Sleighing Her Elf (Operation Reindeer Retreival Book 3) Read online

  Merkoss smiled and sat back. “I have not seen most of these.”

  She chuckled. “Is the popcorn on standby?”

  “Of course.”

  She reached in and arranged a stack of her favourites. “Then, let’s begin.”

  He had made tea and set it on the coffee table, and as she put the first movie into the machine, she glanced back and he was sitting in the chair.

  Penny sighed. “You are never going to seduce me from over there.”

  Merkoss blinked. “I did not want to infringe on your personal space.”

  She grinned. “I have as much personal space as I want at the workshop. I need companionship today. It is the biggest thing that is missing for all of us.”

  He got up and moved to the couch. “And yet, you have chosen a solitary occupation.”

  She got up and grabbed the remote control, settling next to him on the couch and leaning against his shoulder. She started the action comedy and relaxed with another being in her personal space.

  By the end of the first movie, his arm was around her and she was tucked against his chest. She sighed and moved away from him, putting the DVD away before tucking the next one into the machine.

  “This time, it is a comedy.”

  She scooted around the coffee table, and she settled against him again. He put his arm around her, and he rested his chin on her head.

  “So, Merkoss, what do you do at the workshop?”

  He sighed. “I am an auditor. I take a look at the reports that the others bring in, and I make recommendations to determine whether the children are naughty or nice. I take those recommendations to Santa, and he approves them or not.”

  “Do you get out a lot?” She turned her head to look at him.

  “Only when necessary. Two months out of the year are spent clarifying the decisions of the watchers.”

  “That is still more than me.” She smiled.

  Over the next half hour, she focused on him, on his body, the smells, the heat coming from his skin. She finally whispered, “So, when are you going to get around to seducing me?”

  He blinked. “I was waiting for the romantic comedy.”

  She smiled, “Okay. That’s up next. No pressure.”

  “I will be ready for it.” He lifted one of her hands to his mouth, and he pressed his lips to her wrist.

  She smiled and shifted closer to him as the movie continued to play out.

  With her blatant permission expressed, he slid his hand into her robe, and cupped her breast as they continued to watch the movie.

  She settled into his embrace, and when the movie was done, she felt cold. Every place that his hands had touched now wanted him back. She wanted to steal his heat and that in itself was a little odd. She normally put out more heat than she could use.

  Her hands shook as she flipped the DVDs, and when the romantic comedy started up, she walked back to the couch and untied the robe.

  Merkoss smiled, and she settled against him, but he pulled her across his lap. She looked at him, and he took the remote, setting it down on the coffee table.

  The first kiss was sweet, and it rapidly changed to a roiling heat.

  She twisted in his arms and wrapped her hands around his neck.

  He moved his hands into her robe, and he stroked her skin with long, even pressure of his fingers, waking her nerves and sending his own particular energy into her.

  She had no idea what he was doing until he found a spot just over her hip, and he ran his finger over the small patch.

  Her nipples tightened, she felt a surge of liquid between her thighs and her breath caught.

  “What the hell was that?”

  He chuckled and pressed his lips to her neck. “I find the truth of things and make decisions.”

  She wasn’t quite sure what that meant until he pressed his fingers along her spine and she arched toward him with a thud. He made a slight exhalation as she relaxed a bit, and he smirked at her. “Like that.”

  Penny cleared her throat. “That is an interesting skill. How did you come by it?”

  He grinned. “Years of practice.”

  She leaned against his chest. “Hooray for practice.”

  On the screen, the heroine had just met the hero in a ridiculous way. Penny didn’t really care.

  She pressed her breasts against him and shifted slightly, dragging her skin across his.

  He sighed and stroked his fingers down her back to tease the spot he had just applied pressure to.

  His kiss was sweet, and she moaned into his mouth as that spot sparked a cascade of sensation that made her shake.

  He took his time waking her, moving her in his lap until her robe was on the floor and she was straddling him. He bit at her lips, and she responded in kind.

  Writhing on him took her past the heroine realizing that the man of her dreams might be the guy in front of her. Penny had to smile at her split attention, but she was a girl after all. She could multitask.

  Finally, she sat up and started to work on his jeans. The button fought her for a moment, but she calmed and eased it free. The zipper went down with deliberate care. Males tended to get fussy if the zipper was too quick.

  She slid her hand into the fabric, and the thick column of his cock sprang free. Penny didn’t think she would ever get used to that. It was always sudden, like a perverse jack-in-the-box.

  When his cock was free, she pressed a soft kiss to the head, lapping at the creamy salt emerging from the tip. She had always been a fan of the salt lick.

  He groaned and arched his hips to coax her to take him deeper. She obliged with a few long sucks and then moved up his body, licking a trail from his groin up his chest.

  When she got to his neck, she bit him gently and then not so gently. His grunt and the firm grip of his hands on her hips made her smile as she released him.

  He murmured, “Do it again.”

  She switched sides and bit down again with careful control.

