Tis The Season for Secrets (Village of Yule #2)

4. Will

W ill loved waking up to find a beautiful woman in his bed, wearing his shirt. Distracted by her thighs on either side of his waist, it took him a moment to register that his Jingle Bells alarm was sounding, and she was reaching for his phone on the nightstand.

“Need some help?” Will beamed, staring up at the woman who’d ensnared him with her laugh. After weeks of studying Juliet’s file, he’d never expected to feel for her as he did.

“I was trying to turn off your alarm.” She climbed off him and leaned against the headboard, hugging a pillow to her chest. “I didn’t mean to wake you, but Jingle Bells at five am is not the wakeup call I expected.” She flushed, tucking her messy hair behind her ear. The gesture revealed the love bite he’d left on her neck, and he suddenly wanted another taste.

“Waking up with you on top of me is my new favourite form of apology.” He sat up, so they were face to face.

She dipped her head shyly, her long hair fanning over her face. Its honey highlights looked like she’d been kissed by the sun. He found himself not wanting anyone to kiss her but him, not even a distant star.

“You don’t like the classics?” he asked, pulling her close to try and make her more comfortable.

“Not at five am on a Sunday,” she groaned, though not in the same way she had last night.

He liked to keep his schedule as close to Yule’s time zone as possible so he wouldn’t be in a constant state of jetlag, but he couldn’t tell her he kept North Pole time. “What would you prefer? All I Want For Christmas? Maybe Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer?” he asked, kissing the top of her head and hoping to distract her from the topic.

“Does it have to be a Christmas song?” The sadness in her voice surprised him as she stared up at him. God, those big brown eyes would be the death of him.

“I didn’t think you’d be such a Grinch.” He wanted to know more about her, more than what he had read in her file, but he didn’t want to push too far.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas,” she told him. “My grandma always did her best to make it special, but in my experience, you can end up surrounded by people you don’t want to and never see for the rest of the year. I’d rather spend it with those I love most.” Her answer didn’t specify if those she loved most included the Frost family, but he wasn’t supposed to know she was a Frost, so he couldn’t exactly ask without her thinking he was some insane stalker.

“Close with your family?” Will glanced to his wardrobe, where her file sat in his suitcase. Since she’d brought them up, it couldn’t hurt to pry a little.

“To my younger sister, Beth. My Nana Rose passed over a year ago.” The grief in her voice instinctively made him hold her tighter.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said as she settled into his embrace, and he tried not to let his guilt spoil the moment.

“Thank you.” Her forced smile told him he’d touched a nerve. “Since you’ve a selection of Christmas alarms, I take it you’re the anti-Grinch?”

He couldn’t count the number of Guardian rules he’d broken in the past twelve hours. What was a few more? Revealing some harmless details about himself couldn’t hurt.

“I live for it. The smells, the snow, the people, the food. My family go all out every year, and the house is always crowded and chaotic. People will be fighting in one corner and laughing in the other– not perfect, but it’s home.”

It was true, even if the family he was referring to was the village Yule as a whole. Having been assigned to the Outside, he hadn’t returned home for Christmas for the past two years; the festive season was the hardest time for those who’d left Yule. As a guardian, he needed to be on the Outside to help them adjust to living away from their concealed winter wonderland in the heart of the North Pole. Even with dozens of employees to support him, Will liked to be a hands-on boss.

“I’m jealous. I’ve always wanted a Christmas like that. Not perfect, but filled with love and not dictated by duty and guilt.” Juliet sank against him, and once again his instinct to distance himself – as a guardian should – faltered. She didn’t know about Yule, who he was or his true reason for approaching her, but he couldn’t stay away. The moment they’d collided outside the party last night, all his training and logic had gone out the window.

“What if we could make your wish a reality?” he asked before he could stop himself.

Juliet leaned back from him, and he winced. He’d forgotten that to her they’d only met last night, whereas he’d been studying her for weeks.

“We’ve just met, and you want to spend the holidays with me?” She laughed, eying him suspiciously. “How many hot whiskeys did you drink before sending me one?”

“I’m not saying I’m going to keep you hostage in this room, but what if you could just do what you wanted?” he asked, trying not to freak her out. Maybe hostage was the wrong word to use. Juliet hesitated, and he wished she’d say yes. If she goes home to the Frost estate, I’ll have to figure out a way to get myself invited without raising too much suspicion. After weeks of planning, he hadn’t expected to run into her in the way he had last night. He certainly hadn’t expected to wake up beside her in bed.

“Tempting offer, but I can’t leave my sister alone with our dad for the holidays. It wouldn’t be Christmas without guilt. It’s why we can eat so much– to bury the emotions.” He thought it was meant to be a joke, but she mostly sounded resigned to her fate, and he wished this season was going to be so simple. She had no idea what was coming, and that he was part of it.

“I’d hate to spare you from a guilt-riddled Christmas, but what if I wanted to see you?” he asked, brushing his lips against hers.

