“I had no idea you had a stick up your ass,” I murmur under my breath, but he still hears it and comes over to kiss me. We forget about the packing for a moment.
14
EVEN THE FREAKING SANTA KNOWS WHO JASPER IS
VIVIAN
“Does that saySanta Claus Express?”I exclaim, pointing to the red logo on the train as we get to the Helsinki Central Railway Station, ready to travel to Rovaniemi.
Jasper notices my enthusiasm and smirks. “It does.”
“So cool!”
“Let’s find our cabin upstairs,” he says, leading me toward the train.
Once inside, we climb the narrow staircase, following the signs to our private cabin. As we enter, Jasper hangs our winter jackets on the coat hooks before kneeling down to place our suitcases under the bottom bunk.
Once he finishes his task, he sits down on the bed and tugs on my hand, inviting me to join him. I lower myself beside him, feeling the comforting warmth of his body against mine.
“You know, there’s a reason they call it the Santa Claus Express,” Jasper tells me as he turns me so we’re facing each other, his hand playing with my hair.
“Oh really?” I raise an eyebrow. “Do tell.”
“Well,” he leans in, his breath hot against my ear. “Legend has it that if you’re naughty, Santa’s elves will come and spank you.”
I can feel my cheeks flush at the thought. But I play along, “And what if I have been a good girl this year?”
“If you’ve been good,” Jasper murmurs, his hand tracing a line along my hip, “then Santa himself might come and reward you for your kindness.”
My breath hitches as his hand slips underneath my light pink sweatshirt, teasing my skin with feather-light touches. “I do like rewards.”
“I can tell,” he whispers before his lips find mine.
The kiss is slow and deep, his tongue darting out to tangle with mine. My hand finds his chest, his hard muscles rippling beneath my touch. I feel an ache deep in my belly, a desire that I can’t deny much longer. For a moment, I let it control me, enjoying the way our mouths come together.
Hours later, I wake up curled up on one of the beds in our train cabin, my lips feeling a little swollen after all the making out we did. It got very heated, and I’m sure that it would have gotten further if we weren’t in a carriage surrounded by other passengers, many of them families with small children. But with surprising mental strength, Jasper stopped it before we went too far.
Speaking of Jasper, he’s covered me with an extra blanket during the night, so I won’t get cold as I sleep. I hear him snoring on the top bunk and know he’s asleep.
I lay there for a few minutes, listening to his peaceful snores. Not wanting to disturb his slumber, I untangle myself from the sheets and tiptoe to the bathroom.
As I splash some water on my face, I smile at my mirror image. The woman looking back looks a bit sleepy, yet happier than she has been in months. That realization makes the first happy tear fall as I feel beyond grateful for meeting Jasper.
After drying my face, I quietly make my way back to my bunk and climb under the cozy covers. The silence is blissful, broken only by Jasper’s soft breathing. I lay there, basking in the feeling of safety that comes when I’m near him.
* * *
The next morning, we arrive in Rovaniemi, the largest city of Finnish Lapland. After renting a car, we head to Santa Claus Village. The snow-covered trees are even more beautiful here, and I feel a growing sense of excitement—it’s like we have entered another level of the winter wonderland.
Jasper turns on the radio, and we hear a cheerful tune in Finnish that he starts to sing along to, surprising me with his lovely singing voice. I smile, feeling giddy to be here with him.
“Was that a typical Finnish pop song?” I ask when the song switches to a popular one by The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay.
He smiles at me before focusing back on the road. “Yeah—I think so. In that song, he sings about the quirky little things a person he loves does. The main line goes something like ‘it’s wonderful that there’s a person like you.’”
“Aw, that sounds super sweet.”
“It is. And many things that he mentions match you in a way.”
