Page 65 of Tis The Season for Secrets
Will leaned down to tell Harvey they were leaving, and Juliet hugged Margot, letting her know she was okay. They left the couple to enjoy the rest of their night.
Outside the bar, the quiet was all-consuming. Only a few patrons waited for taxis or were heading off to another, less crowded place.
“My car’s at my hotel, but I’ll get us a taxi to the Frost estate,” Will said at the door.
She looked down at her feet. “I’ll go with you. It shouldn’t take too long, since I’m staying at the Hudson hotel.”
“You left the estate?” His surprise was obvious. Thankfully, he was distracted by a passing taxi and held his hand out to hail it.
“I’ll explain when we get to the hotel,” Juliet said, not wanting to talk about her family troubles on the street. She wrapped her jacket tightly around herself as snow peppered her hair.
“We don’t have to talk about it at all. I’ll wait for whenever you’re ready.” Will opened the car door for her and she climbed into the back, grateful to the driver for having the heating on full blast. Resting her head on Will’s shoulder, she spent the drive back to the hotel comforted by his embrace and patience.
Will took Juliet’s spare key card to the hotel room and let her head up first. She looked hesitant to leave him, but he assured her he wouldn’t be long. At Reception, he asked for room service to send up an ice pack and a hot water bottle. If her hand got any worse, he’d take her to Yule in the morning, where she’d be healed far more quickly than going to any hospital on the Outside.
He found her curled up on the couch in front of the TV, watching old reruns of cartoons. Her heels had been kicked off on the rug under the table by the couch. Will sat down beside her and pulled her into the crook of his arm. He eyed her purple knuckles.
A knock of the door made her jump, and he chuckled. “It’s just room service.” Heading to the door, he tipped the man before taking the items he’d requested.
“What are you up to?” Juliet called as he went to the bathroom, where he found the sink covered in make-up and skincare products along with a myriad of snacks. This must be the aftermath of her and Margot getting ready. He tidied up alittle, so she’d be able to find things more easily, then wrapped the icepack in a facecloth so the cold wouldn’t be so biting against her skin.
“It doesn’t hurt that much,” she protested as he left the bathroom and revealed the icepack. “I don’t think I need that.”
It weighed on his chest how much she hid her pain. He sat down again and took her hand, watching her wince as she clenched and released her fist.
“Your face tells me you do,” he said, placing the wrapped ice pack across her knuckles. “Luckily, I don’t think you’ve broken anything. Let the ice work, and hopefully the swelling will go down. If not, I’ll take you to get it looked at in the morning.” He’d had his fair share of bruised knuckles, both before he’d joined the guardians and during training. It didn’t help that she had such a tiny fist compared to that man’s jaw. He was sure Harvey’s men had taught him some respect before barring him for good.
She pouted up at him. “It’s cold.”
“This will keep you warm.” He handed her the hot water bottle from the table. Her smile reached her eyes as she hugged it to her tummy with her good hand.
“Thank you.” She beamed.
“Keep the ice on for fifteen minutes, or I’ll take you to the hospital,” he said sternly.
“So bossy,” she muttered, letting him rest her hand on the arm of the couch so the ice pack could balance on her knuckles.
“Bet you wish I’d done the punching now,” he mused.
Juliet rolled her eyes, settling deeper into the soft cushions.
“Feel better?” Will asked as her expression relaxed.
“Much,” she admitted with a sigh of relief.
“Mrs Klaus used to always give us an ice pack and hot water bottle whenever we got injured getting up to mischief.”
“I’ll be sure to thank her next time.” The comment lingered in the air; it assumed that she would be returning to Yule. “Thank you,” she added quickly.
“Are you okay for a few minutes? Do you mind if I have a quick shower? The arsehole split his drink on me when he took a swing,” Will said, unbuttoning his stained white shirt.
“I think I’ll survive,” Juliet said, snuggling into the pillows. He turned up the volume of the old cartoons while she unashamedly ogled his muscles, then leaned down and kissed her.
“If my hand didn’t hurt so much, I’d join you.”
He loved how disappointed she looked, though he worried it might be the alcohol talking. “And if I weren’t a gentleman, I’d let you. Now rest.” He kissed her again, pulling himself away with a groan as she ran her tongue against his lower lip.
In the bathroom he stripped off his shirt, hating the sticky sensation on his skin, washed out the stains as best he could with hand soap, then put it out to dry on the towel heater while he showered. Feeling and smelling a lot less like a sweet alcoholic popsicle, he put back on his boxers and trousers, wanting to make Juliet more comfortable. Going out in nothing but a towel might surprise her, and she’d had enough excitement for one night.
