Page 13 of Tis the Season for Sass
But he was so close she could feel his breath and the heat of his body. She fidgeted, moving her hand until it accidentally touched his. Surprising herself, she didn’t pull away. Human contact, his touch, she welcomed it. He must have as well, or he would have pulled his hand away.
“On the porch. That kiss,” she whispered, unable to keep the question from popping out of her mouth any longer.
“It was nice,” he replied and left it at that.
“Um, yeah, it was. But why? Why then? Why me? It’s just…I mean, it’s kind of a big deal for whatever reason to me. And I need to know—”
“Misltetoe.”
“What?” she asked, completely confused by his one-word response. It didn’t make any sense. He might as well have flapped his arms and made random bird calls.
“You know, mistletoe. We were standing under it. Tradition says you’re required to kiss in that situation. It’s practically a Christmas law or something.”
“Oh.” The word fell quietly from her lips.
“You sound disappointed.”
“No, hardly. It’s just—”I will not admit that I’m disappointed. I will not admit that I’m disappointed.She chanted over and over again. She had just met Chance. She had no claims to him. No right to think she had. The whole thing was silly, really.
His arm swept over her side, and he pulled her flush against him before suddenly kissing her. This kiss lasted much longer than earlier one had and it was far different. Her lips parted and his tongue slid slightly in, barely penetrating her open mouth. She responded, meeting his tongue with hers. An unexpected yet welcomed wave of heat rushed through her body.
His hand stroked her side and it triggered something in her.
The point of no return is right around the next corner. And it can’t happen. Not here. Not tonight. Not yet. If ever,she thought though every touch…every kiss felt so damn good.
She pulled away. “Let me guess, Hal and Siggy have this place plastered with more mistletoe that I wasn’t aware of?” She tried to joke about the situation she suddenly found herself in.
“Not this time. I figured you had all those questions about why I’d want to suddenly kiss you. I might as well make them relevant,” he said, laying his head back down on the pillow.
“Fine. Answer away.” She tried to calm the heat burning through her veins.
“Because I know what I want. I’m not afraid to take it.”
That’s it? No ‘I’m sorry, I acted impulsively, or the old I shouldn’t have, blah blah blah?’ This man isn’t anything like those guys in Crescent Bay. And it’s fucking hot as hell how much he seems to want me.The change of tactics was refreshing. She had never known how much she liked a man who knew exactly what he wanted.
She cleared her throat. “I see. And you want me. Just like that. And what makes you think I’m here for you, ripe and for the picking? That you can just take what you want?” She had to ask.
“Somehow you don’t seem surprised. But I’ll say this, we’ll deal with this one way or another when we get back. We have a long run in the morning, why don’t you roll over and get some sleep?”
“Yeah,” she whispered, and rolled over, facing away from him. But still close enough to feel the heat of his body behind her, and she’d be damned if her traitorous body didn’t react.
Fucking hell? He sure is cocky. Well, he’s in for a shock. Well, maybe if he wasn’t so hot it’d be a hell of a lot easier to tell him to cool his jets. Maybe if I wasn’t so damn into him, I’d be able to push him away without a second thought.As it was, Ginger’s mind bounced back and forth between how much she wanted him and how much she wanted to steer clear of him.
She lay awake, the fire was dying down and it was clear from his steady breathing, Chance had finally fallen asleep. It took every ounce of her damn willpower to keep from wiggling her hips against his.
10
Ginger had no idea how long she’d been lying awake, listening to the winds picking up speed. The accompanying sounds were more than unsettling: ghostly howling, a stampede of horses, shrieks and something which sounded unbelievably close to laughter.
“That wind! It’s ridiculous. Something isn’t right though. It’s almost…unnatural,”she said to her wolf who was just as enthralled by the chaos as she was.
Unable to put her finger on it at first, she eventually picked up on the faint feeling of majik in the air. At that moment, she realized the blizzard whipping through the mountains was a supernatural event. It had to be.
And it was unlike anything she’d known before. Thrust into a dream-state, she saw at least two dozen ancient Norse riders charging through the snowy tempest on monstrous black steeds. The horses’ eyes blazed with an unearthly blue glow. Ghostly wolves ran alongside. Leading the charge was a man in a golden fur robe, with long red hair that flowed behind him in the wind. Next to him rode a woman with a complexion so pale she nearly blended in with the blowing snow. Her long hair was light blue, and her steely gaze was as cold as ice.
In her dream state, it was Ginger’s wolf who was witnessing the riders pass overhead. She watched in awe and reverence. Surprisingly, she had no fear of the spectral riders. In fact, she felt energized and something else. She felt whole.
Bits and pieces of images fluttered in her mind, people and places. They came only in flashes, but still they were vaguely familiar. It was as if they were parts of memories which had been shattered and lost long ago.
