Page 218 of Screwged for Christmas

White carpet covered every inch of flooring with a matching couch kissing the back wall. Other than that, the place was pretty bare save the coffeemaker and a round table for two nestled close to the front window. The open combined space wasn’t much, but she had to hand it to Damon given it was his place, he knew how to pull together colors that made the space feel cozy. For a second she considered what his place looked like. Was it matching to hers or all decked out in manly things like a big recliner and flat-screen TV?

She dashed that thought away. Probably not. She didn’t see him as a stay at home kind of guy when there was so much to do and see in such a wonderful place. She almost felt bad for saying she didn’t believe in magic last night.

Back in the bedroom, Ivy tossed the suitcase on the dresser under the front window overlooking Main Street and paused when a flash of white caught her eye.

Damon stood in the middle of the vacant street with an elbow propped up on the roof of a heavy-duty truck talking with the white-haired man from yesterday. Reaper, she recalled.

She pulled the heavy curtain to the side a fraction and peered out from the corner. “What are you up to, slick?” On tiptoes she pried closer, using the back of the curtain to wipe away some of the condensation.

A couple of minutes later Damon rounded the truck and she watched the red of his button-down flannel slide out of sight as he entered the passenger side.

But not before he flicked a look her direction. “Oh, shoot.” With the curtain pulled back she couldn’t readily dodge behind anything, so she did the only thing she could.

She raised a hand and pressed her lips against her fingers and blew a kiss his direction.

She earned the flash of his sexy half-grin and then he was gone. “Be still my freaking heart.” She fanned her face. “That man will haunt you forever and a day, girl.” Ivy pulled back from the window and let the curtain fall back in place as she flicked through the few things she’d packed.

Meticulous organization ruled her like an unwanted bad habit that leaked over from her schooling. Everything she did fed into her massive need to have things lined up. Until now, she mused. About the only thing that she could organize was her suitcase.

In order of use, she pulled out a pair of long johns, underwear, two shirts and a pair of jeans that she could tuck into her snow boots. More layers. She needed more layers to protect her against the lust bombarding her body like daggers, if she was going to spend the next several hours working withhim.

An hour later she walked into the open floor of the Savage Fire still flushed. Her shower proved no help in squelching her libido, and she couldn’t even work the edge off herself. Every time she tried to touch herself, the only thing she did was rekindle the fire but no bursts of lights and cosmos erupted for her.

She crossed the hardwood floor and weaved through several tables still waiting for the staff to prepare for the afternoon crowd yet to arrive. Soft light bathed the entryway as the morning light spilled past the tables but failed to chase away all the shadows. For the darker areas, beautiful stained-glass chandeliers hung from long golden chains and gave the place a warm, inviting feel. Like a home away from home.

Over the back of the bar above the long mirror and shelves of various colored liquor bottles hung a large square, hand-carved clock. Two large bears on all fours adorned the top corners and little bear paws placed at the tips of the minute and second hands ticked by, signaling the early hour. If she hurried, she could still help Damon get things in order for the afternoon and have time to step in for Zahara’s husbands, who couldn’t make it to the monthly checkup at the doctors. With any luck she would use the time to say her piece and have that done and over with and shuttled off to Fairbank with time to spare.

In contrast to the guilt that weighed heavy in her chest, soft light came through the front window with the first rays of sunlight for the day. Zahara would say it’s one of the most magical moments in Alaska. But she craved to see and experience an Alaskan midnight sun.

Endless light, endless time. An illusion, but still it would be as though time could be recuperated. Or at least that was how the author put it in the guidebook.

Maybe next summer, if her sister still wanted anything to do with her after their conversation, she could plan another trip.

Ivy set to work putting out all the fixings for coffee. Filled the water tanks for the massive contraptions Damon had set up on the back of the bar and let her mind wander over nothing in particular as she placed clean mugs on one side of the bar and shots on the other for the people who like to chisel off the cold edge with something a little stronger.

Limes were cut and she had a fresh bucket of ice for the icebox already poured when heavy footsteps drew her eyes up.

A broad smile and a sexy grin greeted her.

“Hey, handsome. You’re not here for a rematch, are you? Damon and I beat you fair and square!”

Ethan’s broad smile worked wonders to boost her mood. She was quickly learning that the second oldest sibling couldn’t keep a sulky face if he tried. “Nah. Next year.”

Doubtful, but she kept that to herself. Setting aside the freshly laundered rags, Ivy clutched the side of the bar and leaned over for the small peck on the cheek in greeting. “Zahara said something about a climb up the back passages today. I thought you would be out with Drake, Holden, and Riley.”

“They didn’t need all of us so I volunteered to stay back and check some smaller unknown passages closer to home. Some of the local teenagers like to get rowdy back there, so better safe than sorry. Besides all five of us up there,” he made a drastic circle with his hand toward the peaks visible through the front window, “on those trails? No, that would be a recipe for disaster. One dog dare or another and we’d be spending Christmas in the hospital.”

She arched a brow when she came up with nothing to say to that. Men.

“Besides, mountain man or not, it’s nasty out there. The cold doesn’t really affect us as much as outsiders but damn, I hate getting wet.”

She could attest to that. Damon walked around like he was part snowman.

At his chin nod toward the front of the bar, Ivy looked out the window and saw that the slivers of sunlight that had once been there now dimmed as fresh snow and a strong wind kicked up flurries to swirl in the air.

She shivered down to her little Southern boots. Perfect weather for long and slow kisses and warm fireplaces. Whispery thoughts of what it would be like enjoying a cold wintry afternoon like today with Damon marched across her thoughts and brought a warm fuzzy feeling to the pit of her stomach.

As Ethan scraped a stool out from under the bar and made himself comfortable, she swiped a couple of mugs from the sidebar. “So a nice day off. Sounds like a perfect excuse for some hot cocoa and pie.”

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