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Still, she promised herself she was going to have a serious talk with him when she got him alone again. Her family was never going to believe she wanted to dump him if he convinced all of them he was the perfect protective gentleman and that he was madly in love with her!
Supper ended with a delicious lemon tart which was Anna’s specialty and then her mom suggested they take a walk down the road to see the Ice Sculpture Garden at the park at the edge of town.
“There are so many sculptures this year and they’re just beautiful at night,” she told Grath. “It’s just a short walk from the house and they’ve all got lights under the pedestals so it looks like they’re lit up from within. It’s soromantic.”
“I don’t know, Mom—it was pretty cold out there when we first came and now that it’s dark, it’ll be even colder,” Mattie protested.
“But I want to see these sculptures made of ice,” Grath rumbled, surprising her. “Come on, baby—I’ll keep you warm,” he added.
“Oh, well…okay, I guess.” Mattie shrugged. At least it would be a good chance to talk alone, without worrying that her family could overhear them. “Let me get on my coat and we can go.”
She got bundled up in her thickest coat, hat, and scarf and they waved goodbye to her parents.
Finally, she could talk to Grath alone.
SEVEN
GRATH
As soon as they got outside with the door shut, Grath turned to her and demanded,
“Why did you kick me under the fucking table?”
“Why did I kick you? Because you were laying it on too thick!” Madeline exclaimed. She cast a look over her shoulder at the shut door of her family’s domicile as though making sure no one could hear them. Grath doubted they could—humans didn’t have very sharp hearing as far as he could tell.
“What do you mean, ‘laying it on too thick’?” he growled. “I did everything you told me to! I kissed every fucking one of them—except your father—and I was perfectly fucking polite at Last Meal.”
“Yes, but you were going on and on about it being ‘love at first sight’ the first time we met,” she protested. “Why did you have to act like I’m some kind of goddess that dazzled you when we both know perfectly well you don’t evenlikeme!”
“I never said I don’t like you,” Grath growled as they walked down the path together. “You drive me fucking crazy sometimes, but I like you just fine, little girl. And I wasn’t lying about the first time we met, either,” he added recklessly. “At least, not about the part where I thought you were the most beautiful female I’d ever seen.”
He didn’t know why he was saying this—why he was admitting it. He knew it was dangerous, but he couldn’t seem to help himself, damn it!
Madeline looked up at him, an incredulous look on her lovely face.
“You’ve got to be joking! If you like me so much, why do you always act like such a big, grumpy bear and try to avoid me?”
“I’m not avoiding younow, am I?” Grath demanded. “And what the fuck is a ‘bear’ anyway?”
“A big, dangerous animal that you might see in the woods out here if you’re not careful,” Madeline said shortly. “Come on—let’s go see the damn ice sculptures so we can go back inside and get warm!”
And she started walking faster, her short legs working as they neared the small town they had passed on the way to her parent’s domicile. Her mother had been right—it really wasn’t a long walk at all, Grath thought.
The town was lit up with strings of multicolored lights and there was an enormously tall tree standing in the very center of the small park which was situated on the town’s outskirts. Arranged around the tree in a circle at regular intervals were pedestals holding sculptures that did indeed seem to be made of ice. There was no chance of them melting because of the chilly air.
But Madeline didn’t appear to be enjoying the view of the town or the ice sculptures. She was shivering and rubbing her hands up and down her arms and stamping her feet every few seconds to keep warm.
“You really hate the cold, huh?” he asked, looking down at her as he kept up with her swift pace with ease. She was all bundled up in a thick coat with a neck wrap and a wooly hat over her thick, wavy hair but she still looked miserable. To Grath, this weather was barely chilly, but of course his Flame Kindred heritage kept him warm no matter what the temperature.
“Yes, Ihatethe cold! I’m still a Florida girl at heart!” She blew on her hands. “And damn it—I forgot my gloves!”
“Here—put one hand in your pocket and let me hold the other one,” Grath commanded. Without waiting for an answer, he took her right hand in his left and concentrated on sending a gentle, warming heat through his fingers.
“Oh!” Madeline looked up at him, an expression of surprise on her pretty face. “What are you doing? How are you doing that?”
“Didn’t I tell you I was part Flame Kindred?” Grath said. He grinned at her. “Come on, little girl—give me your other hand now.”
She pulled her other hand out of her pocket and he held it, warming it as well while Madeline watched him.
