Half an hour later, she was still breathless, both from the speed with which her friends deposited her in the middle of the Neighborlee community center, and from the spectacle of masculine perfection displayed before her. Not that Hercules--or his much younger brother--intended to be on display. It just sort of happened as a natural result of his actions.
He stood on a tall metal ladder in the exact center of the room, hanging tinsel icicles on the tallest, greenest, prickliest pine tree Lori had ever seen. By virtue of stretching and bending to reach every branch possible, his Willis-Brooks College sweatshirt hiked up constantly, revealing a six-pack guaranteed to induce--or maybe seduce--any sane woman to join a gym. His jeans looked soft-worn and hugged his backside like a glove. He moved with that innate, thoughtless grace that only came from good physical condition.
"Hey."
Lori adjusted her gaze and found Mr. Decorating Committee grinning down at her. On top of everything else, he had green-blue eyes and thick, curly lashes and a dimple in the corner of his mouth. Her face warmed as she realized that he had probably caught her checking out his butt. It got hotter when she realized Will and Phill had pulled a vanishing act. Literally. She sensed their physical presence in the room, but they were as invisible as freeloaders when the waiter brought the check at the restaurant.
She blanked, and prayed her mouth wasn't hanging open. Worse--hanging open and drooling.
"I could use an extra pair of hands." He nodded at the plastic crates sitting between the legs of the ladder. "Toss some things up to me, so I don't have to keep climbing up and down?"
"Uh...sure." She bent to pick up the first box of softball-sized crimson ornaments. Should she be relieved he didn't seem to notice she had been measuring his backside with her eyeballs? Or worried that he didn't seem to mind?
Lori wasn't flustered enough to interfere with her survival instincts. There was no way on the planet she wanted to look like a fumble-fingered dimwit in front of--or was it more appropriate to say, at the feet of?--this guy. Especially since the ornaments felt like glass instead of the usual cheapo plastic reproductions. Using a couple flickers of magic, she lightly levitated each one up to his outstretched, gorgeous, muscular hands.
Just because she was still a decade short of Need setting in didn't mean Lori was too young to appreciate male perfection, whether Human or Fae. There was something to be said for brawn-over-magic, and Mr. Decorating Committee was saying a lot with every smile, stretch and catch.
"Hey."
"Hey, yourself." Lori matched his grin, delighted when he paused while she dropped the empty box and picked up another.
"You're a good thrower. Natural athlete?"
"Just lucky, I guess."
"What's your name?"
"Angeloria." That was quite enough for her to reveal at this moment. She didn't need to freak out the guy with her ten layers of pedigree names. It was a royal pain, and then some, to be an aristocrat.
"Short for Christmas Angel?" That dimple just got deeper when he grinned.
"What's your name?" she shot back, in a desperate attempt to avoid giggling. The blushing was out of her control.
"Brick. As in 'dumb as a.'" He held out a hand and she lobbed the next ornament up at him, almost forgetting, in that dimple-induced haze, to use magic. By some miracle, it landed neatly in his hands without bobbling for a second.
"I don't think your parents--"
"Cursed me with the family name, Brickley Ashton James Willis."
Lori gestured at his impressive chest, covered with the local college's sweatshirt. "As in?" She tossed, just to have something to concentrate on. Will and Phill had left the building, she sensed. Well, at least nobody she knew could witness her acting like all the oxygen had left the room. What had happened to her decades of training in sparkling conversation?
Brawn had vanquished brains, yet again.
"Yep, great-grandpappy built it." He caught the next ornament and moved up one step, to stretch higher and reach one last undecorated branch.
"Be careful!" She grabbed the sides of the ladder with both hands when it swayed a little too far off center. When that didn't seem to help, she zapped the ridged rubber grips on the feet of the ladder and anchored them to the tile floor.
