It was a clear night with a bite of frost to chill the soul. Snow blanketed the world in a pristine layer of white while the distant echo of carolers’ voices filled the air with festive cheer.

The glow of a thousand twinkling stars reflected in the polished glass walls and ceiling of Jordan VanBuren’s observatory, casting an ethereal light upon the room’s many instruments and gadgets.

It was Christmas Eve, and Jordan had chosen to spend his night observing the celestial bodies he so fervently admired. Even during the holiday season, which most people spent in the warmth of family and friends, he preferred the company of his telescope and found solace in the cold, infinite expanse among the stars.

“Ah, the mysteries of the universe,” he murmured and ran a hand through his unruly brown hair as he peered through the lens of his telescope, adjusting the focus ever so slightly. “Each star has a story waiting to be unraveled.”

He picked up the cocoa he’d nearly forgotten, cradling the still-warm mug and sipping carefully. The clock was slowly inching toward midnight. His heart ached with a sudden pang of loneliness that seemed to echo throughout his empty room. Sure, he could have spent the night drowning in festive cheer with his family, but all his siblings were wrapped up with their lovers and children. He was the odd one out, the lone wolf with no one to share his passion. His trusted telescope was his only ally.

The woman always haunting his dreams remained elusive, a tantalizing illusion. She was an ethereal goddess, her beauty so divine that it shattered all conventions of reality. She was too surreal, too dreamy to exist in this mundane world. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, picturing her in his mind. The warmth of the leather recliner enveloped him, and for a few moments, he surrendered to his weariness.

“Jordan,” she whispered his name like a sinful secret close to his ear, honeyed words sending shockwaves down his spine. “Darling, it’s Christmas.”

“Is it already midnight?” he managed to ask through a haze of desire.

“Yes,” she purred, seductively increasing his passion. “And I’ve got you the most decadent gift. But before I unveil it...”

His body, already attuned to her unspoken desires, every glance, every touch laced with promises of ecstasy, ignited with need. He pulled her into his arms, reveling in her warmth against him, and for once, he didn’t feel lonely on Christmas Eve. Her presence, so real, so intoxicatingly sensual, made him feel like the luckiest man on earth.

“Jordan,” she purred again.