Stalking in a Winter Wonderland Read online

  Stalking in a Winter Wonderland

  Alexa Riley

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  Snow and Mistletoe

  Read Me Romance

  Stalk the Author

  Copyright © 2020 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to [email protected]

  http://alexariley.com/

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Edited by Aquila Editing

  For Eagle…

  Who read this book and threatened to call the cops. We love you.

  Stalking in a Winter Wonderland

  by Alexa Riley

  Eve Tinsel loves everything about Christmas even though she doesn’t have anyone to celebrate it with. So instead of getting down about it, she throws herself into planning the best holiday parties ever! Too bad her new client Dasher Sleigh is barking orders like Scrooge…until they meet in person.

  One look at Eve, and Dasher can’t stay away. He’s doing things that are a little crazy, but what choice does he have? Eve belongs to him, and to prove it, he’s stalking her every move.

  Warning: Does Christmas cheer include hunting down the woman you love and claiming her? You bet your cute tinsel! Sip some cocoa and kick back for an over-the-top holiday read.

  Chapter 1

  Eve

  Some of my hair has fallen into my face, and I blow hard on it to try and clear it out from in front of my eyes. How can I put on the biggest events without missing one detail, but I can’t get myself together?

  “On your head,” Jewels says as she places a hot chocolate on my desk and keeps walking.

  Reaching up, I feel the glasses I’ve been searching for and sigh in relief as I take a drink of the treat she’s brought me.

  When the temperature changes, Jewels usually goes out once a day to get our drinks from the local café. It’s only a few blocks away, and even though their drinks are pretty good, mine are better. I’m not trying to be snotty, it’s the truth. I take it seriously since my mom taught me how.

  I get back to work checking that everything is in order as I go down my list. I’m a list checker by nature and make one every day. It’s how I never miss a detail. It’s also the prime holiday season, and we are busier than ever.

  We spend months preparing for this season, and some of these parties are such grand events that we’re still cleaning up one as we begin another. It’s a lot of chaos in a short amount of time, but it’s my absolute favorite, so I can’t say I would change it.

  “Have you made a decision yet?” Jewels asks, popping back up next to my desk and making me jump.

  I let out a long breath. “Is he serious?” I start to push my glasses up into my hair, but Jewels smacks my hand.

  “Leave them alone, and yes he’s serious. You should do it,” she pushes.

  “We get a lot of crazy requests, but I thought we drew the line at hookers.”

  Jewels rolls her eyes. “He only wants a date, and he wants that date to be you.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

  We have a few new clients this year since Jewels has expanded the business, and I was given those clients. One of them asked if I was able to attend the event, and I told him I’d be there because it was part of my job. A few times I’ve had to fill in places where someone called in sick, but that’s just part of the job.

  Later I found out that he didn't want me working the event; he wanted me to be his date. I laughed at first until I realized he was serious. I told him I couldn’t because we were technically working for him, and he said okay. I thought that was the end of it because Rick Victormore the III is kind of a jerk. I think he was taken aback when I didn't jump all over his invite because I’m just some commoner that doesn’t want to date him.

  “He’s hot!” she adds, and now I wonder if I’m being crazy. “You never date.”

  “I don’t, but to be fair, I don’t really get asked either.”

  “Because you live like a nun. Someone would have to hit on you in the baking aisle in the grocery store. In fact, I bet someone has and it went right over your head.”

  More often than not men have stopped and asked me if I thought this or that would work best for a dessert. Was I being hit on? As I try to think about it, Jewels laughs at me.

  “Last year when you drank that spiked eggnog, you said, and I quote”—she claps her hands together, blinking in a dreamy look and trying to impersonate me—“‘I want my first kiss to be under the mistletoe. Then he’ll whisk me away and ask me to marry him on Christmas and I’ll have a snow baby.’”

  Before she even began, I had my face buried in my hands and I was already turning red. After that night I had a killer headache, and I haven't touched eggnog since.

  The most embarrassing part is that at one point it was actually what I wanted. It might have been this fairytale idea I had in my head, but once I lost my parents, things changed. Christmas was a big deal to my parents before I lost them. I was in my last semester of college getting my Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management when they passed, and now that I don't have anyone to celebrate with anymore, I try not to think about that silly dream.

  It’s also why I love this job so much. I get to be a part of so many Christmases, and even if they're not really mine, I have a hand in them.

  “You should go. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  I’m not sure, but knowing me, a lot. But I guess if I never put myself out there I might never find the one. I want to have what my parents had; I’m just not sure it’s possible. Their love for each other was like a fairy tale, and in some ways it’s kind of good they left this world together. I’m not sure either would want to be here without the other.

