SWNOVELS Whose Bed Have Your Claws Been Under: Chapter 11
We gathered in the foyer, and Monica and Trevor gave each of us matching scarves, hats, and mittens knit from bright red yarn and embroidered with hollies like the ones featured in her wedding.
“You can keep them after,” she said gaily. Her cheeks were rosy already, and she kept beaming at Trevor. Happiness for my friend and her new husband soared through me, followed by a touch of longing. What would it be like to be with someone who loved me completely?
“Let me help you, mate,” Gunner said, pulling the hat down over Rylee’s eyes while she laughed. She did the same thing to him, and when he started tickling her, she squealed. He tossed her over his shoulder again, something she seemed to adore, and strode down the hall to the backside of the castle.
Raze took one look at Elisa holding out a hat to place on his head and snatched it from her grasp. So much for the crush I thought he was developing at breakfast.
With a huff, Elisa pivoted on her heel. She stalked down the hall with him following.
“Let me help you,” Darrow said, taking the gifts from me. I’d dressed in a long wool coat, but I’d only brought thin gloves, not anticipating spending much time outside.
He wrapped the scarf around my neck and secured it at my throat, kissing my nose as he finished tying it. The gesture nudged aside some of my envy for my friend’s happiness.
He plunked the tasseled hat on my head and tied the silly dangling braids beneath my chin. Holding up the mittens, he grinned. “Would you like me to pin them to your coat?”
Memories of Mom urging us to go play in the snow and securing our mittens to our sleeves so we wouldn’t lose them shot through me, wrapping me up in the warmth of being with my old friend. The feeling was shadowed with the sorrow I’d felt when I lost him. Now, I was filled with the joy of having him back in my life.
“Not yet,” I said, taking his hat and scarf from him. “I need to help you get ready first.” I curled my finger, urging him to lean forward. There was no way I could reach him otherwise. “You grew taller since I last saw you, Darrow.”
“One good thing about the curse, I suppose. Remember how puny I was? I didn’t think I’d hit five-eight.”
“There’s nothing wrong with short guys, but I like your new height. What are you now, six-six or so?” I wound the scarf around his neck and secured it, but he was too tall for me to reach his nose for a kiss.
“Six-ten.”
“Whoa. I didn’t grow much taller after we left town. I’m five-four.”
He frowned. “Does our size difference bother you?”
“Only now, when I want to put the hat on your head.”
He bent forward until his face was level with mine. “Better?”
So much. “Will your . . . hair mind me touching it?”
“So far, it seems pretty happy whenever you do,” he said with a grin.
I laughed, enjoying this time with him. We were only getting dressed to go outside, but this combined old memories with new ones. It felt right.
I carefully tugged the hat onto his head, but it became a challenge when his bands of hair kept coiling around my wrists and fingers, stroking them. It tickled, making me laugh, and he joined in.
“You’re making them do that,” I said, trying to scowl.
He kissed my nose again. “They act on their own.”
Were they doing what he wanted to do? That tell I was searching for was strutting about before my eyes.
In all honesty, I wouldn’t mind a real kiss, not just the teasing advances he kept making that made me want to wrap myself around him and urge him to press me against the wall.
I tugged some more, covering most of his head with the hat. His hair stuck out about six inches below, the tips of the bands weaving in the air. Some people might be frightened by them, but they only made me adore Darrow more.
“Oh, my,” Monica said, pointing above us. “Now who would put mistletoe in a place like that?”
“What about this fiend?” Trevor said, holding a small stalk of the bright green leaves over her head. “I believe you need to pay the mistletoe price, lovely mate.”
“I’m quite willing, sir,” she said, tipping her head back for his kiss.
As I studiously tied the braided bands beneath Darrow’s chin, I didn’t meet his eye. What if he didn’t want to kiss me? I wouldn’t push for something I needed more than almost anything.
“Mittens?” I asked, holding them up.
“Let’s put them on when we go outside,” he said. His finger nudged toward the ceiling. “Do you want a pass on the mistletoe, or are you willing to pay the price?”
“I don’t know, Darrow,” I said, pretending to frown. My heart danced around in my chest, urging me to get to it. “Do you think the price will be too steep?” Looking up at him, I grinned.
“Why don’t we see?” When I continued to grin, he lifted me off my feet and nudged me back against the wall.
I, of course, had to wrap my legs around him to make sure I didn’t fall.
His head lowered, and for the first time since we were sweet sixteen, he kissed me.
My heart had been sleeping all these years, and it suddenly awoke in a flurry of emotion. Heat radiated off his body, pulling me deeper into his kiss. His soft lips were supple against mine, gentle yet demanding at the same time. His tongue stroked my lips, begging for entry, and I opened my mouth to let him in.
He tasted like warm cider and cinnamon with just the right amount of heat. His hand stroked my side while the other one supported me with a palm beneath my butt. Being close to him like this reminded me of the way we used to love each other before my parents stole me away.
