with ice and even in the midst of all the danger, the lower parts of her body clenched in desire and need. She so wanted to slap herself upside the head. Where in the name of tinsel had her brains gone?

Absently, she nodded her head while her eyes tracked the area around them. Antarctic summer had nothing but daylight, so it should have been easy to see the red-clad hookers, but nothing clashed against the whiteness surrounding them.

“We need to get out of here before they try again.” Cautiously she pushed to her feet, felt around mentally for her magic and decided she had just enough to transport them to the ice caves just North of their position.

“Grab onto me and don’t let go,” she instructed Teague once he’d got to his feet.

“What? Why?”

“If you don’t want to get hit by an arrow dipped in impotence then I suggest you save the twenty questions for later.” Just a few more seconds was all she needed to build up enough power to get them both safely to her base.

At the mention of a possible limp dick, Teague grabbed onto her with both arms and held her tight. “Uh, I’m ready to go anytime you are.”

“Lovely to have your cooperation.”

His response got lost in the shriek of feminine screams and another round of arrows, this time with tips made of shiny white material, along with the normal greys and reds. Seeing this made a knot loosen in her belly. White she could deal with, it was no real threat to them if they managed to hit. Grey would render Teague useless in the bedroom and red would turn him into a walking, talking, fucking machine.

“Shit, move, Kendil or we’ll be kabobs.”

Not sure what or who kabobs were, Kendil unfurled her magic transporting them through space. They shimmered out of the snowdrift just as two arrows successfully hit their marks.

“Fuck a deer,” she muttered and concentrated on getting them out of there.

* * * *

One second they’d been standing in the middle of a snow covered hell, and the next Teague found himself in a cave covered with fur, jewels and blessed heat.

He took a step, intending to get warm, before his balls froze off when Kendil’s panicked voice stopped him.

“Teague, wait.”

He heard her grunt of pain and turned to find Kendil pulling an arrow out of her sweetly rounded stomach.

“Get the arrow out of your thigh and tell me the colour.”

Dumbfounded, he looked down to discover there was, indeed, an arrow lodged very high on his upper thigh. “What the fuck?”

“It won’t kill you,” she swore holding up her own white tipped missile. “I just need to know if it’s white, grey or red.”

His stomach jumped in fear. He knew one of those would render him a eunuch, but he didn’t know what colour meant what. Almost too afraid to find out, he gingerly wrapped his hands around the protruding shaft. Before he pulled it he had to know. “What do the different colours mean?”

Since the first time he’d met her, Kendil averted her eyes. “If you got hit with a grey bolt, forget about ever getting Mr. Happy to rise to any occasion. The red is simply a lust hit. You’ll want to fuck like snow bunnies for a week then it wears off.”

He waited for her to mention the white one, but she didn’t say another word. Afraid it meant a sudden and painful death, Teague hobbled over to her, took her chin in his hand and forced her to meet his eyes. “What’s the white one do? Whatever it is, I can handle it.”

Sighing deeply, she closed her eyes. “The white one is useless unless used in the right circumstances.” Her beautiful expressive eyes popped open. “This is so not the right circumstance, so we’re good. Now pull that sucker out and let’s find out how happy or depressed we’re going to be.”

Something about her explanation didn’t sit right with him and Teague was a man who always followed his instincts. He did so now by shuffling away from her, turning his back then yanking out the arrow.

Dread and something else stirred within him at the sight of the glowing white tip. Whatever this thing did, it wasn’t harmless like Kendil wanted him to believe. Though he dropped to his knees grateful his dick hadn’t been rendered useless, he still held some suspicions with all this magic crap floating around.

He heard her come up behind him and quickly snapped the arrow in two. At once, the metal tip dissolved, leaving only the wooden shaft in his hands.

Kendil peered over his shoulder. “So, what colour was it?”

A quick glance over his shoulder showed him that his magical lover was holding her breath, waiting for his answer.

“Red,” he said, the lie flowing smoothly and easily from his lips.

Her breath came whooshing out in a relieved sigh. “Thank the Toymaker. Give me an hour or so to rest up and I’ll transport you to the nearest city full of hot women. You can play fuck bunny when you get there.”

He didn’t like that idea. Or the thought that Kendil could so easily dismiss him from her life. She acted eager to send him into the arms and bodies of strangers. He sure as shit didn’t enjoy the thought of kissing and stroking other women. The very idea turned his stomach. Kendil was the one he wanted and she was damn straight the only one he would have. Maybe lust had been added into that white arrow, along with whatever else those crazy, bow-hugging women had thrown in.

“Why wait,” he murmured turning around to capture her in his arms. “I see exactly what I want right here in front of me.”

Pushing herself out of his embrace, Kendil stomped away, arms clutched protectively around her stomach. “Stop this, Teague. You don’t really want me, remember? Magic doesn’t exist. I’m just a crazy woman with padded walls and pretty pills waiting for me.”

With his words thrown back into his face, Teague winced and ran a hand through his slightly snow-dampened hair. “Look, I’m sorry, Kendil, but what would you have done if our positions were reversed? I’ve spent my whole life knowing nothing of magic or myths and suddenly I’m trapped in the middle of a holiday war with creatures straight from fairytales. It’s a little hard to swallow and yeah, I said some things I shouldn’t have. I’m human. It’s what we do. We open our mouths, say stupid things, then regret them. I didn’t really mean any of it.”

Wanting to coax her back into his arms, Teague walked over and gently rubbed her arm. When she flinched away from him, the pain of her rejection slammed into his stomach almost taking his breath away.

“You want sex, Teague. I get that. I really do, but I’m not willing to sacrifice myself to get you off. You’re horny, so go take care of it yourself.” She turned from him and stomped around the nicely furnished cave.

Furs covered the ice floor and walls. A huge, four-poster bed dominated the cavern, covered with lush skins and silky-looking sheets. He literally ached to crawl between those sheets and pump his throbbing cock in and out of Kendil’s wet, tight heat.

Why didn’t she believe him? Then again why should she? In the span of twenty-four hours, they’d spend five minutes talking and the rest fucking or sleeping. He’d given her no reason to believe a word coming out of his mouth. So they’d talk. He’d ask questions about growing up in a world of make believe. Tell her all about his childhood on a Texas ranch. He’d show her the man he truly was. Then he’d fuck her brains out.

Teague chose to stay on his side of the cave and leant back against the fur-softened stonewall. “Can you give me another chance? I want to talk with you. Get to know you. Try and show you I’m not really that big of an asshole, hopefully while getting warm.”

Kendil didn’t bother to look at him. “Behind that wall,” she pointed to a section in the very back, “you’ll find a path that leads to a fork. Take a right and go down about half a mile. You’ll walk straight into a hot spring pool. It should warm you up faster than anything else I can think of.”

Hot springs? In the middle of freaking Antarctica? How was this even possible? So he asked her, amazed as usual by her answer.

“There are other B.E.L.L.S. here. We combined our magic to form the spring and keep it contained. Our work will have no impact on the environment or this continent. We’re all about protecting our home, not destroying it like some people.”

He knew the barb was aimed at him, or at least humans in general. Since she was partly right, he let it go. Teague had more pressing needs to attend to, before he could get down to the serious business of wooing his woman.

His woman? His brain shrieked at the possessive words, but his heart seemed to open up and absorb them. A feeling of rightness swept over him.

“I’ll head to the spring and get cleaned up,” he told her while moving past the bed. “Please be here when I get back. I really would like to talk with you. Nothing more, I promise.” Quickly seeing the hole he’d backed himself into he backpedalled. “Unless you want to that is.”

He swore he saw her lips curve in a slight smile before she angled her head away. “Go. Clean up. I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Thank you,” he said sincerely and brushed a swift kiss on her temple before racing away to the tunnel.

Chapter Three

The human confused her at every turn, Kendil admitted to herself, once he’d left the room. The lust shot should have worked him into a slathering beast, desperate for sex. Instead, Teague surprised her by his willingness to stay and talk when she could have easily transported him to a city filled with willing women.

The thought of him kissing, touching or fucking another female with his perfect cock made her want to do something very un-Christmas like.

“How do I get myself into these situations?” she asked the empty room, but she knew the answer. Had known it before the white weapon of love struck her.

She’d told Teague mostly the truth about the Vinions’ weapons. Red did cause lust, grey rendered a man’s cock flaccid, but she’d hedged a bit on the white one. The arrow of love had hit her. In normal circumstances, she could have brushed its effects off within a day or two, but Teague’s presence changed everything.

If the heart had opened, then the magic in the arrow caused it to embrace the source of the emotion. In her case, the strange yet handsome and thoughtful human warrior she’d found buried in the snow.

Unless she could find a way to make him fall in love with her before the spell wore off, she’d spend the rest of her immortal life pining for one man.

With lust burning through his veins, maybe she could parlay that into genuine emotion. Relationships had been started on less, or so she’d been told. Of course that meant ditching any get-to-know-you-touchy-feely talking that the man seemed so insistent on.

Really, what normal male, human or otherwise, wanted to talk when he could fuck? Could he really restrain himself long enough to swap childhood stories without some sort of release?

“That penguin-loving fart train,” she swore as understanding dawned on her. Teague hadn’t raced away to the hot springs to get warm. He’d gone there to jack off.

Fury sped her steps as she ran from the room and down the long, winding tunnel. The closer she moved to her destination, the more her anger grew. Had last night been all in her mind? Teague had seemed insatiable to her, never getting enough of touching and tasting her. So why go solo now? Unless he had indeed had his fill.

Men were men no matter when or how they were born. All eager to move on to the next conquest almost before they were finished with their current one.

“Whale-humping deer dropping,” she continued to mutter to herself until another voice rose above her own.

“Ah fuck, Kendil baby, that’s it. Mhhh, suck my cock.”

Kendil stopped in her tracks, unable to believe what she’d heard. Teague jacking off to her, or at least to some fantasy of her? Her stupid heart raced with hope even as she tried to squash it. Hadn’t she just warned herself about men? How easily led they were? Sure he could use her to masturbate. After all, she’d been the most recent woman in his bed.

“Kendil,” his husky voice cried out as his breathing sped up. “Fuck, woman, what I wouldn’t give to have you here. Those sweet lips wrapped tight around my dick, sucking me hard and deep down your throat.”

Okay, so maybe last night had meant something more to him. In fact, it pretty much sounded as if he was begging her to come in there and get him off. The more she thought about it, the better she liked the idea.

The word blow job had no meaning when it came to the act with Teague. Nothing about sucking his hot length was a job or chore. She loved licking and teasing him until his cream poured down her throat.

Leaning against one cold wall, she shivered with lust. Just thinking about going in there and putting her mouth on him racked up her libido.

Not being able to wait any longer, Kendil stepped through the natural stone archway and stared.

Tall, tanned and hung like a moose, Teague stood in the waist-high water, one hand wrapped around his cock while the other played between his splayed thighs. With his head thrown back, eyes closed, he looked like a man on the edge of pleasure.

Kendil didn’t want him coming without her, so she quickly shed her clothes and stepped into the heated water.

Watching in fascinated silence as he brutally gripped his shaft in long hard strokes, Kendil bent over and licked the slick fluid beading the head of his engorged erection.

Dark blue eyes flashed down at her. “Suck me off, Kendil.” Then his hands were in her hair pulling her closer to where she wanted to be. “Lick me.”

Kendil teased the flared head with the tip of her tongue. His fluid was salty and musky and triggered a desperate craving in her.

Gazing up at the most incredible male she’d ever known, with his cock hard for her pleasure, Kendil couldn’t think of any place she’d rather be, or any other person she’d rather be with.

She devoured him. Sucking his big, hard cock as if it was made of her favourite ice cream. Kendil deep throated him until the need for air had her backing off.

At first, Teague remained stone still, with only his hands lightly grasping her hair, but then, to Kendil’s pleasure, he broke, groaning and thrusting his hips forward, sending his cock deeper and deeper into her mouth and down her throat. Caught up in her own pleasure, she wrapped her fingers around his balls, reaching underneath him to encourage him even more.

He groaned her name. Begged her. Cursed her and finally pleaded with her.

“Damn it, Kendil, either suck me off or finish me with your hand. I can’t take it anymore,” he panted out between heavy breaths.

Truthfully, neither could she. Tasting him, hearing his growls and groans of passion, only fuelled her desire. With a loud pop, her mouth left his tasty length.

“Fuck me, then,” she demanded. She knelt over a large, smooth rock at the edge of the spring, stretching out facedown, her arms in front of her gripping the stone sides. She looked back at him. “Take me now or forever hold your own piece.” She waggled her ass at him.

If he didn’t get his human ass to her in the next few seconds, she’d drop him naked in Boystown. Better yet, she’d drag his masturbating ass over to her by that huge bat he called a cock.

She’d never felt this desperate to fuck before. She was so wet and empty, Kendil wanted to scream in frustration.

When she didn’t think she could stand one more second of it, Teague knelt behind her. His hand gripped her hair, pulling her head back. He kissed her and she felt like weeping in relief.

“You sure you want this? Want me? I can’t be gentle, not now, not yet.”

His grip on her hair tightened and she whimpered in response, the edge of pain almost taking her over the edge.

“Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me,” she demanded, pushing her hips back until her ass rubbed up and over his wet cock.

He shoved her forward against the unyielding stone, one hand restraining her arms while his legs pushed her knees apart.

His free hand slid to her pussy, two fingers pushing inside, stretching her wide open for his possession. She clenched those fingers tight using her internal muscles and almost smiled at his groan of pleasure.

“You planning on squeezing my cock like that?” he growled when she did it again.

“Only if you ever manage to stop playing around and actually use that cock of yours to fuck me.”

His hips slammed into her, his massive cock forcing its way through her tight swollen tissues. Kendil screamed from the sheer pleasure of feeling him deep inside her once more.

“Yes,” she screamed thrusting her hips back, desperate to take all of him.

He pushed his cock in deeper, stretching her to his huge length and width until his entire cock slid inside her pussy. He pinned her to the rock with his body and gripped her wrists tighter, keeping her from doing anything but accepting whatever he demanded.

He gave her a hard, balls-slapping, womb-hitting fucking. Not making love. Not sex or getting it on. This was no-holds-barred fucking. The red arrow must have finally taken hold of him. Kendil would have to send a thank you card to the skanky whores for this one.

His cock pumped inside her as she spread her legs wider to allow him in deeper. She wiggled and pushed against him, testing his limits, wanting to push him beyond the edge of his tight control.

With his other hand, he roughly squeezed her breast before tugging at her nipples.

The dual touches drove her higher.

His cock slammed her mercilessly as his fingers left her breasts and slid down her stomach to tease her clit. He treated it to the same devious teasing. He pinched the small bud, stroked it and once even dared to slap it.

“Oh fuck, yeah.” She couldn’t stop the moan of pleasure from escaping her lips at the hard touch.

Which only turned him on more. Her whole body shook with the force of his thrusts. Her orgasm loomed as his fingers continued to play with her swollen clit. The pressure was hard, but amazing.

Sex had never overwhelmed her like this. Kendil had no thoughts left for anything other than the man taking over her body and soul. He continued to pound into her and she felt his cock grow even larger as he neared his own release. She tightened her muscles around him, feeling a strong wave of pride and satisfaction at his howl.

Whatever restraint remained deserted them both. Flesh slapped against flesh as they both raced towards the coming release. Desperate for it, her orgasm ripped though her, spinning her out of control as Teague continued to play her body from one peak to another. His finger danced over and around her clit until she came for him, one orgasm after another.

Weak from pleasure, Kendil didn’t think she could take any more. Finally, she clenched around him hard, putting all of her muscles behind it. He shouted, then came and came, jerking inside her until they both collapsed against the rock, the only solid foundation left in their world.

* * * *

He woke to the feel of Kendil’s tongue licking the length of his penis as if it were her favourite flavour of Popsicle on a summer day. Thoughts escaped him as he savoured her mouth’s warm wetness.

She surrounded his cock firmly with one small hand and, as she sucked him in and out of her mouth, she followed with a hand motion that had him seeing stars. Her other hand fondled his balls in a gentle massaging movement and had him fighting not to lose control just yet.

He threw back his head and groaned. Nothing had ever felt this good, this right. No one had ever caused him to lose his mind with only a touch or look. Yes, Kendil had made him a slave with a simple kiss.

She set a pace that kept him guessing. First, she’d use fast and heavy sucking with lots of hand motion. Then she’d back off and use small, easy little licks around his balls as she held his pulsing tool in a firm grip. She was driving him crazy with lust.

The pace changed as his lungs pumped, desperate for air. Kendil took him fast and deep, and his heart raced to keep up. A familiar tightening of his balls told him he’d come soon—too soon.

How did he stop her when the last thing on this chilly continent he wanted to do was move her hot mouth away from his body? He wanted to come inside her. Needed to fill her body with his seed, dominate her in a way he’d never felt the desire to before. He needed to mark her as his in order to keep all other men away from her.

He put his hands on either side of her head and held her still. With a half-sob, half-whimper, Teague pushed her mouth away from his throbbing penis. “Too much, too fast. Need more…need inside you.”

Before she could deny him or tell him to go fuck a stranger, Teague shifted his grip and pulled her into his arms. He carried her to the soft circle of winter flowers he’d seen. Lowering her to the magic-warmed earth, he followed her down.

“I can’t stop looking at you, Kendil,” he whispered, using a finger to tenderly stroke the fragile softness of her cheek. “I want to touch you. I want you to touch me.”

He explored her face. Gently, he swept a stray lock of silky hair off an elegant cheekbone. Her ice-blue eyes, glazed with passion, locked on his face. Sliding a finger to her lips, he traced the lusciousness of them, then bent over to lick the path his finger had taken.

“Teague?” His name escaped his lover’s lips on a sigh. “Please.”

He looked down at his silver-haired lover and his heart skipped a beat. “I’ll give you everything you want, any way you want it, but promise me we’ll talk after.”

She blinked her ridiculously long, thick silver lashes, licked her lips and, after what felt like an eternity, nodded. “Yes, after this we will talk. I give you my word, but later.”

“Yes, later,” he agreed and bent his head to claim her swollen red lips.

He came down next to her, pulling her to him, his hands moving gently over her body. “I’ve dreamed about seeing, touching and tasting your breasts, before I even knew you existed,” he murmured.

He licked his tongue over each one as he held the weight of one heavy breast in his hand. “I’ve fantasised about sucking them into my mouth. I’d wake up hard and aching, but without knowing why.”  He stared down at her. “Now I know.”

He put action to words as he teased one nipple with a gentle bite then soothed the hurt with his tongue, finally drawing it between his hot lips and pulling her with the edge of his tongue.

Heat seared through his body with each moaning response. He pulled and sucked on her hardened tip, his hot breath warming the slope of the breast above it.

Not willing to wait any longer, Teague gave one final kiss to her tempting mounds and yanked her mouth down to his. He took control, gripping her tinsel-coloured hair and angling her head better for his assault. His tongue twisted with hers as he rolled them over.

Teague leant back and studied his artwork. Chest heaving, the heavy flesh of her breasts jiggled with each rapid expansion of her lungs. Bending down again to feel her breasts against his chest, he kissed her neck while her nipples pushed against him.

He ran his hands down her body, marvelling at how soft she was. With a push of his wrist, Teague thrust his fingers inside her eager body. Her nether lips were moist with their combined juices and the scent of their mingled arousal heightened his own.

Plunging his fingers into her swollen channel, he teasingly bit her right nipple.

Kendil bucked in his arms and shrieked as she came.

Teague’s chest filled with power and pride that the slightest touch from him sent her over the edge. But he wasn’t done with her yet. So many fantasies and erotic dreams with Kendil as the star and main attraction, he might never let her out of this bed.

He moved off her and looked his fill of her beautiful, curvy body.

The breasts he’d never get enough of gave way to a slightly rounded stomach, perfect for cushioning him as he thrust deep and hard inside her, then farther down to the most beautiful pussy. Silver hair neatly trimmed had Teague wiping a hand over his mouth to catch any drool. When he saw her moisture coating her silver-haired lips, Teague almost lost his mind. He couldn’t wait to taste her flavour on his tongue. To drink her down like the rare exquisite vintage he now knew her to be.

Unable to hold himself back any longer, Teague dipped his head down and dived in. Long licks against her slit had her writhing beneath him and he’d barely gotten started. He parted her labia and focused on the pink pearl of a clit protruding from its protective hood. It gleamed with her desire and tempted him in further.

He flicked his tongue against her clit then plunged into her channel. Her sweet cream coated his tongue. Despite her aroused protests, he continued to torture her with slow licks and lightning fast flicks on her sweet pussy.

Kendil moaned and grabbed his head, sliding her fingers through his hair to hold him tight as he continued to pleasure her out of her mind.

He used two fingers to thrust deep and was rewarded with another screaming orgasm. Teague wrapped his arms tightly around her hips to keep Kendil from throwing him off.

“Amazing,” she panted, her body dewy with passion. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were a leprechaun instead of a mortal.” Still she didn’t let him go and even wiggled harder against him.

Her words startled him from his very happy work. He lifted his head enough to look down the long line of her body. “Leprechauns? Short guys obsessed with gold and rainbows?”

“Uh huh, sexy and sex-driven freaks of Mother Nature.” She panted the words out. “Rumour has it that once you go Leprechaun, you never go back.”

Happily, he watched her eyes roll back in her head before she licked her lips and finished answering his original question. “They are almost all six and a half feet tall…keep doing that…ah…hot and hung.”

Feeling insulted for all mortal men everywhere, Teague curled his fingers inside her. He stroked her G-spot and sucked her clit hard.

“Aughhhh!” Kendil screamed and attempted to rip half the hair off his head, but Teague didn’t mind the loss. What was a few strands of hair compared to making his woman, his immortal woman, lose every ounce of her self-control?

Mentally, he patted himself on the back while plotting to keep Kendil away from any pot-of-gold carrying little freaks.

Teague pulled himself up and the smile curving his lips held every ounce of male pride in him. “By the time we’re done, baby, you won’t remember leprechauns or anyone else, but me.”

Her hooded eyes focused on his cock and she licked her swollen lips. “Vain son of a reindeer, aren’t you?”

“It’s not vanity that scalped me,” he taunted her. “But if you need a reminder…”

“Wait,” she pleaded, “let me catch my breath.”

“You’re immortal, right?” he teased, not really believing or caring at this point in time.

“Yes.”

“Then you don’t need to breathe as much as I need to be inside you.”

Teague blanketed her with his body and pulled one silky leg high up on his hip. With a slow, demanding push, he entered her fully. His cock was wider than most men’s, but she fitted him like a glove. A warm, wet, silky glove made for him and him alone.

Once seated inside her heat as deep as he could go, he kissed her tenderly. “I want to make this last for you, but I need you so much I don’t think I can wait.”

“I just want you to take me. Just take me, Teague.” She grabbed his hips and pulled.

He went deeper inside her. “Oh fuck. You are so hot. I can feel you clenching around me, pulling me deeper. Shit,” he cursed and shook his head like a dog coming out of a pond. “Too much, baby. Too much and I won’t last long enough to take care of you.”

“So close it doesn’t matter.” Kendil clenched her muscles around his cock.

He groaned. “Sweet heaven, woman.”

He couldn’t resist her. As he’d known he would, Teague gave into her demands and slowly thrust into her welcoming dampness and heat. Each glide brought him closer to the edge, but he had to hold off his release as long as possible. He had to feel her come around him again, at least one more time. Nothing had ever felt better to him in his life than Kendil squeezing tightly around him.

Determined to have that feeling again, Teague increased his pace and thrust harder, faster and deeper into her. Just when he couldn’t take anymore Kendil’s head tilted back and she screamed.

“So good, so good…”

He’d never seen anything or anyone more beautiful in that moment. Kendil glowed with her orgasm. Her cheeks were flushed with colour, all rosy and bright, while her amazing blue eyes looked hazy with sated passion.

He couldn’t resist the urge to press a quick kiss to her lips, then he lightly bit her nipple. She screamed and came again, clutching his shoulders, digging her nails into his flesh. Her long legs wrapped tighter around his waist as she pumped herself up and down his shaft.

With one last pump of his hips, he filled her body with his hot seed. Teague’s strength faded and he fell to the side of her, both of them breathing hard, sweaty and satisfied.

Unable to move, they lay in a tangled heap of limbs.

Long minutes later, Kendil finally broke the silence. “So, was it the talk of those sexy leprechauns?”

Teague playfully smacked her bare ass then rubbed the injury away. “I don’t care what you say. Every myth, story or whatever has always painted them as short Irishmen, wearing green and obsessed with two things—gold and making shoes. Somehow that image doesn’t scream sexy to me. Then again, I’m a man. What do I know?”

“I agree,” she patted his chest. “You know nothing, but I’ll explain. A long, long time ago, one of the leprechauns refused to sleep with…a goddess. For his refusal, she made sure to paint the entire species in an unflattering light. She wanted the whole race to be mocked and pitied by the rest of the immortals.”

“Looks like she won.”

Kendil shook her head, silky silver locks tumbling over his chest with her movements. “Oh no, in the end the leprechauns won as the rumours actually did them a favour. No one came searching for their gold or magic anymore. They were, and are, able to thrive out in the open among mortals and no one is the wiser.”

“Hmmm,”

“Just hmmm?”

“I’m busy,” he explained as he mentally memorised the generous slope of her breast.

“Doing what?” Kendil demanded, or tried to, but her voice held no true heat.

“Planning my next attack,” he answered absently. “I can’t choose between your sweet nipples, addicting mouth or the pot of honey between your legs.”

“Again?” she whispered. This time her voice was filled with awe and the stirrings of need.

“Oh, again,” he agreed and moved until he rested on top of her. “And again and again.”

“Demanding mortal,” she complained.

“Insatiable immortal,” he grumbled.

Teague bent his head down to take her mouth and forgot all about using words.

Chapter Four

“Feeling this good has to be illegal,” Teague muttered when his lungs finally remembered how to operate.

“Hmmm,” his sexy snow elf agreed.

He looked down at the incredible woman in his arms and almost jerked back at the sight of her perfectly pointed ears.

Delicate and feminine, they curved out from her head then sharpened into a shape nothing close to human.

Shit, he thought with an inward sigh, she’d been telling the truth all along.

“You’re really an elf with ties to Christmas and Santa?” he asked bluntly.

“And you’re really a human warrior.” She smiled as she the words.

Teague heard the distance in her voice, under the smile, and wondered about it. Everything they’d been through so far had only brought them closer. What had changed between the last orgasm and now?

They’d finally made it to the bed after stopping and fucking on almost every flat surface between the hot spring and here. Wonder drug or not, Teague didn’t think his knees would ever be the same. A small part of his brain wondered if maybe it wasn’t the drug. Maybe his incessant need had everything to do with the beautiful woman in his arms.

Lying there with his arms around the woman of his dreams, twirling one silver curl around his finger, he couldn’t have been happier. Contentment, which had always eluded him before, now settled over him like a warm, familiar blanket. “Why do you say it like that?”

To give her credit, Kendil didn’t pretend not to know what he was talking about. A slight shrug of her shoulders made him wonder if she would answer at all. “You are mortal and so very breakable.” Big blue eyes blinked at him, wet with unshed tears. “There are so many ways in this world for you to be harmed or killed. Even if you don’t get maimed or destroyed in some weird manner, your lifespan is so tiny and short. How do you exist knowing you’ll die almost before you’ve had a chance to experience life?”

Awe suffused him. This amazing creature in his arms worried over him? A mere human who would be dead in a blink of her immortal eye? Then again, she’d made his time on earth sound frighteningly minute.

Should he be worried about that, too? He would die and leave Kendil alone. Immortal meant she’d have an eternity to grieve over him. Somehow the thought of her sad for an endless sea of years caused his heart to ache.

Gently, he moved her off his chest to the blankets beneath them and leant up on one elbow to stare down at her mesmerising face. “You have no idea how much it means to me that you’d worry about me.” Not able to resist her passion-swollen lips, Teague pressed a swift but thorough kiss on her mouth. “You truly humble me, Kendil, but life, human life, comes with no guarantees or promises. We take what we’re given and it’s up to us to make the most of it, or squander it.”

“What’s happening to you? The arrow of lust shouldn’t be affecting you like this.” Suspicion coloured her tone as she sat up. “You should still be mindless to fuck, not talking and being sweet.”

Guilt crept through him at the reminder of his small white lie. Tell her now and get his ass handed to him, or wait until later and get his ass handed to him?

“Of course I want to fuck you.” He’d choose later over now, hoping to think of a suitable way to diffuse her anger before then. “Don’t you understand that by now? I kind of worried about hurting you.” Teague put on his best innocent face and blinked at her. “I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

When he turned away to hide the smile on his face, he felt soft hands cup his shoulders then slide around his chest.

“What a big, strong man you are, Teague. You worry about little old immortal me? However will I beg forgiveness?” Her voice teased him as her hands roamed his body.

Catching on to the fact something wasn’t right in her tone, Teague went to move back, but her hands cupped his balls and squeezed. “Auhh…” He winced at the high pitch of his tone from her not so gentle handling. “I wanted to get to know you. Find out everything about you. Convince you to spend time with me off this forsaken hunk of ice.”

