Leif leans closer and kisses me, gently. His chilled tusk runs along my cheek, causing me to shiver. It’s delightful. Then we continue on.
It doesn’t take long to find the perfect tree. It also doesn’t take long for me to drool as I watch his muscles bulge and flex while he chops the tree down. I fully support a summer axe-chopping competition—with no shirts. Even though I’m almost waist deep in snow, I fan myself.
Somehow, through a comedy of errors, the tree, Leif, and I make it back to his home. Just as we’ve shaken the snow off the tree and have it halfway through the door, we hear the rumble of a heavy truck.
The snowplow has arrived. Its driver waves a hand out the window and yells, “You’re free! I’m here to take you to Koru’s!”
Chapter 11
Leif
“Well, I guess this is ‘goodbye’?” Addy says, eyes large and soulful as she waits for my answer. The lilt of her voice at the end made it sound like a question. But it isn’t. Because she’s right. Matt, the town’s favorite plow driver, is here under orders from Koru to bring her home. I don’t know how he knew she was here, but it doesn’t matter.
I kept her safe. The road is clear. The Solstice is over. When I don’t say anything, she squeezes my hand, mumbles something about returning my boots later, and swims through the snow to get to the plow truck.
She waves from the cab of the truck as it rumbles away. When I turn around, hating how painful it is to watch her leave, I realize I’m blocked. I still have a tree to deal with.
Once I wrestle it inside, I see the hedgehogs have set up home again. At least this time they aren’t on my bed. Relenting, I tell them they can stay as long as they don’t make a mess. I set them up with a cozy basket under the tree that now sits in the front window beside the fireplace. It’s nice. Addy was right; it does add something cheery to have a fresh evergreen inside.
As a way to take my mind off things—and by things I mean Addy—I prep more food then sit by the fire to enjoy my tree and read. I’m halfway through a treasure hunt adventure, and though our librarian, Betty, didn’t say this was a romance, the ship has been overtaken by a chaotic woman and the grumpy orc captain is falling in love with her.
A weird buzzing sound pulls me out of my stewing about the book. I don’t want to quit because it’s good, though I’m angry that there’s now kissing. I don’t want to read about kissing. I want to kiss Addy. And that thought is one thousand percent distracting. I don’t want to read how some other orc falls head over heart in love with a woman who brings him to his knees. Been there. Done that. And now she’s gone.
I mean, she’s on the island. I’m a professional in search and rescue; I could search for her, find her, tell her she’s mine and I’m never letting her go. The fringes of a plan come together, but the incessant buzzing keeps distracting me.
Book down, I begin a careful inspection of the room, trying to place the noise.
Damnit.
Inside the teens’ Santa sack of toys is a hedgehog. And this adorable, formerly innocent, hedgehog has somehow turned on a vibrating dildo. Oh look, it spins too! Pulling both it and the critter out of the bag, I ponder once again what I’m supposed to do with this sack of adult toys. Turning off the vibrator, I refuse to think of using the vibrator against Addy’s clit. Of teasing her with it. Of her riding the dildo while her mouth is on my cock. Nope. Those thoughts are not allowed to live rent-free in my brain. Maybe Santa should deliver one to every adult in town. That would be the start of a good time.
The hedgehog grunts at me, and I set it back in the basket with the others. As for the toys, I tie the bag up to keep any more curious hedgehogs out of it.
The clock chimes. Time to finish making the feast.
Funny, a few hours ago, I was excited to cook this traditional feast and share it with Addy. Now, it’s just the same chore it always was. There’s still time if I hurry.
Roasted meat. Mashed potatoes with extra butter. Shepherd’s pie. Glazed roasted carrots. Sauteed Brussel sprouts with candied bacon. Cranberries cooked into a sauce. Pumpkin pie made with one of Tarik’s pumpkins. Southern pecan pie that makes my teeth hurt. By the time the snow is shades of pink from the sunset, I’ve cooked all my family’s traditional favorites for the Solstice. Driveway shoveled, truck cleared off, I’m ready to load up and deliver these foods.
The first basket of food is loaded into the running truck, trying to warm it up, when another rumble grows louder. My heart does not skip a beat in hopes that some curvy goddess is back. In fact, I refuse to even look at what I’m sure is just another run of the snowplow. I poke a towel around the edges of the giant roasting pan, ensuring that the pan won’t move as I drive.
“Hey you! Where are you going?” Her voice is fresh spring green leaves on a tree after winter. I hate that all of me turns on in response to those six words—ready to spring into action, scoop her up, do whatever it takes to keep her with me.
I do not leap into action. Rather, I hit my head on the frame of the truck as I stand to stare at her, half hanging out the window of Koru’s truck as it pulls into my driveway behind me.
“Hey, I’m heading out to deliver food.”
“Our food?” She asks with an indignant glance. The truck stops, and she’s out before he can kill the engine and running as best she can toward me. She’s wearing boots that actually fit her feet.
I stand there, arms hanging dumbly at my sides, unable to process or guess what she’s going to do. When she throws her arms around me, I continue to stand there like the dumbest orc in the world. One, she’s wrapped her arms around mine, so I can’t hug her back. Two, Koru is giving me a shit-eating grin from the cab of his truck. And three, I’m stunned that she’s here.
“Aren’t you going to hug me?” She looks up at me, not with bright happy eyes, but with a look of satisfaction. Satisfaction that my brain has short-circuited.
“Why are you here?” I manage to get out.
“I’m here for you! I brought a change of clothes and a toothbrush.”
“A toothbrush?” This seems to stump me in terms of logical explanations.