“Aren’t you going home for the holidays? I’d hate to mess up your plans.”

Will sighed. She had no idea that she was his Christmas plans.

“Trying to get rid of me?” he teased. “I should’ve known you were just using me for my body.” He kissed her shoulder.

She rolled her eyes. “You can hardly blame me.” The way she looked at him nearly caused him to lose all self-control.

He cupped her face, his lips lingering inches from hers, but the sound of their rumbling stomachs interrupted the heated moment.

“I should go,” Juliet said quickly, kissing him far too briefly. It was the last thing he wanted to hear.

“I’m not letting you leave without breakfast in bed.” Will sat behind her as she tried to get up and wrapped his arms around her waist. She settled against him. Clearly, she was as reluctant to leave as he was to let her go.

“I thought you weren’t going to hold me hostage?” she asked over her shoulder.

“I’ve changed my mind – at least until you eat. I’ll call room service, if you want to hop in the shower.”

“You’ve got to let me go first, unless you plan on showering together.” She struggled against his arms, and he reluctantly released her.

Juliet scurried off to the bathroom, his shirt swaying with her hips as she went. Picking up the phone, Will realised she hadn’t said what she wanted to eat, so he got everything – although he made sure to specify no fish of any kind, since her file mentioned how much she loathed it.

Getting out of the shower, Will wrapped a towel around his waist, all his thoughts on the woman waiting on the other side of the door for him. His steamy reflection judged him for overstepping. All he was supposed to do was make sure she got the chest and that she didn’t reveal Yule’s secret to the world once she learned the truth. But she’d invaded his mind the moment her file had crossed his desk, and his better judgement had disappeared the moment she bumped into him in the hallway.

Putting on a new pair of boxers, he heard a door slam. Breakfast must’ve arrived .

“Juliet?” He opened the door, roughly drying his hair with a towel. He was about to tell her there was tip money on the nightstand when he found his bed empty.

Confused, he scanned the floor. Her dress and heels weren’t on the bench at the end of the bed. She must be on the couch; I can’t blame her for not waiting for me. They’d worked up quite the appetite last night.

He headed out of the bedroom, but his smile disappeared when instead of being met by Juliet’s dark eyes, he saw a waiter placing breakfast on the table by the couch. “Oh. Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

“Sir?” The waiter frowned, clearly waiting for a response to a question Will had been too distracted to hear. “Is everything to your liking?” he repeated, putting the empty trays back on the silver trolly.

“Yes, fine. Thank you.” Even if everything smelt delicious, his appetite had left with Juliet. Why did she leave without saying anything?

Again, the waiter stood waiting until Will remembered to tip him. In exchange, he pulled something from his pocket.

“Your friend gave me this in the hall. She nearly knocked me over on her way out.” It looked to be a note scribbled on the back of their order receipt.

“Thank you.” Will closed the door and sat on the couch. Ignoring the breakfast, he opened the folded receipt.

Thank you for last night. I won’t forget it.

P.S. I’m keeping your shirt. ;)

That’s it? Putting down the note, he scrubbed his jaw and wished he’d never let her out of his sight. Why’d she run off? The waiter had said she was in a hurry, and he wondered if he’d done or said something. She had been fine when she’d come out of the shower; what could’ve changed in ten minutes?

His heart threatened to stop when he realised he’d left her alone in the room. Did she find the files? Hurrying to the wardrobe, he found his suitcase exactly as he’d left it. The file with her information remained safely tucked inside a manila envelope marked Property of the Guardians of Yule . Yule’s stamp, an embossed Christmas tree, would’ve exposed his identity if she’d recognised it from the chest. It was his job to protect Yule’s secrets and its descendants, not add to the risk of exposure. Juliet wasn’t technically his charge; her legacy case was a favour for his mentor.

Maybe she got a call, he thought, pulling on a pair of black slacks and a cream knitted jumper. Something must have prompted such a rush to leave. I could call her, but there’s no way to explain how I have her number.

Tying his boots, he found the solution. Sitting on the table by the blueberry waffles was the manuscript with the Harley & Rowe address stamped neatly in the corner, giving him the perfect excuse to see her again. Now to figure out how to use this mistake to his advantage.

His phone vibrated in his pocket as he buckled his belt.

“Have you made any contact with Juliet?” The chief of the Guardians of Yule and his mentor, Eloise Heart, was clearly too eager for answers to waste time on pleasantries. Then again, he’d failed to check in last night as promised. Harvey had gone to great lengths to get him invited to Hugo’s Christmas bash, but he’d arrived as Juliet was leaving and ended up staying for less than five minutes. Without her, there’d been no reason to attend.

“I didn’t get to talk to Juliet at the party as planned, but she’s fine. Nothing out of the ordinary to report– she’s keeping to her usual routine. However, I’ve confirmed with the courier service that the chest has been delivered,” Will informed Eloise.