Changing her grip from hard to caressing left him hanging over a very dangerous edge by the tips of his fingers.

Her breath whispered against his sensitive ear before her words reached his brain. “I know it wasn’t a grey arrow that hit you.” Kendil’s free hand reached around him to stroke and pet his very erect penis. “You said red, but you aren’t acting like a man under a lust spell.”

Praying it remained safe to keep his back to her, Teague went on the offensive. “How many lust-spelled men have you known?”

Her stroking stopped. “For some reason, I feel the need to speak the truth with you. I don’t like it.” Her voice held a note of confusion and anger.

He reached down to remind her hand of what it had been doing. “Yeah, well I really don’t like the thought of you with other men. So we’re even.”

Teague could almost feel her thinking behind him. Body tense, she mindlessly played with his balls while her brain worked out the puzzle he’d presented her.

“Holy snicker doodles, Rudolph!” Her shouted words almost burst his eardrum as she pushed away from his needy body. “White,” she shouted and pointed an accusing finger at him. “It was a white arrow that hit you.”

Turning around to face her, Teague figured he’d bluff or beg his way out of the doghouse. With an ease he didn’t feel, he shrugged one naked shoulder. “You made such a fuss over the colour I didn’t want to worry you. I don’t see what the big deal is. I feel fine. No fever, no wild urge to go diving off an iceberg.” He gave another shrug and shot Kendil a mischievous smile. “All’s well that ends well, right?”

Kendil exploded. In a whirlwind of swirling moonlight curls, flashing ice-blue eyes and silky flesh, she cursed him in languages he didn’t know or understand. He did, however, get that something very bad had happened, and he was really worried.

Putting his life and family jewels at risk, Teague crossed the fur-covered floor to stand in front of his sputtering and hissing female, with a casualness that defied the tension thrumming though his body as long thick lashes blinked up at him in surprise. “What?”

Counting to twenty and taking long, slow, deep breaths to reign in his temper, he finally spoke. “Are you done throwing your tantrum?”

Ice and emptiness filled her beautiful eyes. “You have no idea what you’ve done. We’re both so screwed now. I can’t believe you lied to me.” Hurt replaced the ice, and he wished for the first back so the second wouldn’t burn like acid in his heart.

“Kendil, stop cursing me and tell me what I can do to help? And please, for the love of all that’s camo, tell me what the hell was in that white arrow.”

“A true love bolt,” she screamed into his face. “An arrow meant to open you heart and soul when true love is near. An arrow dipped in Aphrodite’s tears that imbue the metal with magic that never wears off and never lessens. You are stuck being in love for the rest of your life with your perfect partner.”

That didn’t sound so bad to him. In fact, it sounded damn near perfect, but Teague didn’t make the mistake of telling her so. The elf looked two cookies shy of a full plate. He didn’t want to be the one that finally pushed her all the way over the edge.

“Okay, you are worried that I’ll love you too much?” Was such a thing possible? Loving another person too much?

“You don’t get it do you, Teague Jester, human warrior and mortal. The goddess’s tears hit both of us. We haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other for hours, maybe days.” Weighty sorrow darkened her beautiful summer-sky eyes. “Do you know what we’ve done…to ourselves and each other?”

Frustrated with her and his inability to do anything to help her, Teague tugged at his hair. “Tell me, Kendil. Tell me whatever has you so freaked out. I can’t fix the problem if I don’t know what I’m dealing with.”

“I’ll be in love with you the rest of my very long-lived life,” she turned and screamed at him. “You’ll be dead and I’ll be all alone, pining for a man who can never love me back the way I need or want.”

What the fuck? Had finding out the truth finally pushed Kendil over the edge? He’d figured that out hours ago. “Kendil, I—”

A sharp wave of her hand cut him off. “Don’t,” she gritted out through clenched teeth. “Do not try and joke or do something stupid. It is what it is and I’ll learn to live with it and without you.”

She made the mistake of trying to brush past him, as if she’d already removed him from her life, thoughts and heart. Teague’s tenuous hold on his temper broke, and he jerked her off the ground with one hand wrapped around her waist.

“What in the name of the twelve days of Christmas do you think you’re doing?” Kendil fought like a polar bear caught in a trap. She bit and scratched, but Teague refused to release his hold on her. When she finally got free, she’d either kick his ass or disappear. He couldn’t let either happen.

“You’ve had your say, now it’s my turn.” He swung her up onto the bed and quickly followed to pin her luscious body beneath his own.

Eyes shut, cheeks flushed and silver curls tangled around her head, Teague had never seen a more beautiful sight in all his life. “Don’t shut me out yet, honey. There has to be a way for us to be together. I love you too much to let go of you without a fight. Let me tell you, I bring C-four to a fight, so I’m sure to win.”

When her lips curved in the start of a smile, hope beat strongly in his heart. He hadn’t lost her yet. There was still a chance to make this come out all right. If only he could manage to get the right words from his heart past his lips.

“Kendil, I need you to calm down and listen to me.” He not-so-patiently waited until her breathing grew less laboured and the storm in her eyes stilled. “You said the white arrows only worked if the one destined for you is near, otherwise it’s just another useless weapon.”

Curls spilled over her bare shoulders as she slowly nodded her head on the soft down pillow.

Quickly giving in to the urge to kiss, Teague covered her lips, nipping gently at her bottom lip before raising his head. “What happens when the one meant for you is near? What would happen if you both were hit at the same time by the same type of arrow?”

Her angry eyes narrowed. “You think I haven’t thought of this? Two white arrow tips hit us, arrows of destined true love. Best-case scenario, we lived happy together for the next forty years or so until you drop dead on me. Worst case, you die tomorrow and I’m still left in love, miserable and all alone.”

As much as he wanted to promise never to leave her, Teague’s lips couldn’t form the lying words. Mortality pretty much guaranteed them an un-happily ever after, but wouldn’t a few minutes of time together be worth the pain of separation?

He looked down at her unhappy face and sighed. “There’s nothing you’ll let me say to change your mind. No matter how much I love you, or want to be with you, you’ll always be looking over your shoulder for the down side. I don’t want that,” he told her, rolling to his side as the enormous truth settled over him.

There was no way to win this. Kendil had given up on them and love before he’d even opened his mouth to change her mind. No matter what words he used or how he phrased them, she’d always see his mortality as setting him apart. Not good enough to be her equal partner in life and love.

“I love you, Kendil Jolly. I’ve loved you since you told me how breakable I am. I love your amazing sense of humour, every silver strand of hair on your head. I love the way you tilt your head to the side right before you say something clever and make me laugh. I love the way you love your friends and your St. Nick. There’s only one thing I’d change about you if I could. I don’t love the fact that you’re too afraid of risk to take a chance on being with me while I’m here. You’re so focused on the pain you’ll feel after I’m gone, you’ve stopped seeing me right here in front of you.”

He slid from the bed, his heart aching with each step away from her, but knowing the risk would be worth the payoff…if it ever came. “I love you, Kendil,” he repeated in a soft voice. “I hope that someday you find whatever it is you are looking for. Even if it’s not me.” The last words caused his heart to bleed, but they needed to be said. He loved her enough to want her happy, with or without him in her life.

Not able to stop himself, Teague whirled around for one last taste of this incredible woman.

He kissed her, slanting his lips over hers, slipping his tongue between them to sweep against her own. Need…desire…want all crashed through him at her familiar taste.

She was everything he hadn’t know he’d ever wanted. She was heaven and paradise all wrapped up in one sinful package and he’d never get enough of her.

Yet he pulled away. Between harsh breaths, he spoke. “If you ever choose to face your fears, come find me. I’ll hold your hand while you slay the demons.”

He took one long last look at her with her silvery curls gleaming in the faint sunlight, berry red nipples capping luscious breasts, and a long, curvy torso that had him licking his lips in want. The tinsel-coloured triangle between her thighs seemed to call to him, like a favourite treat melting on his tongue.

Quickly he grabbed his gear, suited up and walked out.

He walked out of the only true home he’d ever known, leaving behind the only woman he’d ever love. Things couldn’t get much worse than this, he thought, until a bright red light flashed in front of his eyes and he came face-to-face with a Vinion.

A beautiful Vinion with a black arrow pointing straight at him. “Human, you’ve no right to be here interfering with our battle.”

Not seeing he had much more to lose, Teague shrugged his cold-weather-clad shoulders. “Get on with it then. I don’t see how you can make it much worse.”

The Vinion, a truly beautiful woman, with cotton-candy pink hair and soft, lilac eyes lowered her bow as she stared at him. “You’ve fallen in love.”

Since it came out more statement than question, Teague kept his mouth shut.

Nodding some wordless answers to herself, the Vinion suddenly smiled. “Then we have…how do you mortals say…found the loop in the hole?”

He smiled at her words. “Found the loophole?” he suggested.

She smiled brightly at him and clapped her now empty hands. “Yes, this is exactly what I mean. Lord Cupid has the market cornered on lust and passion, but nothing and no god can ever tamper with true love.” She blasted him with another brilliant white smile. “Thank you for releasing me from my vows, Lord Teague Jester.”

Teague shook his head at the about face of his enemy. “Why are you so happy? Won’t your boss get pissed you failed your mission?”

“He can do nothing, anymore. I risked a great deal shooting both of you with the white arrows, but ending my service to that…that…”

“Asshole,” Teague found himself offering.

“Yes,” she agreed, “that asshole. True love, as corny as it sounds, is capable of breaking any curse, not to mention a slightly binding contract between the big guy and me.”

“And you are?”

Her face coloured to match her hair. “Where are my manners? I am called Amore.”

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Teague stuck his hand out. “I’m Teague. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Amore. Now you wouldn’t happen to know anything about the other two I travelled here with?”

Full perky breasts bobbed up and down in her red cat suit. “Oh yes, I do know. We created the storm to separate the three of you. We knew this might be our only chance to break our servitude. The rest of your party is fine and faring very well, if my sisters tell me right.”

Relief washed through him. The other men were alive and unhurt. “You want to go someplace warm and tell me exactly what you and your fellow Vinions have been up to and how it involves me and my men?”

Again more bouncing and bobbing. “Yes, wait right here. I’ll get you out of this weather. I really hate the cold. I’m more of a Spring and Summer being. This cold is something I don’t like at all.”

In a shower of red hearts and pink glitter, a shield appeared over them, blocking out the cold wind and the continuously falling snow. He took one last look behind him then followed Amore into her magic.

Within a blink of his eye, Teague found himself on a lovely tropical isle, sweating buckets in his gear. A few tugs and he was bare from the waist up.

“Yum,” Amore said, licking her lips as she looked him up and down. “That silly Christmas elf. Giving you up without even a twitch of her nose.”

Silently, Teague agreed with Vinion, but out loud he said, “She’s got her reasons, I guess.”

The red cat suit vanished, replaced by a barely-there bikini highlighting every single sweet curve of the immortal female’s body. Last week, he would have been all over Amore. Today, he felt nothing but a general appreciation for the perfection of her form.

“I see my arrow hit true.” She shook her head and pink curls tumbled around her shoulders in sexy disarray.

“You are amazing to look at, but look is all I can do.”

Amore opened her mouth to speak, then looked over his shoulder and a different look, a hungry look, appeared in her eyes.

With the moves of a true temptress, Amore slid her hands up her body to cup her breasts. “Why only look? I am here. I find you handsome, in a weak, mortal way. Still, I would not mind taking you into my body. I am curious as to how you differ from others.”

Teague’s mouth opened and closed several times, but he could find no right words to say. If he said no, then she might very well leave him alone on this island. If he agreed, then he’d be betraying everything in his heart and soul.

“You flatter me, Amore, with your beauty and talent, but I fear there is no way I could satisfy you.” There, that sounded flattering enough to get him off the island without her dropping him in the middle of the ocean as shark bait.

The world tilted for a second or two then everything went back to normal. “What the hell was that about?”

Wide lilac eyes blinked up at him innocently. “What was what?”

“Everything went…” He trailed off, not sure what had happened or if it would happen again. Maybe with everything he’d been through, his mind was finally shutting down or at least turning off a few switches?

“So, you were saying how desirable and delicious I am?” she prompted when he didn’t continue.

“Yeah, you’re hot, sexy and any man would give up an arm or leg to spend time with you, but I’m afraid I’m the exception. Everything in my mind, body and soul is screaming for Kendil.”

A coy look darkened her eyes. “Even if I promised to fulfil every sexual fantasy and fetish you’ve ever had? Would you like to see me with another woman, another man, both? I can make every naughty dream you’ve ever had come true.”

He swallowed, not in temptation but because no matter how sexy and erotic she got, Amore would never be Kendil. If she wasn’t Kendil, Teague simply couldn’t find the will to react. “Like I said before, you’re very attractive, but someone else holds my heart and body.”

Just like that the sexy vamp faded and Teague was left looking into understanding and concerned eyes with no sexual pull. “Excuse me please for my behaviour. I so enjoy tangling with Christmas elves, but I should not have done so at your expense. It’s been so long since I’ve had the freedom to chose my own lovers or even have one. Lord Cupid is a very stern master.”

Her sorrow filled the air around him until he could almost breathe Amore’s salty tears on his tongue. “Please, don’t…”

“Don’t what? Don’t be jealous of the elf who has the very thing most people would die to experience and she just throws it away? Don’t be angry that I, who have lived hundreds upon hundreds of years, will never know such devotion for myself? I cannot do what you ask.”

One dainty hand swept pink tears off her cheeks as she stalked back to him. Everything in her stance and face screamed anger and injury, but stupidity or sheer stubbornness kept Teague’s feet buried in the sand.

“Even now I can feel the beat of your heart as it reaches for hers. In all my lifetimes, I’ve seen but a few immortals granted their true heart’s dream. Now one of the least important of us is given the immense gift of a life-mate and what does she do?” Her generous breasts bounced as Amore waved her arms in the air. “Kendil throws love away, just tosses it aside like she’ll find another the next aisle over.”

“If you’re saying these things to make me feel worse…you’ve succeeded. If you’re trying to cheer me up, you’re failing completely.”

“I’m saying nothing, but the truth. I am jealous of what Kendil has so carelessly thrown away.” Again she wiped the tears trailing down her soft-looking cheeks.

Discussing this much emotion made him feel awkward. Like most men, Teague preferred action to words. This whole touchy feely discussion left him uncomfortable no matter how close to home it hit.

“So…what do you want from me, really?” By now he knew she didn’t want him for sex or to fulfil his every fantasy, like some nympho genie come to life.

She sniffed a few times before answering him. Even that, she made look sexy. Too bad his heart and cock were already spoken for.

“I guess I wanted a chance to make Kendil hurt…at least for a little while. She had everything in the palm of her hand and tossed it away like stale chocolate. If for a few moments of time I could make her feel the pain that lives in my heart…”

Understanding dawned on him. “You wanted her to think she’d lost me forever. To break her heart.”

Pink curls covered her face as Amore’s head tilted down. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. “Yes, that is what I wanted. Her pain as a sort of price to be paid for not appreciating what she’d been given. It was small and petty of me, but I could not help myself.”

It made sense, in a weird, female sort of way. “So what now? You keep me here until you think Kendil’s pain has paid a big enough price?”

Her pink tongue darted out to moisten her perfectly pink bowed lips. “No, no, my foolishness and jealousy will accomplish nothing. We will return and you will be reunited with your love.”

He didn’t know what to say so Teague knew better than to open his mouth. In the past, silence had served him better around women than taking a chance on speaking.

The beach swirled and tilted once more before a loud pop echoed in his ears. Then he heard the most glorious sound in the world. Kendil cursing his name in her oh-so-unique Christmas elf way.

Chapter Five

“That rotten, dirty, disease-ridden human,” Kendil exclaimed as she watched Teague disappeared from sight with the slutty Vinion. “Have a few doubts and the man runs off with the first tramp he finds. Wait until he gets home. I’ll geld his ass.”

“Kendil, is that any way for an elf of mine to talk?”

Kendil whirled around, lost in her grief and power. The sight of the kindest man she knew, who happened to be her boss, standing before her threw her off balance. With a wet splat, she landed in the snow, ass first.

“Nick?” She asked it as a question, but already knew the answer.

“Yes, yes it’s me. Now what in the name of the North Star are you doing?”

Jumping to her feet and dusting the snow from her butt gave her only a few minutes to stall as she tried to think of something to tell Nick. Something, anything, but the truth.

“Amore has my mortal…I mean not my mortal, but the one I was protecting. I was going to get him back and return him to his people. After all, Tasha has found the perfect place for the second workshop so we need to get busy.”

Large hands cupped her shoulders gently. “Kendil, I’m Santa. I know the truth, remember?”

Unwanted tears welled up in her eyes and before she knew it, Kendil found herself embraced within the comforting circle of Nick’s arms.

“How did I screw everything up so badly?”

He patted her head and stroked her hair. “Now there, Kendil, my girl, fear will send the bravest of us running for cover. You’ve just never run into anything you fear more than losing Teague.”

The words pricked her pride, but her heart understood them well enough. She’d been willing to throw away the possibility of fifty years with the man she loved, in order to avoid being hurt later.

As if reading her mind, and Kendil wouldn’t put it past the sly old man, Nick spoke as he set her from him. “Love isn’t a washer or dryer, Kendil. It doesn’t come with guarantees. It’s a matter of freeing your heart and trusting someone else in your soul.”

Her mind finally understood what her heart had been trying to tell her. Nick had just managed to put it into words.

“You are a brilliant, brilliant man, Nick. Mary is lucky to have you.” Kendil threw her arms around the older man in an exuberant hug. “Now I’ve got to get my man away from the sticky fingers of that Vinion.”

“Bring your man by the house for dinner one night. You know Mary will want a chance to look him over.” Nick said before disappearing.

Her brain flew through all the words spoken tonight, by herself, Teague and finally Nick. She’d been looking for someone to promise her a love without pain, but such a thing did not exist. If she wanted Teague in her life, then she’d have to take a chance and accept the good with the bad.

It had taken her a few moments to understand what Teague had been telling her. Any amount of time they spent together, regardless of years, days or minutes, would be better than the best day spent alone. She’d raced through the cavern, barely remembering to dress herself, when she’d heard voices. Knowing no other mortal could have made the climb, Kendil slowed her pace until she stood hidden on the other side of the small opening.

“You want to go someplace warm and tell me exactly what you and your fellow Vinions have been up to and how it involves me and my men?” she’d heard Teague ask in his all too sexy commanding voice.

Then the dreaded answer, perky and happy as she knew it would be. “Yes, wait right here. I’ll get you out of this weather. I really hate the cold. I’m more of a spring and summer being. This cold is something I do not like at all. Those elves are unnatural to thrive in temperatures this extreme.”

Why that little bitch! Kendil had stepped around the stone to confront the slut, but had found nothing. It wasn’t until she looked up that she saw them—two human shapes floating above her head, talking and laughing in a bubble of solitude. She’d bet this year’s candy cane crop the Vinion wouldn’t argue or fight with Teague. Oh no, she’d coo and rub his shoulders, all the while telling him how wonderful and strong he was. In other words, she’d do everything Kendil hadn’t.

Well no more. Kendil had found her own set of balls, as it were, and she refused to let go of her man without a fight. Teague Jester was her own true love and no two-bit strumpet of Cupid’s would get between her and her man.

Spreading her feet apart, Kendil used all the considerable strength in her legs to propel herself up and through the hussy’s bubble of protection. Turned out the little hussy had conjured up a hot tropical get-away for the two of them.

Teague’s eyes widened as she crashed through. “Kendil!”

“I leave you alone for five minutes and you’re already chasing another woman. That’s so low even for a human,” she scolded him, while stepping between the two new best buddies. Did the Vinion seriously think she could shove her pink head between Kendil and her man? If so, the bitch of Cupid had another thing coming.

“Former human,” Teague told her with a wide happy smile as his eyes lit up with love and sensuous promises.

Her steps faltered at his words and the sincerity shining through his navy blue eyes. “What?”

He nodded his head. “It seems there’s a little bit more to those arrows than we thought. Being hit with it and finding true love is only part of the aspect of their powers. Since true love really does conquer all, it seems I’ve been made as you are, my love. Not a snow elf exactly. More like an immortal-former-mortal in training.”

Kendil knew her mouth hung open, but she couldn’t help her reaction. Hadn’t she just come to terms with loving and losing him? Now to discover he’d live out her lifespan with her, it was too much for even an immortal Christmas elf to take in, and she sank to her knees. What had been the point of all the pondering and wavering if she hadn’t had to?

Then she understood. If she hadn’t been willing to risk everything, to open her heart and soul to this man, Kendil would never have known how true and deep their love ran.

“Are you sure? Absolutely positive his life has been expanded?” she demanded of the other female. It would be just like the gag-playing trollop to promise them something this wonderful then yank it out of their hands.

“Of course I am!” Cupid’s hooker looked affronted that her word would be questioned. “As I told handsome over there, getting you two to fall in love was the only way to break Cupid’s hold over me. Love can’t be forced, bought or bartered. It must be freely given with an open heart. Once you both admitted your feelings, Teague’s years expanded to match yours. The downside is, when you die, so does he. Within hours or minutes of your death, he’ll follow. On the bright side, only getting your head chopped off will succeed in killing you, so you’ll both have long, long lives.”

“Good,” Teague said with a relieved smile. “I wouldn’t want to live in a world without Kendil in it.”

Astonished, she stared up at him from her position on the floor. “Really?” She couldn’t keep the hopeful note out of her voice.

Carefully, he knelt by her side. “Of course I wouldn’t want to live without you. Leaving you in the cave almost ripped my soul apart. Though I think you were the one who threw me out. Not a very nice way to show a man you care, Kendil.”

Tears leaked over her lids and she was powerless to stop them. “Oh, Teague, I’m sorry I was such a fool. I love you. I came to find you and tell you that. Someone very wise and kind reminded me that the most extraordinary things in life never come with guarantees. Also that I didn’t care how much time we had together so long as we could spend it in each other’s arms. You mean everything to me. I would have been grateful for fifty years and now I’m overwhelmed with the thought of having hundreds of years to love you.”

“I love you so much, Kendil. My life wouldn’t be worth living if you didn’t love me, too.” He pressed kisses along her neck and ear as he knelt beside her. “Don’t ever leave me like that again. It felt like my heart was bleeding out in my chest.”

“Well, I’d say my work here is done,” the Vinion muttered. Amore shook her pink spiral curls and ran a hand down her side. “There’s a surfer waiting for me in the islands. Please feel free to use the floating bubble, but for the sake of immortals all over the world, shield it. No one wants to see a Christmas elf’s wide naked ass.” With those words spoken she disappeared, her snarky laughter echoing in the air around them.

“I, for one, would love to see this Christmas elf’s ass and anything else she cared to show me,” Teague teased her gently. “But I’ll have to take a really close look at the ass in question to make a valid finding.”

“I do love you, Teague. No matter if we have five minutes or five centuries together. You are the only man I’ll ever love.“ She wrapped her arms around her man and squeezed him tight. “And if you find my behind anything but praiseworthy and perfect—”

“Shut up and kiss me, woman.”

Kendil shook her head and tried to step back, but Teague’s strength had increased along with his lifespan. “Teague, really we need to discuss your career and what to do with the rest of the mortals here.”

He laughed and swung her around in a big circle. “If they’re smart, they’ll find their own special piece of Christmas magic to fall in love with.”

She sniffed and wiped a few stray tears into his neck. “You had to be created just for me. There’s no one else on this planet or any other that could make me this happy.”

“Damn straight,” he growled and pushed her to her back before climbing over her. “I love you. I won’t ever leave you and you’ll marry me so you can’t ever back out or throw me out again.”

As she magically made their clothes disappear, she whispered back, “Yes, Teague. Yes, to everything.”

Then they forgot everything but each other as passion, once more, took them over and love carried them away on the promises of forever.

About the Author

I was lucky enough to travel all over the world as a child. I experienced life through many different cultures and countries. No matter where I went stories would pop up in my mind. It took a while for me to figure out exactly what those tales were trying to tell me, but eventually I understood. Five years later I’m happily typing away to the tune of the voices in my head.

I’m addicted to anything to do with mythology, regardless of culture. I can be bribed with good coffee or Diet Coke. I will bore strangers to tears with pictures and stories of my fabulous nephews and nieces. Nothing like kids to keep you humble and honest, especially when they consider the plumber to have a cooler and more glamorous career than their aunt, the writer.

Have a question, an addiction you want to share? Please shoot me an e-mail. I love to hear from readers.

Email: Allie@Allie-Standifer.com.

Allie loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.

Also by Allie Standifer

Club Botticelli: Beguiling Briley

Club Botticelli: Enticing Emma

Club Botticelli: Ordering Olivia

TEMPERED BY ICE

Brenna Zinn

Dedication

To Allie and Desiree.

Your creativity, talent, and tenacity continually inspire me. Thank you for being the wonderful friends you are.

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Nomex: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

Star Wars: Lucasfilms

Grinch: Dr. Seuss

WWF: Titan Sports Inc.

Nerf: Hasbro Inc.

Superman: Warner Brothers and DC Comics

Chapter One

Could anything else with this mission go wrong?

After delays in having orders signed, bad weather at his home base in Germany, a plane breakdown in Argentina, and now this, the answer had better the hell be no.

Colonel Axel Cole pushed back the heavy pack he’d been trying to open and stood, giving his long legs a much-needed stretch. Though the middle of summer in the South Pole, the temperature still dipped well below zero, and his gloved fingers were too numb and clumsy to be of any use with the pack’s clips. Despite the sub-freezing temperature, he’d have to bare his hands to the cold if he was ever going to get into his pack and find his GPS.

Damned Navy pilots! Because of their miscalculation, he’d missed his jump target by almost a mile. Axel took a step, feeling the crunch of the ice-encrusted landscape then sinking into the softer snow below, making the going frustratingly slow. At forty-three, he could run a mile on uneven terrain with a full pack in less than fourteen minutes without breaking a sweat. But this…this was ridiculous. Luckily, the winds had been mild enough to make the jump, though they were steadily growing stronger. Regardless, to find his supply crate before rendezvousing with the rest of the soldiers here to train, he’d have to get a move on.

He slipped the thermal glove off his right hand and immediately felt the biting sting of freezing winds blowing across the icy tundra. With little hesitation, he bent over his pack, unclipped the clasps, and located the interior pocket with the hand-held GPS device—a quick flick of a switch and the small apparatus’ screen lit up all blues and reds. After a moment, he located his present position and entered the coordinates of the supply box. Only one-point-two miles due west. He was in business.

While the pack was open, he checked the pocket containing the small glass phials of Thermavan and the case of syringes. His sigh of relief came out as a frozen puff. The experimental drug’s containers were undamaged, and hopefully, the rest of the supply in the crate was safe as well. At least the real reason for his being in this God-awful cold place wasn’t giving him any problems. Not yet. Though once he started his first experiment on himself that might not be the case. But repeating the same fiasco from six months ago simply wasn’t an option. His sanity couldn’t take another dose of that kind of weirdness. With only a few weeks until his retirement from the Army, his sanity was something he’d definitely need.

“Colonel Cole, do you copy?”

The transmission crackled over Axel’s hand-held radio. He retrieved the radio from his parka and responded. “Just barely. That you, Jaguar?”

“Ten-four, Colonel. A storm came out of nowhere. Near whiteout conditions. Highly recommend you find shelter immediately, sir.”

Axel steeled himself, his years of training refusing to allow panic to enter his thought process. He was out in the middle of the South Pole with only the parka on his back for warmth and the limited provisions in his pack. Getting caught out in a storm could mean his death, but not if he could help it. “Copy that, Jaguar. Is everyone there safe?”

The radio sputtered. “Uncertain, Colonel.” Static nearly drowned out Jaguar’s words. “The other members of the crew are scattered. I’ve located a tent…” Then the signal was lost.

“Jaguar?” Axel pounded the side of his radio with the palm of his freezing hand. “Jaguar?”

Axel searched the skies. Directly west, a fast-moving wall of grey blotted out the ground and the heavens above. His flesh twitched with an uneasy feeling of déjà vu. This was too much like the North Pole disaster.

With as much speed as he could muster, Axel removed one of the phials of Thermavan, ripped open the hypodermic needle’s protective plastic, and thrust the needle into the small glass container. He was skipping too many protocols to consider this first injection as a part of his experiment, but at the moment, saving his butt was more important than the tests. Just how helpful the drug would be was another matter. If the changes he’d made in the last few months didn’t work, the drug might still be unstable. The heat Thermavan provided may only last for short bursts, coming and going like the hot flashes of a menopausal woman. Then there was the side effect. Walking around the South Pole in a storm with a hard-on and nothing to relieve his condition wouldn’t exactly be pleasant.

The syringe full, Axel tapped the side of the glass to remove any excess air, then jabbed the needle into his leg through his clothing. No time to undress and inject himself in the arm. Not today.

Axel grimaced as the metal tip of the needle plunged into his flesh and the drug seeped into his system. The sting of the Thermavan was worse than being burned by a hot poker. Knowing the immediate hurt would melt into gentle warmth throughout his body, Axel relaxed his muscles and took in deep breaths to regulate his breathing. The cold air filling his lungs also burned. Hell of a way to start a damned mission.

