Page 69 of Tis The Season for Secrets
Either way, she’d woken up satisfied and ready to face whatever the rest of the season threw at her today. She opened the notes app on her phone, where she’d written everything that she’d learned about Yule to remind herself it was real, and not some festive fever dream. Looking over the details – the gold coins, magic luck-giving dust, and sleigh taxis– she had to admit it all sounded like the great start to a book.
The click of the key card made her close the app and put her phone back on the nightstand. She didn’t want Will to know she was writing about Yule, even if it was for her own personal use. It still added to the risk of exposure.
“They were out of the apple Danish, so I went to the bakery next door. One mocha, one shot and extra cream,” Will said, his words muffled by the paper bag hanging from his teeth as he balanced their coffees and breakfast. She’d have gone with him, but he’d left before she’d woken up. He was an early riser, and she most certainly wasn’t – though she didn’t mind being woken up by a hunky overprotective man with her favourite coffee, fruit, and pastries.
Still just in his T-shirt from the previous night, Juliet tossed back the duvet and climbed to the end of the bed, taking the bag from his teeth and the tray of coffees. He stared at her bare legs.
“Suddenly, I’m absolutely ravenous,” he said, brushing her hair over her shoulder as she put their breakfast on the desk by the bed. The weight of his hands on her hips was even sweeter than the mocha he’d brought.
“I need food and a shower first.” She turned around and rested her hands on his chest. He was insatiable, and even though she ached for him, she needed sustenance.
Will ran his hands from her hips to her waist, lifting the T-shirt so it grazed the top of her thighs. Juliet’s heart pounded in her chest, and she wondered if the effect he had on her would ever wear off. Giving in, she closed her eyes, waiting for his kiss.
“I don’t know what you’re suggesting,” he said, and her eyes snapped open as his hand left her skin and reached behind her for a pastry. She flushed with embarrassment, though his wink made her weak in the knees. She slid off the bed, taking her Danish and mocha with her to the bathroom to get ready in peace.
“Did you get through to Beth while I was out?” Will asked when she returned dressed in an oversized hoodie with a red-nosed reindeer she’d taken from his suitcase and some black sweats, since her yoga pants had proved too tempting for him.
“Yep, and before Gillian or Dad got to her. She’s happy at her friends’, and I told her about the concert tickets, so at least I got to see her reaction on video chat.”
“How did she react when you told her you weren’t staying at the estate?”
She climbed back onto the bed. “She wasn’t surprised – she isn’t oblivious to what’s going on. I said we were going to spend the rest of the holidays together so we could have some privacy. I’m not sure if she believed me, but it’s the closest I could get to the truth without telling her about Yule and Dad’s threats. She doesn’t need to feel guilty about leaving, and I know she’ll blame herself if she knows I fought with Gillian after she left. I don’t even want to think about it. Beth is happy, and the chest is safe and out of my father’s reach.”
Will brought his lips to hers, kissing away her worries until she forgot her own name. “You’ve had a rough couple of days,” he said, pulling away but staying close enough to play with the ends of her hair. “I thought we should do something to reignite your holiday spirit?”
“Just point in the holly jolly direction. So long as it’s not another snowman contest. As fun as it was, I don’t think my fingertips can take the cold.” Lyla had promised she’d adapt to the weather of Yule, but now she wondered if she’d even get the chance to.
Will hadn’t given her any updates after he’d returned from Yule, but she suspected he was waiting for the right moment. To be honest, she needed a break before facing the next challenge.
“No contests; this is just for us to enjoy.” He pulled off his cable-knit sweater, and his white shirt rode up just enough to expose his flat stomach. Juliet was paying so much attention to his physique that she only caught the end of his sentence.
“A Christmas tree farm?” she asked, looking up at him.
“You didn’t get a chance to go with Beth, and I don’t have a tree at my place. I thought we could do it together.” His excitement was adorable.
“Last year, Margot and I just went to a church parking lot and found the cheapest one we could get. She was only beginning to book clients, and my salary wasn’t enough for anything fancy,” Juliet said. It was one of her favourite memories. It had been her first Christmas without Nana Rose, so Margot had wanted to fill the gap as best she could.
“Yule’s trees are sold by donation. The money goes to those who are struggling on the Outside during the holidays, but you only pay what you can,” Will explained. Juliet loved the idea of the donations going to help people like her, who were adapting to a new world. “Just because you returned your chest, it doesn’t mean you can’t visit. For a bit.”
A harsh rap on the door distracted them both. Juliet’s heart stopped; what if her father had found her, or worse, found out that she no longer had the chest? Her paranoia was only dissolved by Margot calling her name. She let out a long exhalation and considered taking a break from caffeine for a while.
“Juliet! Open up! I have news – please tell me you aren’t still in bed!” Margot yelled through the door.
Juliet shoved Will off the bed. He landed with a hard thud.
“What the fuck?” he cried, rubbing his elbow. She stifled a laugh as he stared at her in confusion.
“Hide in the bathroom!” She scrambled off the bed and made it as quickly as she could.
“Are you kidding? She knows about us! What’s the point in hiding?” Will got to his feet, staring at her as though she’d lost all sense.
“Please! I don’t want her to think we’rethistogether,” Juliet insisted, tossing the bag of clothes he’d brought back from Yule into his arms.
“‘This’?”He copied her gesture pointing for her to him. “I think she knows we have sex!”
Juliet rolled her eyes, trying to shove all six feet of him towards the bathroom.
“Sex is one thing, but we’ve been staying together and – would you just move it? We don’t have time to talk about this.” She didn’t want him to know that she’d told Margot about Yule, so keeping them apart was the best thing she could think to do. Also, Margot had warned her about getting too close to someone she might not be able to have a future with, and instead of listening to such wise advice she’d spent the last few days in bed with him, ordering room service and watching old sitcom reruns.
