Naughty & Nice (Merry Elf-Mas 2)

Chapter 9

Angel

I t was another glorious morning in the shit show I called my life. I was due to be in Portland to meet the lawyer regarding the arson case and my car wouldn’t start. Kicking a tire, I cursed at the useless hunk of junk. Of all the fucking days for it to pull this shit, it had to be the day Damon had to work while I was off. He wasn’t being an elf today. He had actual grown up stuff to do like payroll or something. So I couldn’t call him to take me.

I gave a defeated sigh. Why did bad things always happen to me? I wasn’t a bad person. I was prickly, sure, but it wasn’t like I went around kicking puppies. I fucked one occasionally, but that was different.

Today was an important day with the lawyer. I was going to find out what I was getting as compensation and find out if I was going to have to testify. I tried to stay out of other people’s business, but that day, the asshole hadn’t been all that subtle about his shady actions. Gasoline wasn’t normally something business owners kept in their shops.

The lawyer had said it was unlikely they’d ask me to testify since there was a mountain of evidence, but it could happen. I prayed it didn’t happen, since I wanted to put this all behind me. I just needed the closure and money to open a new shop.

None of that was going to happen if I couldn’t get my ass to Portland. I pulled out my phone to see how much an Uber was going to set me back when I heard someone coming up our drive. Lifting my gaze, I found Rolly approaching with concern in his eyes. “You having some car trouble, Angel?”

My heart was always in my throat when I saw Rolly limping on our icy drive. I knew he was used to getting around on these wintery death traps, but it didn’t make me worry any less. If he got hurt, it would break my heart.

I scuttled over to meet him and stepped right on a patch of ice. Arms pinwheeling, I knew I was going to faceplant onto the drive. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact. Instead of meeting hard concrete, I was pressed into something warm and solid.

Cracking my eyes open, I found myself buried in Rolly’s chest. His deep chuckle shook us as my gaze traveled up to meet his eyes. “That was a close one, Kitten. Good thing I caught you.”

Please, just let the Earth open up and swallow me . Here I was trying to keep him from falling and I ended up tumbling into him. I had more grace than this. It was a good thing I was bundled up like this was the Arctic. Otherwise, he’d be able to see the blush burning me from the inside.

I pulled out of his grasp and righted myself. “Thanks. I guess.”

“A thank you. That’s rare from my surly, Kitten.” He toyed with the end of my scarf, and I held back the urge to swipe at him. See, I could be civil.

“So, what brings you over?” I didn’t have time for small talk, but I didn’t want to be a complete dick. Fuck, why did today suck so much?

Rolly dropped my scarf and took my hand, interlacing our fingers. “Well, I was heading out for some groceries when I saw you out here kicking your car. It looked like there was somewhere important you needed to be and wanted to come help.”

My feet had been going numb from the cold, but I didn’t notice as I was focused on the warmth of our joined hands. I wanted to resist all the sweetness he showed Damon and me. I wasn’t willing to have my heartbroken again, but damn it, he was so fucking hard to fight off when he was like this. My tongue darted out to trail over my chapped lips as my brain tried to form words. “Oh, uh, yeah. I need to go to Portland, but my car won’t start.”

He hummed and made his way over to my car. Circling it, he played with his beard as if he were contemplating the meaning of life. It was kind of cute.

“Welp.” He came to a stop and grinned at me. “I’ve determined it is a car and I know jack shit about fixing them.”

I couldn’t help myself as I burst out laughing. He’d been so serious only to deliver that line. “I appreciate your expert opinion, but that isn’t helping me get to Portland.”

Rolly nodded, then snapped his fingers. “Well then, I’ll just drive you to Portland.”

My laughter died in an instant. Was he serious? Just the two of us stuck in a car together for an hour? We’d never been alone together. Damon had always been there as our buffer. I don’t know if I could handle this. What would we do? What would we talk about?