Once the Thermavan had warmed every inch of his body from his toes to his fingers, Axel threw his pack onto his back and trotted away from the storm, frantically searching for some type of shelter. His own tent was in the supply crate a mile away in the direction of the bad weather. No way he’d reach the crate before the storm hit. He had little other choice than to keep moving and try to find a safe place to weather the storm as quickly as possible.

From out of nowhere, heavy gusts blustered through, pelting Axel’s face with shards of ice. He lowered his head and trudged on, inwardly cursing his situation. He was too fucking close to retirement to die on his last mission. What had he been thinking when he’d agreed to come down here in the first place? Thermavan’s success might change the way the military operated in the frozen terrains on this planet or in space, but it wasn’t worth his life.

As the wall of white blew forward, the gentle warmth oozing through him exploded into an inferno from Axel’s core. Within seconds, he was too warm and beads of sweat ran down his cheeks and back. When the intense heat hit his brain, vertigo took over. The dizziness made the icy terrain feel uneven and tipsy. Barely able to walk straight, he threw out his arms, trying to brace himself against anything within his reach. Axel shook his head. He couldn’t lose his senses. He needed to focus and find shelter if he planned to stay alive. Thermavan might warm him now, but he couldn’t be sure just how long it would last. He could only hope the changes he’d made to the drug would keep it from fading in a few minutes, then ebbing and flowing for the next twenty-four hours, like the results from his last experiment. With the duration of the warm spell as uncertain as a bet on a dog race, he’d have to use the time he had wisely. There was no room for mistakes and failure wasn’t an option.

Without warning, his cock stiffened and throbbed. As though the most luscious pair of pouty female lips waited just beyond the confines of his Nomex suit, his dick strained against the thick material. Then nearly as quickly, the pleasurable arousal turned to an achy need.

Anger rose along with his over-stimulated libido. “Damn it!” Alex shouted against the howl of the wind.

Thermavan obviously wasn’t perfect yet. The side effect he’d tried to correct was still as strong as it had been in the North Pole. He inwardly groaned, but held on to a sliver of hope. If the work he’d done in the last six months had made any difference, he wouldn’t lose consciousness. He couldn’t. Not this time.

Gusts of freezing winds made his every step an effort, like pushing an unwilling elephant up a steep hill. Axel pulled out his GPS and looked at the screen, now barely visible in the blinding snow. Still point-eight miles to go. He’d only made a small dent in the journey.

Moving forward, he slammed into something solid. Like a mime outlining an empty box, Axel patted his way along the side of whatever was in his way. From what he could tell, he seemed to have stumbled upon a frozen rock or ice outcrop. He walked around the barrier, his hands searching for a fracture in the ice large enough for his body to slide into. Any bit of shelter to get out of the whipping winds would do. Even holing up in a block of ice would be better than total exposure to the storm.

When his hands found a crevice wide enough to fit in, he slid himself backward into the tight squeeze and found he could move even farther back into the ice. He continued carefully sliding backward, immediately feeling the force of the storm release him from its grip. His cock pulsed with a relentless ache and the wooziness in his head was still strong, making rational thinking difficult. Rather than staying focused on his dire situation, thoughts and images whirled around his brain. He hadn’t thought of her in awhile.

Tasha.

That was her name.

He’d tried to forget her, her name and everything associated with the disaster at the North Pole, putting the experience down as drug-induced dreams. But she lingered in his memory like a favourite song.

She’d said she was an elf. Why his crazed mind had chosen a character from a Christmas tale still made no sense. He’d hardly celebrated the holiday after his mother died and he’d been sent away to military schools. Special holiday homecomings with dad had abruptly stopped after he’d turned eight. Yet for reasons he still couldn’t understand, Christmas and elves had filled every moment of his delirium.

Axel closed his eyes. Then, like a grainy projection from a 1920s film, memories of the crazy hallucination from his North Pole experiment reran in his mind’s eye.

Topping six feet, with almond-shaped green eyes and long copper hair that reached her shapely, tight ass, Tasha hardly fit the image of pointy-eared little people making toys at Santa’s fictional shop. The tall beauty said she saw him collapse in the snow while on “bells” duty, whatever that was. She had taken him in, removed his clothes, and placed him in the softest bed he’d ever lain on. Before he realised what she was doing, Tasha unzipped her skin-tight white uniform and slowly peeled the fabric away from her body, revealing a figure most strippers would envy. Seeing her breasts, full and exquisite, caused his gut to twist with intense, passion-driven want. At that moment, he wanted nothing other than to take one of the ripe tits in his mouth and caress the hard peaked nub with his tongue until she groaned her pleasure. Tall, fit, and curvy, Tasha was truly the stuff of dreams.

With long, graceful strides, she had manoeuvred around the bed, turned back the fur blankets, and joined him. She said she’d never seen a naked human before. She had no idea human men’s penises were so big.

Enjoying the hallucination, he encouraged Tasha to explore his body as she liked. He told her he was a medical researcher. He understood her natural curiosity.

Her tentative hands touched his biceps with a softness that caused his skin to shiver with need. When she finally moved to his chest and gently pinched his nipple, he gasped and nearly lost control.

“Did I hurt you?” Tasha asked.

Axel waited a full heartbeat before answering, wanting to make sure his voice wouldn’t crack when he spoke. “No,” he said on a breathy exhale. “I like it. Don’t stop.”

Her brilliant emerald eyes sparkled and she smiled. “I’m glad. I like it, too.” She spread her fingers wide and combed through the hair on his upper body. “Most elf men are smooth,” she said, twisting a small tuft of hair between her fingers. “Way too smooth for my taste. You feel more like a man. At least, the way I envisioned a real human man would.”

As her hand roamed farther down, she moved closer. Heat, and the aroma of peppermint and chocolate, radiated from her skin, tempting Axel to lick and nibble at her hot flesh. No doubt she would taste as good as she smelled.

When she reached the bottom of his abdomen, Tasha stopped and fixed her lusty eyes on his, questioning him wordlessly. Axel could feel the rise and fall of her chest at his side. Her breathing became more laboured. He knew she wanted to touch his cock, but she resisted.

“It’s okay,” Axel coaxed.

He reached down, placed his hand over hers, and encouraged her to move lower. When her hot fingers touched his stiff dick, he froze, afraid he’d come from nothing more than pure desire. The Thermavan’s effect was either stronger than he’d realised or deep down lay a hidden need he hadn’t known existed, but he wanted desperately for her to stroke his cock, cup his balls in her soft hands, and allow him sweet release. The torture of holding back and allowing her to satisfy her curiosity bordered on cruel. She’s discovering something new, he reminded himself. As long as she didn’t stop, he would force himself to give her all the time she wanted to explore.

Smooth as satin, Tasha glided her hand up and down his shaft. So caught up in her erotic touch, he hadn’t registered she had laid her leg over his until he felt the springy curls of her pussy pressing into his thigh. Incredibly wet and warm to the touch, she rubbed her clit back and forth against him.

When she moaned, Axel gave up trying to stop himself. He slid a hand between their bodies and located the warm downy curls between her legs. Using two fingers, he gently spread her moist, silky folds. The moment the tips of his fingers found his target, she cried out, bearing her heavy breasts down against his chest. The sound of her pleasure nearly sent him over the edge. Wanting nothing more than to hear her climax, his fingers quickened their pace over and around the nub of her pussy.

“No, please, not yet,” she whimpered. “I want to know you. I want to taste you.”

A bead of pre-cum escaped the head of his dick at the thought of her sweet, full lips sucking him. When was the last time a beautiful woman had asked to suck his cock? He didn’t have to think hard. It was too long ago. Way too long.

Not able to trust himself with words, he nodded his consent. To his amazement, she pulled her lithe body down under the fur blanket until he felt the heat of her breath against the aching skin of his cock. Not being able to see what she was doing, he twitched from maddening anticipation.

Axel’s back involuntarily arched the moment Tasha took him in her mouth. Every muscle in his body tensed and strained to maintain control as she gently encompassed the base of his stiff shaft with her hand, then slowly bobbed her head up and down his entire length. Her tongue swirled the top of his cock, then flicked the tight skin under the ridge of the head. He placed his hand on the back of her head, half-inviting her to do more, half-wanting her to stop before he came too soon in her warm, velvety mouth. The moment had to last. Even if all of this was nothing more than a crazy erotic dream, the moment had to last.

As she shifted from licking to fervent sucking and writhing up and down his dick, he cautioned her to stop. He was on the brink of losing himself to her, but he wanted to do so much more.

Despite his warning, Tasha increased the intensity and speed of her thrusts with a renewed eagerness. Unable to resist the sweet release, he bucked his hips forward and moved against her rhythm, pushing his cock impossibly far into her hot mouth. He dug his free hand into the mattress and arched his back as a stream of cum surged from the pit of his clenched gut. Like tiny explosions, he came over and over again until he was so entirely spent he couldn’t move.

But he moved now, opening his eyes and shaking the memory from his thoughts. Propelling himself backwards through the narrow crevice, Axel felt the edge give way, and fell into an unexpected cavern. He landed ass first on the frozen floor and he sucked in air, temporarily forgetting how to breathe. Stars, bright and brilliant, floated before his eyes like a deep space scene from Star Wars. He blinked several times until his vision focused. But even as the haze of the surroundings sharpened, he doubted what he was seeing. This couldn’t be real.

Dozens of small silver candles glowed around the cavernous space, providing a strange but welcome heat. The room’s white walls twinkled and sparkled as though embedded with a million shimmering diamonds. Although the air was warm, the surrounding ice didn’t appear to be melting. No streams of water fell from the walls or puddled on the frozen floor.

Directly in front of him, Santa Claus stood near the narrow opening he’d just fallen through. Startled, Axel blinked and looked again. No, he hadn’t been mistaken. Attached to the glistening wall hung a six -foot poster of the jolly, rotund elf holding a large red bag full of toys. The area around St. Nick’s mouth was somewhat worn as though it’d been touched dozens of times, giving him the appearance of having eaten vanilla pudding but having forgotten to wipe his face.

Axel’s gaze shifted from the walls to the twenty-foot ceiling, where sheer sheets of glittery fabric fell and draped around a large, fur-covered bed. Large white pelts lay on various spots on the floor. If he didn’t know better, he would swear he had just stumbled upon the cave of some ice princess with a strange fetish for Santa.

The Thermavan.

Axel shook his head, feeling defeat weigh heavily on his shoulders. The damned Thermavan was still unstable and causing more hallucinations. All the work and experiments he’d done in the last six months had been for nothing. The problems he’d had at the North Pole were still prevalent, including having a dick as hard as an icicle.

Yet the heat he felt from the candles was real. Confused, Axel stood, removed his gloves, and reached out to touch the cavern’s wall. Ice cold. He knocked against the wall, which produced a barely audible clink, clink, clink, as the ice absorbed the sound.

Still unconvinced he wasn’t imagining everything around him, Axel made his way to the large bed and sat down. No doubt about it, his ass was definitely on something soft that gave to his weight. He pinched the thin skin on the top of his hand. A small white peak formed under his fingers and his flesh burned. He wasn’t delusional. This was real. But just where the hell was he?

Chapter Two

Though she hadn’t seen Cupid or any of his Vinions yet, Tasha Tingle finished one last trip around the perimeter of the area she had located for Santa’s new workshop. With her gun firmly held in both hands and her bent arms out before her, she was ready to unleash a barrage of snow bullets if needed. Cupid had already attacked other members of the Battle Elves trained in Logic warfare and Land defence Scout team today. The Greek god’s jealousy of Santa’s popularity made Cupid a real menace to the B.E.L.L.S.’ ability to complete their mission, and she wasn’t about to let the sex beast get her off track or hurt her. Santa had hand-picked her and the other two B.E.L.L.S. to find just the right spot on the South Pole for his new workshop to expand his Christmas empire, and by the power of St. Nick, she had got the job done. Well, at least she’d found a place that looked flat and level enough to build on. A tentative location was enough for her, and Santa would most likely be pleased.

Tasha took a long, last look at the frozen, windswept tundra before finally deciding to call it a day. She tucked her pistol into the side holster tied to her thigh, then picked up a handful of snow and blew the powdery crystals high into the air. The magic puff drifted from the sky, transformed into a metal pole, and landed deep in the ice-encrusted terrain, marking the location. When the rest of the B.E.L.L.S. gathered, she’d take them to this exact spot and get their input. Hopefully finding such an ideal location would finally get her out of the doghouse with the B.E.L.L.S.’ Commander. Luckily, the Commander hadn’t come down to the South Pole yet, but he’d be here just as soon as she and the other B.E.L.L.S. were ready to make their factory site recommendations. Working with him so close around was worse than being nagged by her mother. Too much stress.

Tasha nodded her approval and dusted her hands against her legs. Her shift was over, she had accomplished stage one of her mission, and she could head back to camp. Satisfaction at a job well done caused a smile to spread across her face. She hadn’t accidentally destroyed any buildings today—who knew lighting reindeer farts would end with an explosion in the gun arsenal—no one she’d come in contact with had been hurt and despite her Commander’s threat, she still got to carry around her badass gun and wear the rockin’ B.E.L.L.S. uniform. She might not be the best B.E.L.L., but she was still a member of the team. At least for another day. And if she continued to have great days like today, getting off disciplinary probation wouldn’t be far behind. Her mother might not be happy about her staying on the force, but mom would just have to get over it. Tasha would do whatever it took to maintain her status as a B.E.L.L., and what she lacked in talent or skill, she’d make up in sheer determination and tenacity.

Heading east, she trudged through the snow to the temporary shelter she’d created out of an ice outcrop. Why most of the other B.E.L.L.S. preferred to sleep in tents was beyond her. With Cupid and his Vinions terrorising the team and endangering the entire mission, the last place she wanted to be was in a tent where she’d have to use magic to fend off the fiends. Though she was much bigger than the average elf, she was only half-elf, and had half of a full-blooded elf’s magic-wielding ability. Using enough magic to protect her tent would leave her weak and vulnerable.

The faint jingle of distant bells caught Tasha’s attention. She looked to the sky, placing her hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun’s relentless low-lying rays, and caught sight of a reindeer messenger coming towards her at lightning speed.

“Peppermint sticks! Not again,” she groaned as her tummy balled into knots. A messenger rider could only mean one thing—a long-distance call from Mom, making this the fifth since this morning. Would her mother ever let her be?

Tasha quickly looked right then left, desperate for some place to hide, but there was no place to run. The area was as desolate as the Grinch’s frozen heart. She was doomed to another ration of guilt for not being a toymaker like the other “good” elf girls.

Mothers!

A shower of ice shards and snow flew onto Tasha, covering her face and the entire length of her body as the reindeer and its rider came to a screeching stop before her. She coughed, unable to breathe through the icy onslaught. When she opened her eyes, she held back a second curse. Reginald Redberry, the biggest prick of the North Pole, jumped off the reindeer’s back. With a flick of his wrist, he produced a comb out of thin air, then fully extended his arm and slicked back his overly gelled black hair. When he finished, he tossed the comb up three feet where it flashed into a small ball of light and disappeared. Despite the fact Reginald was a grade-A jerk and womaniser, he had more control of his magic than Tasha ever dreamed of having, and was probably the most popular, sought after male elf in Christmas Town. Why she never joined the Reggie bandwagon like everyone else was beyond her. Perhaps good taste was a by-product of being half-elf and half-human.

Reginald swaggered his four-foot self up to within inches of her, his leech-like eyes raking over her body like a wolf sizing up his next meal. “Yo, Tasha,” he said, adjusting his pint-sized package. Unfortunately, the red tunic he wore wasn’t long enough to cover the all too apparent bulge beneath his green tights. “You’re lookin’ very good today. Hot even.” Though he spoke directly to her, the lecherous elf’s gaze never went higher than her breasts.

The knots in Tasha’s belly tightened then turned over as though she’d just eaten a fried butter sandwich topped with drizzled melted grease. Reginald might be the stuff of dreams to many young and foolish female elves up at the other pole, but Tasha had never bought into the hype. This was probably the reason he’d tried so hard to get into her pants since the moment they’d met ten years ago. Reginald had rarely ever been turned down and he certainly didn’t give up easily.

The temptation to take a step back and create more distance between her and the boob-gazer was strong, but Tasha held her ground. She was a B.E.L.L. after all. If she was ever going to develop a reputation of being a badass, she had to stand up for herself. “If you have a message to deliver, Reggie, hand it over.” Tasha held out her palm and leant in even closer to Reggie. Let him be the first person to back down.

He scanned the surroundings, then thrust his chin towards the direction she’d just left. “What’s the rush? I see you’ve already marked a possible spot for the new toy factory.” An oily grin pulled at the ends of his thin lips. “We’re all alone in the wilds of the South Pole. Two grown elves with nothing but time on their hands. I can think of at least fifty things we can do to pass the time. And we both know you’ve been wanting a little piece of Reggie for a long time now.”

Tasha rolled her eyes. “Unfortunately, all you have is something little, Reggie. I’ve seen a bigger twig and berries on a holly bush.” She bent down and shook her open hand in front of Reggie’s face. “The snowball. That’s all I want.”

“I love a dame who plays hard to get. Frickin’ turns me on.” He stood back and pointed to the small tent in his tights. “Look at what you do to me. I’ve got a monster in my pants over here, and you’ve got the only wookie cave that can satisfy it. Don’t make me suffer, Sugar Plum. Give Reggie some of your sweet stuff.”

Her stomach completed a full somersault, a half-gainer, and a triple salchow. The sight of his hard-on was enough to make her lose her sugar cookies. “The only one suffering right now is me, I promise you.”

Reggie cocked his shoulders up and down while fingering the fabric of his tunic’s collar, looking like a lusty member of the mini mafia. “Then let me put you out of your misery.” He snapped his fingers and suddenly a king-sized bed with zebra-striped sheets materialised. The abrupt and unexpected appearance of the headboard and mattress startled his reindeer. The poor beast stamped a hoof against the ice-hardened snow and shook his head, causing the bells attached to his collar to ring loudly.

Hearing the unexpected jingle of bells helped Tasha refocus from the ridiculous bed back to the ridiculous elf who’d made the bed appear. “Did your mother drop you on your head when you were a baby, or is your insanity a recent development?” She placed both hands on her hips and drew up to her full height, knowing very well she would tower over the little twerp. “Listen Reggie, I’ve had a real man before. One with a penis almost as long as your arm. No offence, but I just don’t think I can ever go back to sharing a bed with an elf whose dick is the size of a stubby pencil. Something that small isn’t exactly satisfying, if you know what I mean.”

Instantly his Romeo facade morphed into one of a WWF wrestler. Reggie pushed a pointed finger at Tasha, coming wickedly close to touching her chest.

“What? You saying you fucked a human?” he asked, not bothering to hide the disdain in his tone.

His less-than-happy response caught Tasha by surprise. For the first time in the history of their one-sided relationship, Tasha had apparently hit one of Reggie’s sore spots, making him angry. The sudden change in his demeanour was a scary side of him she’d never seen before. A small warning bell tinkled in her head and goose pimples raced up and down her arms. Before she could utter a response, one to calm the little man down, rage bloomed red on his round face and indignation reflected in his dark eyes.

“Anyone who fucks humans is an abomination to elves everywhere.” Reggie’s nostrils flared and he pursed his lips. “But then again, your mother did. I guess the wrapping paper doesn’t fly far from the present, does it, Sugar Plum?” He pulled a glowing red snowball from his messenger bag and threw it at Tasha’s feet. The once perfectly round globe splattered into a fractured heap. “There’s your frickin’ call.” Reggie turned on the heel of his pointed-toe boot and hopped on his reindeer, his back to her. He gathered the deer’s reins and made as though to snap them, but stopped and turned. “You disrespected me, Tasha Tingle. I ain’t gonna forget this. Somehow, some day, some way, I’m gonna pay you back, Sugar Plum. Count on it.” And without another word, he flew off in a cloud of powdery snow.

Tasha sucked in a breath of air to calm her pounding heart and immediately became disgusted with herself. It’s not as if she’d been in any danger, not even for a moment! She was a damned B.E.L.L., for Santa’s sake. She trained long, hard hours learning self-defence and offensive manoeuvres to protect herself and others. Now look at her. Her knees shook so badly she wasn’t even sure she could walk straight.

Irritation grew like a hot fireball in her gut. Her reaction to her first real conflict had ended with her quaking where she stood. No doubt about it, she had to be the most pathetic B.E.L.L. on the force. Maybe her mother was right. She would be better off working in the factory making Baby Spit It Up dolls and Bang’em Up cars.

Out of pure frustration, she kicked the big bed with the toe of her white, fur-lined boot, sending ripples of pain up her long leg. “Damn it, Reggie. Don’t think I’m going to clean up your idiotic attempt at seduction by magically waving this bed away. This is your mess. I wouldn’t waste my magic on you if my life depended on it!”

He couldn’t have heard a word of her bravado, but yelling took a bit of the bite out of his stinging parting words. At least, that’s what she wanted to believe. The truth of the matter was, she did fuck a human, and having a cock as large as Axel Cole’s inside her had been the most memorable sexual experience of her life. Well, not including the time she made it with the two hot Maintenance elves working at the sleigh shop. Doing it doggy style with one guy while giving head to another in the back of Santa’s ride had blown her mind and left her wanting to try even more interesting combinations. Would she ever be able to look at that sled again without both blushing and getting a little creamy? Probably not.

Yet, despite the fun the ménage had been, Axel Cole had handed her a reality check she couldn’t overlook. Until she’d experienced her first human-sized dick, she’d never known just how important size was. Especially for a bigger than normal elf like herself. All the stupid sayings like, “It doesn’t matter now deep you plough, it’s how long you stay in the garden,” were pure deer hockey. And when the thick, nine-inch shaft was attached to a tall man with a broad chest and muscular arms that reached all the way  around her, well who wouldn’t prefer a human over an elf? To her dismay, there weren’t that many big guys, elf or otherwise, like Axel Cole at the North Pole. Though she’d known he’d eventually have to leave, finding interest in anyone else simply hadn’t happened. Axel had been the most incredible, intriguing man she’d ever met, in addition to being one of the best lovers. Just thinking of his whisky-coloured eyes, wide shoulders, and thick cock made her blood heat and her pussy wet in anticipation. The man had been phenomenal.

Unfortunately, anticipation and her pink Pleasure Pump Three Thousand were as close to sex as she’d experienced lately. Worth its weight in candy canes, the vibrator was sexually satisfying and definitely fun in the shower, but the dildo couldn’t snuggle next to her or keep her warm at night. The fun toy would never be able to help her feel ‘normal’ in a land full of elves who were only tall enough to reach her chest. And after sharing a bed with Axel, not having the sexy hulk of a man around made her days and nights empty and lonesome. Thank goodness for the B.E.L.L.S. She could easily be the worst warrior elf on the force, but without being a part of the hard-hitting team, she probably would have gone abominable by now.

Tasha stared at the scattered bits of her snow call spread around her feet. She could scoop all the pieces together and use a bit of magic to make the phone work. Or, she could later tell her mom that the call was dropped and she wasn’t able to receive it. The latter was technically true. At least a part of it was. No fibbing there, and certainly nothing that would show up on Santa’s Naughty list. Mom couldn’t fault her with this excuse. Heck, mom could even get Reggie fired for ruining the call.

Tasha laughed aloud, enjoying how the physical effort lifted her spirits. Getting Reggie laid off would serve the jerk right.

Feeling better, she deftly skirted around the king-sized bed as if it was covered in cooties, which may have been true, and continued marching back to her cave. While debating whether to have plum pudding or fruitcake for dinner, she noticed a dark bank of clouds swiftly rolling and churning to her left and the sudden rising of the wind. Out of habit, she reached down and felt for her pistol, reassuring herself the gun was still there. She couldn’t be sure from this distance, but the storm’s strange bluish-grey colour and prickly gusts had all the earmarks of an attack by Cupid or his Vinions. Getting caught in the dastardly sex god’s blizzard without any more protection than her gun and no backup would mean certain capture or worse, and she didn’t even want to think about what the or worse could be. After accidentally stepping on and breaking General Red’s antique, first edition golden bow, Tasha definitely sat squarely on the General’s shit list. Red wasn’t exactly notorious for being forgiving, and when he had said he would kill her if he ever got his hands on her, she had no doubt he’d make good on his threat.

Slipping and sliding on the icy terrain, Tasha ran as quickly as her booted feet could carry her. Beads of sweat formed on her brow. Her heart clanged loudly, as though her chest held a dozen toy monkeys banging cymbals. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and scan the area for some type of stronghold she could hide behind and make her stand. For as far as she could see, nothing but snowdrifts and clefts in the ice dotted the white landscape.

She was screwed.

With little time left before the storm overtook her and very few options to choose from, Tasha stopped and fell to her knees. She scraped up as much snow as she could hold, then concentrated on nothing but the words to a transportation spell and an image of her ice cave. Calling on every ounce of magic she possessed, she closed her eyes, blew the powdery crystals into the air and shouted, “Creo ego vini!”

Tasha opened her eyes.

She hadn’t moved an inch, but a pretty bouquet of yellow and blue flowers lay not more than a foot from her knees. Its sweet perfume permeated the air.

This is ridiculous, she thought as she huffed out a puff of frozen breath. Her ability to use magic was worse than she’d imagined.

“Concentrate, Tasha,” she said aloud. “You can do this.”

Tasha scooped up another handful of snow. Her hands shook so badly, she could barely hold enough of the white stuff to blow into the air. “Agito ego tenus domus!”

In an instant, she was gone, passing through time and space in a rainbow of flashing, disorienting lights.

Tasha reappeared in her ice cave and collapsed onto the floor like a rag doll. A groan sounding like a ghost with acid indigestion passed through her lips. Though not hurt, her body ached and she knew moving in her weakened state was impossible. Using so much magic had completely drained her, making her limbs useless. Her bed sat less than ten feet away, but she would have to rest where she lay for at least thirty minutes. By then, she would be rejuvenated enough to at least crawl on top of the mattress and slide under the heavenly sheets until she could completely recover.

Her elf ears detected the rustle of clothing and she sensed movement from the other side of the room. Her ice cave was known only to herself and the other B.E.L.L.S., and her team-mates were already accounted for at various points on the Pole. No doubt a stranger lurked in her room, and a stranger meant danger. Especially if the stranger ended up being one of Cupid’s gang.

She willed herself to rise and protect herself, but her limp body refused to cooperate. With extreme effort, she lifted her eyelids, enabling her to dimly see through the narrow slits. Her eyes, unfocused and unable to see much more than blurs of colour, caught the advance of a large, shadowy object. As the dim blob crept closer, Tasha’s breathing quickened, preparing for a scream. She opened her mouth and attempted to force her voice from her lungs. What came out was only a raspy wisp of breath.

All alone, weak, and completely defenceless, she was little more than a lame deer waiting for slaughter. Terror gripped her. Tasha’s chest tightened and a hot tear trickled down her cheek. Though the Vinions generally used heart tips on their arrows, the jealous rage Cupid held against Santa had caused the love master to use less-than-loving force against the B.E.L.L. team. If the being in her cave was General Red, she was a goner.

Closing her eyes, Tasha sucked in one final breath and prepared for the blow of a Vinion’s arrow right through the heart.

“Tasha?”

The voice was male and General Red was as female as they came.

Who in the name of Rudolph…

The loping thumps of booted feet drew closer and stopped only inches away from her face. Tasha quietly blew out her breath and cracked open her eyelids. A pair of white Mickey’s filled her limited view.

“You’re a delusion.”

The sound of the male’s low rumbling voice reverberated off the ice walls like a haunting whisper. He placed a knee beside Tasha and brushed back a lock of hair from her face.

“This can’t be real. You can’t be here,” the masculine voice continued.

Again, Tasha searched her memory, trying to locate the person belonging to that voice. There was only one person who spoke with such a deep timbre and subtle sensuality.

Axel Cole.

Chapter Three

Her heart loop-de-looped inside her chest, exerting her weary body even more. If Red’s Vinion arrow didn’t strike her dead today, her over-excitement at hearing her favourite lover’s voice most likely would. But, sweet St. Nick, he was worth having a heart attack over.

“Axel?” she asked on a raggedy exhale.

“Yes. It’s me.” Axel replied, his mouth only inches from her ear. “Are you hurt?”

Wanting to confirm the unbelievable, Tasha forced open her lids. Axel leant back, allowing her a full view of his handsome face. By the spirit of Christmas, she thought. It is true. He’s found his way back to me. Another tear slipped free and slid slowly down to her chin. Pure and near overwhelming joy replaced fear, lifting her spirits higher than they’d been since he’d left her six months ago. Her heart practically grew to three times its normal size.

“Are you hurt?” he repeated more urgently. “I’m a doctor. I can help.”

Tasha shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “Pooped.” She snorted to herself. The badass warrior wasn’t strong enough to utter more than two words. How pathetic was that? As soon as this mission was over, she was heading straight to magic school to better learn how to wield her powers. Using all the magic she knew to pop into her ice cave and getting completely drained like this was for the loser kids who got lumps of coal for Christmas. Never again.

Axel’s gentle hands lifted her from the floor and his strong arms cradled her against his wide chest as he carried her to her bed.

Bed!

