Page 87 of Of Magic and Reindeer
I must have made a sound because Rudy’s head snapped up, his eyes finding mine in the dimness. His hand jerked in surprise, and the ornament slipped from his fingers.
Without thinking, I reached out with my magic, feeling it flow through me like cool water. The ornament froze mid-fall, the tiny stars inside it glittering as if celebrating my intervention.
Rudy sucked in a breath, then reached out to pluck it gently from its magical suspension. “Thanks.”
I walked across the living room and into the dining room. “It was you.”
He raised an eyebrow, the ornament now cradled protectively in his palm.
“You bought the ornament before I could.”
His broad shoulders lifted in a half-shrug, but his eyes never left mine. “I followed you guys that day.”
“Why?” I moved closer, drawn to him like a magnet.
Rudy set the ornament in a velvet-lined box. “Your magic is waking up, and I wanted to be there just in case.”
I leaned my hip against the edge of the table. “Makes sense.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You and your herd have been babysitting me since you showed up in Palm Springs.”
Rudy’s eyes caught the light from the veil, turning them almost silver. “Not babysitting. Protecting.”
“Is there a difference?”
“There most definitely is.” He stood, his chair scraping softly against the floor. “I was hoping we’d be back in the North Pole by the time we did the tree lighting ceremony so you could put your ornament on it.”
My heart did an annoying flutter as he held the box out to me. “Tree lighting ceremony?”
“It’s a tradition on the last day of November. There’s a giant tree in the central square, and everyone places an ornament on it to celebrate the coming holiday… and to get drunk before a month of working nonstop.” Rudy moved into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator. “Do you want plain, chocolate, or strawberry milk?”
“Huh?” I blinked, still wrapping my head around the fact that he’d bought me the ornament to hang on the North Pole Christmas tree.
“Milk and cookies.” Rudy’s mouth curved into a subtle smile as he reached for a glass. “That’s why you came downstairs, right?”
My jaw dropped. “How did you know that? And plain, please.”
He chuckled as he pulled milk out of the refrigerator and poured a glass. “You’re not as mysterious as you think.” He grabbed a plate from the cabinet and moved to a cookie jar on the counter.
I watched in silence as he placed cookie after cookie ontothe plate, creating a small mountain. He carried everything back to the table and sat down. His eyes met mine, and he patted his knee.
The invitation was clear, and my heart raced as if I’d chugged three espressos.
My body was caught in a moment of indecision while my mind raced ahead to all the outcomes of this simple action. The rational part of me whispered I was far too old for sitting on someone’s lap. But the other part that responded to these men in unexplained ways didn’t care about rational thought.
Sighing, I lowered myself onto his lap, very aware of how solid he was beneath me.
Rudy lifted a chocolate chip cookie to my mouth, his eyes watching me with an intensity that made my stomach flip.
I parted my lips and took a bite. Whoever taught these men to bake deserved all the cold sides of pillows and the best fuzzy socks. The flavors were the perfect balance of crumb to chocolate, and I couldn’t help the small sound of appreciation that escaped me.
“Good?” His voice had dropped lower and taken on a gravelly quality.
I nodded, suddenly aware of how intimate it was sitting on his lap while he fed me cookies in the middle of the night.
Rudy reached for the glass of milk, bringing it to my lips. As I took a sip, a drop escaped, trailing down my chin. Before I could react, his thumb swept across my skin, catching the droplet.
Our eyes locked as he brought his thumb to his own mouth.
I bit my lip to stop myself from whimpering and grabbed the half-eaten cookie, raising it to his lips. He took a bite, chewing slowly, his gaze never leaving mine.