He groaned, and the sound sunk through me, sparking every nerve ending in my body. My soul came alive, singing in joyous harmony with my heart. I was electrified as he deepened our embrace. His fingers intertwined with mine, and he placed them over my head, bringing back memories of stolen kisses on hot summer days. I moaned as he finally pulled away from me.
His gaze met mine. “Paige.”
Rhythmic thuds came closer, and Grannie Vi poked her head up beside us. “Maybe you two won’t need to win my little treat after all?”
I snickered, and Darrow’s laugh joined in. The moment had broken, but warmth still coursed through me, like I was a pot about to boil over that had been pulled away from the flame. It wouldn’t take much to make me simmer once more.
A glance around showed we were alone in the lobby other than Grannie and Uncle Bub. He watched us with a speculative gleam in his eyes.
“Someone stole all the party favors,” Grannie Vi said. “Me and Bub are going to the kitchen to ask them to bring a tray up to the ballroom for us.”
“Snacks are always welcome,” Uncle Bub said with a nod.
Darrow lowered my feet to the floor and took my hand, holding tight, as if he never wanted to let go.
“Let’s do it, Elvira,” Uncle Bub said, nudging her side.
“You’re such a sweet talker, Bub,” Grannie said with a snicker. “We can talk about our new matchmaking idea while we’re watching them craft snow sculptures.”
“Matchmaking idea?” I asked, intrigued.
“Retirement’s a hoot until you sit around talking about body parts that don’t work as well as they used to,” Grannie said. “That’s why me and Bub decided to open a matchmaking service.”
“We understand love,” Bub said, grinning Grannie’s way.
“That sounds amazing,” I said. “I wish you all the best.” Imagine the matches they’d make. What a hoot.
“Do you think any of the couples will create a snow dildo?” Grannie asked Uncle Bub as they caned down the hall, aiming for the kitchen. “That would be amazing.”
“A snow dildo, huh?” I said, snickering.
“It wouldn’t be the first.”
I frowned. “Have you made a snow dildo?”
“No, but you’d be surprised by what people want me to create out of stone.”
Ha ha. “I need to hear more about this.”
“And I’ll be happy to share, but the snow’s awaiting.” Taking my hand, he rushed me down the hall like we were kids once more. We burst outside.
The castle staff had mounded piles of snow in the backyard, and I assumed we wouldn’t truly be carving. This would be more like molding, the way people did when they made a snowman. It wouldn’t be anything like the art Darrow created, but the task was going to be fun because I’d get to do it with him.
Overnight, the world had been transformed into a winter wonderland. A thick white carpet had settled over the rolling hills behind the castle, hiding colorful gardens and coating the evergreens like they’d been dusted with confectionary sugar.
Clouds covered the sun, but muted light made shadows dance around us.
The other couples worked on their mounds already, leaving one for us.
“What should we make?” I asked Darrow. Our “palette” was equal to his height and about ten feet across. “I’ve seen kids do this sort of thing at winter carnivals. They make dragons lying on the ground or sleighs.” I waved a mitten-clad hand to the bottles of food coloring sitting on a bench nearby. “We can decorate it with those.”
“We should use this,” Elisa said with a long-suffering sigh. She and Raze were working on the pile to our left. She held up what looked like a mini chainsaw or one of those electric blades you used to trim the hedges.
Raze grumbled, lifting his big, knobby hands. He’d stuffed his hat on his head and he wore his scarf, but other than black dress pants, he only wore a button-up white shirt and, unbelievably enough, a tie snug at his throat. He wore no coat, but he wasn’t shivering. Maybe he had thick skin.
Did he ever dress casually? But then, here he was more than Trevor’s cousin enjoying an activity. As a wedding planner, this was also part of his job.
Maybe if he dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans, the casual attire might sink into his yellow skin.
“Really?” he said. “You think we’d be able to precisely carve snow with that?” He rolled his green eyes partly hidden behind his glasses, and if I hadn’t been staring, I wouldn’t have seen the way his lips subtly twitch upward. Was he teasing her? If so, she wasn’t seeing it that way. Leave it to a guy to bumble around trying to attract a woman. “How you’re able to come up with artful wedding adornments is beyond me.” He hefted a trowel and held it out to her. “Why not use this instead?”
She stared down at it. “That looks like something we’d use to decorate a wedding cake.”
“You, perhaps,” he said with a lift of his big nose. “I prefer more delicate tools.” Again, it looked like he was holding back a smile.
“You, delicate?” With a huff, Elisa lowered the maybe-chainsaw to the ground and snatched the trowel from his grip. “Show me, then, Mr. Wonderful Wedding Planner. How am I supposed to use it? I haven’t done this before.”
“Well, I have, and I’ll be delighted to instruct you.”
“I’m sure you would.”
I ignored their bickering and selected a trowel from the pile of tools near our sculpture. Good point about the tool, Raze. “Why don’t we make a bear or a horse?” I asked Darrow.
“I was thinking of . . .” He leaned near and lowered his voice. “A castle.”