Though she lacked the energy to do much more than lie limp in his supportive embrace, her pussy grew warm and moist with the promise of having more than just Axel’s arms around her. The thought of his long, muscular legs entwining with hers as he thrust his own Pleasure Pump into her nearly had her groaning with ecstasy already.

When he threw back the bedding and placed her on the mattress, she did let out a moan, but only because the bed felt do damned good. Much more comfortable than the floor.

He unlaced her fur-lined boots and removed them with such care that Tasha barely noticed as each slipped from her foot. With clever fingers, he unfastened the leather straps of her holster from the inside of her thigh. His hand seemed to linger on her leg and an almost imperceptible sigh escaped his lips before he continued up to her hips to loosen the holster’s buckle.

When he’d removed the gun belt, Axel brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “I’m going to take off your, ah—” he hesitated for a moment, as though searching for the right word to use. “Uniform,” he finally finished. “Let me know if I hurt you.”

Feeling higher than a reindeer on acid, a crooked smile spread across Tasha’s face and she snuggled her head deeper into her pillow. He still didn’t understand she wasn’t really hurt, just exhausted. But if even saying “Boo” meant he wouldn’t personally peel back her B.E.L.L., all-winter-wear unitard, then her mouth would stay sealed indefinitely. Having a buff, six-foot-six man strip her down to her bare essentials didn’t happen every day. As far as she was concerned, he could cause all the hurt he wanted as long as he didn’t stop until she was naked, he was naked, and they were naked together in this bed.

Axel chuckled lightly. “I’ll take that grin as permission to proceed.”

Too happy and relaxed to utter a word, Tasha’s smiled broadened until the apples of her cheeks nearly bumped into her eyeballs. She was about to sneak through the locked door to Heaven, and Axel Cole held the key.

His hands glided over the thin but tough material of her uniform. After a few minutes he stepped back and rubbed the bristles of hair at the top of his head. “I can’t find the damned zipper. How in the blue blazes did you manage to wiggle your way into this skin-tight getup?”

“Magic,” she answered on a breathy sigh. “There is no zipper.”

“Magic?” An eyebrow rose high on Axel’s forehead, completing a look of utter disbelief. “Right.”

He placed his wrist beneath her hairline. “No fever.” He checked her pulse at the side of her neck. “Heart beat is a little elevated, but nothing to worry about. He then spread her eyelids and peered at her pupils. “You’re vitals are fine, but I’m afraid you may have hurt yourself when you, ah—” He paused again and took a glance at where she had lain on the floor. “When you appeared.” Axel’s eyes widened. “Holy shit. I was so concerned about you being hurt, I didn’t even think about how you just popped into this place. How in the Hell did you do that?”

“Magic. I am an elf, you know,” Tasha replied matter-of-factly while she concentrated on lifting her own eyebrow, which thankfully moved on her command. Squinching and relaxing her facial muscles several times, she tested her ability to control her features. Then, one at a time, she lifted each finger on both hands and twitched her toes. Relief washed over her. Though still weak, her strength was returning. Impressive considering she’d just depleted herself. Maybe her ability to use magic was getting better after all.

Axel remained silent and frozen. The look of incredulity etched on his face and his body language were as clear as if the words, are you fucking with me, were carved into his muscles.

His once bright eyes lost their gleam and he shook his head. “The Thermavan. This isn’t real after all. I’m hallucinating all of this like I did at the North Pole.”

Tasha swallowed hard while a tiny crack splintered its way through her heart.

Was he rejecting her? Denying her existence?

How could he? She had saved his life and nursed him back to health only six months ago. Had all the lonely nights she’d spent pining over the tall and mysterious human been nothing but a cruel waste of time? How many handsome elves had she refused since he’d left? At least a dozen! All for the crazy, romantic notion that she had fallen for the big human.

She saw red, angry sparks fly before her eyes.

“I don’t know what Therma-whatever is or what are you talking about. But I promise you, I’m not a hallucination.” Though the rising indignation in her tone surprised even her, the forcefulness of her voice was a welcome release of building anger. “And your wham-bam, thank you ma’ams at my place in the North Pole certainly happened, I guarantee you. I had sore thighs for days after you left to prove it!”

Like ice melting in the sun, his stiff composure loosened. His full lips parted and he let out a laugh. “My dick was so raw and bruised, I thought I’d never be able to use it again. I figured I’d done it to myself while the Thermavan still lingered in my system.” He took her hand in his and squeezed. “When my crew discovered me three days after I’d become lost at the North Pole, they thought I would be little more than a human popsicle. They couldn’t believe I was still alive. Hell, I couldn’t believe I was alive, either. Then I made the mistake of explaining to them I’d been saved by a sexy, six-foot elf who’d spent those days fucking me senseless. They all thought I’d lost my mind. I ended up spending a few weeks in a psychiatric ward with a bunch of doctors who convinced me you, and everything that had happened with you, was nothing more than a drug-induced hallucination.”

“But you can see,” Tasha said while glancing around the room, “all of this is real. I’m real.” She struggled to sit up and hold him to her, confirming her existence, but simply didn’t have the strength.

With his free hand, Axel gently forced her back down onto the mattress and bent to kiss her. Tentative at first, his lips lightly brushed against hers like the fluttering of delicate butterfly wings. His fingers trailed up from her shoulder to the back of her neck, where he cupped her head in his hand and carefully pulled her forward. The ginger kisses gave way to a heated, sensual press of his full lips as he held her to him.

Tasha opened her mouth, inviting him to explore further, desperately wanting him to probe deeper. She moaned when his deft tongue met hers and swept across the roof of her mouth. Like duelling swords, the tips of their tongues struck, pulled against their full lengths, and struck again. The passion of their rivalling strikes caused Axel’s breathing to grow rapid and intense, and Tasha’s womb to soften and throb mercilessly with anticipation. When Axel finally pulled away, his flushed face beamed.

“I’ve been dying to do that for the last six months,” he said as he gripped her hand even tighter. “As much as I tried to believe that what had happened between us was nothing more than a delusion, I couldn’t. I simply wasn’t able to forget our time together. I couldn’t forget you.” Axel trailed the pad of a finger up and down her arm while the heat in his golden-brown eyes nearly set her soul on fire. “I’ve wanted you so badly, I was prepared to accept being crazy. Now that you’re here, all I want to do is touch every inch of your silky skin and make love to that curvy body of yours until you come so many times you beg me to stop.”

Tasha eyed the crotch of his Nomex suit. No doubt about it, the man wasn’t kidding. His pup tent strained against the material of his pants. She had seen his cock before, had spent several hours licking and sucking it like a candy cane. He was a big man. If his erection was pushed out so far, the poor man must be in pain. Heck, she was in pain. The ache between her legs and the desire to be thoroughly fucked had her quivering on the sheets. Her uniform would be a problem though. She was too weak to use magic to get the darn thing off.

“I want you too, Axel. More than you know.” With what little strength she did have, she squeezed her thighs together, intensifying the pleasurable misery of her want. “But I need to recharge my powers before I try using my magic again. I depleted all I had when I popped into my cave.” She nodded down to her clothes. “I can’t use magic to take off my uniform. You’re going to have to tear it off.”

“No problem. I’ve got just the thing.” Axel released her hand and pulled his pack onto the bed. After a moment of fumbling through his things, he pulled out a small pair of silver scissors. Opening and closing them several times, he appeared to snip the air. “Surgical scissors. I never leave the hospital without them.”

A noise that could only be described as a purr escaped Tasha’s mouth. Her nipples tightened into sensitive peaks beneath her restrictive uniform at the thought of him examining her and sticking his probe in every available orifice. “You’re a doctor? A real doctor with patients?”

“Yes, ma’am, though technically I do most of my work in a lab researching drugs. But I told you that. Remember?”

Tasha blushed. “I guess I had my mind on other things.”

“I think we both may have had our minds on other things.”

“Want to play doctor with me?” she asked in a low, throaty tone. “My titties are hard all the time, Doc, and my pussy is suffering with a terrible ache. Do you think you can cure me?” She knew she sounded ridiculous, but she was having too much fun with the idea of role playing to stop.

The pup tent in Axel’s pants shifted violently. Apparently his dick liked the idea of playing doctor, too.

Axel straightened his back and glanced at her, a new calm masking his features. “Why yes, patient Tasha, I believe I can.” He reached into his bag, pulled out a stethoscope and hung the instrument around his neck. “But first we need to get you out of this uniform.” He moved to the foot of the bed and prepared to cut her free but stopped. “It’s okay if I rip your outfit to shreds, right? As far as I can see, this is the only way this baby is coming off, and I definitely want you naked, stat.”

Tasha nodded, feeling a rush of excitement slam into her womb. His clear desire for her and interest in the role play making her even wetter. By the time he finally got her clothes off, her unitard would probably be soaked. “I’ve got another uniform around here someplace. Cut away, big boy. Just keep in mind, I still can’t move very much. You’re going to have to manipulate my body to get the unitard completely off.”

“Roger that,” he said, his voice sounding a little strained. “Here we go.”

He slipped the scissors between the soft flesh near her ankles and the bottom of her white uniform. The touch of cold metal against her skin sent exquisite shivers of delight down her spine. Without another word, Axel cut through the material, pushing the chilled scissors up her leg. When he reached the top of her thigh, her pussy spasmed. Her back involuntarily arched, tightening the material across her breasts. The abrasion of the uniform pressing and rubbing the hardened nubs of her tits had her panting for more. If only she could touch herself and relieve the building urge to come.

“Fuck! What are you doing to me, Doc?” She wiggled her ass as much as her muscles would allow, hoping to get the seam in the crotch of her uniform to fall deeper into her clit. She needed some type of pressure on her pussy, pronto.

“Liked that, did you?” he asked as he started cutting up the other leg of the unitard. “I believe we may have a medical emergency here, patient Tasha. If I don’t get you out of this damned get-up soon and slip my cock into that hot pussy of yours, you may suffer from an intense malady commonly known as Orgasm Madness.” He flashed a brilliant smile at her. “Lucky for you, I’m a physician who’s sworn the Hippocratic Oath. I’ll do everything I can to relieve you of this most heinous illness.”

Axel sounded so professional, so much like a doctor, that had she been anywhere else but an ice cave in the middle of the South Pole with him ripping her clothes off to get a piece of her tail, she would have easily believed anything he said. Orgasm Madness! Where in the world had he come up with that? Hopefully, even more resided in that creative little mind of his. If she was a very good elf, maybe he would use some of that creativity on her.

When he had cut through the second leg and crotch of her unitard, he again stopped and shook his head solemnly. “This is more serious than I thought. Your pussy is incredibly wet and inflamed. I’m afraid if I don’t perform a lick-O-colpo stat, you may not make it.”

Tasha giggled. “A lick-O-colpo, Doc? That does sound serious. What exactly is it?”

“Well,” he began, still in his professional tone, “the term colpo is a surgical prefix for vagina. A lick-O-colpo simply means I’ve got to lick your pussy until you no longer have any signs of Orgasm Madness.” He removed his parka, tossing it to the floor, then crawled onto the bed. Hands and knees on the mattress, he moved into the space between her splayed legs. “Some physicians prefer the more common term of lick-a-lotta-puss, but I’m old school. I believe in using the proper, medical terms.”

“I do love a man who takes his profession seriously.” She sucked in a gulp of air and released it. Trying to adopt the same solemn look, she said, “Very well, doc. You’ve convinced me. If having you perform a lick-O-colpo is the only way I can save myself, then do what you must. I only hope you’ve been properly trained in this procedure.”

“I’ve put in many long, hard hours perfecting my technique. Trust me. You’re in good hands.” He pulled up her uniform until the material reached mid-stomach, revealing nothing but naked flesh from her waist down. Smiling, he gave her one last long look and waggled his eyebrows before beginning his ‘procedure’.

Unable to lift her head more than an inch above her pillow, she couldn’t see what he was doing. Tasha smiled to herself. This was a lot like being blindfolded, which actually didn’t sound too bad, either. Deciding to go with the flow, Tasha closed her eyes and left him to his work, sensing what he was doing through touch.

First, his fingertips spread her labia, then seconds later, she felt hot breath on her clit. Without warning, his tongue flicked her sensitive nub, making her squirm.

He placed both hands on her thighs, holding her still. “I thought you said you were too weak to move.”

“Apparently I’ve gained a bit of my strength back. You’re a miracle worker.”

“Hmm,” he snorted. “That may be true. But if you don’t hold still, patient Tasha, I may be forced to restrain you until I’ve completed my procedure.”

“Promises, promises,” she said on a sigh.

Again he bent to his work, drawing her clit into his mouth where his agile tongue stroked, licked, and sucked. After a few minutes of the tender torture, she thought she’d go mad.

“Oh please, Doc,” she panted. “I don’t think I can take much more of this. I need to feel you deep inside me. Put me out of my misery.”

He momentarily stopped and rested his chin just above her pelvis. “Say that once again. I really liked the way that sounded.”

She frowned. “Put me out of my misery?” Tasha waited for a response. There was none. She opened her eyes and tilted her head up as far as it would go. His entire face wasn’t visible, but his whisky-coloured eyes were. They sparkled with pure mischief. “I don’t think I can take much more of this?” she asked.

Axel moved lower. “Not that either.” His deep voice rumbled along her thighs, tickling the sensitive skin. He swiped the inner fold of her pussy with his rough tongue, causing her to buck.

“Oh please, Doc?” she yelped.

“Yes. I do believe that’s what you said that I liked so much. You can say that as often as you like. I love it.” He shimmied further up the bed until his legs straddled her torso, then grabbed the cut up pieces of her uniform in both hands. The muscles under his uniform bulged as he ripped her unitard up the middle, exposing the rest of her body. “Hello ladies,” he said to her breasts. “I’ve certainly missed you two.”

“Trust me,” she giggled. “They’ve missed you, too.”

“Well, patient Tasha, I believe it’s time I check your vitals.” Axel removed the stethoscope from his neck and placed the ear piece into his ears. He picked up the dangling stainless steel chestpiece and grinned like the Cheshire cat. “Prepare yourself. This is going to be cold.”

With so much passion burning in her blood right now, having something cold on her skin could only make her feel better. She closed her eyes and leant her head back, ready for the new pleasurable assault on her body. “Do what you’ve got to do, Doc. And don’t bother being gentle.”

When the frozen chestpiece touched the swell of her breast, she gasped. Her nipples tightened with an acute ache, begging to be sucked. A fresh flood of cream further slicked her already soaked pussy. His nine-inch cock would have no trouble penetrating her deep core. She was more than ready for him.

He slid the icy chestpiece all over one breast while a callused hand kneaded the other. The rough texture of his palm and fingers rasped against her sensitive skin, leaving trails of tingling sensation wherever he touched. Using the little strength she had, she arched her shoulders forward, forcing her tit further into his hand. Axel responded by taking the hard nub of her nipple between two fingers and gently squeezing. Another tidal wave of want crashed through every cell in her body. A moan slipped through her lips.

“I see we have another winner,” he teased.

Axel leant forwards and took the tender pebble of her breast in his mouth. Using his teeth, he scraped the delicate nipple. He then sucked, his tongue a lethal weapon of pleasure.

Though still fully dressed, his erection, as hard as granite, pressed against her bare stomach. She felt cold, drenched spots where the material of his uniform touched her skin. Not only was he as stiff as a pole, the tip of his cock wept with pre-cum. Evidently, he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

Tasha opened her eyes. Axel’s head occasionally moved up and down, forward and back, loving her tit with a passion she’d never witnessed in an elf. The ache between her thighs intensified. Her pussy demanded satisfaction.

“I can’t take any more of this examination, Doc.” She captured his gaze with hers when he looked up. “Fuck me. Fuck me now.”

Not needing to be told twice, Axel hopped off the bed and unzipped his Nomex suit. Tasha used her reviving strength to lean on the side of the bed and rest her weight on her arm. Not even a bout of physical weakness was going to keep her from watching him strip down to nothing but a smile.

“I see you’re feeling a little better. I guess my doctoring skills are still exceptional.” Axel shrugged out of his clothes, leaving the white uniform in a puddle of material around his feet. Like a good soldier, his dick stood at full attention, its well-shaped head shiny and glistening with creamy pre-cum.

A testimony to a life of careful diet and exercise, Axel’s body was solid. Though he wasn’t hulk-like, when he moved and flexed, each lean cord of his muscles strained against his golden flesh, making for an excellent show of his powerful limbs. Blond, curly hairs covered his chest and tapered down his abdomen, practically pointing the way to the thick thatch between his legs, where his cock bounced each time Axel moved.

Axel again dug through his pack and pulled out a small square of foil. He ripped open the packaging and produced a rather large condom.

“You certainly come prepared, don’t you, Doc?”

He momentarily glanced at her while he unrolled the latex sheath over his stiff rod. “I always come prepared.” When the last bit of cock flesh was covered with the condom, a smile the size of Antarctica spread across his face.

She lifted a finger and crooked it towards him, beckoning him to come closer. “I want to touch you.”

“Not quite yet. If I don’t fuck you right now, I can’t be liable for my actions.” He heaved himself onto the bed and placed his knees between her legs, pushing them farther apart. “I’ve wanted a chance to slide my dick into that incredible pussy of yours for six long months. I don’t think I can wait another moment.”

He leaned over her, placing his hands on the bed above her shoulders. In one swift move, he entered her drenched cunt, taking her breath away. Moving slowly at first, he soon found a rhythm to his lovemaking, thrusting in and out of her while rubbing against her swollen mound. Back and forth, again and again, Axel drove his hard spike deep inside where the walls of her womb gripped and pulled, tempting him to come.

Her pussy pulsed with sensation. With each long stroke of his flesh-covered rod, the acute throbbing ache between her legs heightened. She could barely breathe and didn’t dare to for fear she’d be pushed over the edge, leaving without him. Beneath her chest, her heart raced, pounding to the tempo of his frenzied movements. Not sure how much longer she could hold on, she bucked against his thrusts and squeezed the inside of her pussy tight.

“Come for me,” Tasha begged.

She glanced at his handsome face. His eyes were closed, his strong jaw set firm as though in deep concentration. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and his cheeks, glistening in the flickering light of the many candles placed around her bed.

Suddenly Alex’s eyes flew open. Lust and heat burned hot in their golden depths. He strained his already taut body forward and his pelvis pushed hard against her overwrought clit. A primal groan escaped his lips as he came inside her.

With one last shuddering thrust of his cock, he unlocked the door to her climax. Tasha’s back arched and she cried out as dozens of tiny shocks of electric current rushed from her womb throughout her body. Bright sparks shimmered and danced before her while her heated blood drained from her head and surged down to the cleft between her legs.

She lay very still, exhilarated but spent. Most of her strength had returned, though all of her muscles now felt like soft-cooked noodles.

Alex brushed his rough cheek against the softness of hers, then kissed her lightly on the mouth. When he had finished, she licked her lips, savouring the slightly salty taste.

His body spasmed as he removed himself from her. With great care, he rolled off her and onto the mattress where he lay very still.

“That was amazing,” he said after a few moments. “You’re amazing.”

“Well I have to tell you, Doc. I think you cured me. No more medical emergencies for at least a little while.”

Axel leaned towards her and pushed himself up on his elbow. “I’m here when you need me. No problem too big or too small for me to handle.”

Tasha smiled to herself. “I do love a doctor who makes house calls.”

Chapter Four

Axel pulled the covers up Tasha’s lean frame, tucking the soft, downy material under her chin and around her shoulders as she slept. Assured she was comfortable, he positioned himself next to her, moulding his body to hers. Like a slow burning furnace, her lithe body radiated heat. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a contented sigh. Snuggling up to a warm, sexy woman, elf or not, in a large comfortable bed sure as hell beat crashing on an Army cot or a sleeping bag. After nearly a lifetime of military-issued beds, resting next to Tasha was heaven. Pure heaven. Definitely something he could get used to.

His eyes flew open.

What in the hell was he thinking?

That train of thought could lead to dating, then becoming a boyfriend, and ultimately to marriage. Another commitment.

A shudder rippled under his skin.

Only weeks away from retiring from a job he’d held for over twenty-five years, he stood on the doorstep of having no commitments. He wouldn’t need to work, could come and go as he pleased, and would be able to do just about anything he felt like doing when he felt like doing it. Commitment, even with a great woman like Tasha, was definitely not a part of the long-term plan.

He needed to concentrate on working towards some life-long dreams. His very own bucket list of things to do, places to see, and adventures to experience before he was too old to enjoy his life. There was a deep-sea fishing boat to buy and a giant swordfish to catch. Scuba diving off the Great Barrier Reef. And most important of all, seeing the sunset off the bow of his boat near the white sands of Tahiti. From everything he’d read, and all the pictures he’d seen of the small island in the South Pacific, Tahiti was the most beautiful place on the planet. Once he retired and bought his boat, not a moment would be wasted getting to those French Polynesian beaches.

The scent of Tasha’s skin wafted up from under the covers. She smelled of sugar cookies and sex, a combination difficult to resist. Tempted by her heady aroma, Axel smacked his lips, picking up traces of her tangy, sweet pussy on his lips. Damned if the woman didn’t taste as good as she looked. How nice his life would be if he could lick that delectable kernel between her legs every day or tap into that ass when the mood struck.

Holy shit!

Enough with the woman already.

But, as if it had a mind of its own, his cock came alive and was as hard as marble. Either the Thermavan, or his desire for her, still flowed strong in his blood. It was impossible to tell which one of the two was more powerful.

He couldn’t take her again. She needed her rest. The poor thing was still recovering from using all her magic.

He snorted.

That he could even believe she was truly an elf and could wield magic still rubbed a little against the grain. Yet, here he was, there she lay, and though tender from overuse, his dick was ready for action. There was no crazy here. No delusions. This was real. The only thing that wasn’t real at this moment was the fantasy of caressing the back of her thigh and moving his hand higher until he met the curve of her tight ass. What he would do to squeeze that incredible backside of hers, or, better still, spread those beautiful cheeks apart to reveal her tight little hole. He hadn’t tried doing that yet.

His cock jumped.

He had to do it.

Unable to hold himself back, he reached under the blankets and felt around until his fingers met the warm skin of her flat stomach. The feel of her softness against the rough skin of his hands served to remind him that he had to be gentle with her. She might be an elf, and she might be a ’bad ass B.E.L.L.’, as she put it, but she was a woman. A wonderful, sexy, funny woman.

Axel shook his head. Not those thoughts again.

Before he realised she was awake, Tasha’s hand slipped over his legs and gently latched on to his swollen cock.

“Is this what men call morning wood?” she giggled.

“Honey, this is what real men call a petrified log.” He leaned towards her, pulled his hand out from under the fur blankets, and brushed a stray lock of hair from her beautiful face. “I’m sorry. I can’t help myself. I’ve got to make love to you again.”

She turned towards him, her long red hair tumbling over her shoulders, as she graced him with a wide smile. “Elf men have a lot of special powers, but I’ve never been around one that is as virile as you. Are all human men this horny, or are you incredibly special?” Her eyes lit with some unknown merriment. “Or am I so hot you can’t take your hands off of me?”

A rush of heat flamed across Axel’s chest. He swallowed hard, more than a little embarrassed that his libido was more the Thermavan’s doing than his. At least, he was pretty sure the Thermavan was behind his non-stop sexual appetite.

He could lie, he reminded himself. What would be so wrong in thinking he was more of a stud than he might actually be without the help of any medication? He opened his mouth, prepared to tell her a whopper of a fish tale, but stopped himself. Tasha deserved to know the truth. As much as he wanted to look like Superman in her eyes, he wanted to earn that impression by being a man of honour. Someone she could trust.

Axel let out a breath, which carried away any hesitation about doing the right thing. “I’m taking a drug. It gives my dick not only a mind of its own, but apparently a set of orders to carry through any sexual plans it schemes in its rather big head.” He searched Tasha’s face, wanting to see her reaction to his confession. Would she laugh? Would she be disappointed?

Tasha hesitated for a moment, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. She released the hold she had on his dick and pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Axel, as long as I get to be here with you and share my body with you, I don’t really care why you are the way you are. I just know I love the touch of your skin against mine, the way your huge cock fills me, and the happy way you make me feel.” She looked into this gaze and held it, evidently preparing to make an important point. “When I’m with you, I can be myself. I can share my fantasies and fetishes without feeling weird. In my world at the North Pole, I’m already a bit of a freak, the odd duck among the swans. I mean, look at me. How many six-foot elves have you ever seen in your life?”

Axel cocked an eyebrow. “Honey, I’ve never seen an elf before. I’m going to have to take your word on this one.”

Her hand reached over his ass and pinched. “You know what I mean.” Tasha rubbed the area she’d just inflicted. “I don’t think I could ever ask some elf to play doctor with me or do the things we’ve done together. I feel comfortable with you.” She squeezed her arms tight and pressed her cheek against his chest. “I really like you.”

A strange pang echoed through his heart. One he hadn’t felt since he’d lost his mother so very long ago.

No, he reminded himself. He couldn’t get close to Tasha. He wouldn’t. He had plans. Dreams. Getting himself involved with Tasha would put all his hopes for his future in jeopardy. He’d waited too long for retirement to make changes now. Couldn’t he just enjoy the moment? Satisfy his needs while he satisfied hers? He’d be more than happy to do anything she wanted, be anyone she wanted—for now. But when his mission was over, he’d be gone. Seeing her again just wasn’t something he could commit to.

“Tasha, I really like you, too.” And he did, but he wouldn’t allow any more feeling than that, he decided, no matter how badly his heart banged.

Axel kissed her forehead. Feeling inspired, he continued kissing a string of kisses down the side of her face, ending at her ear. “I want to please you. Tell me one of your fantasies,” he whispered. “I’ll do anything for you. Anything. What’s your greatest desire and I’ll make it come true.”

“Well,” she thought aloud. “My friend, Kendil, isn’t here, so we can’t do that one, but…”

He stopped her before she could continue. “Wait a second. Is Kendil a man or a woman?” And just what level of freakiness should I be expecting? he finished in his head.

“Oh, she’s a woman. She’s another B.E.L.L. You’d like her.”

A fresh jolt of stimulation punched his gut. He’d never fucked two women at the same time before, but had wanted to since he was old enough to get a hard-on. Damned if he wasn’t willing to give that combination a try. What guy in his right mind wouldn’t? Watching two women getting it on and then plunging his dick into both of them, one right after the other…just having them both licking his cock at the same time, occasionally meeting at the top where their tongues and sweet lips would lock together in a kiss, was the stuff of dreams. The mental image was also excruciatingly sexy.

Axel’s poor cock bucked, wanting to explode. He had to stop his eyes from rolling to the top of his head. Using considerable effort, he only nodded, trying to look sombre. “I’m sure I would.”

Tasha peered up at him. “Did I go too far? Does that kind of fantasy bother you?”

If she only knew just how much those kinds of fantasies intrigued him. Never one to really explore his sexual boundaries, and too caught up in his military career and research to put into practice any erotic thought that he’d ever had, he’d simply never tried going much beyond standard sex. He’d been content with what he’d had until he’d met Tasha at the North Pole. She’d opened a world of possibilities and brought a new level of fun and adventure to sex. Since then, standard sex had been sufficient, but just not the same.

“No.” Axel smiled and brushed the back of his hand against her rounded cheek. “I find your imagination fascinating and incredibly erotic. I don’t think there’s much you could suggest that I wouldn’t be willing to try at least once.”

“Really?” she tested. “What if Kendil had been a man instead of a woman? Would you mind if I had sex with you and another guy?”

An image of one of Tasha’s white fur rugs flashed in his mind’s eye. His brain then added Tasha, beautiful and naked, on her hands and knees on the rug. He added himself to the picture. On his knees directly behind her with his hands on her hips, he thrust his cock in and out of her.

So far, the vision seemed pretty damned good. He liked what he saw.

He then added another man in front of Tasha. Axel couldn’t envision a face on the man. He was an unknown blur. The man was also on his knees. Axel could see Tasha reaching up and taking the other man’s stiff cock in one of her hands, stroking up and down his shaft. Her head then bobbed over the length of him, her pretty pink mouth sliding over the taut skin.

Axel registered his reaction to the vision. His dick leapt and he could feel a drip of pre-cum weep from its head.

Obviously, he had no problem with that particular fantasy, either.

“As long as you don’t expect me to have sex with another man, I’m a hundred percent okay with the idea,” he said.

Tasha grabbed him tighter and wiggled. “I’m so glad to hear that. I can’t wait to do those things with you.”

“But right now it’s just you and me, honey. So what’s it going to be?”

She sighed. “My magic powers still aren’t quite a hundred percent yet, so I can’t pop in any chains, straps, handcuffs, masks, O-rings, restraints, whips, leather chaps, or my dominatrix outfit. We’ll have to use what I’ve got on hand.”

Tasha removed her hold on him, pulled back the fur covers, and pushed herself off the bed. With her gone, the cold of the room seeped into his skin and he shivered. The Thermavan evidently was beginning to wear off. He’d have to take another shot soon, though he was more than a little worried about the resurge of the drug’s side effects. Could he die from having too much sex? How long could a man continue fucking before causing some type of injury to himself, or cardiac arrest?

