Christmas Miracle — Shara Azod

Dressed up as Santa at a suburban mall isn't where you'd usually find a Hollywood heartthrob, but it is Leslie's secret passion. It helps him connect to Christmas traditions long gone for him, and maybe even captures the innocence of his childhood once more. The very last thing he ever expected was a precious gift of his own. One that reminded him of the miracles Christmas could bring. One thing was for sure -- he wasn't about to let his Christmas Miracle slip away from him, no matter what it took to keep his most precious gift.

Excerpt:

“You're amazing,” Leslie found himself blurting out, fascinated by the shape of her lips as she spoke, when she drank, when she was just lying there looking fucking edible. As much as he would love to blame it on the wine, it was her, the essence of who she was, that had him light-headed.
Mikki ducked her head, attempting to look away. He noticed she did that whenever she was embarrassed about something.

“I'm just a normal, average woman. Nothing special,” she muttered. “You -- ”

“I'm a grown man who makes a living playing make-believe, pretending to be other people in front of cameras.” It was completely true. Life hadn't really been hard on him on the surface. God, he was so lonely. He'd never even realized how much until now. But he had it good. Mikki, however, was a scrapper. She fought for everything she had, and was still fighting. “You, Mikki Washington, are real. You're making your dreams happen. I really admire you.” He did. Hell, he suspected he was half in love with her already.

“I'm just a woman,” she repeated in a whisper, but at least she was looking directly at him, even if it was a bit in defiance.

Lounging on the pillows, he couldn't help but think how right she looked where she was. The huge picture windows behind her showcased the moonlit ocean, the perfect backdrop. The soft light of the room made her appear to have some kind of halo. Maybe he was just seeing things, or maybe her inner light was just that bright. Leslie didn't know or care; he just knew she was a vision.

“And I am just a man,” he murmured, his voice suddenly thick and heavy. He rolled on to his knees and crawled from his pillow to hers. “A man who would very much like to kiss you. May I?”

It wasn't really a request for just a kiss. Leslie knew she understood that by the way her eyes widened, her breath hitching. God, he wanted this woman, Badly.

“You want me.” Mikki stated what he felt with such awe, it made him ache.
He ached because she still didn't know how special she really was, though he'd tried like hell to tell her. He ached to show her exactly how desirable he found her. Most of all, he ached to make her his own, to make sure the rest of her life was filled with the joy she deserved.

“Yes, Mikki, I want you,” he fairly growled. “Let me show you how much.”