AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You just want to watch me work.”
I shrugged. “What if I do?”
We moved as silently as we could through the woods, but our boots crunched on the snow, a sound I usually loved. We were both well armed, and I knew Devil was listening as closely as I was for any sounds that might be human. He led the way, and I followed, constantly surveying our surroundings, hand resting on my gun. The prickly sensation that told me I was being watched had vanished, but I wasn’t ready to bet my life—or worse, Devil’s—on my instincts. Even if I didn’t have the guts to tell Devil my fears that the person watching us was Donaldson.
My heart pounded with every step we took. I didn’t want to die out in the woods, especially when we could’ve stayed tucked in bed, nice and warm, our arms around each other. Wasn’t that what we were supposed to do on our honeymoon instead of breaking into sheds and cutting down other people’s trees while waiting to be shot? But this was Devil and me, so I shouldn’t expect normality.
Of course, if I’d told Devil what was really going on with Donaldson, we might not be in this predicament. Fuck. He was going to be furious.
It took less time that I thought to find a perfect Fraser fir. “How did you know which way to go?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
“I sent someone up here to investigate ahead of time.”
I should have known he would.
“When we get back, I’ll give him a call to see if he noticed anything unusual while he was up here. I should’ve thought of that last night.”
“I was making it pretty hard for you to think last night.”
Devil grinned and rubbed his ass. “You sure as hell were. I’m good and sore this morning.”
“Glad to hear it.”
He cut the tree down, and we dragged it back to the cabin. The sensation of being watched never returned, and we didn’t see any signs someone had been near the cabin other than the footprints we’d found initially.
When we got back, Devil opened the second of the suitcases he’d brought for himself. I’d wanted to ask why he’d packed so much, but I’d been slightly afraid the suitcase was full of sex toys he planned to use on me, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to see them all at once. The thought of what he could come up with to fill a whole suitcase was unnerving. Instead, it was full of decorations and even a tree stand.
“You really did come prepared. How long have you been planning this?”
“Since before I got the ring.”
“How long did you have the ring before you proposed?”
Devil smiled. “A while. I kept waiting for the right moment.”
“You proposed when I was lying in bed covered in your cum.”
“I decided that was the right moment.”
“Seriously?”
He sighed. “I realized there was never going to be a time that was absolutely perfect, so I made us an appointment at city hall. I’d intended to take you out to dinner the night before, but we were too hungry for each other.”
“Jesus.”
Devil chuckled as he opened boxes of beautiful cut-glass ornaments that looked like antiques. “Is Lucien going to murder you for bringing these up here?”
Devil grinned. “No. They do belong to the family, but we have so many ornaments we haven’t used these in years.”
“But they’re beautiful.”
He smiled. “So you and I will use them every year, but we’ll get new ones too to add to our collection.”
“This looks like plenty to fill the tree.”
His eyes widened. “You think we’re only going to have one tree?”
That wasn’t an argument worth having. If Devil wanted twenty trees, he could have them.
“Here,” he handed me an intricately cut ornament in the shape of a present. “Nonna gave this to me when I was sixteen. It’s one of my favorites.”
My hand shook as I took it from him, so I used my other hand to support it from underneath. “Don’t you want to hang it yourself?”
Devil shook his head. “No, I want you to do it. Placing the first ornament is a special job, and I want you to have the honor.”
“Was decorating the tree always a big deal for you?” I asked as I searched for the perfect place to hang this special piece. Having spent most of my childhood in foster care, I had no Christmas traditions of my own.
“Yes. It was Lucien and Angelo’s mom’s favorite part of the holidays. She’d gather us all for a big decorating party. After she died, my uncle tried to hire decorators, but Sabrina and I never let him. Every year, Lucien and Angelo complain, but they end up helping us and totally enjoying it, or at least enjoying the eggnog and cookies.”
I glanced toward the kitchen. “Do we get eggnog and cookies?”