"Oh, yeah, that about does it for this side." Brick flashed that crooked movie-star grin at her and headed down the ladder. Fortunately, she hadn't grabbed onto the side with the steps, because she didn't think to let go until she was eye-level with his howling wolf belt buckle. "Thanks. You're a lot stronger than you look. And a good pitcher. Play baseball much?" He kicked aside the empty decoration boxed and stepped around to stand inside the legs of the ladder.
"Uh, no, not really." She finally let go and skipped back a few steps to watch Brick move the ladder about four feet around the perimeter of the tree. "You're not going up there again, are you?"
"Someone's gotta decorate this puppy." He rubbed his palms on the sides of his thighs, checked them, then flashed her another grin. "Since I'm the guilty party, I'm responsible."
"Guilty party?"
"I bought the tree." Nodding, he gestured up to the unadorned side of the tree. "Can I bribe you to stick around and keep tossing to me until it's finished?"
"Hmm, maybe." She stepped back and peeled off her ski jacket. His eyes lit appreciatively. She had chosen her black-shading-to-blue pants and sweater, decorated with blue and white snowflakes, merely for comfort. After all, there was a lot of Olympic-quality shopping she wanted to do. Lori decided to be pleased Brick appreciated comfort.
"Please? The fairies aren't going to come overnight and decorate, I guarantee."
"We prefer to be called the Fae, not fairies," she snapped, without thinking.
"Yeah, that's what Angela says." He grinned and headed up the ladder again.
"Angela?" Lori decided to be grateful his attention hadn't snagged on her slip when she said we.
"The owner of Divine's Emporium. She knows more weird things..." Brick chuckled and held out his hands, gesturing for the next ornament. She complied without thinking. "I'll take you over there after we're done and bribe you with some fancy coffee, okay?"
"Maybe."
She decided, just from that sparkle in his eyes, she could be bribed with a lot less. The coffee, as far as she was concerned, was just an excuse to spend more time in his company.
Will and Phill were right, she realized, as she emptied out the second box for this side of the tree and reached for the third. She just needed a distraction. She actually picked up three ornaments that had plastic mistletoe and holly and didn't get a single hive or sneeze.
When Brick climbed down and the last box of ornaments was empty, Lori felt a funny little twinge of disappointment. It couldn't be over so soon, could it?
"It's over," he said with a gusting sigh.
He didn't have to sound so mightily relieved, did he?
"Don't know how I would have done it without your help." He gestured with his chin as he folded the ladder and maneuvered it down so it didn't hit any of the passersby as they passed through the main room. "Give me about five minutes to put this away, and then we can fly, okay?"
"Sounds good." Lori felt that funny little jolt in her middle when they were on even footing and she still had to tip her head back to look into his eyes.
She managed to come out of her daze quickly enough to pack up the empty ornament boxes and stow them in the big plastic storage bin they had come out of, before Brick returned from putting the ladder away. He grinned his thanks, heaved the bulky box up on his shoulder, and trundled it across the room to the front desk.
"Out for the day, Aunt Gracie," he announced, and dropped the storage bin, giving it a hard shove with his boot so it slid into a big empty spot under the counter.
"You can't possibly be done," the tiny gravel-voiced, orange-haired woman behind the counter snapped. She turned around on her stool, and kept turning, until she nearly fell off. Her mouth dropped open, and t
hen she burst out laughing. "How did you get that monstrosity of yours decorated so fast?"
"My Christmas Angel, that's how." He slung a dark brown sheepskin jacket around his shoulders, slid his arms into the sleeves and continued the motion, sliding one arm around Lori. "We'll catch up with you later."
"Watch out for the mistletoe, girlie," Aunt Gracie chortled.
"What did--" Lori began. Then she thought better of it. Why frighten him away? "Is she your aunt?"
"Everybody's aunt." He led her through the double doors of the community center and out into the frosty air, lightly dusted with snow.
Lori sighed in delight. She loved that particular kind of snowfall, soft and slow, putting a haze in the air and muffling all sound. Not that there was much in the way of noise or traffic going through this section of Neighborlee, anyway. Still, the sense of isolation or a curtain falling down to separate them from the rest of the world gave her a peaceful feeling.