Tasha padded barefoot across the room and leaned over a bag near the side of the cave’s sparkling walls. Her firm, round ass waggled high in the air as she dug through the contents of the bag.

Enough of being a doctor, he scolded himself. If some scientist found his dead, frozen carcass in this cave a hundred years from now because he’d screwed himself to death, then all right. Bring it on.

Returning back to bed, Tasha showed him what she’d found.

“I only brought a dildo and a tube of lube.” She frowned. “I’m sorry. We’ll have to make do with this for now.”

The pink piece of equipment she held was big enough to choke a goat. At over a foot long and at least two-inches in diameter, the device was the largest sex toy he’d ever seen. The surface of the gadget was ringed with ridges every quarter inch down its shaft. A second, stubby shaft protruded about two inches from the base of the dildo. Pleasure Pump Three Thousand was boldly written on the bottom of the contraption.

Axel couldn’t hold back a cough of surprise. “That is some toy you’ve got here.”

“It’s my Pleasure Pump Three Thousand. The ad on the Internet said it’s a girl’s best friend. Boy, were they right,” she said on a sigh. “It has both vibration and rotation, with a three-speed, push button control. Two motors power the shaft and the tickler separately. It’s waterproof, almost completely silent when in operation, and comes with three D-cell, rechargeable batteries. I never leave home without it.”

“Who could blame you?” Alex picked the toy from Tasha’s hand. Though enormous, the dildo was surprisingly light. “Hard to believe you need a man when you’ve got something like this handy.”

“Oh, I still need a man, believe me. The Pleasure Pump Three Thousand can do a lot of things to pleasure a woman, but it doesn’t have arms to hold me tight or lips to kiss me good night. It also can’t tell me how beautiful I am or how much it cares for me.” She retrieved the dildo and lovingly brushed the tip of the silicone cock against her cheek and stroked its pink length. “Though I may never part with this baby, it’s pretty much good for just one thing.”

Another solid pang resonated in his chest, but he brushed the feeling aside, unwilling to focus on his feelings for her. Right now, he wanted just one thing. To please his splendid, redheaded elf. “So tell me what you’ve concocted for us in that lovely head of yours.” His cock literally stood at attention, ready and straining with the need to perform and relieve its sexual tension.

Tasha glanced up at the cave’s iridescent ceiling, deep in thought. When she returned her gaze to him, a pink flush stained her cheeks. “I think I know what I want to do, but I’m almost too embarrassed to say. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but was never able to ask for.”

Movement was impossible for Axel as he waited with incredible anticipation. Something she’s never done before? Too embarrassed to ask about? What the hell could it be? Was he up for the challenge?

“Go ahead and tell me,” he encouraged. “I want to do this for you. I want very much to please you.”

She nodded. After taking in and releasing a gulp of air, she said, “I want to be fucked in the ass.” A broad smile stretched across her face. “Whew!” She let out a nervous giggle. “I can’t believe I actually said that.”

The tension in Axel’s muscles melted away, and he almost laughed, too.

Fuck her up the ass? Here he lay, thinking she’d ask him perform some type of impossible yoga pose or tie her up with bed sheets, and all she wanted was for him to fuck her up the ass? For the love of Uncle Sam! Not only was that something he could do, he actually knew how to do it.

“Honey,” he said as he pulled off the fur blankets, “this is your lucky day. Your wish is most definitely my command.”

“There’s one other thing,” she added. “I want you to tell me what to do. I want your wish to be my command.”

Axel stopped for a moment, considering. What did he want her to do? He eyed the Pleasure Pump Three Thousand, then took in Tasha’s curvy, naked body and the small patch of curly red hair between her long legs. His brain registered a near audible bing as a plan formulated in his mind.

He gathered up the pillows and piled them high at the top of the bed. Satisfied with his work, he positioned Tasha against them, and draped her hair all around. Once settled, he handed Tasha the dildo. “I want to watch you fuck yourself with this for a few minutes. I can’t tell you how much that turns me on.”

Her eyes widened and she excitedly nodded her head. Tasha took the device and turned a knob at the bottom. The Pleasure Pump Three Thousand purred with life. The long pink shaft shimmied and rotated. The smaller shaft whirred and vibrated. The power of the pulsating dildo was so strong, the entire bed shook.

Wielding the toy in her hand like a seasoned magician with a wand, Tasha placed the tip of the dildo’s silicone head at her mouth. Her pink tongue darted out of her mouth until the top was completely wet. Very slowly, she manoeuvred the whirring pink device down her chest, pausing at her breasts, where she massaged her nipples into hardened peaks.

Axel’s breathing became more laboured as she continued the dildo’s journey down to her pussy. In the cave’s flickering candle light, he could see beads of moisture sparkle on the downy curls between her thighs. He licked his lips, remembering the sweet taste of her juice. Resisting the urge to bend over her and lap at the flowing goodness between her legs, he opened the tube of lubricant and dabbed a small pearl of the gel into his hand, then applied the substance to his straining dick. He pumped his lubricated palm up and down his cock, deliberately keeping his rhythm slow and steady. There was no rush. Keeping his hands occupied, preventing himself from touching her while she pleasured herself, was his only alternative to thrusting himself upon her.

“Hmmmm.” The murmur of her sexy voice resonated in the air. “I like watching you do that.”

That tidbit of information was quickly stored away for Axel’s future use. “I like watching you, too. And right now I want you to lower that dildo to your pussy.”

Tasha did as he asked. While she moved the vibrating toy down over the flat terrain of her stomach with one hand, she used the other to spread the peach-coloured lips of her labia, revealing her inner folds and the nub of her glossy cunt.

The muscles in Alex’s body tightened. The erotic sight of her hand revealing the feminine treasure between her legs was too much for him. He momentarily stopped stroking his cock, afraid he might come too soon and miss his opportunity to take her in the ass as she wanted.

“Don’t stop,” Tasha begged. “Please don’t stop.”

Axel nodded and very slowly resumed pumping while thinking of formulas for various medications and Napoleonic tactical manoeuvres. Anything that would help him focus his attention on what Tasha was doing. His plan was working until she lowered the dildo onto her clit and arched her back, absorbing the intense pleasure the device offered her. At that moment, he stilled his hands again. A large drop of pre-cum slid out the small opening of his cock and glided down his throbbing dick. His heart raced as though he’d just run ten miles with a full pack.

Austin is the capital of Texas, he recalled. Helena is the capital of Montana.

Tasha continued rubbing the pulsating gadget over her exposed, hardened nub, bucking slightly with every up and down movement. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip. A look of sheer ecstasy crossed her beautiful face.

When he finished thinking through every state capital he could remember and Tasha was wet enough to soak the sheet beneath her, he voiced his next request. “Turn over, honey. It’s time.”

Her eyes widened and she grinned, revealing a matching set of dimples. She rolled over and shifted her weight against the stacked pillows, thrusting her firm ass in the air, her legs spread wide.

Axel shuddered. The invitation was sent. Now it was time to join the party.

He positioned himself behind her and latched onto the rounded curve of her ass, then gently parted her cheeks. His gut lurched when he saw the glistening, puckered hole. She was so wet, her juices had already begun preparing for his backdoor entrance.

“Backdoor guests are always the best,” he murmured.

“What?” Tasha turned her head. “Did you say something?”

“Just commenting on your incredible backside.” He tightened his hold on her fleshy ass. “You’ve got one of the nicest back seats I’ve ever seen.”

Axel released his hold on her with one hand, then grabbed his stiff cock. Wanting to make sure she was more than ready for him, he glided the length of his shaft through the soaking folds of her pussy, then slid the wet member up to her asshole. “You sure you’re ready for this?”

She reached her arms around the pillows, bracing herself, then nodded. “Do it. Fuck me. I want to feel your cock up my ass.”

And so did he. Yes, indeed. So did he.

Trying to be gentle, he pushed the head of his cock into the tight hole. Using very short strokes, he slowly drove deeper into her. “You okay?” he asked on an exhalation.

She responded by thrusting her entire body backward, impaling his entire dick up her constricted space. Tasha let out a long groan, then continued to propel herself against him, slapping her ass cheeks against his thighs. She then removed one of her hands from the hold on the pillows and moved it down to her pussy to pleasure herself.

The tempo of their sex rose to a frenzied pace. Sweat ran down Axel’s face and chest, making his entire body slick. The interior walls of her ass relentlessly gripped and stroked his throbbing cock, enticing him to come. When Tasha finally cried out, Axel let himself go, endlessly pumping his hot cum into her tight chute.

Completely spent, he leaned over her and shuddered. Several minutes passed before his breathing quieted enough to speak.

“You all right, Tasha?” Axel rolled off her, then pulled her still body into his embrace.

She looked up to him, her big green eyes alight. “That was amazing!”

A rumble of laughter rose from deep within his chest. “Well, I’m glad you liked it.”

“Like it?” she stated. “I loved it. When can we do it again?”

Another strong pang reverberated in Axel’s heart. He felt happier at that moment than he had in his entire life. How would he ever be able to let such a wonderful woman go?

Chapter Five

Axel awoke from a deep sleep and shivered under the pile of fur blankets as a weak rush of heat broke over his body. The Thermavan’s ability to generate heat was nearly depleted. He slid next to Tasha and wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the warmth she generated. Her body wasn’t just warm, he realised, it was hot. Somehow her elf blood enabled her to generate enough heat to be able to live in this ice-covered no-man’s land.

As quickly as the thought crossed into his rational, thinking brain, he bolted upright on the mattress.

Of course! Why hadn’t he thought of that earlier?

If he could get a sample of her blood and study its properties, he might be able to understand how she was able to regulate her body temperature without the use of drugs. Once he had the key, finding a stabilising structure for Thermavan would be a piece of cake.

“Everything okay?” Tasha murmured beside him.

“It’s better than okay, honey. You’re about to help me complete my final mission.”

Bed-mussed hair and sleepy eyed, she lifted her head from her pillow. “I am?”

He jumped out of the bed and threw on his Nomex suit. “You bet your sweet ass you are.”

With both hands extended, she stretched her arms and let out a tiny yawn. “Can I help you with your mission later? I’m beat.”

“I’m afraid not.” He pulled his pack onto the bed. “This can’t wait. I think I’ve discovered a way to make Thermavan stable, and you’re the one who’s going to help me.”

When he pulled out a syringe, her sleepy expression morphed to wide-eyed horror.

“I hope you’re not planning on sticking me with that thing. I hate needles.”

“I’m sorry, hon, but I need to get just a little bit of your blood to study.” He rifled through his bag, looking for a pre-packed cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol.

Tasha threw back the covers and sat up. “Hold up just a minute. I think you’ve some explaining to do. What exactly is Thermavan?”

“It’s the drug I’ve been working on,” Axel said, still rummaging through his things. He pulled out a thermal shirt and pants and tossed them onto the floor. “Thermavan will regulate the temperature of humans no matter how cold or hot the external temperatures. It will allow us to live at places currently too extreme to inhabit.”

“Like the North Pole?”

“Sure. The North Pole, South Pole, the Mojave Desert, or maybe even Mars.” Enthusiasm swept through him like a kid seeing the face of the moon through a telescope for the first time. That he was on the brink of bringing such a capability to mankind was almost overwhelming. He would go down in the history books as the man who unlocked the secret to regulating body temperature despite the existing external conditions. When future generations travelled to or lived in places currently uninhabitable, they would thank him.

Tasha hopped from the bed and stood with her feet shoulder-width apart and her hands on her hips. Her lips pressed into a scowl. The colour of her eyes nearly matched the dark red of her long hair.

The woman definitely didn’t look happy.

Axel momentarily stopped his search, giving Tasha his full attention. “Who knows where we’ll be able to live once this drug is stable? The world and other worlds beyond ours will be accessible to mankind. We will eventually be the masters of our universe. Isn’t it wonderful?”

“No, it’s not. Not by a long shot.”

“What are you talking about?” He glanced down and spied the foil pouch he was looking for between two boxes of Thermavan serum. “There you are, you little bastard.”

Tasha stepped closer and placed her hand on his wrist. “There’s barely enough room for magical beings to live now as it is.” A bright pink flushed her cheeks. “Think about it. Leprechauns and wood nymphs have nearly been forced out of Ireland. Unicorns, abominable snowmen, and fairies are almost extinct. Why? Because humans have taken over their lands. That’s why.”

Axel glanced down to where Tasha’s hand held him. She was surprisingly strong. “But there are no such things as leprechauns and unicorns,” he said in exasperation. He was on the edge of possibly changing the world. Didn’t she understand?

One of Tasha’s eyebrows rose. “Or elves?”

Her comment struck him like a sucker punch to the gut. Tasha’s grip released and Axel stepped back, a bit dazed and a lot confused.

Thermavan was his life’s work. If he perfected the formula, who knew what limits humans were capable of?

Then again, when did he start calling his species human? When did he ever think of species, period? Before six months ago, any beings other than humans were the stuff of fables and legends, not actual living, breathing creatures.

Before he could make sense of his situation, Tasha ran to the corner of her ice cave and picked up what looked like a red, flowing snowball. After tapping the globe once, she placed it next to her ear.

“Tasha reporting.” Slowly the pink staining her cheeks drained away until her face completely paled. “Ah, that would be Reginald Redberry’s fault. I had nothing to do with the bed or the zebra-striped sheets.” She frowned then nodded. “Yes, Sonia, I have my gun. By my marker. I’ll be there.”

She removed the snowball from her ear. A distant look crossed her face as she moved to set the globe on a table. The snowball slipped from her fingers and crashed onto the hard ground. Like a delicate crystal vase, the globe broke into dozens of small pieces and scattered around the room.

Worry gripped Axel like a vice. Tasha had never looked so solemn.

“What’s happening? What’s wrong?” he asked.

Without answering, she headed towards a dresser. After tugging open the top drawer, she pulled out another white unitard and laid the uniform out over the back of a chair. Tasha took a deep breath, rapidly spoke words he didn’t understand, then waved her right hand in the air. Quicker than a flash of lightening, the uniform appeared on her body, moulding to her curves like a second skin.

Her refusal to respond to his question both concerned and annoyed him. He was a Colonel in the United States Army. He’d earned his rank and deserved a little more respect than she was giving him. “Tasha, I asked what’s wrong. You look as though something terrible’s happened. I want to know.”

He held out his hand and tried to stop her for an explanation. She whisked by him, retrieving her holster from the floor near the bed.

“This doesn’t concern you. This is not human business.” She pulled out her gun and inspected the clip. Using more force than was necessary, she thrust the pistol back into the holster then attached the holster to her thigh.

Axel moved closer, caught her wrist and turned her around to face him. “Damn it, Tasha. I don’t care what kind of business it’s about. If you’re involved, I want to help.”

“Why? I’m only half-human.” With more strength than he ever dreamed she possessed, she tugged against his restraint, nearly knocking him on his ass. “You’re hell-bent on perfecting your drug so your species can take over the entire planet. Why worry about a nothing half-elf like me?”

In that second, he realised just how lonely all of his future plans were, and how lonely he’d been all of his life.

Suddenly he wanted to tell Tasha that she had been the only woman he’d ever given two cents about, the only woman he’d ever thought of when he was awake and alone in his own bed. He wanted to tell her how much he cared for her, and that his feelings for her reached far beyond the bedroom door. And, if given the chance, he would like to continue seeing her and discover together just where this crazy relationship of theirs finally took them. Eventually, he wanted to fall in love and settle down, perhaps in Tahiti. Maybe she was the one.

Axel wanted to say all these things, yet not a word came from his mouth. He barely registered another weak pang deep down in his chest.

He was a Colonel in the United States Army. His mission only included testing the Thermavan, not getting mixed up in otherworldly business.

“That’s what I thought,” she said, distain clearly marking her tone. She pulled on her boots, picked up a pack, and made her way to the cave’s entrance. Before she left, she turned and looked at him one last time. She kissed the pads of her fingers, then turned back and pressed her wet fingertips on the poster of Santa, right on the worn spot by his lips.

* * * *

She was a fool.

Worse yet, she was a fool with a broken heart because the being she’d fallen head over heels for was hell-bent on allowing humans to dominate the world.

If she didn’t focus on what she was doing, she would be a fool with an arrow coming out of her ass.

Tasha scanned the horizon, searching for Cupid’s Vinions. According to Sonia, a band of the wily sex bombs were close by. Somehow, they’d been tipped off to the location she’d marked for Santa’s new factory. There were reports they planned to pummel the area with their magic arrows, making the perfect location unusable. But all she saw was ice, snow, and more ice. Well, that and the bed Reggie had left behind. Talk about a huge target. A blind person couldn’t miss the idiotic, zebra-striped bed out here in middle of all the open whiteness.

Tired and more than a little saddle sore, she sat down on the bed. Though the mattress wasn’t as firm as the one in her cave, it wasn’t too bad. Maybe Reggie had a little taste after all. The pint-sized punk couldn’t be any worse than Axel. At least Reggie wasn’t threatening to eradicate every magical being on the planet, or force them into living some place so horrible even humans wouldn’t want to be there.

The crack in her heart deepened, spreading a hurt through Tasha that stung worse than being kicked in the gut by a reindeer. In another second, if she didn’t get her mind off Axel, a big chunk of her heart would fall off. Then where would she be? If she were smart, she’d forget about the drug-happy human and find a nice elf to fall in love with. Goodness knew her mother would be happy. Settling down with an elf would be one step closer towards getting Tasha off the B.E.L.L. force and into the toy factory. A future like that would put her mother into a happy conniption fit. She would be miserable, but would it matter any more? She had fallen for and had ended an affair with a guy who was going to put an end to the last uninhabited spaces where other-worldly creatures could exist. Best she let go of him and try to somehow get on with her life.

Actually, now that she thought about it, if she was smart, she’d tell the Commander about the Thermavan. If the humans ever did get the drug to work, their world really would be in danger. Maybe all the other-worldly beings could come together and somehow put a stop to the whole Thermavan business. If they stuck together, they could be a very powerful and influential force. She certainly wouldn’t want to fight against any angry trolls or hostile Yetis.

A cold blast of air blew across the frozen terrain, blowing Tasha’s long hair in a dozen different directions. The Vinions must be close.

Tasha bent to gather enough snow for a call to her Commander, when out of the blue sky a messenger rider and reindeer appeared, coming to a stop only a foot from where she sat. Other than the gust of wind, there had been no notice of the rider’s arrival. The bells on the deer’s harness had been removed. Santa law required flying deer to wear bells to warn everyone of their approach. Not having them on was a huge safety violation. Something about this scenario was off. Way off.

Reginald Redberry jumped off the reindeer with his messenger bag slung over his shoulder. He sauntered to the bed and adjusted the small package bulging from the crotch of his green tights.

“I’ve decided to give you one last chance, Tasha. Even though you disrespected me, I’ve got a forgiving nature. I’m willing to let bygones be bygones. It’s just another example of the great guy I am.” He removed his bag, letting it fall to the ground. “I mean look at me. I’m not only a freakin’ stud, I’m a nice guy. Therefore, I deserve a hot elf like you. Imagine the hot children we could have. They’d be freakin’ gorgeous.”

Swallowing hard, Tasha kept her rising nausea at bay. “Now isn’t the time for this, Reggie. Cupid is on the attack and is expected to be here any minute. The other B.E.L.L.S. will be here soon, too. You aren’t safe here.”

“Oh, I’m plenty safe, Sugar Plum.” Reggie opened his pack and removed a golden bow and a quiver of silver arrows. He pulled out an arrow and placed the notched end on the bow’s taut string, then pointed the arrow’s heart-shaped tip at her. “The only one who needs to worry is you. Now put your hands up where I can see them.”

Blood rushed to her head, making her ears ring. The little twerp had finally gone off the deep end. She had trained in hundreds of different battle scenarios to be ready for just about any situation, but she hadn’t prepared for an attack by one of her own kind.

“Reggie, what are you doing?” Tasha stood and raised her hands above her head. Without making any abrupt gestures, she took a small step back, then another. If she could just get enough of a head start, she might be able to jump behind the bed and use it as a shield. At least then she’d have a chance to draw her gun and protect herself. Kicking the bow from his hand was her only other option, but he was too far away.

“I’m making good on a deal, Sugar Plum. You see, Cupid agreed to shoot you with a love arrow so you’d finally come to your senses about me. In exchange, I gave him the location of the site you picked out. Pretty clever, huh?” His lips pulled into a grin, but the smile never met his eyes. His pupils were cold and black, devoid of any feeling.

Tasha took another step back on the icy ground and broke eye contact with Reggie just long enough to see how far she was from her perfect leaping spot. Only three more feet and she should be able to clear the end of the bed. That is, if she didn’t slip on the slick snow. She needed just a little more time.

“But why are you holding the bow?” she asked, desperate to come up with anything to keep him talking and focused on her face rather than her retreating feet. “Why isn’t Cupid here to do his own dirty work?”

If she could just keep him talking, her plan just might work.

“’Cause I want to be the one to shoot the arrow in your heart. I want to be the first person you see when its love magic takes effect.” He licked his thick lips, then smiled his oily smile. “You will love me, Tasha. Oh, yes, you most definitely will.”

A snowball the size of a football suddenly flew from behind the bed, hitting Reggie squarely in the head. The golden bow and silver arrow fell from his chubby hands to the ground. Reggie’s eyes rolled to the back of his skull and the little man’s knees buckled. He tumbled forward, catching his chin on the edge of the mattress, and was then tossed backwards. He landed on the frozen ground with a thud.

Tasha let out a scream and reached down to her thigh for her gun.

“Stand down, Tasha. It’s me.”

Completely camouflaged in white, Axel was little more than a blur against the snow-covered landscape. He ran to her side and held her, keeping her from falling over herself.

“How, how did you follow me?” she stammered. “I never saw you.”

“Not only am I a doctor, I’m a master at camouflage. If you had detected me, I wouldn’t be doing my job very well, now would I?”

She leaned around Axel’s studly body, taking in Reggie’s crumpled form on the ground. “Is he dead?”

Axel sat her down on the bed, then knelt by Reggie and placed two fingers on his neck. “No. He’s breathing and his heartbeat is fine. He’ll live, but he’s going to have one hell of a headache when he wakes up.”

“I don’t understand,” Tasha said, holding her hands so they wouldn’t shake. “Why are you here?”

“Because I think you’re right.” He looked up at her, his eyes glowing. “There isn’t enough magic or mystery left in the world these days. I’ll be damned if I’m going to be the one who’s responsible for the end of Santa or his elves. I’d rather go down in the history books as the guy who quietly retired from the military and lived happily ever after. But I don’t think a happily ever after will be possible for me…without you.”

His answer nearly melted her heart. Axel wasn’t a bad guy after all. But then again, did she really ever doubt that? And, he wanted her. Really wanted her. There was no doubt in her mind she wanted him. If the six months they’d been apart had taught her anything, it was that life was much fuller and richer when he was around to share it with. In every possible way, Axel completed her.

“But what about the Thermavan?” she asked. “Even if you aren’t around to finish stabilising it, someone will take over your work. It’s only a matter of time.”

Axel shook his head. “No. It will never work.” He left Reggie and sat down beside Tasha. “The formula the military has isn’t what I’ve been using. I’ve seen too many things fall into the wrong hands and then be used for all the wrong reasons. So I committed my formula to memory. My formula is the one closest to working, but it’s still far from perfect. The best the military can do without me is make a drug that will give their soldiers hard-ons.”

Tasha laughed out loud and held Axel’s hands. “Sounds like the perfect kind of military to me.”

“I’d have to agree.”

“Can you agree to one last thing, Axel?” She swallowed hard, almost afraid to ask. “My Commander is picking up all the B.E.L.L.S. soon and we’re leaving for Christmas Town. We have to report back to Santa with the information we gathered about a suitable place to build a second toy factory. But we’ll be back in a week. The other B.E.L.L.S., Sonia and Kendil, have hooked up with the other guys from your mission. They’re coming back, too.” She took a deep breath, trying to find the courage to ask the most important question of her life. “Will you meet me back here on Christmas Eve?” She released the bottled breath and hoped beyond all hope he’d say yes.

“Tasha, I want to make sure you understand what my intentions are. I want much more from you than just a ‘wham bam, thank you ma’am’ in your cave.” With the pad of his finger, he lifted her chin so her gaze met his. “I’m going to retire from the military in January. I’ve got a lot of plans for my life once I’m no longer committed to the United States Army. I want to travel the world on a boat, watch the sun set off the portside bow, and, most importantly, wake up each morning with you.”

Axel slid off the zebra-striped bed and positioned himself on one knee before her. “If there really is a Santa, I hope he’ll be kind enough to give me a very special Christmas present. When I go back home, I don’t plan to come back alone.” He picked up her hand and gazed into her eyes. “Tasha, will you be my wife?”

A lump the size of a Nerf ball caught in her throat. Strange white dots danced before her eyes. “Did you just ask me to marry you?” she asked, unable to believe what she was hearing.

“Yes, ma’am, I did.” He squeezed her hand between both of his. “Will you take this old soldier to be your loving husband? Forever?”

“Forever’s a long time,” she said with a smile, her heart nearly overflowing with joy. “But if you think you can live with a misfit, half-elf for the rest of your life, then yes!”

Axel whisked Tasha off the bed and swung her around. “You don’t know just how happy you’ve made me, you beautiful, redheaded elf.”

“I just hope you’ve got some really good insurance and plenty of life preservers on your boat. Trouble has a weird way of finding me, no matter where I’m at.”

A deep belly laugh burst from Axel. He held her close and nuzzled her face with his day-old beard. “Then we’ll have to make sure we include a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher on our wish list for Santa this year. We’ll get whatever we need to live out our lives—together.”

About the Author

Equally at home camping in the mountains of Montana or shopping on the Champs-Elyseés in Paris, Brenna's journey through life has taken her all over the United States, as well as many places throughout the world. Using her travel experience as a guide and peppering in interesting characters she's met along the way, Brenna enjoys artfully weaving erotic tales of romance to leave readers yearning for adventures of their own.

Email: Brenna.Zinn@yahoo.com.

Brenna loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.

MELTING THE ICE

Desiree Holt

Dedication

To Allie and Brenna, the best ever

Trademark Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction:

Nomex: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Corporation

Prologue

The huge sleigh swept across the sky, B.E.L.L.S. jingling with the swaying motion as wind currents buffeted it this way and that. The reindeer pranced on the frozen air, their breath making little tiny puffs like cotton clouds. The driver, in his heavy green outfit that covered him from head to toe including a warm cap that came down over his ears, hummed Christmas carols to himself. His passenger huddled into her seat, a green and red plaid blanket wrapped around her as she cursed under her breath.

Why me? Why did I have to get the call? This is just stupid, stupid, stupid.

It’d been bad enough when that fat old man in the red suit had announced he was building a second headquarters and toy factory at the South Pole. The South Pole! Hadn’t anyone told him it was colder down there than at the North Pole? Apparently he didn’t care. Now, he was sending the three of them off one week before Christmas! They should all be busy with the last-minute preparations instead of off on this wild-ass idea.

“Buckle up,” he’d told the three B.E.L.L.S. he’d chosen when he’d called them in for a meeting. “We’ve outgrown our current facilities, as I’m sure you’re all aware. With this new age of electronic toys, we are just flat out of room to work.”

“Why can’t we just build more buildings up here?” someone had whined.

He’d turned his famous glare on the elf who’d dared to speak out. “Because I’ve decided we need two completely separate locations. Did you want to argue with me?” He waited but they were all silent. “All right, then. As I was saying, it’s time to expand our horizons. I trust, as you explore the area, that among the three of you, someone will find the perfect spot to build our new location.”

It was bad enough that they couldn’t search as a group. He’d quite deliberately given each of them a separate section of the South Pole to explore. Alone. He didn’t even let them land together. Oh, not. Not him. The team of reindeer, the fastest in the herd, had dropped them in three different locations with all their gear. The only additional assistance they got was the ‘helpful hint’ that they could use their magic powers when they needed to.

She hadn’t even been scheduled to go on this stupid trip to begin with. She’d had other assignments as the Important Night approached. But then she’d suddenly been appointed head of the new southern toy production factory and put in charge of the trip. As if she didn’t have enough to do already.

“You have to go,” the old man had told her. “You’re one of the B.E.L.L.S.”

“Yeah? So?”

“Aren’t you the Battle Elves trained in Logic warfare and Land defence Scouts?” He rubbed his red nose. “Who else would I send? Word has arrived that Cupid, with his Red Army of Vinions, is on the warpath again.”

“Somehow that deranged archer has learned of our expansion plans,” Mrs. Red Suit had told them. “We understand he’s marshalling his forces and his magic to stop us.”

“That’s right.” The big man sighed. “He’s still doing his damndest to make Valentine’s Day bigger than Christmas. So you see? You’re the logical choice for many reasons.”

The other members of the team had also been replaced by B.E.L.L.S., so they’d be heading down south as a well-armed and well-trained team of elf warriors. And the B.E.L.L.S. had orders to thwart Cupid and get on with business.

Yeah, right.

But that was only part of it. Preparations had barely been underway for the trip when they learned the U.S. military planned to parachute three of its best and brightest trained war machines on some kind of secret, ten-day survival mission right where the B.E.L.L.S would be scouting. Apparently, some dipshit thought the South Pole would be the perfect place to do whatever it was they were supposed to be doing.

