Page 37 of Wrapped Up with the Three Scrooges

“We literally have pine trees in the backyard,” Max pointed out. “There are probably hundreds of pinecones out there.”

Ronan checked his watch. “Maybe tomorrow morning we can go pick some up. It’s almost eight.”

“Perfect pinecone hunting time!” I was already heading for my room to grab my jacket and shoes. “The flashlights on our phones will work great.”

“You can’t be serious,” Ronan called after me, but right before I turned into my room, I saw him heading for his own, hopefully to get his own outerwear.

Once we were all bundled up and had bags, we went into the backyard, which was huge with a covered patio and outdoor kitchen, a pool, a jacuzzi, and enough space to host a football game. Pine trees surrounded the yard, and I felt like a kid in a candy shop.

The moon was bright enough to cast long shadows, but we still needed our phone lights to spot the pinecones once we reached the trees.

“This one’s too small.” I discarded another reject. “They need to be just right.”

“You’re worse than Goldilocks.” Ronan’s teasing voice was closer than I expected. When I turned, he was right there, holding out a perfect specimen. “How’s this?”

“That’s...” I swallowed hard, very aware of how close he was. “That’s perfect.”

“I found a lot over here.” Max was standing near a large pine tree. When we joined him, he was gathering several large, symmetrical pinecones. “Do these work?”

“Yes!” I reached for them, our fingers brushing. The simple touch sent electricity shooting up my arm.

We worked our way around the yard, and I realized how often one of them would end up close to me. Ronan put his hand on my lower back to steady me when I nearly tripped over a fallen branch. Max’s arm brushed mine as we reached for the same pinecone. Their bodies bracketed mine as we compared our finds.

The air felt charged with something more than the winter chill, and I lingered longer than necessary, making excuses to stay out in the dark with them. When Ronan’s fingers grazed myneck while helping me untangle a pine needle from my hair, I nearly dropped my bag of pinecones.

“I think we have enough.” Max’s voice was rough, like he’d been talking up a storm. “We should head in before you freeze.”

I nodded, not trusting my voice. The walk back felt endless and too short all at once. I shivered violently as we entered the house, every bit of my skin burning.

“I’ll start a fire.” Ronan shrugged out of his coat and kicked off his boots before heading to the large fireplace.

I took my coat and shoes off but couldn’t stop shivering even though we were inside now. My teeth were practically chattering as I moved closer to the fireplace as Ronan expertly build up the fire.

“You’re shaking like a leaf.” Max was behind me, his hands suddenly on my upper arms, rubbing warmth back into them through my shirt. I nearly melted at the contact, his touch firm but gentle as he worked the heat back into my frozen skin.

Definitely should have worn more layers instead of just my old jacket. I hadn’t wanted to get my new wool one dirty, though.

“I’m f-f-fine.” I probably wasn’t helping my case. “Just need a minute to warm up.”

Ronan turned from the now-blazing fire, his eyes darkening as they landed on where Max’s hands were moving on my arms. The intensity in his gaze adding a different kind of heat to the room.

“Body heat is the most effective way to warm someone up.” His voice was low as he stepped closer. “Here, let me help.”

Before I could process what was happening, Ronan was standing in front of me, his hands coming to rest on my waist. I was surrounded now with Max’s solid presence at my back, his hands still moving on my arms, and Ronan’s warmth at my front.

“Is this okay?” Max’s breath tickled my ear.

Was it okay? My brain felt like it was short-circuiting. Having them both so close was doing absolutely nothing to help my shivers, though they were now less from cold and more from the way my body was responding to their proximity.

“Y-yeah,” I couldn’t trust myself to say more. Ronan’s thumbs were making small circles on my waist, and combined with Max’s continued attention to my arms, I was pretty sure I was going to spontaneously combust.

“Still cold?” Ronan’s voice had dropped even lower, and the sound sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the temperature.

“Getting warmer.” I was proud that my voice only shook a little. The fire crackled behind him, casting shadows that danced across his face and made his eyes seem even more intense.

Max’s hands slid down to my forearms, leaving trails of heat in their wake. “Good,” he murmured, and I could have sworn his lips brushed my ear. “We can’t have our Christmas Spirit catching a cold.”

I let out a shaky laugh. “Is that what you’re all going to call me now? I thought it was just Levi’s thing.”

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