  He reached between her thighs and pressed two fingers into her. His digits went in easily, and he quickly replaced his hand with his cock. The wide head pressed against her, and he gripped her hips to pull her onto him in short, controlled presses that brought him into her completely.

  She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of him inside her. Humans were heat, but it faded quickly. Merkoss felt like coal. He was lighting slowly, but he would burn a long time.

  She smiled, then she began to ride him. Her hips moved in slow and steady beats to the sound of her own heart. His heart was faster, but she chose her own as counterpoint. He could pick when he was on top.

  Penny no sooner thought of her smug position than he flipped her and pinned her to her own couch.

  She draped one leg over the back of the couch and wrapped the other around him as he used his own heartbeat for the rhythm. Her body soon caught up.

  She bucked against him, looking for more contact, more pressure, just more.

  She clawed at his shoulders, and he pinned her hands above her head. He paused and lifted her legs until they were draped over his shoulders and pinned her hands again. The new position drove him deep, and she grunted with the impact of each inward thrust.

  She felt a glow take over her skin, and her horns sprouted into short protrusions. She whined and gripped his hands with hers, bucking to bring her to release.

  She could barely move in the pinned position, but finally, she moved just enough to send her over. The noise she made wasn’t human, but neither was her lover.

  He released her hands and reached under her to press that spot on her spine.

  The pulses of release burst into flame, and she heard herself shout again. She clawed at his shoulders and smelled blood. He jerked forward, and his hips slammed into her with harsh repetition before he groaned and collapsed on her.

  She was exceedingly glad that whoever had furnished her home had a comfortable and wide couch.

  Merkoss had his head in the crook of her neck, and it
was when she felt his lips curling in a smile that she knew she hadn’t killed him. The heat she had given him had been paid back, with interest.

  “Can you let my legs go now? This is getting less than comfortable.”

  He chuckled and slowly lowered her legs. He also moved out of her, which made getting the feeling back in her legs a lot easier.

  She smiled as he grunted and squirmed with her until they were spooned together and watching the comical end of the film.

  “That is going to be a nice memory until I get the nerve up to escape again.” Penny smiled.

  He held onto her with his arm around her belly. “This is where I have news for you. I would like permission to court you when we return to the workshop.”

  She twisted until she could see his expression. “Are you kidding?”

  “No. Despite what you may think of us elves, we choose our lovers carefully. Well, I do at any rate. I have seen you returning from your annual rounds and been awestruck at the grace and strength that you have exhibited as you were led to the stables. You must have been exhausted, but you held your head high.”

  She chuckled. “Reindeer have stamina. Under normal circumstances, we can go all night.”

  “Well, with your big day looming, we should leave that for another night.”

  Penny sighed. The credits were rolling on the film. She should get up and change the disks, but she was content where she was.

  Merkoss pressed a kiss to her shoulder, and the DVDs moved. The machine ejected the romance and the case floated up to catch it.

  Penny was startled. “You can move things with your mind?”

  “Sometimes it is necessary. I can only shift inanimate objects, but it does help with the filing.”

  The next movie was more action, and her DVDs settled themselves neatly as he continued to hold her.

  She lifted her hand to her head, and to her relief, the horns were gone.

  “Are your horns out at the workshop?”

  She nodded. “Usually. We don’t bother with human seeming when we don’t have to, just like you guys.”

  “I like them. Until today, I have never seen you as you normally are.”

  “I think Santa wanted it that way. At first, it was to protect us from the aggression of males, but then, we took on the seeming of nuns. Unfortunately, we were nuns who went into heat, and being unable to satisfy that particular urge caused what can only be described as job in-satisfaction.”

  “So, you have been going into heat with no outlet for hundreds of years?” His astonishment was obvious.

  “Yep. Researching the options that the humans had just made things more frustrating, and masturbation can only get you so far before you start looking at the vegetables at dinner with a lustful eye. That gets old quickly as well.”

  He shivered and held her tighter. “I can’t imagine life without the touch of a lover.”

  “Well, we all charged out and tried our hand at sex with humans.”

  “How do you know how to do that?”

  She winced. “I am not supposed to say.”

  “Do you know where your teammates are?”

  “Of course.” She shrugged. “It comes with being part of a group. Any of us can locate the others, and Ru has known how to find us this entire time.”

  “Why didn’t she leave?”

  “That ruby around her neck is her birthright, but it is also very easy to track. An alarm would have sounded the moment she left. She didn’t want to risk our experiences for hers.”

  “You left her behind anyway?”

  “She was in charge. She is our leader. She told us we could go, and we went with the promise to return.” Penny chuckled. “She even taught us to get around detection for the most part or at least delay it.”

  “Well, as none of the other elves managed to locate you, or even knew you were missing, I am guessing that she gave good advice.”

  “She did, but she always does. She might be the youngest of us, but she is definitely the most intelligent.” Penny sighed.

  Something was exploding on her television, but the light outside was fading.

  “Penny, if you wish to go for a walk in the sunset, I would be happy to come with you.”

