Her First Noel

And he’s never even touched me.

I felt his eyes on me from across the room the moment I walked in. It was like they were touching me, caressing my body and ruining my panties in the matter of a few seconds.

I’m a horrible person. Cole is like a second father to me.

A father I’d like to have rip my clothes off.

The thought comes unexpected and I catch my breath, looking away from Cole as the heat rises to my face, Amanda’s comment as she walked by me about my outfit making me feel more self-conscious if that’s possible.outfit for the evening.

Looks like ten pounds of potatoes in a five-pound bag.

It’s like I’m the new girl at school all over again, when she used to make comments about my weight every single day. I wrap my arms around my middle, trying to hide the way it curves out where hers curves in.

“Hi.” Cole’s deep voice shakes me down to my core. “Your dad just told me about the job. I’m sorry.”

I shrug. “It’s okay. I got a temporary thing lined up.”

He looks me up and down and the room feels like it’s spinning. Cole towers over me. His body is broad and powerful, and I remember all the times I’ve watched him at work, swinging a hammer with the workers—even though, if he wanted, he could just stay at the office and never have to do a hard day’s labor again. His turquoise blue eyes hypnotize me for a moment, and I imagine swimming in a tropical lagoon of the same color. The square cut of his jaw hardens and there’s a knot in my throat, making it harder and harder to breathe.

“Oh?” My dad gives my shoulders a squeeze. “What’d you find so fast?”

“On my way to drop off my car, I stopped to do some Christmas shopping in town. I was walking by the little North Pole set up. You know, where the kids sit on Santa’s lap? Anyway, there was a guy taping a sign on the window saying they needed a photographer ASAP. The one they had was caught posting pictures of kiddos on the internet.” I make a disgusted face and both Cole and my father’s faces harden, like they want to chase the guy down and beat seven bells out of him. “But, there I was, right place right time I guess. The guy didn’t ask many questions besides if I knew how to work the camera equipment and the printer. Said he’d pay me five hundred dollars. Cash. He was pretty desperate. Like a Christmas miracle.”

“Wow.” Cole nods. “Awesome.”

I shrug. “It’s only one day. I’ll need to find a real job soon.”

“Still.” My dad smiles. “Sounds fun.”

Even though I’ve only known he was my real father for about six years, he’s my dad one hundred percent. When Henry—my mom’s husband and the man I thought was my father for most of my life—died suddenly, I was devastated. Top that with the revelation that he wasn’t my real father, then enter Martin…suffice it to say it was a shitty, crazy time.

The only thing that kept me sane was that Martin, who I now call Dad, was amazing. Right from the start, he never made me feel he wasn’t completely thrilled to have me in his life. It took me a good few months to process my grief and anger with my mother, but Martin was there for me in every way.

Now, it feels almost like he’s been with me my entire life. I miss Henry terribly, of course, and will always think of him as my first father, but the consolation that I now have Martin has eased the burden slightly.

I look around and see the hundred or so employees sitting at tables or standing near the bar, chatting and laughing. Cole looks as gorgeous as ever in his black suit. Normally he wears jeans and a t-shirt on site, or a button up dress shirt if he’s in the office, but he looks next level sexy tonight.

I know to him I’m probably just his friend’s awkward kid, but that doesn’t stop me from fantasizing that the bulge I see behind the black fabric of his trousers is because of me and not that tramp Amanda, who was practically eye fucking him when I walked in.

I lick my lips, trying to think of something interesting or witty to say, when my dad drops his arm from my shoulders and motions to someone across the room.

“Hey, you two catch up. I’m going to get a drink and I need to talk to a couple of the guys about the Blake job. Have to get it wrapped up by next week if we’re going to meet the New Year’s deadline.”

“I’m not working through Christmas.” Cole shakes his head at my dad.