Read Santa's Executive for Free Online

wasn't as much of a good guy as he had thought.
    “I think they would've liked you,” he said, realizing that was true. His parents would've liked her. She said what she thought and yet had a great attitude. He was in trouble.
    He cleared his throat then stood up so quickly that Rina almost fell back. She righted herself and stood near him. “Let's go get some lunch. I know it's not even noon yet, but I'm hungry.” Hungry for a certain elf, but he didn't want to think about that.
    “I'm hungry, too. I only had time for a quick cup of hot cocoa this morning. I did some research to make sure I had everything ready for you.” Her eyes widened, and she closed her mouth as if she had said too much.
    “Hot cocoa?”
    “Yes, it's my favorite drink.”
    He held back a laugh. God, she was an elf in every sense of the word with her green dress, her giggling, and the fact that she loved cocoa. It really was the cutest thing.
    “Are you about to laugh over the fact that I like hot cocoa?” She scrunched her face, and her little cheeks blushed.
    “No, well, a little.” He had the grace to duck his head and feel slightly ashamed. “It just sounded like something an elf would like to drink.”
    She blinked at him, threw her head back, and laughed. Relief flooded through him that she didn't hate him or anything over the fact that he had been rude. 
    “Yes, I guess that is an elf thing to drink. My hobby is baking cookies, just FYI. Oh, and I do giggle, own pointy shoes, can sing any Christmas carol that you've ever heard of and most that you have never heard of, I have a fabulous fruitcake recipe that even the most ardent Christmas hater would enjoy, and I'm great at giving gifts. Just don't ask me to wrap them. I hate wrapping.”
    He started laughing, and tears streamed down his face as he held his side. “Oh, God, I don't know why that's so funny.”
    She joined in his laughter, making him feel like less of an ass. “You just don't know any other elves, at least none that you know of. But don't freak out, I'll tell you everything you need to know.” 
    When they settled down, he led her to his car and they drove toward the diner. Holiday was a small town with only one really decent place to eat—the town diner. Even though it should have been an old greasy spoon, it wasn't. The food was fabulous, and when his friend, Ally, was working, the company was nice.
    They shuffled through the light dusting of snow and walked through the doors. He pointed out how empty it was. There wasn't a single other soul there except his brother, Matt, and Matt's fiancé, Jordan.
    Matt raised an arm and called out. “Hey, Justin, come and join us; bring your friend.” His little brother grinned, and Justin held back a groan. Great, as soon as someone saw him with Rina, the whole town would think he'd found a new girlfriend. Okay, maybe he did want to sleep with her and find out everything about her, but that did not make her his girlfriend. 
    Sure, keep telling yourself that .
    He ignored that inner voice that sounded annoyingly like his brother Jackson and looked down at Rina. “Do you mind if we join them?”
    “No, not at all. Actually, I think it's a great idea. Since there’s really no one else here, we can talk freely. I think it would be a good idea if your family knew everything that’s going on, especially since they’ve had dealings with the paranormal.”
    Justin looked at her and frowned. “How do you know that?”
    She bit her lip and blushed. “The North Pole has a file on all executives and their families. I know it's intrusive, but they have to know what you’re dealing with so they keep everything online. It is a business after all.”
    “I don't think I like the fact that you know so much about my family and me, and I know next to nothing about you.”
    “You can ask me anything you want, and I'll tell you. I know it's odd that I seem to know so much, but it's really just because of your job. It's magic, and