So now, in addition to everything else, they had to watch out for these stupid humans and make sure they didn’t cause trouble. The B.E.L.L.S. were told to foil the military any way they could. After all, toy manufacturers and military bases didn’t exactly mix. How can you have a toy factory going full tilt in the middle of dangerous war games?

Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this miserable honour?

The only bright spot, if you could call it that, was the fact that, at the South Pole, they were still in the middle of the six months of sunlight rather than the six months of darkness. Battling winds that could blow an elf straight back to Toyland was bad enough without doing it in the pitch dark.

“Almost there,” the driver called back to her. “Better buckle up for landing.”

Sighing, she tightened the belt around her waist and made sure the grab bar across her lap was fastened securely. In seconds, they were hurtling downward, the wind slapping at her face as the frozen ground surged up to meet them.

Thunk.

They were down. Cursing again, she struggled from the sleigh and wrestled the pack with her gear from the seat. Slowly, she turned in a circle to see where she was. Nowhere! That was the best description. All she could see was an endless stretch of white snow with nothing to relieve it except the occasional drifts. She’d been told that the occasional skua—otherwise known as a seal bird—might fly over, but at the moment, there wasn’t even the faint sign of one. She gave thanks for her special thermal clothing, since the temperature had barely reached twenty degrees below zero.

The driver clicked his tongue at the reindeer and flapped the reins. “See you in a week,” he called cheerfully.

If I haven’t killed myself by then.

She waved at him, heaved her pack onto her back and trudged off across the ice and snow.

Chapter One

Sonia Snowflake sighed, hitched the strap from her bulky pack a little higher over her shoulder and resumed trudging through the obnoxiously deep snow. Sometimes being an elf sucked. Being one of the B.E.L.L.S. sucked even more. Who the hell thought up Battle Elves trained in Logic warfare and Land defence Scouts, anyway? Did that stupid old man in the red suit think she looked like a warrior, for god’s sake?

Sonia stopped again and checked her watch. She’d been walking—if you could call it that—for almost two hours, and she was tired and cranky. Making progress through giant snowdrifts took every bit of her energy. She could have spun a bridge out of the snow, but she didn’t know how long her magic powers would be sustained in this climate, so she was saving them until she really needed them.

Might as well set up here. One place is as lousy as the next.

She dropped her pack on the icy snow, pulling the hood of her parka farther down on her face and the thick scarf up over her nose to shield herself from the blowing snow crystals.

Why can’t I be snug and safe back home, finding another elf to warm my bed?

There was actually a particular one she’d had her eye on. She just hadn’t let him know she was interested. Then this damn trip had come along.

Bah, humbug!

Gathering two handfuls of snow, and fumbling a bit because of the thick gloves she wore, she managed to make a respectable snowball. Waving one gloved hand over it, she set it to the frequency she’d been given and attempted to contact the other B.E.L.L.S.

“Anyone there?” She held the snowball close to her ear. “Hello? Come in if you can hear me.”

Static crackled, then a faint voice said, “B.E.L.L.S. Scout One checking in. Are you okay?”

“As much as I can be,” Sonia snarked. “Is that you, Tasha? Have you got a place set up?”

“Yeah. Finally found shelter in an outcropping of rock. I don’t know why you all love tents so much. At least I don’t feel the frickin’ wind in here.”

“Kendil?” Sonia asked, looking for the third of the B.E.L.L.S. “You out there? Come in, please.”

There was a long pause before Kendil’s static-laced voice came over the connection.

“I’m here. And when we get back to the North Pole I’m going to cut off that fat man’s balls and freeze them in ice. What the hell was he thinking?”

Sonia laughed. “Join the crowd. But we just need to get this done in the next couple of days and then we can go home. Okay,” Sonia told both of them. “Check your watches. We call in again twelve hours from now.” She almost clicked off before a thought jabbed at her. “Oh, wait a minute. Any sign of the macho military yet?”

“Not here.”

“Not me, either.”

So no one had run into them, at least for the moment.

Sonia shut off the radio, sighed again, and pulled the thermal tent from her pack, looking at it as if it was a Chinese puzzle. Which it might as well have been. But the wind was picking up, if that was even possible, and if she didn’t get out of the damn snow pretty soon, she’d be frozen here for eternity. And that was a truly unpleasant thought.

Okay, time for a little hocus-pocus.

Sonia closed her eyes, concentrated hard and waved her hands over the tent. She counted to ten, opened her eyes and smiled. There it was, just like in the picture, open, braced and staked. Scooping some snow into her gloved hands, she tossed it into the air. In seconds, the thermal blanket had stretched itself out on the floor of the tent. She crawled inside, dragging the pack behind her, and pulled out a small metal case and her magic candle. Santa had given everyone a box of them to use when their heating systems went on the fritz.

She set it inside the metal cylinder, brushed her gloved fingers over it and the tip burst into flame, spreading heat throughout the tent. She’d just unzipped her parka, pushed it back off her head and unwrapped her scarf, when a deep male voice nearly made her jump out of her skin.

“How the hell did you do that? Are you real, or am I already hallucinating?”

Well, hell.

The deep voice cut through the wind. Where had its owner come from? She hadn’t seen anyone anywhere near her, although the blowing snow definitely cut down on the visibility. Her own fault, she chided herself. She’d been paying no attention whatsoever.

“Are you coming out,” the voice continued, “or am I coming in there?”

Sighing, Sonia unzipped the tent closure and peeked outside. Instantly, every bit of saliva in her mouth dried up. She looked up…and up…and up. Was this a giant? If so, he was a damn good looking one. Although his survival gear nearly obscured both his body and his face, she could see enough to know she was in big trouble. She wasn’t even settled in yet, hardly ready to take on the military. Yet apparently, one had made it to her front door. Someone had forgotten to remind her these guys were sex-on-the-hoof as well as battle-hardened veterans.

Oh, shit.

She tried twice to say something, but she couldn’t make her mouth work properly.

“Just who the hell are you?” he barked, his words almost swept away by the wind.

She finally found her tongue. “Sonia Snowflake. Who are you?”

“Snowflake?” He snorted. “No one is named Snowflake. Cut the crap.”

Sonia’s indignation rose to the danger level. Who did this guy think he was?

“I happened to be named Snowflake, so stick that in your ear.” Or anyplace else that’s handy.

She pushed herself to her feet, glad she was small enough that she could stand upright in the tent, and stuck her head back out of the opening again. “Who are you and how did you get here? I didn’t even see you before. How did you sneak up on me?”

He held up a gloved hand. “Too many questions.” He lowered his arms and let the straps holding an enormous pack on his back slide down, lowering it to the ground. “Damn, those things are heavy. Listen. Can I crawl inside there for a minute? It’s hard to have a conversation with the wind swallowing every other word.”

Crawl inside? Inside her tent? Wait. She smacked her forehead. Of course. This was one of the very human beings she was supposed to keep an eye on, right? Well, she could certainly keep an eye on him inside her little warm housing setup. But did she want to get that close? Of course, he was totally gorgeous. One look and her nipples turned to hard pink and her cunt quivered and thrilled. She chewed on the thought for a moment. She could be in big trouble here.

Then she smiled to herself. Or in big luck.

“All right,” she told him. “But be warned. I have magical powers. If you try anything funny, I can disintegrate you.”

Well, maybe not quite disintegrate. That particular power had been on the fritz lately. But certainly something to rearrange his molecules.

She could see him sigh even beneath all his heavy gear, then watched as he stooped and made his way inside, pulling his pack in after him. He plunked himself down beside the sleeping bag she’d unrolled, reached out a long arm to zip up the tent again and removed his goggles, hood, cap and scarf. Suddenly, the little tent was incredibly full.

Sonia thought she’d faint. No one at the North Pole could even approach the rugged good looks and sensuality of this man. Had Santa dropped him down here to help her with her mission? To make her feel better? What she felt was a strong wave of lust sweeping over her and a clenching of the muscles in her pussy so strong that she had to squeeze her legs together to restrain it. Holy blizzard! Sonia wanted to lock the zipper on the tent and keep this guy in here forever.

Wait a minute, idiot! I don’t even know who he is. Am I so sex-starved I don’t care?

Yes!

“If you’re through giving me the onceover,” he interrupted in his rich, deep voice, “I’ll introduce myself.”

“That would be good,” she told him, unsticking her tongue from the roof of her mouth.

He unzipped his jacket, pulled off a glove and held out a hand. “Lieutenant Frank Martin. United States Marine Corps. Pleased to meet you.” He grinned. “Ma’am.”

Sonia mentally smacked herself on the forehead. Of course! The freaking military. She’d been trying hard not to think about them.

“Nice to meet you, Lieutenant.” She frowned. “I think.”

“I think we can dispense with formality in this situation.” He looked around the confined quarters of the tent. “People call me Jaguar. Or Jag.”

And are you? she wanted to ask.

“Your turn,” he prompted.

“I already told you.” She shook her head so the thick fall of her raven-coloured hair tumbled down her back. She brushed a few strands away from her face and dredged up as much indignation as she could. “Sonia Snowflake.”

He shook his head. “All right, all right. If you insist on continuing this ridiculous sham. But here’s a more important question. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Me?” she squeaked. “What are you doing here?” Although she knew what he’d say.

“I’m on a mission for Uncle Sam, and that’s all I can tell you.” He studied her face, his own giving nothing away. “Now you.”

Okay, this could get tricky. Very tricky. Make up a story? Tell him the truth? She hauled in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I’m on a mission from Santa and that’s all I can tell you.”

She heard a strange noise and realised it was Jaguar Martin trying to swallow a laugh. He finally lost the battle, fell backwards and gave in to a paroxysm of mirth. Tears leaked from his eyes, as he laughed so hard he nearly choked.

Sonia waited, anger simmering, until he finally pulled himself together and sat up again, doing his best to arrange his face into a sober look.

”Okay, listen.” Sonia wanted to stamp her foot. Preferably on him. “I don’t care what you’re doing here, as long as you don’t get in my way.”

“Your way? Get in your way?”

He nodded. “We all parachuted in here at the same time but somehow I got separated from the rest of my team. I can’t raise anything but static on my radio with all this snow and I need to contact them. We’re on a tight schedule here.”

I could fix that for him, but then he’d leave. I might not trust these guys but when was the last time I had a chance to keep a sexy man captive?

“Exactly what is it you and the others are supposed to find out here?” And are you going to deep-six my North Pole project? “You’d better spill it right now. You never know what magic I might work on you.”

He stared at her, plainly wondering if she was crazy, then sighed. “Okay, okay. There’s no one else to hear anyway. And who the hell would think I’d meet an elf?”

“Who thought I’d meet an arrogant military asshole?”

“Fine. Whatever. Do you want to know about this or not.”

“Yes.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Talk.”

“The military wants to set up a war games training programme here at the South Pole.” He made a face. “Not that we have a lot of enemies to fight down here, mind you. But I guess they figure if we can survive down here, we can survive in any cold weather environment.” He shook his head. “Of course, we won’t get anything done if we can’t even contact each other.”

She cleared her throat. “Maybe when the wind dies down you’ll get better reception.”

He frowned at her. “Are you kidding me? The wind here never dies down. Didn’t you do your research before your mission for…Santa?”

“My research is my own business,” she snapped. “Why did you guys have to pick this exact time to scout locations for your stupid mission?”

He glowered at her. “Stupid mission? You’d better believe what we’re doing will help us to keep the rest of you safe.”

Sonia laughed. “Safe? It doesn’t get any safer than the North Pole.”

He stared at her. “Listen, what kind of game are you playing, here? You could at least come up with a more believable story.” He looked around and began pulling his jacket off. “How do you get it so hot in here? The thermal tent can’t do it all.”

She pointed to the candle in its container. “I have a heater.”

“A candle?” He laughed again. “Give me a break.”

He finished shedding his jacket, folding it and putting it on top of his pack. The Nomex all-weather suit barely concealed his broad, muscular frame and the black colour of the suit only accentuated the deep green of his eyes and the dark blond hair that lay thickly on his head. The stubble of beard on his jaw made him look even sexier, if that was possible.

Sonia was afraid she might come just from looking at him. And ohmigod, was that a huge erection pushing at the fabric of his clothing? If it was, he had a cock that would put every elf she’d ever been naked with to shame. Her little cunt throbbed just imagining it inside her.

Stop it!

She mentally smacked herself. She was here on business.

“So, how long do you expect to be here?” Jaguar Martin asked, looking around the small tent again. “You don’t appear to have a lot of supplies.”

She shrugged. “I have what I need. So how long do you expect to hang around this resort?”

“That’s classified. Military, you know.”

Sonia glared at him. “Military, huh? Well, I’ll have you know I’m one of the B.E.L.L.S.”

A grin teased at his sensuous mouth. “The what?”

“The B.E.L.L.S. Battle Elves trained in Logic warfare and Land defence Scouts. We’re military, too.”

Jaguar laughed so hard he fell over backwards, a real feat in the cramped space. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he had to hold his sides.

“That is not funny,” she raged, stamping her foot.

“Sorry.” He sat up and wiped the tears from his face. “Did you say elves? Battle elves?”

“So what?”

Another fit of laughter consumed him, stealing his breath, and he choked as he tried to swallow it back. “So, do you, like, carry automatic rifles and things like that?”

She nodded, indignant. “Of course.” She glared at him. “Don’t you?”

“That’s different,” he told her.

“Oh? And why is that? Because you’re such a big macho man?”

“If you’ve actually got a rifle, let’s see it,” he challenged.

Sonia heaved a great sigh, unzipped her pack, and pulled out a collapsed unit. With a quick flick of her fingers she snapped it open, locking the barrel into the stock, and held it out, lying across her palms.

“There, Mister Macho. Satisfied?”

Jaguar just stared. “I don’t believe I’m seeing this. And anyway, assuming you can actually shoot that thing, there are no such things as elves. I’d think you could have arranged a better cover story.”

“Oh yeah?”

He was really getting to her. She knew she shouldn’t let him bait her into doing something, but she couldn’t help it. Grabbing some snow from the edge of the tent, she blew on it gently, then tossed it into the air. Sparkles and stars twinkled in a circle, then settled on the thermal floor, and in their place was a festive meal for two. Including wine.

Jaguar goggled. The only word for it. “How the hell did you do that?”

“I told you, I’m an elf.” She gestured at the food. “Shall we eat? Gotta keep up your strength in this climate.”

“Listen. I want to know what’s really going on here. And don’t give me any more of your fairytale double talk. ”

“Fairytale double talk?” Sonia didn’t know whether to laugh or be insulted.

She could see Jaguar Martin was getting nervous. That would never do. She rubbed her hands together then waved them at him. In an instant, the nervousness disappeared and the grim look on his face was erased by a warm smile.

“Exactly.”

She glared at him. “Does that mean you don’t want to eat this delicious food I conjured up for us?”

“Did you say eat?” He looked down at the food as if just realising what was in front of him. “Okay, I’ll forget the fairy stuff for a while. I’m starved and this looks delicious. So I say, let’s do justice to this meal.” He gestured for her to sit down opposite him.

Sonia shed her own jacket, unzipped her thermal jump suit, and sat cross-legged on the blanket. Jaguar was already digging into the steak, making approving noises.

“So, you don’t even have to cook this stuff, right?” he asked between bites of steak.

“Um, yes.” Of course that fat old man in the red suit would send her someplace even more remote if he knew she was using her magic for this. But damn. She wasn’t exactly interested in eating the North Pole version of Meals Ready to Eat. Especially not with a hunk like Jaguar Martin, even if he was a pain in the ass.

She stole a glance at him from under her lashes. He was definitely ripped. All muscle, all male. As he chewed and swallowed, she watched the play of muscles in the column of his throat. If she’d had any panties on, they’d be soaked by now. If she could just soften his rough edges, this might not be so bad after all.

She smiled to herself as she cut off a tiny piece of steak and chewed delicately. Yes, indeed. Not too bad at all.

Chapter Two

Jaguar Martin didn’t know if he’d fallen into whatever passed for a rabbit hole in this godforsaken tundra, or if the Thermavan was causing him to hallucinate. Testing a drug that maintains an internal body temperature of ninety-eight point seven degrees, in a subarctic climate, could be valuable to the military, especially with plans on the table to establish bases here. But Dr. Axel Cole, head of the project, had warned him there would be side effects, although he assured the men the most evident one would be the increased sex drive.

Yeah, right. Good old Axel should be sitting here in this imaginary tent with an imaginary female eating imaginary food and telling him the same thing with a straight face.

He looked at the petite female sitting across from him. An elf? No way. They just didn’t exist, except in legends. Especially not looking the way this one did. When she’d removed her all-weather gear, his cock had immediately tried to fight its way through the fabric of his thermal suit and he’d had to grit his teeth to maintain some kind of control.

She might be pint-sized, but her breasts certainly weren’t. The low cut green T-shirt she wore exposed creamy swells of flesh above the rounded neck, flesh that drew his eyes and tempted him to swipe his tongue over them. Nipples that made his lips twitch to clamp around them poked through the flimsy material, teasing him. And if only that tiny skirt would ride up just a little more on her legs, he could find out if elves—elves, for god’s sake—wore panties or thongs or bared their little cunts to the air.

His cock was already so hard he could drive spikes with it. What he really wanted to do was drive it into what he knew was a sweet little pussy and hammer her until they both exploded. Usually, he had no problem keeping his sexual urges under control, but obviously the Thermavan was working overtime on him. Maybe he’d turn out to be one of those men with a four-hour erection. He had to swallow a laugh at the thought. He should be so lucky.

“You’re not eating your steak.” Sonia pointed her steak knife at him.

For a small person, she sure had a low, sultry voice. Like everything else about her, it went straight to his groin and he forced himself to bite back a moan. He had to get out of here, no matter what, before he lost it altogether and completely embarrassed himself. As soon as he finished eating, he’d power up his communicator again and try one more time to make contact with the others.

“I’m a slow eater,” he said, the excuse sounding lame, even to him.

“Do you want something else?”

Damn right I do. I want to rip off your clothes and fuck you senseless.

“No, this is fine. But I need to see if I can contact the others on my team.”

“Well, I might—”

But whatever she might have said was drowned out by a sudden roar, like a super V-eight engine, and the tent shook with some invisible force. Jaguar dropped his fork and knife, and tried to stand up, bumping his head on the ceiling of the tent. What the hell was going on?

“Don’t move,” Sonia warned.

She waved her hands again and a shimmering wall of some kind appeared inside the fabric of the tent.

“What—”

“I said, don’t move,” she snapped. She closed her eyes, folded her hands in her lap and blew out a long breath. When she opened her eyes again she said, “You can’t go outside.”

“Just why the hell not?” Now he was getting angry. He was trapped inside this tent, lost somewhere in the frozen wasteland, with a woman he needed to get away from before he made an ass of himself, and she was telling him he couldn’t leave?

“It’s Cupid. He’s waging war on us.”

Okay. Now he knew he was really losing it. Cupid? What next? Jack Frost?

“No, Jack isn’t here,” Sonia said very matter-of-factly.

Shit. Could she read his mind, too?

“Listen.” He tried for his sternest expression. “There’s no such person as Cupid. Everyone knows that.”

“Oh no?” She scowled. “Tell that to the idiot running around shooting frigid arrows into the air, causing massive storms and trying to torpedo our project.”

Jaguar frowned. He was sure he had to be hallucinating. “Okay, say I even halfway believe you. Why would he want to damage your project in any way? What’s it to him?”

“Oh. Easy.” She flapped a dainty hand in the air. “He wants to make Valentine’s Day bigger than Christmas. Bigger than Christmas. Can you believe that? The nerve of that man.”

“Valentine’s Day,” Jaguar repeated slowly. “Bigger than Christmas.” Now he was absolutely sure he was crazy. It had to be the drug. His brain was totally fucked up. That was the only answer. Wait until he got hold of Dr. Axel Cole and told him the real skinny on his wonder drug.

“Yes.” Sonia was explaining it as if it was unthinkable for him not to understand. “He’s created the storm you hear out there and sealed us inside this tent. His Vinions are probably flying around us right now shooting their arrows into the ground to keep us inside. And keep me from proceeding with my assignment.” She popped a piece of steak into her mouth and chewed delicately.

“Sealed in,” Jaguar said slowly. His eyes were nearly crossing as he tried to see under that scrap of a skirt.

Sonia frowned. “Is there some reason you keep repeating everything I say?”

“Yes. I’m trying to figure out if I landed in an alternate universe or it’s this damned drug they gave me.”

“Drug?” She carefully placed her silverware on her plate. “You’re taking drugs?” She started to hitch herself away from him.

He reached across their makeshift table and wrapped his fingers around her upper arms as gently as he could. God, she was so tiny. Like a delicate…snowflake. He shook himself mentally.

“Not drugs. A drug. It’s called Thermavan, and it’s supposed to maintain a ninety-eight-degree body temperature no matter how cold it is. The government selected three of us from different branches of the military to test it while we map out places for cold-weather training.”

She cocked her head. “You mean humans suffer in the cold?”

Jaguar snorted. “Yes, Miss Snowflake. Humans get chilled when it’s cold outside. Especially this kind of cold.”

“So someone’s created a drug to help you deal with it.”

He sighed. “Yes. But it has side effects.”

“Side effects?” Now she was the one doing the repeating. “Like what? Are you going to kill me and chop my body up? Maybe eat my flesh?”

His laugh was tinged with frustration. He wanted to eat her all right, but not the way she meant. He wanted to lay her out before him like a banquet feast and lap up every delicious inch of her cunt.

Jesus! Get it together, Jaguar.

“No. Nothing like that. You don’t have to worry. It just…ramps up the sex drive so you’re horny all the time.” He shook his head. “I wondered if maybe it was giving me hallucinations, too.”

Sonia’s little pink tongue peeped out of her full lips and wet them. “Horny? All the time?” Her eyes sparkled with sudden heat. “That could be very interesting. What does it make you do?”

Jaguar clenched his fists. It wouldn’t do if he just attacked her, but the level of lust in his body was becoming almost unmanageable.

“Things,” he ground out.

One corner of her mouth turned up. “Oh? What kind of…things?”

“Just…things.” He curled his hands into fists and shoved them under his thighs. “Don’t push me or I won’t be responsible for what happens.”

“Maybe I want to push you.” A look of mischief flashed across her face.

“Be careful,” he growled.

She laughed, waved a hand at him, and his Nomex suit and boxers disappeared like evaporating water.

Jaguar looked down and realised, not only was he stark naked, but his cock was also standing at rigid attention and pointing directly at Sonia. Her tantalising tongue slipped over her bottom lip again as she stared at him with a hot gaze.

“Oh, my!”

Jaguar thought, Oh my god!

Sonia leanet over, extended one finger and ran it over the surface of the head of his erection, a touch like the brush of a feather. Jaguar felt a bolt of lust spear through him. His balls tingled and his cock flexed.

“How did you do that?” He wrapped the fingers of one hand around her wrist to still her teasing hand. “And don’t do that unless you’re looking for trouble.”

She looked up at him and grinned. “Oh, I think that kind of trouble would be fun.” Moving the cloth with their food on it to one side, she scooted forward, bent her head, and wrapped her lips around the head of his shaft.

Jaguar sucked in a deep breath. This had to be a dream. No, the medicine. That was it. There was no other explanation for why he was sitting in the middle of a blizzard stark naked with an adorable…elf…sucking his dick.

“I’ll give you one hour to stop that,” he said between clenched teeth.

She gazed up at him, winked and slipped her free hand between his thighs to cup his aching balls.

If I’m dreaming, please don’t let me wake up until I come at least three or four times.

He wanted to reach out and grab Sonia, and haul her up against him. He wanted to plunge his tongue into her mouth and swallow her taste. He wanted to flip up that naughty little skirt and feast his eyes and his mouth on her cunt, which he was sure would be as delectable as the rest of her.

Instead, he sat where he was, as if his ass was glued to the thermal blanket, legs stretched out, while Sonia nestled between his thighs and sucked his cock with a mouth straight from heaven. It was hot, wet, and gripped him as if it was made for him. It amazed him that such a small mouth could fit itself around his well-endowed cock. He finally released his grip on her wrist, leaving her fingers free to wrap themselves around his shaft and pump in time with the movement of her lips.

Jaguar forced himself to breathe as Sonia’s fingers stroked up and down his length, her head bent low enough to allow his cock to slide waaaay down in her throat. God, her cheeks closing in when she sucked gripped him like the walls of a tight pussy. He rocked into her grasp, pushing his cock deeper and deeper in her mouth, catching her rhythm and moving with it. Her tongue managed to find the room to swirl itself against his rigid flesh and trace the path of the pulsing vein that lined the underside.

He closed his eyes and gave himself over to the sensations washing through him. Heat. Cold. Fire. The muscles in his stomach clenched as the orgasm began to build low inside him. His hips rocked harder. He clenched his fists to hold on to the edge of the desire exploding inside him, but it was too strong to contain. He opened his hands and threaded his fingers through her thick mane of hair, clutching her head as her mouth rode his cock.

The muscles in his back tightened, his balls drew up, shards of heat stabbed his thighs, then it was on him. Like the fireworks on the Fourth of July, it exploded throughout his body. He spurted into the hot silk of her mouth, again and again, his body shuddering, until the last spasm died away. His heart pounded so hard he thought it might burst forth from his chest and he had trouble catching his breath.

At last, he relaxed his grip on Sonia’s head, drew in a lungful of air and leant back on his elbows. She looked up at him, gave him a wicked smile and licked her lips.

And just like that he was hard again.

Sonia sat back on her heels and delicately wiped her lips with the tips of her fingers. By all that was frozen, he tasted so unbelievably good. Salty and sweet and all male. Better than the candy the man in the red suit handed out when they worked late. Better than the wine Jack Frost rewarded them with after all the Christmas deliveries were completed. Better than the melt-in-your-mouth cookies Mrs. Red Suit baked as a special treat.

Her eyes took in every inch of his toned, masculine body. Well-defined muscles. Broad shoulders. Thick whorls of golden-blond hair on his flat chest, almost, but not quite, concealing his nipples. The dusting of hair on his legs and forearms. Ooh, she loved a man with hair like that. And his face, like a god of war, all planes and angles, with fierce blue eyes looking out at the world.

A shiver raced down her spine as she thought of taking his huge cock inside her body. The pulse throbbing in her womb spread to her pussy, beating at the lips already wet with her honey. Her breasts ached to feel his hands around them and her nipples were so hard, she wondered they didn’t poke holes in her top.

As she stared at him, she was stunned to see his cock harden and flex again. Oh, sure, she’d only been fucking other elves, but Dion, her favourite, could sometimes go for multiple shots. But even he needed more than a few seconds to recover.

Bright slashes of colour stained Jaguar’s cheeks, a reflection of the lust burning in his eyes. His chest was still heaving when he reached for Sonia and pulled her towards him.

“D-don’t you need a few minutes?” she stammered.

“Sugar, at this rate, I can be done in a few minutes. Come here.”

She straddled his lap, staring down at the erection already more swollen than before. Tentatively, she reached down and cupped his balls, manipulating the sac with her fingers. He sucked in a breath as she pressed the tips of her fingers against his testicles. Sonia raised her eyes to meet his and smiled at the hot need reflected there.

“My! You are a wonder.”

“Less talking, more doing.”

He cupped her cheeks and lowered his mouth to hers, his lips soft and rough at the same time. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, just a feather of a touch, before pressing harder and thrusting inside.

Oh, lordy! His tongue was so hot and wicked, it swept through her mouth, licking every surface, sucking at her tongue and pulling it into his mouth. She could feel his hot breath on her skin and the insistent pressure of his cock against her pussy. She clung to his large wrists for support.

“Hell.” He pulled back, his breath sawing in and out of his mouth. “I have to fuck you, Sonia. Right now.”

“You don’t hear me complaining, do you?”

“No, but we have to make some accommodation here. I’m almost three times as big as you so there’s no way I can be on top. I’d kill you.”

She laughed. “Oh, that’s no problem. I love being on top.” She leant forward and put her lips to his ear. “I can take you deeper that way.”

“Jesus,” he breathed. “Let’s make sure you’re ready because I don’t think I can wait too long.”

“Oh, I’m ready,” she assured him.

“Then you don’t mind if I check.” He wedged a hand between their bodies, dragging the tip of one finger over her clit and scraping it lightly with his nail.

His other large hand drifted to one ankle and slowly brushed upwards, over her calf and thigh, higher and higher until he reached beneath her tiny skirt. He groaned into her mouth when he touched her naked body beneath the material.

“No panties,” he moaned. “Just as I hoped.”

His fingers tap danced on her soft pubic curls and the tip of one of them traced the wet line of her slit.

“Ohhhh,” she sighed, and hitched herself closer to him. “Inside me. Please.”

“Just one second, sugar.” He plunged first one, then two fingers into a cunt she knew was dripping wet. A slow smile of satisfaction split his face. “Oh, yeah, you’re ready.”

He withdrew the fingers and brought them to his mouth, sucking them slowly. Then he frowned. “Oh, hell.”

“Now what?” she demanded, ready to just jump on his cock and impale herself.

