Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 56462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“Let me hear you wish it,” he murmurs, the pain clear in his deep tone.
I let out a sigh, my hand falling to his and holding it tight, realizing he needs to hear the words just as much as I do. To know that when he leaves, my heart will still belong to him, and with that, I step in even closer and tilt my chin up. “Nick, I wish to be only yours. I wish to fully belong to you, to have your heart every single day of the rest of our lives. I wish to be where you are and start a life with you.”
“Are you sure?” he rumbles, his jaw clenching again as his eyes flicker with that terrifying darkness.
“Yes, Nick,” I say, willing him to truly hear me. “I’ve never been so sure. I’m crazy in love with you, and I never want to be away from you like this again. I’m yours, Nick. And I will spend every day of the rest of my life wishing things could be different.”
And not a moment later, his hand comes up around the back of my neck, and everything goes black.
12
NICK
Ahh fuck.
There’s messed up and then there is the needs-to-be-imprisoned messed up.
The sleigh touches down on the snow a mile outside of my home, far away from the workshop or where I’m supposed to land, but considering Mila is passed out cold beside me, perhaps showing up within civilization probably isn’t the best idea.
I fucking kidnapped her.
What the fuck is wrong with me? She wished for it, and while I still possessed the ability to make her wish come true, I made it happen, but she told me this is what she wanted, so I’m sure once she wakes and realizes what the fuck just went down, she’ll be fine with it.
I hope.
Knocking her out though, it was a cold move, but I had no choice. Time was running out. Once the sun broke the horizon on Christmas morning, my ability to grant Christmas wishes diminished. She wouldn’t have survived the ride back to the North Pole, so I did what was necessary, even if actually doing it made me fucking sick to my stomach.
I could just see the judgment in the reindeers’ eyes. They’re gentle beasts, and knocking a girl out clearly didn’t sit well with them. They protested the whole way home, making for one hell of a rocky ride, but once they realized I was fucking things up again and not taking them straight back to the main city, they were fucking pissed and they made sure I knew it.
The reindeer are creatures of habit. They like things done a certain way, and when you’re the one responsible for fucking with their schedule, they can be absolute assholes. But considering I’m the one who has cared for them most of their lives, I like to believe they’ll quickly forgive me. At least when they realize that I’m the one who’s going to bring them their dinner, they’ll come racing back. These little fuckers like to eat.
The plan today is to . . . fuck. I don’t really know. For now, I just want to get her back to my place before she wakes up and realizes what I’ve done, and after that, I’ll work it out as I go.
My brain is a fog of what-ifs.
What if this isn’t what she actually wanted?
What if my father figures it out?
What if a life with me isn’t actually fulfilling for her?
The questions plague me, one after another, and it’s enough to drive me insane as the reindeer race through the snow, taking us the last few feet toward my home. They know exactly where they’re going, and as Tucker leads them right to my door, the unease in my chest only gets worse.
The sleigh comes to a stop in the early light of Christmas morning, and as Mila sleeps soundly beside me, I scoop her into my arms, realizing I’m going to have to find my way back to her apartment and pack up her things or have my helpers go out and purchase her a whole new wardrobe. Though to be honest, I’ve never lived with a woman. I don’t really know what she will need. Once she’s awake and on board with her whole kidnapping, perhaps we could work it out together.
With Mila securely in my arms, I jump down from the sleigh and walk up the line of reindeer until I reach Tuck at the front. I make sure to scratch him under the chin while doing everything I can to ignore the judgment in his eyes. “Keep your mouth shut about this, and there’ll be extra dessert for the next week and a half.”
Naturally, the fucker can’t talk, but the way he looks at me is almost as though he can perfectly understand what I’m saying, and the slight nod he gives of approval is exactly what I need.