Mistletoe and Vampires: Greenville Vampires, #1

By Renee Hewett

It's Christmas Eve, and Mila Bernabe has nowhere to be, no one to see.

 

So when her handsome customer needs his order delivered, she offers to do it, even if it's not in her job description. It's only when she pulls up to his dark and foreboding mansion that she realizes she might be in over her head.

 

Now, like Alice, who fell into Wonderland, Mila is about to enter a strange world, unlike anything she's ever experienced before.

 

This short story was originally published in the multi-author anthology, Holiday Bite (now out of print)!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eighth Ripple Press
• Release date: Nov 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201281595

Book preview

1

The rush of customers wasn’t showing any sign of slowing. Such was last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve.

But as the sun set, her heart sped, and her eyes stayed on alert. Would he show up tonight?

Finn.

Her sexy customer.

Tall, dark hair, slightly brooding. Over the year, Mila had built a rapport with him, to the point where he’d even started to smile around her.

And boy, was his smile ever one to make a girl swoon.

It wasn’t uncommon for sales associates to crush over customers, but Mila swore she’d felt more than just a flirtation between them. He’d never asked her out, but she wasn’t giving up hope.

It wasn’t exactly a secret, either. If she didn’t see him enter the store, one of her coworkers would alert her, take over her tasks and let her assist him. She figured they were just trying to set her up. They were always bothering her to find a date.

But she wasn’t interested in anyone else. None of the guys she went out with from her dating app made her heart thud like Finn did.

She knew it was silly, that the only thing she wanted for Christmas was a glimpse of him… or was it too much to ask the universe for a smile from him, or a graze of his hand…

Pathetic.

The store would be closing soon, and she was starting to think she was out of luck. Maybe he didn’t want to brave the crowds so close to the holiday. Now that she thought about it, it seemed like he only popped in when the store wasn’t busy. Maybe he didn’t like to be around many others. And here she’d hoped that he’d been trying to show up when she would have time to serve him.

She’d fallen the first moment she saw him, and her heart and stomach both leaped each time she spotted him in her store. It had been fun for her to wonder every day if she’d see him until she figured out his schedule. He dropped by the store every-other Thursday, which meant she basically lived her everyday-working life on a countdown, waiting for the bi-Thursday sighting.

She never learned why exactly he came in only on Thursday evenings. She’d asked him once, but he shrugged it off, telling her he worked late on those days and liked to stretch his legs and walk around the store before he went home for the night.

Mila.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, a pleasant shiver going down her body in response. She turned, plastering on a big smile that was more than her regular customer service look. Finn! Hello, what can I help you with today?

Her whole body vibrated with an attraction to the tall man in his usual custom-cut suit, dark hair slicked back on top and trimmed short on the sides. And God help her, his piercing blue eyes. She ached to reach out and touch him, but she had to remember her place.

She acted as nonplussed as she could, though she was thrilled at his presence. She was surprised he'd snuck in without her seeing him, but she’d been so focused on the front door that he could have easily entered through one of the side entrances.

How is your holiday shift going? The rich timbre of his voice was enough to excite her, stirring up feelings that were much better left for after working hours.

It’s been busy, that’s for sure, she replied, trying not to let her attraction to him show. She