“No condoms. Who thought we’d need them in Antarctica?”

“No problem.” She gave him an impish grin, waved a hand in the air, twisted her fingers and opened her hand. On the flat of her palm lay a new condom.

Jaguar stared. “Shit, I should just keep you around all the time.”

“Yeah? If you want these dandy little things to use on someone else.”

His laugh was rich and full. “Sugar, with you around, who needs anyone else. Let’s dress this puppy and take him to war.”

He sheathed himself in record time then held her so she was just hovering over him, his big hands gripping her firmly.

“Ready?” he asked.

“More than,” she assured him. “Do it. Hurry.”

“Guide me,” he urged, his voice rough with need.

Sonia wrapped the fingers of one hand around the upper part of his cock, moved so the opening of her cunt was directly over him and slowly lowered onto the swollen shaft. Inch by inch he invaded her, stretching her tissues, filling her, filling her, until she was sure she couldn’t take anymore. Then he pushed harder and the last inch of his shaft buried itself inside her.

“Ohmigod!” she breathed. “Ohmigod.”

“Get ready to ride, sugar,” he rasped.

His hands moved her up and down on his hot erection, a motion she assisted by bracing her knees and pushing her body. They stumbled a bit, but in seconds had established a good rhythm. Sucking in her breath, she rode his cock, up and down, up and down, feeling the head of it bump her womb with each upward thrust he made.

As aroused as they both were, their climaxes began surging through their bodies quickly. Jaguar’s hands tightened their grip on her and a groan rumbled in his chest as he pumped harder and faster. Sonia moved her hips, increasing her pace. As the heat exploded in her body, his cock flexed forcefully inside her and she felt the jets of semen fill the thin latex sheath.

She gripped him with the tight muscles of her pussy, milking every last drop from him as shudders raced through her. She closed her eyes and let rockets burst around her, shaking her, roaring in her ears. She heard Jaguar’s erotic words as he pumped and spent himself, until she finally collapsed forward, her head resting on his sweat-covered chest.

Sonia lay there, riding the rise and fall of his chest as he pulled air into his lungs and her own breathing settled into a steadier pace. Finally, she raised her head to look at him.

His lips curved in the now-familiar, heart-melting grin. “You may kill me, but what a way to go.”

Sonia licked her lips, her eyes focused on Jaguar—and lordy, what an appropriate name for a man—prepared to give him a comeback. But at that moment, another roar sounded outside the tent and both the fabric and the extra shield she’d thrown up vibrated with the force of it. The ground shook with an incessant volley of loud thuds.

“What’s that?” Jaguar sat up quickly, lifting her from his lap, yanking off the condom and tossing it to the side. In one swift movement, he reached for his clothes, trying to pull them on as a look of concern passed over his face.

Sonia pushed his hands away and tugged his clothes free, tossing them to the side. “That’s just Cupid again, dumping more snow and ice and blowing it into mammoth drifts.”

“Shit! I’m not saying I believe that fairytale, but something’s causing an unexpected storm out there.”

She stuck out her chin. “You don’t believe me? I’ll show you.”

She waved one petite hand in the air and at once a window appeared in both the protective shimmering wall and the outer fabric of the tent. She chuckled when Jaguar’s eyes popped at the sight and he rubbed them.

“Am I hallucinating?” he muttered. “Is it that damn Thermavan? I can’t really be seeing this.”

Sonia snorted. “Oh, they’re real all right.”

A horde—the only word for it—of sexy  warriors was circling the tent in constant motion. They each held a large bow and had quivers of arrows strapped to their backs. One after the other they fitted their arrows to bow strings, pulled the strings taut and let fly. As each arrow found its mark in the ground a huge drift of snow mounded around it. Just above them, in constant motion, was the largest cherub blowing a constant stream of air to increase the size of the mounds until they were mammoth drifts. They moved in perpetual motion like a well-oiled machine. With each pass around the tent the drifts increased in number as well as size.

The stream of air coming from their collective mouths was creating gale force winds, shaking the tent.

“I sure as hell hope you know how to keep us from being blown away,” Jaguar said in a tight voice. “Meanwhile, I have to get a picture of this or no one will believe me.” He reached for his pack, lying to one side, and pulled a camera from a zipped pocket.

“No.” Sonia slapped his hand down. “You can’t take pictures.”

He frowned. “Why not? The guys will really think I’ve lost it if I don’t have some proof of this bizarre episode.”

“Terrible things happen to people who try to take pictures of our world,” she warned.

“Oh, yeah? What could be more terrible than being stranded in a snow storm with an elf and Cupid?”

Sonia glared at him. “So it’s terrible being stranded with me? Perhaps I was mistaken and you weren’t the one having his cock sucked a minute ago.”

He swallowed hard and said, “Wait. That didn’t come out quite right.”

“Damn right it didn’t. Put that camera away.” She waved her hand again, the window disappeared and in another moment, the force of the wind abated slightly.

“So now what?” he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Either he’s decided he’s done enough damage, or he’ll be back with reinforcements. But it will be a while before he returns.”

“Now I really need to see if I can get in touch with my team.”

He reached for his pack again and pulled out a satellite radio. Punching some numbers, he held it to his ear, waited, then frowned.

“I can’t get any reception here. What the hell is going on?”

Sonia shrugged. “I told you, Cupid. He’s probably built a fence of ice arrows around us, too. Anything to keep me from getting out there and doing my job.”

“Your job?” His eyebrows rose. “What about my job? I have work to do.”

She grinned at him. “I guess you won’t be doing it for a while.”

“Damn it, Sonia, or whatever the hell your name is. This isn’t funny.”

She looked at his erection, waving proudly at her. “No, but it could be fun. Listen, when he expends his power, I’ll be able to do something, but for right now, we might just as well relax and enjoy ourselves.”

Before she even realised what he was doing, Jaguar reached for her and hauled her into his lap. She had to straddle him to maintain balance, bringing the naked flesh of her pussy flat against the hard muscles of his abdomen. His face was barely an inch from hers.

“If that’s the case, there’s only one thing to do.”

“Oh?” She flashed a dimple at him. “And what would that be?”

He mouth curved in a feral grin. “I say we might as well find out just how long the special effects of Thermavan last, don’t you think?”

His hands cupped her head and his mouth descended to hers as it had before, his lips brushing gently at first, in a slow, even movement. Sonia didn’t even dare to breathe, the contact felt so good. His kisses were drugging, his lips like rough velvet and so warm they almost singed her. His tongue traced the outline of her mouth, leaving a trail of fire at every point of contact. She parted her lips on a breath and his tongue slid gently inside, tasting her.

On a sigh, she opened her mouth wider, welcoming his intrusion, meeting his tongue with her own. It was like swallowing a flame. The dance they engaged in was teasing, tantalising, promising more. When the tip of his tongue swept across the roof of her mouth, the throbbing in her cunt edged up a notch, making her squirm against Jaguar’s naked body.

His muscles tightened at once. “Jesus, Sonia.” He breathed the words almost like a prayer and slid a hand down to her throbbing cunt, gently probing her wet folds..

She moaned into his mouth, hitching her hips against the intrusion of his finger. He flicked it gently back and forth and was rewarded by a purr of pleasure. She was so wet his finger was already coated with her cream.

“Damn,” he breathed into her mouth. “You should be illegal.”

Beneath the soft globes of her bottom, his hard cock flexed against her and he groaned again.

“I want you naked this time,” he growled, “but I don’t want to let go of you long enough to strip off your clothes.”

“No problem,” she whispered against his lips, lifting one hand from where it clutched his shoulder and waving it in the air. In seconds, her elf outfit was laying on the thermal blanket next to Jaguar’s Nomex suit and boxers.

He moved his head to stare. “I’ll be damned. You’re a handy person to have around. In more ways than one.”

He lay back on the thermal blanket, taking her with him. Sonia snapped her fingers and a thick pillow materialised beneath his head. He grinned at her, but the look in his eyes was hungry and feral.

“Your turn, sweet thing,” he told her.

“My turn?” she asked, her lips curved in an impish grin. “I thought I just had my turn.”

“Oh, I thought I’d return the earlier favour while my impetuous cock takes a second to rest. Which seems to be about all it needs.”

He arranged her so she straddled his chest then pulled her forward so her cunt was almost touching his mouth. His tongue lapped at the flesh covered with soft curls, swallowing the sweet cream coating the surface.

“Pull those sweet lips open for me,” he told her, his hands on her hips urging her forward that last little bit of distance.

Hands trembling, Sonia reached down and pulled back her labia, exposing her pink inner flesh. Jaguar’s hands tightened on her hips, holding her in place, and a low growl of lust rumbled in his throat. His tongue reached out again and flicked against the sensitive bud of her clit—one, twice, three times. She jerked in pleasure each time, leaning forward so she could brace herself on his broad shoulders.

“You taste better than any brandy, sugar. My god, I could get drunk on you and stay that way forever.”

“Lick me again,” she begged. “Oh, please.” Her small fingers dug into his shoulders.

“With pleasure,” he growled.

His tongue moved on her hot pussy, sliding over her clit and flicking it back and forth before dipping into her cunt and lapping at her inner lips. Sonia shivered at the delicious sensations that rushed through her. She rocked her pelvis against Jaguar’s mouth, urging his tongue to plunge deep inside her. But he was obviously determined to take his time, anchoring her in place with his big hands and teasing her with darting forays of his tongue.

The muscles in her tummy clenched, her womb clenched and she moaned her pleasure as he lapped and sucked her flesh, nipping lightly then soothing each place with his mouth. The desire in her rose and rose, and she closed her eyes, reaching for the edge of fulfilment so she could tumble over it. But Jaguar wasn’t about to be rushed. No matter how she rocked and pleaded and cried out her need, he never changed the measured pace of his stroking.

His wickedly clever tongue plunged in and out of her heated channel, rasping against the sensitive inner walls. Icy heat raced through her veins and delicious shivers skittered along her spine. The pulse deep within her pussy was beating with the insistence of a jungle drum, driving the pleasure throughout her body.

He pushed her along the hard edge of pleasure until she lost all sense of self, of being, focused only on the tongue fucking her with such finesse and enthusiasm. Finally, when she didn’t think she could stand it one more second, when she was beyond mindless with the need that consumed her, he gave her the release her body craved. Moving one hand so his thumb played an erotic tune on her clit, he thrust his tongue deeper into her cunt and fucked it in and out until her climax crashed over her. She shook with the force of it and her liquid poured onto his tongue.

When she was completely boneless, he shifted her to the side so she lay on the blanket. She wasn’t sure she could drag air into her lungs again and her heart hammered against her ribs so hard she was afraid it might break through. Jaguar stretched out next to her, his arms cradling her against him, his lips brushing soft kisses on her forehead.

Chapter Three

“So tell me again how you supposedly landed at the South Pole and what you’re supposed to be doing here?”

Sonia was nestled against Jaguar’s warm—and she did mean warm—body, her head on his shoulder, one arm holding her close while his free hand drew circles around her nipples. The orgasm had drained her but already her desire was growing again, the tiny bundles of nerves in the walls of her pussy stimulating the muscles and giving rise to a fresh spate of her honey. She had to admit, the man had an educated tongue, but what she really wanted was his big impressive cock inside her. Filling her. Stretching her.

“Okay,” she sighed, wriggling her bottom against him. “But one of these times you’ll have to believe me.”

He chuckled. “I’ll give it a shot.”

“Christmas is bigger than it ever was,” she went on, “especially with all the new toys being designed. And there are more and more children around the world needing toys. That’s put a strain on our factory at the North Pole. We also figured out we had to send the sleighs from more than one place. You know, to better cover the entire world in one night.”

“The entire world. In sleighs.”

Jaguar lightly pinched a nipple, and a sound between a sigh and a moan rolled from her lips.

“Uh huh.” Tingles streaked from her nipple to her pussy, and Sonia had to force herself to concentrate. “So our boss, better known as Santa Claus, held a big meeting and announced we’re expanding to the South Pole. We’re going to build a bigger factory here and set up a whole new compound of elves.”

“Compound of elves.”

Sonia reached one small hand down and wrapped it around his shaft, squeezing gently.

Jaguar jerked. “Hey! How about a little warning there?”

“How about not repeating everything I say.”

“Listen, Sonia Snowflake or whatever your name is. You gotta admit the story is totally farfetched.”

“Not any more than you telling me about a drug that can keep your body temperature up in frigid climates and also make you horny indefinitely.”

“Okay.” He kissed her forehead, his talented fingers still busy at her nipples, rolling and squeezing them. “I’ll give you that. But I think I’d even say my story’s more believable than yours.”

“Maybe. But how do you explain the sudden snowstorm when none was predicted? Or that it keeps getting worse.” She squeezed again. “I’m telling you, it’s Cupid on the warpath.”

“I thought Cupid was all about love,” he protested. “Why’s he making war?”

“He thinks people love Santa more than they love him. He’s been warning us that he hates having Christmas overshadow Valentine’s Day.”

Jaguar rolled her on top of him. “Someone should tell him he’s supposed to make love, not war.” His hand trailed down her spine to the curve of her buttocks, fingers dancing lightly in the cleft.

Sonia shivered with delight at the sensations his touch was creating. The insistent beat in her pussy was growing and her already sensitive clit throbbed with need. “We’re trying, believe me.” She wriggled her body against his, pushing herself up.

“Where are you going?” he demanded. “We’re in the middle of things, here.”

“Just need to check in with the others for a minute.”

His jaw dropped and he stared at her. “Right now. Right now?”

“Yes, right now.” She needed to pull herself together before she totally forgot why she was there. She bent over and kissed the head of his shaft. “Don’t go anywhere, big boy.”

The gale force wind had finally died down, no longer roaring in their ears. Sonia figured Cupid and his warriors had taken off for a while to regroup, so she manoeuvred her hand under the thermal wall of the tent enough to grab a handful of snow and pack it into a firm ball. Blowing on it until it turned red, she lifted it to her ear and tapped twice.

“Hello? Anyone there? Come in, B.E.L.L.S., wherever you are.” She listened for a moment. “Ooh, Tasha. You’re with Axel? Really? I didn’t know he was one of the three military dropped here.” She paused. “Yum. And you’re doing all right?” She listened for a moment, nodding. “Okay, as long as you’re all okay. Oh, and be sure to ask him about this drug he created.” She giggled. “It has some interesting side effects. Me? I’m with a big cat named Jaguar. We’re in a tent in the middle of…someplace.” She listened again, her lips curving into a smile. “Oh, yeah. You’d better believe it.” She paused. “Kendil? You okay, too? All right, guys. Okay. Later.”

She threw the ball into the air and watched it disintegrate.

Lying on his back, hands clasped behind his neck, Jaguar stared at her and shook his head. “I swear it’s the drugs. That’s just not possible.”

Sonia giggled again, then dropped down beside him once more. “Anything is possible. You just have to believe.”

“So are both of the other…um…B.E.L.L.S. safe from the storm?”

“Uh huh.” She winked at him. “And it seems they’ve each snagged a hottie of their own.”

Jaguar’s laugh rumbled in his chest. “Hottie, huh? Is that what I am?”

“You betcha.” Her hand drifted down to his cock again. “And I do mean hot.” Her fingers began drawing little circles on his chest, her nails scraping across his flat nipples. “By the way, one of them is with your Dr. Axel Cole. You didn’t tell me he was along on this trip.”

His chest rose and fell as her fingers moved over his skin, down to his navel and back up to his nipples. “I’m losing my concentration.”

“That’s the idea. Maybe then you’ll believe my story.”

“Okay.” His body tensed as her hand drifted low enough for her fingers to circle his cock. “So if you really are an elf, and scouting a location is your mission, how come Santa sent warrior elves for a simple real estate job?” His arm holding her against him tightened. “Jesus, I can’t believe I’m even asking this question.”

“Pretty soon you might even believe me.”

He brushed her hand away and rolled her onto her back. “I’ll tell you what I believe. I believe that, elf or not, you’re the hottest woman I’ve been with for a long time and I’m wasting too much time talking.”

Sonia watched his eyes darken with heat. “I agree. So what do you have in mind?”

“Want to play a little game?” he asked, then nipped her bottom lip.

“Ooh.” She squirmed beneath him. “I love games. What did you have in mind?”

“You have to promise me no magic, okay?”

“No magic?” She pretended to pout. “That’s no fun.”

His grin was purely carnal. “Oh, I think you’ll agree it will be fun.”

Holding her tightly, so she couldn’t wiggle away, Jaguar stretched out one long leg, hooked a foot into the handle of his backpack and pulled it towards him.

“What’s going on?” Sonia asked, eying him with suspicion.

“Just getting a few…toys out of here.”

Her eyes widened. “Toys? You have toys in there?”

“No, sugar.” He chuckled. “Not the kind you’re used to. These would give Santa a heart attack. Anyway, I’m improvising here.”

With his free hand, he pulled open the Velcro flap, reached in and tugged out what looked like a long silk scarf.

Sonia eyed it, startled. “You carry a whole wardrobe in there?”

“This is specially woven material to wrap around our faces. It keeps the wind out and our breath in.” He kicked the backpack away. “But I have a better use for it.”

He moved so swiftly Sonia barely realised what was happening. She blinked, and her wrists were tied together, stretched over her head, the ends of the scarf wrapped securely around one of the tent pegs.

“How did you do that?” she demanded. “I hardly saw you move.”

He grinned down at her. “I have my own kind of magic, too.” He tested the scarf to make sure it was secure, then put his hands on her thighs and spread her legs, kneeling between them. “Now I’m going to show you what it is.”

Jaguar let his eyes roam the length of her body, his nostrils flaring as they took in her scent.

“I wish I could bottle that as perfume,” he told her, lust flashing in his eyes.

He bent his head and took one hardened nipple into his mouth, rolling his tongue around it and pressing it against the roof of his mouth. She arched up to him, heat surging through her. Her nipples felt sensitised and swollen, and every flick of his tongue, every rasp of his teeth, only raised her level of desire higher. He sucked on it and played with it until Sonia was afraid it might burst. Then he drew his lips back, pulling the nipple with them and nipping it gently with his teeth.

She twisted in the grip of the scarf, her helplessness so arousing that the muscles of her pussy flexed and spasmed and honey trickled from her. When Jaguar eased his head back down, the nipple still captured in his mouth, and pulled on it again, a soft moan rolled up from her throat. Still holding the hardened bud with his lips, he ran the tip of his tongue back and forth across the pebbled surface.

Her breasts had always been sensitive but never like this. She was afraid she would come right now before they even got to the good stuff.

Jaguar pulled hard on her nipple again before letting it pop free and moving his mouth to her other breast. One hand moved to cup the breast he’d just been worshiping, kneading it and rasping his thumb across the tormented nipple. With her arms stretched above her head and her wrists secured with the scarf, Sonia was powerless to control the sensual assault on her breasts, which only enhanced her pleasure.

“You taste mouth-watering,” Jaguar murmured, his voice vibrating against her skin. “Do all elves taste this good?”

“Mmmm,” was all she allowed herself to say. If she said yes, would he ask her how she knew?

He swiped his tongue across both breasts, leaving a wet trail down through the valley between them. His fingers tap danced over the quivering skin of her tummy, pausing to trace the lines of her navel. When he reached the raven curls covering her mound and dusted his fingers through them, Sonia jerked her hips, doing her best to urge his hand lower and deeper.

Jaguar bent his head lower and kissed her curls, letting his tongue drift through them. “Too bad we don’t have any toys here,” he murmured in a low, throaty voice that vibrated through her. “Can you work your magic with your hands tied up?”

Sonia’s laugh was breathless. “I don’t know but I’m willing to give it a shot. Anything special you’d like me to conjure up?”

Jaguar tugged gently on her pubic hair with his teeth. “Since I still think I’m hallucinating the whole thing, why don’t you try for whatever your favourite toys are?”

Sonia closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and wriggled her fingers as she exhaled. A soft breeze danced across her body.

“Wow!” Jaguar’s voiced was filled with awe.

Sonia opened her eyes to see what he was looking at. He’d rocked back on his heels and was staring at the instruments in his hands.

Oh, good! My favourite silver bullet.

And nestled next to the shiny vibrator was a lifelike dildo.

“I thought there’d be more.” She tried to conceal her disappointment. “I guess just using my fingers doesn’t do that much good.”

Jaguar laughed, a sound that rumbled up from deep in his chest, and his eyes deepened to a green that reminded her of the forest. “Sugar, these will do just fine.”

Sonia stared at Jaguar, heat rising inside her body again. The flame from the candle heating the tent picked up glints in his dark blond hair and reflected on the tanned skin of his body. Just looking at his defined muscles, his broad shoulders, his very masculine face aroused her even without his touch. She’d had sex with humans before—not too often—but none of them could compare to Jaguar Martin. And he certainly wiped every elf from her mind.

Kneeing her thighs wider apart, he set the dildo aside and draped her legs over his own. One fingertip brushed across her clit, sending shockwaves of need through her. Then he did it again, just a ghost of a touch, but her body jerked in reaction.

“You have to be the most responsive female I’ve ever been with,” Jaguar said, his eyes glittering with sensual desire. “I could do this forever.”

Forever? Forever? Oh, if only…

Sonia’s thoughts disappeared in an erotic haze as Jaguar touched the tip of the silver bullet to her clit and pushed the button that start it vibrating. Instantly, her cunt muscles quivered, her tummy muscles clenched and a riot of sensations raced through her.

“Oh!” was the only sound she could make.

Her body, however, reacted all on its own, hips bucking, silently demanding more, more, more. The rhythm of the vibrations increased, shimmering through every muscle and nerve. Sonia tugged at her restraints, gripped by a need to take the damn vibrator from Jaguar and let it do its job.

“Uh, uh, uh,” he teased, now moving the little vibrator in circles around her clit. “I’m calling the shots here, remember?”

He teased at her mercilessly, moving the bullet along her inner lips, back up to her clit, then finally, slowly, slipping it inside her. The moment she felt its smooth surface in her pussy, her inner muscles clenched around it and her hips began to move in earnest.

She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the vibrations racing through her, lighting the ends of her nerves, plucking at her quivering muscles, turning her body into a mindless mass of erotic need.

When everything stopped, and the bullet slid from her pussy, her eyes flew open to see Jaguar watching her with those eyes, so dark now they were almost black.

“I have to be inside you,” he growled. “I’m so hard I think my cock would break if I bumped it against something.” Then he frowned. “Big problem, though.”

“Oh, god, don’t say that.” She was about to self-destruct. “What now?”

“Same problem as before. No condoms. Again, who thought we’d need them in Antarctica?”

“Untie my hands,” she ordered, “and I’ll take care of it.” She leered at him, a pixieish look that almost teased a laugh from him. “Just like I did before.”

He looped two fingers through the knot on the scarf, tugged, and her hands were suddenly free. Pushing herself up, she took his cock in her palms, closed her eyes and blew on him. At once, a latex sheath appeared and rolled itself down his length.

Jaguar’s eyes widened. “How the hell do you do that? Having you around might actually be a plus.”

“Less talk, more action,” Sonia urged, lying back and tugging him with her.

He hesitated. “You’re so tiny. I don’t want to hurt you.”

She smiled, wishing he’d just get on with it. “You won’t. I promise. Hurry.”

He nodded, lifted her buttocks in his large hands and drove into her with one strong thrust. She was so ready, she climaxed at once, her muscles gripping the length of him as she flooded him with her liquid. His hands clenched in the cheeks of her ass, gripping her tightly as he held perfectly still while she convulsed around him.

He gave her no chance to catch her breath, however. When her spasms had reduced themselves to aftershocks, he set up a rhythm, stroking his cock in and out of her. She gripped his upper arms with her hands, fingernails digging into him as the spiral deep inside her began to unwind again. He rocked his hips in a steady motion, his cock riding  back and forth with his movement. Sonia lost all sense of herself, of where she was, of anything except the thick, hard shaft filling her and taking her on a hot, lustful ride. Her hips bucked in his grasp as she met him thrust for thrust, pleasure spiking through her, velvet heat surrounding them.

Jaguar lowered his head and pressed his mouth to hers, his tongue sweeping inside and setting up a tempo that matched the strokes of his cock. In, out, in, out, until the orgasm rushed up from deep inside her, hovering, holding her suspended. Jaguar’s big body stiffened, he threw his head back and they toppled into the whirlpool together.

She thought his cock would never stop flexing that her pussy would never cease convulsing around him, as the tidal wave of lust swept through them again and again.

Then it ended, with a ripple of aftershocks and a melting of bodies. Jaguar collapsed on top of her, catching his weight on his forearms, his warm breath fanning her face, his heart beating as hard as hers. She had no idea how long they lay there, wrapped together, skin slick with perspiration, before Jaguar eased himself out of her body and rolled to the side. Pulling her on top of him, he smiled at her.

“I think if we made this a regular thing, you might kill me. You are something else.”

She grinned back. “Yup. I’m an elf.”

And he burst out laughing.

* * * *

Sonia had done her magic and heated up the remains of their meal. Now they were sitting cross-legged opposite each other, finishing off the food along with a bottle of wine she’d conjured up. When she looked across at Jaguar, she found him studying her.

“What?” She lowered her fork. “Do I have grease on my face? Food between my teeth?”

“I think I’m still trying to make sure you’re real and not a figment of my imagination.” He chewed a bite of steak thoughtfully. “Being stranded in an ice and snow storm is one thing, but stumbling onto someone who calls herself an elf and can do amazing, magical things is another. Not to mention great sex that blows my mind. Are you sure I’m not hallucinating?”

Sonia giggled. “Humans usually have that reaction to us. Which is why we try to stay away from them except at Christmas.”

“Okay, let’s say I believe you.” He looked down. “God knows, my cock thinks you’re real enough. Are you really here looking for a place to build a new toy factory?”

“Uh huh.” She sipped delicately from her wine goblet, her little tongue swiping across her lips to capture a stray drop. “We have to find the right spot, stake it out and send a message back to our boss—you know, the guy in the funny red suit—so he can have plans drawn. He expects us to be up and running before next year.”

“And what makes a good location?”

“Flat ground—or in this case ice—solid enough to take construction, and a place where the wind is steady rather than variable so we can adjust construction accordingly. And far enough away from the science and exploration stations various countries have established here, so no one can see what we’re doing.” She sighed. “It’s just a damn shame people can’t stay away from here like they do the North Pole. It makes things so difficult.”

“Difficult. Right.” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “And exactly how do you plan to build this, um, toy factory? And get your materials here?”

“Oh,” she waved a hand carelessly. “We have carpenter elves who’ll take care of that. And the supplies will all be brought in by reindeer. I mean, how else would we get them here?”

“How else. Right.” He gulped a healthy swallow of the amber liquid in his glass. “That I’d have to see.”

“Oh, no.” Sonia shook her head. “We’d do it when absolutely no one is around. Humans aren’t allowed to watch the process.”

Jaguar washed the last bite of steak down with the rest of his wine and stared at her over the rim of his glass. He looked as if he was about to ask another question when suddenly a rat-a-tat-tat continuous staccato noise set up outside.

“What the hell is that?”

“Damn.” Sonia pushed her plate away. “It’s Cupid again, with his Flying Red Army.”

She made a circular motion with one hand and a window appeared again. Sure enough, the flying  warriors were back in force, bows and quivers at the ready. And flying just above the circle, Cupid the sexy Greek god himself, looking fierce and determined.

Jaguar stared, a shocked look on his face.

“I see them again, but I still don’t believe them.” He scrubbed his hands through his hair. “Where does he go when he’s not attacking us?”

Sonia waved a hand with airy disdain. “They park on the clouds hanging over us and regroup. They spend the time plucking moisture out of the air to make their ice arrows.”

“Well, that’s what he’s shooting now,” Jaguar pointed out. “What’s he trying to do with them? He’s not hitting the tent.”

“He can’t,” she told him. “I have a spell around it. It’s impervious.”

“A spell.” He squeezed his eyes shut then opened them again. “Around the tent.”

“Of course,” she told him with a sniff. “Otherwise we’d be toast. Or as toasty as you can get in this wasteland. I think he’s trying to build a wall around us here so I won’t have any choice but to call for extraction.” She shook her head. “That asshole.”

“Pretty strong language for an elf, isn’t it? I thought you were all so nice and pure.”

She grinned at him. “You haven’t heard the half of it. Last year I paid for fifteen toys all by myself with my quarters in the swear jar.” She sighed. “I’ve always been a rebel, I guess.”

“Listen, maybe I can give you some help here,” he offered.

“Help?” She lifted an eyebrow. “You? Exactly how could you do that?”

“Maybe I could call in an air strike of some kind.” He scratched his head. “I can’t believe I’m even saying this. The other guys are going to think I’ve got a screw loose.”

“Right.” She gave a delicate little snort. “I can just hear them when you say you want an air strike on Cupid and his flying  army.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He frowned. “But we can’t just sit hear and let him attack us. You have work to do. I have work to do. I mean, it would be nice to huddle up in this tent together for as long as we want and have South Pole sex, but…”

“But we have assignments,” she finished for him. “Right.”

Another rat-a-tat-tat sounded outside and again a barrage of arrows assaulted the ice around their tent. Sonia slipped a hand beneath the tent just enough to gather some snow and fashion it into a snowball. She blew on it until it turned red and tapped out a code on it, then held it to her ear and listened.