“Oh! Yes, that sounds perfect.”
A hammer in hand, Gunner was beating away at his and Rylee’s mound of snow while Rylee cringed, darting here and there to avoid the flying clumps of snow.
She caught my eye and grinned. “I don’t believe we’re going to win the prize for this event, do you?”
I wasn’t discounting Gunner yet. He was clever and diligent.
The scrapes of shovels and other tools rang out as Monica and Trevor worked on a possible snow tree. If they could carve ornaments into the surface, it was going to give us stiff competition. As they worked together diligently, the soothing thrum of their tools filled the air. They worked along to the carols piping from a speaker mounted on the back of the castle.
Rylee laughed again and handed Gunner another tool. He seemed happy to work on the structure all by himself with her supervision.
I turned to find Darrow just as eagerly crafting our sculpture and hurried over to help.
“Tell me what to do,” I said. “I want to be a part of this.” I’d missed out on doing anything with my friend all these years, and I wasn’t going to let any more time slip past us.
“Why don’t you work on the moat?” He pointed to where he’d left an unfinished mound stretching out from the front wall of his already impressive structure.
I stepped back to admire what he’d done already, though he’d only worked on the outer walls, leaving a taller mound in the center where we’d construct the pièce de résistance, the castle itself.
Thick stone walls stretched out from the base of the castle, encircling it in a protective embrace. The walls were punctuated by tall turrets with conical roofs, giving it a storybook feel.
Magic surrounded us, warming my heart as I dropped to my knees and started carving a river with ripples and a drawbridge stretching across it.
“Doin’ good, babe. Doin’ good,” Rylee said, grinning at the actually decent-appearing standing bear Gunner was creating. He worked on the sides, making careful gouges to simulate fur. Its ears cocked forward, and it lifted its shout as if scenting the air.
“You have a knack for carving, Gunner,” I said. “You’re going to give me and Darrow stiff competition.”
“I’m afraid we’re going to lose,” Elisa said, coming over to drop to her heels beside me. “Awesome castle, by the way. Our dragon’s rather lopsided, though I guess we’re giving it a good try.”
I peered to where Raze still worked on the dragon. “The contest isn’t over yet.”
“If we weren’t squabbling when we first started, we wouldn’t have messed up the tail. It’s too short.”
“Grab some more snow and fix it.”
She nodded slowly. “I guess I could do that.”
“And while you’re at it, stop squabbling. Maybe grin at him and see what happens.”
She shot a speculative gleam toward Raze. “He’s such a snooty, stuffy, snobby pain in the ass.”
I carefully constructed a railing along one side of my bridge. Master sculptor that he was, Darrow had already made huge progress with our castle. It was going to be amazing when finished. I couldn’t wait to start adding color. “Why do you think he’s a pain in the ass?”
“Because he is?”
“He irritates you.”
She rolled her eyes. “He sure does. I can’t understand why Monica hired her own wedding planner when Trevor’s cousin, Raze, could run the show by himself. But here I am, trying to make this work as best I can.”
“You and Monica are friends. And you’ve done an amazing job.”
“Thanks. I needed this job. I just moved to Monsterville to start over, and things are going to be tight until business picks up.”
I peered up at her, squinting through the hazy sunshine. “Maybe I’m seeing it wrong, but when you’re not snarling at him, he looks at you with something interesting in his eyes.”
“That’s irritation,” she said. “Everything I say makes him snap.”
“Nope, it’s heat.”
She gasped, blinking at Raze, who continued to work on their dragon. “He can’t like me. I . . .”
“You what?”
“If he does, I’m not sure what to do about it.” She tapped her chin and cocked her hip. “I mean, I’ve just moved to Monsterville. He has a wedding planning business that’s doing great, though I do believe the town’s big enough to support two wedding planners. But if we dated . . .”
“You could combine businesses.”
“Oh, hell, no. I’m too independent for that. Can you imagine working with him?”
“He’s cute. Why not?”
“Huh.” She continued to frown. “He is. Do you think he wears that suit to bed?”
“Why not ask him?”
A grin split her face. “Yeah, right.”
This would be fun to watch. I expected their fireworks were going to light up the entire town.
“He’s kind of amazing in an ogre way,” she said, her head tilting. “Those glasses . . . I want to slide them off his face and stare into his pretty green eyes.”
“Why don’t you go tell him that instead of me?” I said with a low laugh.
“No way. I can’t do anything like that. He’s my competition. Kissing up to him would . . . I don’t know, mess things up.”
Maybe they both needed to get messy. This was really going to be fun to watch. At least I’d have a ringside show when I returned to Monsterville.
“I guess you’ve come to an impasse,” I said.
She tapped her chin. “I guess I have.” Leaving me, she returned to where Raze was still working. He shot her a scowl, and I shook my head, giggling.
“What?” Darrow asked.
“Just enjoying the fireworks.”
He peered around. “I don’t see any.”
“They’re an unusual kind, though they blaze just as bright.”