  She smiled. “Excellent. Give me five minutes to get dressed.”

  She rolled off the couch and landed on all fours. In a moment, she was up on her feet and in her bedroom.

  When she was dressed and ready, she returned to the living room, she looked around for him. Merkoss was standing near the door wearing his jacket, jeans and boots. He was holding her parka and smiling.

  “Are you sure you want to come with me? I am pretty sure that you aren’t as weatherproof as I am.”

  “We all have our strengths. I am sure that you will help to warm me up if bits of me get frozen.” He winked. “Again.”

  She slid into her parka and closed the front, stepping into her boots and bending quickly to finish the lacing. Merkoss gripped her hips.

  “What are you doing, Merkoss?”

  “Helping you keep your balance in the most entertaining way possible.”

  She snorted and straightened. “You can let go now.”

  He laughed. “Spoilsport.”

  When she was ready, they exited her cabin and walked into the brisk winter air. The sunset had painted the white snow in pinks and oranges.

  Penny walked with Merkoss following, and she headed for the rise near her home. The view of the sunset over the hill and the snow-covered meadow. She crouched and looked out over the silence, the human world with the planes in the sky beyond and the lights blinking in through the trees from houses and other structures. It seemed so alone here, but there was always another human habitation just a few miles away.

  The workshop was a different dimension from this place, both literally and figuratively. Here, there was peace and this moment that she could enjoy.

  She turned and beckoned to Merkoss. He joined her on the hilltop, and she pulled his arms around her. “Can you see it?”

  “The beauty? The sunset? Or the joy in your face?”

  “Any of it. This is what I wanted, and I didn’t even know it.” She felt tears welling in her eyes. “They have all this beauty, and they still huddle in cities and towns. They stay inside when winter touches the world and ignore the amazing landscape that they are right in the middle of. They are blind.”

  He hugged her. “They are not blind, they just can’t see through your eyes. I like what you see. It is a blaze of light that the world needs.”

  “The world needs Prancer, not the views of Penny Rancer.” She chuckled ruefully as the stars crept out to light the sky.

  “The world needs you both. I need you both, but that is something that you will have to decide as time passes.”

  “What? Whether I want my snowman all year round?”

  He coughed uncomfortably. “I can’t promise to freeze myself again, but I am willing to roll around in the snow to re-enact our first night together anytime you ask.”

  She felt the urge to return to the workshop pounding in her veins. “Well, we had better get back inside. I need to grab the rest of my presents for the girls.”

  He turned her in his arms. “Just one more thing.”

  He kissed her under the gathering stars, with the air they exhaled misting around them. Penny kissed him back and held him until the last traces of the sunset were gone. Eventually, they walked back to the cabin in the starlight with the glow from the sky on the snow lighting the way.

  Inside her temporary home, she grabbed the bag of presents, and when she had everything ready, she grabbed her collar.

  “You have it?” Merkoss seemed surprised. “I didn’t think you would wear it.”

  “It is the uniform of my position, the mark of my particular magic.” She unfurled it and looked at it with a heavy sigh.

  “I can put it on you.”

  “No.”

  He quieted, and she pointed to the bag. “Grab that sac
k, please. I will need you to hold it during the flight.”

  “You want me to...”

  “Ride me. Yes. I want you to be on my back, holding onto my horns and keeping my stuff from crushing a small bungalow on the way home.”

  “As my lady wishes.”

  Penny had to admit that it sounded nice. She nodded and walked to the door. “Well, I suppose that there is only one thing left to do.”

  He followed her outside with his outdoor clothing all nicely fastened. “What is the last step?”

  “I was only able to come here because of this snowflake, so I am guessing it had something to do with my home and means of transport.” She chuckled and took off her parka, dropping it in the snow. She opened her shirt and held the small case in her hand, peeling the snowflake off with her right hand. She pressed it into the case, not wanting to waste it.

  “Here. Put this in the bag or zip it into your pocket. I don’t want it getting lost.” She smiled brightly.

  When the snowflake was secure, she kissed him one last time, and then, she buckled on her collar.

  Prancer took over, and she became the reindeer. She turned her head and was unsurprised to see her home and the snow plow disappear in a swirl of magic.

  She stamped her feet and looked down at Merkoss. He smiled and ran his hand over her side. “You are bigger than I remembered.”

  She stamped her hoof and jerked her head. He followed orders, and she stood as the bag was thrown over her shoulders. He mounted her next and got a good grip on her horns and cleared his throat.

  “I am ready when you are, Prancer.”

  It was all she needed to hear. Half a dozen steps in the snow were all she needed to take off and rise above the treeline, her hooves churning the air and running on a current only she could see.

  Her instinct guided her, and she headed home. The workshop awaited, and her one day of duty a year was just another day away.

  Author’s Note

  So, this was short and the price reflected it.

  Next up is Vixen’s story in Hung by the Fire.

  Join me every week until Xmas for a reindeer story that will culminate with Rudolph’s tale on Dec 23rd. The reindeer need a day to get ready, after all.