  “Okay,” I agree, and Jewels’s whole face lights up with excitement.

  A knot tightens in my stomach at the same time, and I don’t think that’s a good sign. Is it possible to hit it off with someone that you feel nothing for? I guess there’s only one way to find out.

  My phone rings, and I hit the button on my Bluetooth to answer.

  “Good afternoon. this is—”

  “What this is is fucking ridiculous.”

  I look down to see who’s calling and the name Dasher Sleigh flashes across the screen. Oh crap. I was set to stop by Mr. Sleigh’s place on my way home and check on things. His Christmas party is going to be extravagant, so much so that it’s going to take some time to get everything set up. The first stage was the lighting outside, and clearly that hasn’t gone well. The man lives in a castle-like home, so whatever this is must be a major problem. I was excited when Jewels passed the project over to me late last night, saying Deborah was overw
helmed, but perhaps I’ve bitten off too much too.

  “I’m sorry, sir. Can you tell me what the problem is?” He doesn't answer, and I glance down, thinking maybe the call dropped, but it says the call is still going. “Sir?”

  I hear him clear his throat. “What is your name?”

  I want to tell him if he hadn't interrupted me he would know it, but I don’t think poking an angry bear is the answer here.

  “Eve Tinsel.”

  “Well, guess what, Eve, you’re going to come out here and fix the mess that blond woman made today. And I don’t ever want to see her out here again. My niece and sister will have the best Christmas of their lives this year, and you’re going to make sure that happens.”

  So this Dasher guy is a dick, but maybe there’s a reason he’s so hell bent on Christmas for his niece and sister to be the best. It makes me think something happened, and that I can absolutely relate to.

  “Say you’ll be here today, Eve.”

  “I’ll be there.” The words roll off my tongue before I can give it another thought.

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  Why do those three words sound like a threat of some kind? The call ends before I can say anything else, and I look up to see Jewels watching me.

  “Is he firing us?”

  She’s chewing on her thumbnail, which is what she does when she’s in panic mode. “He could blacklist us. Dasher Sleigh is a very powerful man. I was excited when his assistant called about using us, but now I’m not so sure.”

  “I’ll handle it.” I grab her elbow, pulling her thumb out of her mouth.

  “Right.” She nods but still doesn't look too sure.

  “I’ll get him in the spirit in no time.” I flick on my Christmas sweater, and when it lights up, a small smile pulls at her lips. Next I put on my reindeer headband, and finally she grins and I see some of the tension leave her body.

  “I bet you will, Eve. Just flash those dimples because they’ve gotten us out of a few tight spots.”

  When she walks back to her office, I touch my cheeks, wondering when my dimples ever do anything, but the thought vanishes when my phone starts to ring.

  “Good afternoon, this—”

  “When I said today, Eve, I meant now.”

  “On my way.” This time I’m the one to hang up on him. I really shouldn't have, but I can claim it was an accident. It’s probably not a good idea to provoke him, but I have to say it felt pretty good.

  I jump up from my seat and grab my bag and notepad to take with me. I’ll save Christmas, not just for Dasher Sleigh, but for us too.

  Chapter 2

  Dasher

  “Sir, we can have these taken down in one hour,” my assistant Tori says as he clicks on his iPad.

  “It took them all day to do this. Do you really think I’m going to just let them rip the lights down and re-do it?” I try to keep the anger in my voice in check, but it’s been a long day, and this is the proverbial straw on my camel’s back.

  “The party isn’t until this weekend.” He keeps clicking, and I want to rip the device out of his hand and launch it into the fountain.

  This estate has been in my family for generations, and although it looks ostentatious, it’s home. I rode my bike without training wheels for the first time in this driveway. I broke my arm when I was seven swinging on the tree by the garden. I snuck out of my bedroom on the second floor and stole my dad’s car when I was sixteen. This place has my favorite memories, but it’s been a long time since I made a new one that wasn’t painful.

  My sister had her wedding here, and although she was happy that day, I knew it was a mistake. Her husband Paul was a pompous asshat and was only with her for the money. We all saw it from the beginning, but I think she was so desperate to get married and start a family she said yes to the first man to ask.

  Last year I finally got sick of his shit and hired a detective to dig up dirt. I tried to be respectful because he was my sister's husband, but I’d had enough. I could feel how slimy he was, and I refused to let my niece Rae be raised by a man who was rotten inside. I found out all I could about what Paul was doing behind her back, and when I spoke to Jillian, she wasn’t at all surprised.