He’d planned to talk to Juliet at the bar instead, but then Harvey had called him to scold him for leaving early. The poor guy had been deeply frustrated after all the strings he’d pulled, so Will had promised to bring him some of his favourite peppermint cookies from Yule, since he rarely went home.

Between Juliet’s intoxicating laugh and rosy lips, he hadn’t been able to resist the temptation when she’d kissed him in the elevator. He couldn’t tell Eloise that Juliet hadn’t had time to discover the contents of the chest because she’d spent the night with him. He wondered if she’d remember their night as fondly once she discovered he would be responsible for turning her life upside down. However, he was determined to be there for her every step of the way, as a guardian should be. If only his head and his heart would remember he was a professional, and not a teenager controlled by his urges!

His mentor distracted him from his thoughts. “If anything changes, I need to know. I’m worried Juliet will confront her father without having all the answers. The truth never came naturally to him.”

Her anxiety could be heard from thousands of miles away. Will hadn’t worked a legacy case in years, but he owed Eloise. That, and when Juliet’s picture had slid across his desk, he’d found himself not wanting to let anyone else guide her home to Yule.

“I’m sure it’s frustrating that you can’t come and talk to her yourself, but when the time is right, she’ll be prepared,” he assured Eloise.

She sighed. “You’re right. Learning the truth slowly will give her more time to adjust. I’ve waited twenty-six years, but now I can’t seem to wait another day.”

Will winced. He had definitely screwed this up. Hopefully his boss would never find out that he’d slept with her estranged daughter. He wasn’t sure what she’d do to him. “Juliet has the chest. Once she opens it, the next move will be up to her,” he said.

“Be careful not to reveal yourself. Giving her the Frost chest could lead to our banishment, if we’re discovered.”

The words cut him like a knife, though not out of fear for himself. When Juliet learned who he was, he hoped that she’d see past his white lies.

“As discussed, I’ll only reveal myself when and if needed. Adding her grandmother’s letter to the chest should help cushion the news.”

Eloise Heart had got the Frost chest out of Yule, and Will had made sure it was delivered along with the letter Rose Frost had sent him before her passing for safekeeping. He hoped he hadn’t jeopardised their plans by mixing business with pleasure. When he’d offered to spend Christmas with Juliet, it had been to keep her and the chest away from her family when she learned the truth about her mum, Yule, and the Frost family’s banishment. Since she was determined to return to the Frost Estate, he had to find a way into the Frost House to make sure that her father didn’t find out about the chest.

“I never wanted to call in this favour, but if I can’t be there to protect her, then I had to send someone I trust. You’re the only one I could turn to.”

Her words only added to his guilt. Will wouldn’t have been able to become a guardian or started his own company to help dozens of people from Yule on the Outside if she hadn’t trained him in the first place. Having spent the last twenty-six years devoting her life to Yule, and to becoming Chief Guardian, he’d never expected his mentor would ask for his help with Juliet. By reaching out to her banished daughter, Eloise was risking everything– and he’d put all their hard work in jeopardy because he couldn’t control his emotions. All he’d wanted was to reunite his mentor with her daughter after all the years of guidance she’d given him. He promised himself he wasn’t going to let his feelings for Juliet ruin that chance.

“There’s no need to explain. I’m happy to help, and I won’t let anything happen to her.” He was used to helping people adjust to the Outside, but this would be his first time helping someone accept that they were a descendant of a Christmas village in the North Pole that was concealed from the outside world by magic.

“Once Juliet learns the truth about the Frost banishment, she can decide where she belongs. So long as she’s safe and happy, I’ll accept her decision, but she deserves to know where she comes from.” Eloise’s words seemed to be more for her own reassurance than his.

“You can rest easy. Juliet is happy. She lives with her friend Margot and enjoys her job at the publishing house. Like you, she isn’t afraid to go after a promotion…” He picked up the manuscript from the table. “I’ll call you with any further developments. Trust me to do the job you trained me for, all right?”

After saying goodbye to Eloise, Will grabbed his jacket and headed out. He didn’t have much time if he was to get to the Harley & Rowe office before the meeting Juliet had mentioned. Sparing her from her boss’s wrath might earn him some points, and he needed her trust if he was going to remain close to her– though he wasn’t quite sure if he wanted that for his sake or that of his mentor.

In the hotel lobby, Jingle Bell Rock started playing through the speakers, reminding him of the early wake-up call. Fate was officially taunting him.

Stepping out into the cold, he was able to grab a taxi now that the roads were clearer. Giving the Harley & Rowe address, he tucked the manuscript inside his jacket to keep it dry and safe. As he stared out the window at the waking city, he was haunted by the knowledge that if Juliet reacted poorly to everything she was about to discover, he’d have to wipe her memory. He couldn’t stomach the thought of erasing what little time they’d spent together.

He clenched his jaw. Regardless of his feelings, above all else, it was his job to protect Yule’s sacred secret.