“It’s me,” she said. “We’re under attack again. That rotten little bastard Cupid won’t leave us alone. Can you both hear me? This isn’t exactly a state of the art communicator. Uh huh. Uh huh. Okay, then just give me a hint. Uh huh. Uh huh.” Sonia huffed a sigh. “Well, hell. Yeah, yeah. I know. More money in the swear jar. Well, I’m gonna see what I can do from my end. Sonia out.”

This time, instead of disintegrating the snowball, she put it to the side, waved a hand over it and covered it with a clear thermal shroud.

“What did you just do?” Jaguar asked, a look of disbelief on his face.

“I don’t want to have to dig for snow again with Cupid and his flying idiots out there,” she explained, “so I made a little ice chest.”

Jaguar shook his head. “I still don’t believe it. On top of everything else, I’m still sitting here fucking naked, in the middle of an Antarctic ice storm.” He looked down at his lap again, his cock once more thick and swollen, a drop of moisture glistening at the slit. “I wonder if my dick is ever going to go to sleep? I don’t know whether to thank Dr. Axel Cole or kill him.”

Sonia laughed, a sound like tinkling bells. “We’ll have to do something about that, just as soon as I figure out how to get rid of Cupid.”

“Tell me something.” Jaguar reached for her and dragged her into his lap. “Are all elves as horny as you are?”

She winked at him. “That’s our secret. Besides, I don’t want you chasing after any other elves.”

“Honey, I can hardly believe I’ve got one here. So what’s next?”

“Next we draw up a battle plan. Then we take care of your hard-on.”

Chapter Four

Jaguar watched the petite figure crawl over his gear and dig into her backpack, pulling out something that looked suspiciously like a calculator. It was hard to concentrate on what she was doing because she was as naked as he was, and all he wanted to do was lick her all over. Her perfect breasts tempted him with their rosy-tipped nipples, her rounded ass made his hands itch to squeeze it again and when she turned to face him again, he had to drag his eyes away from the soft curls covering the sweetest pussy he’d ever tasted.

Holy hell! How had he gotten into this situation? More to the point, how was he ever going to get out? No way did he believe some mythical figure was flying around outside attacking them with ice arrows. He had a hard enough time swallowing the fact that Sonia was some kind of elf and that she’d performed all the magic tricks he’d seen. He was sure he was going to wake up either back on the helicopter that had brought him, or nearly frozen to death lying on the vast tundra.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“This is a B.E.L.L.S. pocket computer,” she said, pushing a button and frowning at the little screen on it. “I’m trying to find some of the battle plans we programmed in here for situations just like this.”

Jaguar felt as if he’d fallen into an alternate universe. “You have battle plans?”

She stared at him, her brow creased. “We are the B.E.L.L.S., you know. Santa’s warriors. I told you. And we expected something like this to happen.”

“If you did, then why did you all accept this mission?”

She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Do you have a choice when your commanding officer orders you to do something?”

“Well, no.” He shrugged. “But that’s different.”

Sonia stood up and raised herself to her full height, which Jaguar guessed at barely five feet. He nearly strangled as he swallowed a laugh. The site of this luscious, naked figure doing her best to look tall and dominating was a sight he would long remember. Along with a lot of other things.

“Different how?” she demanded.

“Okay, okay. Forget I said that. So now what?” He raked his eyes over her body and his. “We’re both naked, you’re being attacked by Cupid and I need to get in touch with my teammates. God only knows what’s happened to them by now. You have any tricks to make a GPS or satellite communicator work?”

She huffed a breath at him. “Oh, are you asking for my help, by any chance?”

“Sugar, I’ll take anything you want to give.”

At that, his cock flexed, reminding him of his continuously erect condition. For two cents, he’d ditch his entire mission, forget about his team-mates and spend however much time he could just fucking his brains out with Sonia Snowflake. Or whatever the hell her real name was.

A slow smile crept over her face. “Is that a fact. Well, maybe we can do something about your…um…condition as soon as I scroll through this information.”

It was so incredible to watch her settle back down cross-legged on the thermal blanket, stark naked, her little pubic curls glistening with the dew of her juices, her nipples pointing straight at him, chewing on her lip as she concentrated on the instrument in her hand. He wrapped his fingers around his cock, stroking it slowly to ease some of the pressure, wishing she’d finish whatever the hell she was doing so he could turn her onto her hands and knees and slide into her from behind.

Oops! That thought made his cock jump in his hand.

Think ice, you idiot. Think war. Think of anything but that tempting morsel just inches away from you.

“Okay.” She set the little instrument to the side. “I have some ideas.”

She pulled the little red ball from beneath its thermal hood, tapped it and held it to her ear. When nothing happened, she frowned and tapped again.”

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“There seems to be a problem getting a signal out. Cupid has probably thrown up a signal shield around us.”

“A signal shield,” he repeated slowly.

“Will you stop repeating everything I say? You’ve been doing it since I let you into the tent.”

“Sorry. It’s just that all of this is …a little difficult to absorb.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I know you want to check and see if your friends are okay. Let them know you’re all right before we try to figure out what to do about the guy in the red shorts. So let’s see if we can check on everyone.”

“You know I haven’t been able to get in touch with them,” he reminded her. “And you just said you can’t get a signal out.”

“I know, but I have an idea that I think will work for both of us. I’m going to try and mate my communicator to yours. Hand me your thingy.”

He wanted to hand her his thingy more than anything in the world, but he didn’t think they were referring to the same item. Ordering his body to behave, he handed her the satellite radio/telephone that he hadn’t been able to raise anyone on. Sonia plastered the red ice ball to the side of his instrument.

As he watched, the little ball of ice glowed hotter red and became almost translucent. Sonia tapped it twice with her index finger, studied it, nodded and handed it to him.

“Okay. You’ve got two minutes. Knock yourself out. Oh, and I think your Dr. Cole is with Tasha so maybe we won’t have to make so many calls. So, you go first.”

Jaguar took the weird-looking amalgamation from her, looked at it sceptically and shook his head. “If this works, I’ll know I’m losing my mind.”

Expecting the thing to blow up in his hands, he tapped out a code and put it to his ear.

“Jaguar? That you?” The voice crackled out of the speaker.

Yup. I’m losing my mind.

“Teague? You okay?”

He spoke to Teague, then reached Axel Cole and had just finished talking to them when the red snowball began to fade. He held it away from his body and stared at it.

“What’s happening?”

“Power’s just about gone.” Sonia reached for it, removed the snowball and put it back in its little hut. “So. Did you find out what you need to?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, still not sure what had actually happened. “They’re all hunkered down somewhere. And it seems with your B.E.L.L.S. Like you said, Axel is with your friend, Tasha, and Teague is with someone named Kendil. She one of you?”

Sonia nodded. “Yes. She is.”

“Then I guess my team is battened down with yours, so we’ll let them worry about themselves. Anyway, they don’t seem to be under the same intensity of attack that we are, at least not for the moment.”

“Because I’m the team leader,” she pointed out.

“Well, anyway, they’re set.”

“Good.” She clapped her small hands together. “So everyone’s taken care of. Now we just need to figure out what to do about Cupid.”

“I think I might be able to help you there.” He leant over and lifted her up, settling her on his lap. “But I have something else in mind first.”

As soon as Jaguar’s strong hands settled her on his lap, his thick erection prodded at the lips of her cunt. Her stomach muscles clenched and a fresh gush of her honey bathed the head of his cock. Lordy! When he said he was hard all the time, he really meant all the time. No matter how many times they fucked, his penis popped right into play, ready to go. She wanted that hard shaft inside her again, filling her, stretching her muscles.

Jaguar bent his head and took one nipple in his mouth, sucking on it. Heat flashed through her body. She hitched her hips forward, wanting to impale herself on him, but his hands held her firmly in place as he pulled at her with his mouth and licked the hard point with his tongue. Nerves fired inside her pussy. Again she tried to rub herself back and forth on him, but he wouldn’t relinquish his hold.

When he lifted his head and the air brushed against the wet nipple, she moaned, wanting more. He obligingly attended to the other nipple, sucking it into the wet well of his mouth, pressing it against the roof of his mouth with the flat of his tongue. Then back to the other breast, licking and nipping, taking turns with each one until she thought she would go mad with the need clawing up inside her.

Jaguar lifted his head, moved one hand up to thread his fingers through her hair and pulled her mouth down to his. The same tongue that had aroused her nipples to almost painful hardness, now swept into her mouth. He slanted his lips to a better angle, dancing his tongue over hers. Sonia felt liquid, her bones softening, even as the thread of desire in her body tightened.

His legs shifted beneath her and he lifted her body slightly with his strong hands.

“Touch me,” he whispered into her mouth. “Put your fingers around me.”

She reached down and wrapped her slim fingers around his throbbing cock, stroking it lightly.

“Easy now,” he cautioned. “Not too much or this will be over before it starts.”

She rubbed her thumb over the flared head, spreading the thick drop of liquid across the velvety skin. Lordy, but this man had a cock to worship.

“Do you think you could conjure up another condom like you did before?” he asked, his lips still touching hers.

“Okay,” she murmured and waved her hand over his shaft.

Instantly he was sheathed in latex and flexing beneath her touch.

“Now?” she asked.

“Now,” he agreed. “Guide me home.”

He lifted her enough for her to position the head of his erection at the opening to her cunt, then held her as she slowly lowered herself onto him. As he entered her, his hard thickness brushed against every tiny nerve in her vaginal walls. Shivers raced through her and her still-wet nipples ached with arousal.

“Ride me, little snowflake.” His voice was hoarse with lust. “Ride me good.”

She braced herself on his shoulders and slowly rose and fell, gripping him with her knees and steadily increasing the pace.

“Look at me,” he rasped as the pace quickened.

Sonia opened her eyes and looked into his, seeing such naked desire it took her breath away. Gazes locked, his big hands gripped her hips harder and moved her faster. Her orgasm rushed through her, ready to erupt, but she held onto it, until she saw in Jaguar’s eyes that he was ready, too. When she let herself go, he locked her in place on top of him, their bodies shuddering together, his cock throbbing inside her.

She rode one velvet wave after the other, the spasms rocking her, pushing her higher. Just when she was sure the last one had subsided, Jaguar would rock her and it would begin all over again. At last he fell backward, taking her with him. She lay against his chest, her heart beating furiously against his hard body, her lungs starving for air. Jaguar ran his big hands up and down her spine and over the curve of her ass, a lover’s caress, as tender as their coupling had been erotic.

Sonia lay there more content than she’d ever been, lulled by the rising and falling of Jaguar’s chest and the soothing touch of his hands. She might have lain there forever if a loud explosion hadn’t sounded just outside the tent, jarring the virtual cocoon they’d wrapped around themselves.

Suddenly, the ground rumbled and shifted beneath them. Jaguar jerked upward, Sonia clasping his arms for balance.

“Holy hell! What was that?”

She sighed. “I think Cupid is closing in for a final attack. If I don’t get rid of him, I won’t be able to stake out the location for the new factory.” She looked at him. “And you and your team won’t be able to finish whatever it is you’re doing.”

“No way will my guys believe Cupid is a real…anything.” He grinned at her. “Any more than they’ll believe in Santa Claus.”

She spread her hands wide, palms open. “So then, what’s your idea? Assuming you have one, Mr. Military Man.”

“I just might.” He reached for his Nomex again. “First of all, I think we need to get some clothes on, just in case. After we’re dressed, I’ll show you what to do. I think I have an idea that will work.”

“Okay.” She picked up her own outfit. “But this better be good.”

With their clothing hastily donned, Sonia watched while Jaguar dug in his pack and pulled out what looked like a bundle of wide leather straps.

She frowned, “What’s that?”

“Gear for rappelling in case we had to climb any snow mountains or glaciers.” He stretched out one part to test its elasticity. “I think this will just do the trick. Okay, those snowballs you make. How hard can you make them?”

“As hard as you want.” Automatically, at the word ‘hard,’ her eyes flicked to his cock, then back to his face.

“Snowballs, Sonia. Concentrate.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re right. So what do we do?”

“Wait until you think the immediate attack has passed, then grab as much snow inside as you can,” he instructed.

Although the attack lasted less than five minutes, to Sonia it seemed like an eternity. Finally, when it had been quiet for a few minutes, she unzipped the tent a scant few inches and peered out.

“All quiet,” she said. “I think they went to regroup.”

“Do you see anything at all?” Jaguar wanted to know, crouching behind her.

“They’ve got us surrounded by ice arrows in the snow,” she reported. “It’s a good thing this tent is made of impervious material so the arrows can’t pierce it or we’d be toast.”

“Okay.” Jaguar was busy reconfiguring the rappelling ropes. “Start making those snowballs. We’re going to go back to military basics.”

The two of them pulled snow into the tent and packed it into large round pellets as fast as they could. They had compiled about three-dozen snowballs when they heard the steadily increasing roar that signalled the advance of Cupid and his Vinions again.

“Just start passing me those snowballs one at a time,” Jaguar told her, crouching at the tent opening with his device. “And don’t stop.”

Sonia handed him the first one and watched as he fitted it into the ropes, pulled back and let it fly.

Ohmigod! A slingshot! Back to basics was right. She wanted to shout with laughter. The last thing Cupid and his army would ever expect.

The painful cry they heard was an obvious sign of a direct hit. Sonia clapped her hands.

“They teach us to be inventive in the military,” Jaguar chuckled. “Pass me another snowball.”

Sonia handed the ammunition to him as fast as she could, and with each one, he scored a direct hit. Seconds after the last one was released, another roar filled the air, but this time it began to recede. Jaguar peeked outside very carefully. Then he turned back to her, still kneeling.

“They’re gone, and I don’t think they’ll be back anytime soon. They have a bunch of injuries to take care of.”

She threw her arms around him, hugging and kissing him. “You’re my hero,” she told him and kissed him again, this time full on the mouth.

Jaguar shifted beneath her so she was now straddling him once more and she felt the thickness of his cock pressing into her thigh. Again. Good lord. He was right. Whatever was keeping his body temperature up gave him an erection most men would kill for.

He cupped her head and pulled it towards him, holding it in place while he plundered her mouth, his tongue tasting every inch of every surface inside. She felt his heart beating steadily in his chest while the heat of his skin warmed hers.

“You wouldn’t happen to have the ability to conjure up a tube of lube, would you?” he asked against her mouth.

“Uh huh.” Her own heart began to beat in triple time. “I probably could. Why?”

“Because if we’ve beaten back the enemy and the storm’s gone with them, I have to get back with my team. But before that, I just have to fuck that sweet little ass of yours.”

Sonia’s pussy tightened in response and the pulse in her womb began to beat with the ferocity of a jungle drum. She’d only allowed one elf to penetrate her there and it had been somewhat of a disappointment. But she had a feeling with Jaguar, it would be a whole new experience.

“Okay.” She could barely breathe. “Give me a second here.”

She held one hand out to the side, wiggled her fingers and a tube of gel magically appeared in it. Trembling slightly, she placed it in Jaguar’s hands.

Setting it down beside him, he lifted the bottom of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head, kissing every inch of skin as he slowly exposed it. He sucked her nipples into his mouth one at a time, pulling on them and biting them gently, then licking them with the flat of his tongue. He cradled her breasts in his warm palms, fingers kneading the firm, soft flesh. Every press of his fingers was like the touch of a branding iron, every pull of his lips like the kiss of a hot flame.

Sonia shook with anticipation, the lips of her cunt tingled, slick with her honey.

With his mouth still fused to hers, Jaguar slipped a hand between them and found the hot button of her clit. She whimpered into his mouth as he pinched it gently before flicking the tip of a finger back and forth over it.

“So wet,” he breathed into her mouth. “So hot. Liquid fire. That’s what you are.”

He probed her with one finger then added a second one, plunging them in and out while his thumb worked her clit. Sonia was afraid she would come just from his manipulations and she gritted her teeth to fight off the hovering climax.

Jaguar slipped his hand from her wet, silky depths and reached to the side. In seconds, she felt a pressure, heard a buzzing and the little silver bullet was humming away at her clit. Sparks of heat shot through her, and ratcheted up the tempo and intensity of every pulse in her body. He moved the little bullet around deftly, up and down her labia, over and around her clit, rimming the entrance to her throbbing cunt.

When he pushed gently on it and slipped it inside her quivering walls, she couldn’t stop herself from climaxing. Her pussy spasmed, the muscles in her tummy clenched and her body shuddered. She clung to Jaguar’s hard biceps to steady herself, her head spinning as hot desire rose higher and higher inside her.

“You’re soaking my hand,” he whispered. “I love it.”

“Please,” she pleaded, her entire body begging for more.

“Let it go, Sonia,” he murmured. “Come on. Just go with it.”

It wasn’t as if she had a choice. Her body wasn’t waiting for instructions from her brain. The bullet buzzed, Jaguar stroked it in and out of her, and her cunt convulsed around it.

Finally, she fell forward, her head against his shoulder, her breathing hitching in an uneven rhythm. Slowly, he removed the little toy from the grasp of her cunt, lifted it to his mouth and licked it with his tongue.

“I tell you again, sugar. If this was all I ever got to taste, I’d die a happy man.”

“I’m wrung out,” she told him.

“I just wanted to make sure you were good and ready.” His voice was hoarse with lust.

His big hands lifted her from his lap and placed her on her hands and knees, facing in the opposite direction. In seconds, her skirt was flipped up and one thick finger was applying a cooling gel to the tight ring of her anus. Sonia trembled at his touch, her need for him so intense she was afraid she would climax again without him. She was beyond ready.

“God, Sonia. You have the sweetest looking ass I’ve ever seen.”

Jaguar positioned his big body behind her, his warm hands rubbing the globes of her buttocks. One thick finger pressed against the opening, circling it, teasing it. Then, in a gentle motion, he pushed inside and rotated the finger, spreading the soothing gel into her hot tissues.

“Do it,” she pleaded. “Right now. I want you inside me. There.” She closed her eyes and immediately an image came to her of that huge, thick cock pushing its way inside her dark hole, stretching her, plunging deeper and deeper. Her body shook with need and uncontrollable carnal lust.

“I don’t want to hurt you, sugar,” he rasped. “You’re so tiny and I’m so…so…”

“Huge?” She swallowed a giggle. “It’s okay. Just do it.”

He slipped his finger out, but instead of his cock, she felt the same fingers again, spreading more gel. Preparing her. Scissoring his fingers to stretch her muscles against his invasion. Again he removed them and, at last, she felt the head of his cock at her entrance, broad and flat. For a long moment, she wondered if Jaguar was right, that she might not be able to take him. But he held her steady as he pushed forward in tiny increments.

“Deep breaths, sugar.” His voice was so hoarse she almost didn’t recognise it. “Breathe in and let it out.”

She sucked in a huge breath and as she let it out, he pushed in a little farther.

“Again, sugar. That’s it. Nice and deep. Let it out slowly.” His voice was low and tight, his effort at control obvious. “Come on. I know it’s a stretch but you can take me.”

They set up a rhythm, her breathing and him pushing until, at last, his huge, thick cock was completely embedded inside her hot, dark tissues. Jaguar banded an arm around her waist to hold her to him and with his free hand reached around to press the little bullet against her clit again. It buzzed and hummed, and arrows of erotic sensations shot through her to every part of her body. The walls of her pussy spasmed and her clit pulsed as the little vibrator did its work.

Now Jaguar began a steady in and out thrust of his cock, his hips rocking back and forth, the little vibrator buzzing against her swollen nub until there was nothing except their two bodies and a sea of sensation washing over her. Her skin felt too hot and too tight, and the heat racing through her had an icy edge to it.

Back, forth, in, out, breathe, breathe.

When his arm tightened around her, muscles flexing against her tummy, she knew he was close to his release. She pushed back, urging him, silently pleading with him to take her with him. At the last minute, he reached further down and slid the little vibrator into the clutching walls of her cunt. It swept over them with such cataclysmic force, she wasn’t sure she’d survive. His cock flexed and flexed, and she rocked hard against him, shuddering with the force of the spasms.

Jaguar held her body tightly against his until the last of the aftershocks subsided, kissing the top of her head and murmuring softly to her. Then they both collapsed, Jaguar rolling to the side and taking her with him, his cock still buried deep inside her. He cradled her against him, his hands stroking her until their heartbeats settled back into a normal rhythm and they could breathe again.

“I think we’re done,” she said at last.

“Maybe,” he chuckled. “Or maybe I’ll never be done with you.”

Her heart tripped over itself. “What do you mean?”

“This whole thing has been so surreal,” he told her. “I can’t even believe it happened. But I don’t want to just walk away from you.” One large hand cupped a breast, his fingers idly drifting over a turgid nipple. “Isn’t there some way we can get together again, besides in this tent?”

Sonia’s pulse double-timed. Could they? Was it possible? But their lives were so different. How could they even begin to accomplish it? Still, that man in the red suit had given permission for stranger things before. Maybe he could help with this.

Jaguar sighed, slid carefully from her body and pulled something from his pack that he used to clean them both. Then he lay down beside Sonia, pulling her against his chest. His warm breath was like a whisper against her cheek.

“I guess no answer is my answer, huh?” His voice was tight and edgy, threaded with disappointment.

“Not necessarily.” She turned her head and kissed his stubbled jaw. “There might be a way. Let me think a minute.”

She could feel the tension in his body as he waited for her to run ideas through her mind, examine every risk. Look at the odds for making it happen. And for their relationship to even have a chance to succeed. When she’d looked at it from all angles, she ran her fingernails lightly over his forearm, then bent her head and kissed the hard flesh.

“Answer me this. Is there a chance, could you meet me at the North Pole on Christmas Eve?”

He sat up abruptly, nearly tumbling her onto her stomach. “North Pole? Are you nuts? How the hell am I supposed to get there? And what’s there? This so-called Santa’s workshop? I don’t believe it even exists.”

“But you believe I exist, right?” she reminded him. “I’m right here, next to you.”

His lips turned up in a smile. “Damn straight.”

“All right.” She nibbled on her lower lip. “How long are you and the others supposed to be here, in Antarctica?”

Jaguar frowned. “A week. Why?”

“Think about it. Just seven more days.”

“I still don’t get it,” he growled. “What kind of answer is that?”

“Can you set your GPS for this spot and be here one week from today?” She grinned. “That’s Christmas Eve.”

He tugged her back down with him and kissed the top of her head. “So it is. Are you going to be my Christmas present?”

“If you do what I say,” she told him.

“And what the hell am I supposed to tell my team members?” He huffed a breath. “If I tell them I’m getting ready to go to the North Pole, they’ll wrap me up in a thermal sheet and ship me off to the loony bin.”

“Let’s get dressed first.” She sat up. “We can do this better with our clothes on. Otherwise we’ll distract each other and spend the whole week in this tent.”

He laughed, a low, erotic sound. “And would that be such a bad idea?”

“It is since we have things to do.” She sat up and gave his thigh a light slap. “Come on, big guy. Move it.” Sonia wriggled into her T-shirt and pulled on her fluffy boots. “If your two friends are with other B.E.L.L.S., I have a feeling you won’t have to tell them anything. So what do you say? Is it a yes, or no?”

He shook his head. “I must be totally crazy, but okay. It’s a yes.”

“Good.” She stood up, brushing her hands on her skirt. “Now let’s get our gear together and blow this pop stand before Cupid has a chance to regroup.”

Taking her little red snowball out of its protective covering, she tapped it twice and set up a conference with the other B.E.L.L.S.

“Anyone found the site we’re supposed to be looking for? You know we have a deadline to be out of here.”

“I have, but I don’t want to leave, yet,” Tasha whined.

“Me, either,” Kendil chimed in.

“Wait. Tasha? You succeeded in your search?”

“Yes. I found the perfect place. But I don’t want to leave. Don’t make me, please?”

“Too bad. Suck it up. Both of you. Party’s over.”

“What about Cupid?” Kendil wanted to know.

Sonia gave them a brief rundown on how she and Jaguar had fought off Cupid and the Vinions. “So. If we hurry we can finish before he regroups and get out of here. I’m calling for pickup. And no grumbling.” She lowered her voice. “Make your plans for Christmas Eve and send out your locations. Sonia out.”

Jaguar knelt down and pulled her into his embrace. He kissed her with such emotion her heart swelled and she answered him back with an equal amount of emotion, praying that things would work out the way she hoped.

“I don’t believe I’m saying this,” he said when they were both breathless. “See you Christmas Eve. I’ll be right here.”

“All you have to do is believe,” she told him. “That’s all.”

Epilogue

“I still can’t believe this is happening.”

Jaguar wrapped his arms around Sonia and leaned his chin on her head. She’d had to do a lot of fast-talking to get Santa to agree to what she wanted. He was even more distressed when the other B.E.L.L.S. asked for the same thing. But when they all threatened to go on strike if he didn’t help them, he didn’t have much of a choice. If they walked, he’d be losing both workers and warriors, and they knew he wasn’t prepared for that.

“Believe it,” Sonia said to him and smiled to herself. “I told you. All you had to do was have faith.”

She still laughed to herself when she remembered the three sleighs sweeping out of the sky and landing on the ice where Jaguar and the other two members of his team stood waiting, stunned at what was happening. But the B.E.L.L.S. had hopped out, laughing and tossing snowballs at them, and had helped them, and their gear, into the sleighs.

When they were packed, it was back to the sky and across the globe, to the brightly lit village at the North Pole. Almost everyone in the village had gathered to greet the visitors, who’d stumbled out of the sleighs shaking their heads. Then the meeting with Santa, who’d insisted on meeting each of the men and questioning them at great length. Once the inquisition was over, all the elves—plus Jaguar and the other two men—had helped Santa load up for Christmas Eve deliveries.

And finally they were alone in Sonia’s little chalet. A fire crackled and blazed brightly, warming the room where mulled wine and cookies waited for them. But Sonia had wanted to stand on the porch for just a few minutes, watching as Santa took off on his run.

“I guess I have to believe in Santa and the legend,” Jaguar said, his arms wrapped around her as she leaned into him. “I’m seeing it with my own eyes.” He kissed the top of her head. “Unless you somehow drugged me and I’ll wake up back at the base.”

She turned in his arms. “Nope. It’s the real deal. And we get to do it a lot, remember?”

Santa had grumbled but the B.E.L.L.S. had driven a hard bargain. When their military mates were on duty, or on manoeuvres, the B.E.L.L.S. would be working on the new facility at the South Pole. Other times would either be spent near the military bases, or at the village at the North Pole. They’d work that out as they went along. And everyone would pitch in the week before Christmas to get ready for Christmas Eve. The team members would explain their absences by saying they were still testing Thermavan.

“I could pinch you, if you like,” Sonia teased.

“I can think of something else I’d rather you did to me.” His voice was rough as he murmured in her ear.

“Is that medicine still running around in your system?” she asked. “With the same effects?”

Jaguar laughed and swept her up in his arms. “I don’t know, but I think it’s time to find out.”

He carried her inside and kicked the door shut with his foot. Then he lowered his mouth to Sonia’s.

“Merry Christmas, my own little elf.”

“Merry Christmas, my big brave Marine.”

And that was all they said for a very long time.

About the Author

I always wanted adventure and change in my life, and I certainly got it. I grew up in Maine, a beautiful place to live, then lived in the Midwest and Florida. Now I make my home in the Hill Country of Texas, truly God's chosen place on earth. My husband, David, is a sixth generation Texan, tracing his roots here back to the time when Texas was a Republic, so retiring here was a dream we finally fulfilled.

I've had a lot of firsts in my life—first female sports report on The Michigan Daily at the University of Michigan; first woman to own a rock and roll agency in Detroit, the home of Motown; first woman president of the Pasco (Florida) Economic Development Council.

I graduated from the University of Michigan with a double major in English and History, and a minor in economics, and went on to have at least four careers. When my children were small, I satisfied my need for writing by working for weekly newspapers. I had a wild and wacky time managing rock and roll bands. I joined the insanity of retail with a string of shoe stores. I worked in fundraising, public affairs and community relations. But writing fiction was always my dream. I had a lot of stops and starts, but it wasn't until we retired that I could devote myself to it full time.

My late husband, David, encouraged me and supported me in my dream. Our children are all grown and on their own, and are my biggest fans.

When I'm not writing I'm an avid reader—anything and everything—and watching football, especially my beloved Michigan Wolverines. David and I golf and target shoot, and of course enjoy life in the gorgeous Texas Hill Country, where most of my stories are based.

I am a member of Romance Writers of America, and San Antonio Romance Authors, Diamond State Romance Authors, and Passionate Ink chapter of RWA.

Email: desireeholt@desireeholt.com.

Desiree loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.

Also by Desiree Holt

Game On

Intermission

Interlude

Down and Dirty

Afternoon Delight

Beg Me

Crude Oil

The Sentinels: Animal Instinct

The Sentinels: Dark Stranger

The Sentinels: Night Moves

The Sentinels: The Edge of Morning

Feral: Black Cat Fever

Threefold: Party of Three

Caught in the Middle: Swingtime

Night of the Senses: Carnal Caresses

Heatwave: Summer Spice

Lust Bites: Volume Three

Lust Bites: Volume Two

Brit Party: Four Play

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