Wait, wait. Slow down, Angel. This was an opportunity. If we were alone, he was more likely to show his true colors. Then I could figure out if he was like all the dickheads from before. If he was, then I could kick him to the curb. But what if he’s not?

I batted the errant thought away. It wasn’t even worth entertaining. That way lay madness, and I was out of spoons for that shit. With this one favor, I could kill two birds with one stone. “That would be awesome.”

His grin widened as he swept his arm toward his car. “Let’s get moving then.”

We made our way across the snowy knoll between our homes and got into his car. I hadn’t even realized how cold I’d gotten until I was settled in my seat with the vents blasting wonderful, warm air on me. I checked the address on my phone and plugged it into his car’s navigation.

Things were quiet as we got moving, but they weren’t uncomfortable. It was a pleasant atmosphere, and I found myself in a relaxing state. This was new to me. I took a while to warm up to someone and was always on guard. With Rolly, I felt like I could curl up without a care and be safe.

When I realized what I was feeling, I gave myself a mental shake. No matter how nice this felt, I had a goal to complete. Time to set operation prove he’s a douche canoe in effect. “So, aren’t you going to ask why I have to go to Portland?”

Rolly gave a casual shrug. “I figured you’d tell me, eventually.”

This guy. No one was that considerate. People asked questions or demanded to know why they were driving an hour for someone they hardly knew. I needed to get past this politeness armor he wore somehow. “And what if I told you I was going to Portland for a hookup? That I was meeting up with some macho Dom who was going to fuck me through the mattress?”

Yeah, that would get him. Go ahead, fly off the handle about how I belong to you or that you don’t care cause you have Damon. We’ll see how calm you can stay when I poke the bear.

His shoulders fell with an air of nonchalance. “I wouldn’t believe you.”

Okay, not what I’d expected. “And why is that? You barely know me. How do you know I’m not some super slut that lifts his tail for anything with a big dick?” That would get his goat.

“Because I know that while you may hiss and spit, under all that ferocity, you just want your belly rubbed and not just by anyone.” He spoke with such certainty as he maneuvered through the highway traffic.

Where did all that confidence come from? Was it just a Dom’s bravado or did he maybe know me a little more than I thought? No, he had to be bullshitting me. As nice as it would be to believe him, it wasn’t something I could afford to do.

Let’s switch gears and see if we can rattle him . “Have you had many pets in the past?”

He passed a slow-moving minivan and shot me a heavy dose of side eye. “I’ve played with a couple of pups. A kitten here and there. I even found a hamster once.”

My head whipped to look at him so fast I thought I heard it crack. “A hamster?”

His raucous laughter filled the car, and I found it very pleasing. It was just so full of life and joy. Like being wrapped in a warm blanket after coming in from the cold. “He was a sweet, rolly-polly boy. He’s married to one of my old military buddies and their youngest just graduated high school.”

It was a cute story, but all I could focus on was the fact that he knew all this about an ex. Sus much? “So you keep up with all your exes?”

The way his bearded face curled into an amused smile irritated me. “Just him since, as I said, he married my buddy.” He took his hand off the wheel and patted my knee. “I know you’re trying to rile me up, but I can tell you now, it isn’t going to happen.”

Quick! Come up with something smart to say, Angel. “Um…No, I’m not.” Doh! Smooth, dumbass. Real smooth.

Rolly chuckled before returning his hand to the wheel. “Whatever you say, Kitten.” He gave his head a quick turn and smiled at me. “I know you are trying to test me and are having trouble trusting me.” His hand came back to my knee and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t know what happened in the past to make you so guarded, but I want you to know that I’m serious about you and Damon. I don’t have time for games. I’m too old for that shit.”

I snickered as he winked at me. “You’re not that old.”

“I’m glad you think so.” My knee received a pat before his hand disappeared again. Losing his warmth was instant and intense in a new way. Before, I’d had my walls up as high as the sky. Now I could feel those gentle eyes peeking over the edge.

This was no longer a question of could I trust this man with my heart. It had become a question of whether I would.