  It took a lot of lawyers, but she left him, and I paid him to sign over his rights to Rae. I never told Jillian how much money he asked for, I just wrote a check. But I know that I would have given my last dime to cut them free, and he didn’t care. Last I heard his boat sank in the Caribbean and they’re still searching for the remains.

  My sister is two years older than me, but I’ve always been the one to take care of things. It’s why we live here now as a family raising Rae at the estate. Our father died the year after Rae was born, and our mother lived for a year after. They were older when they had kids and lived a long and beautiful life together. I just wish they could have seen what an incredible young woman Rae is becoming.

  “What time is it?” I ask while I pace.

  “Five,” Tori answers, and I curse.

  Just then a silver sedan pulls up at the end of the driveway behind all of the work trucks. It’s not Jillian and Rae because they would be driven to the front, although they’re due home any second.

  There’s a spotlight shining in my eyes, so I can’t see who gets out and walks closer, but I’m hoping it's the person who ordered these lights so I can finally yell at someone.

  This is the first Christmas Rae and Jillian will have at the estate, and I want everything to be perfect. I even went and hired a company that specializes in holiday decorations and parties just so that I could make this an event for them. I’ve invited half the city to be here this weekend to celebrate, and now the first thing they see when they pull up will be this catastrophe.

  “Why don’t you let me speak to them—” Tori offers, but I hold up a hand, cutting him off.

  “Of all the things that could go wrong,” I begin speaking as the person walks closer. I still can’t make out who they are, but I see a light-up Christmas sweater through the haze, and I’m even angrier because of it. “This is absolutely the most ridiculous thing, and I swear if I had time to fire you and hire someone else, I would.” My voice is sharp and rings in the silence of the night even as the people continue to work on the house.

  I blink as a young woman steps in front of the spotlight and finally I can make out the person I’m speaking to.

  “Mr. Sleigh, I presume?” She smiles as she holds out her hand, and I’m momentarily struck by her appearance.

  Her dark curly hair is piled up in two buns, and she’s got on reindeer antlers, along with her light-up sweater that has two gingerbread people kissing. What strikes me the most is that even with her glasses on, I can see her big brown eyes are…happy.

  I clear my throat and blink again as I take her hand and quickly let it go. She must have just put her sweater on because her touch felt like static electricity.

  “Yes,” I hiss, leaning into my anger and waving a hand to the house. “And you must be Eve.”

  The way she nods and still smiles at me rakes down my back. Why is she in such a good mood? When we spoke on the phone earlier, I pictured an old lady. Not that she sounded old, she just sounded like someone that read bedtime stories to children. I liked hearing the warmth in her voice, but as soon as I hung up, my agitation came back with a vengeance. The closer we get to Jillian and Rae’s arrival, the angrier I get.

  “I am, and I’m here to help.”

  “Great. Then can you tell me, Eve, who's the idiot that signed off on pink Christmas lights?” I jab a finger toward the estate that looks like Barbie threw up on it.

  “Oh,” she says, smiling brightly as if just now noticing. “That would be you.”

  “Excuse me?” I say, and Tori makes a choked noise from behind me.

  “I said that would be you, Mr. Sleigh.” She bites her bottom lip and tucks her chin as if she’s trying to hide a smile.

  She holds out an iPad similar to Tori’s, and I see the c
ontract I’d barely glanced over. At the bottom just above my signature, the preference for lights is filled in as pink.

  “I even personally called to confirm the color last week with your assistant.”

  I turn around to glare at Tori, who is fighting a smile of his own. When I narrow my eyes at him, he just shrugs. “I asked you and you said that whatever you had was fine.” He sighs like he knew this would happen.

  “I’ll deal with you later,” I say to him,, and he turns for the house.

  “I’m going to check on dinner,” he says, and I clench my fist.

  “Now that we’ve established who's responsible for this, let’s see what our options are,” Eve says from behind me, and I close my eyes.

  When I turn to face her, she’s smiling just as brightly, and it’s innocent and sweet. I try to take a breath to calm myself down, but now I’m even more irritated, only this time at myself.

  “You realize the party is this weekend.” I look at her blankly, and she nods. “On Christmas,” I confirm, and she nods again. How is she not the least bit fazed by my panic? In a way it’s calming me. and I don’t like it. I want to be angry.

  Just then the family town car pulls down the long drive, and my heart sinks.

  “Fuck.” I throw my hands up because now what was supposed to be a surprise for them to come home to is an utter disaster.

  Eve stands there with her perfect smile and light-up sweater as the car pulls to a stop in front of us, and Jillian and Rae get out.

  Jillian takes one look at the house and covers her mouth with her gloved hand as Rae runs around from behind her.