"Gorgeous, isn't it?" Brick took a deep, loud breath. She felt his ribcage expand, he held her so close against him. Lots of sleek muscle over those ribs. The movement did funny things to her pulse.
"Yeah." She swallowed hard. Since when did a hunk of beefcake make her speechless? She had been around long enough that mere Human physique didn't impress her that much, so what was going on here?
"Look at that." He stopped them and pointed with his other hand.
She looked beyond the pointing finger and saw four brown smudges among the slowly drifting powder in the air. Her eyes adjusted to make out details, and the smudges turned into deer, just standing there, on the edge of the forest where the town ended and land sloped down into the park. For a heartbeat, she almost called out to them, then reminded herself that they weren't Enclave deer, able to sing and offer wild rides on their backs. These were wild deer. It said something for the town that the deer could come so close without being frightened away. It said something else about Brick that he noticed them, through the snow filling the air.
"Prettiest thing I've seen all... Well, one of the prettiest things I've seen all day," Brick amended, and gave her a crooked grin that had her blushing.
How many decades had it been since she had blushed at a simple compliment?
"Let's get you inside, okay?" He got them walking again, down the uneven slate sidewalks. They quickly left the town center, following a path that skirted the top of the slope down into the park. Lori watched the deer as long as she could.
After two blocks, with their steps synchronized, perfectly content with silent walking, they came to a dead-end street. A big gold and olive and cream Victorian house looked down over the slope, like a guardian. Oil lanterns glowed in a dozen windows. The huge wraparound porch was hung with icicles and garlands of ribbons, gold beads, and white-berried sprigs of mistletoe and holly. The wrought iron fence surrounding the house nearly groaned audibly with the weight of matching decorations. Lori felt her skin itch at the mere volume of the unfriendly greenery so close to her. And getting closer every minute.
"Umm, so where is this place we're going?" she asked, and cringed back a little. Brick wasn't leading her up through that archway just dripping with mistletoe and holly, was he?
"Getting cold? Sorry. Guess I should have offered to drive." He wrapped his arm tighter around her and quickened their pace. "We're right here."
Before she knew it, Lori was through the gate--and not a hive appeared. She was sure she'd get a big, ugly red one on the end of her nose, at the very least. Maybe Brick was magic and protected her from the malign influence in the air? Stranger things had happened.
She blinked, and he had her up the steps and onto the porch. Still no itching, no watering eyes, no shortness of breath. What were her chances this was plastic mistletoe and holly? That hadn't protected her in the past, unfortunately. Some of her worst allergic reactions came from the cheapest, ugliest plastic mistletoe and holly she had ever seen. Maybe the cold slowed down the malicious effects?
Brick let go of her to reach ahead and open the big, stained glass door with the sign above it that welcomed them to Divine's Emporium.
Lori felt a prickle on the end of her nose and on the palms of her hands the minute Brick let go of her. She gasped and almost stopped short. Survival instincts kicked in and she hurried through the door, hunching her shoulders to keep as far away from the garland of mistletoe and holly framing the doorway.
"Here we are." Brick gestured for her to look around the store, which filled every room of the house-turned-shop. He took hold of her hand. The itching vanished.
Just my luck--he's the cure. What am I supposed to do? Hold his hand for the rest of my life? Lori looked up at Brick, who smiled as if he shared a treasure with her. Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea.
"Welcome." The woman who appeared from thin air--Lori saw the dimensional slit heal up--wore a long, loose gown of emerald velvet with heavy gold braid on her high collar, the cuffs of her wide sleeves, and the hem of her full skirts. More braid wove through her long hair in a dozen shades of gold, holding it in place. Her misty blue eyes widened a little when her gaze met Lori's.
She knows, Lori decided, as Brick opened his mouth to greet her.
Indeed, I do. Be welcome. This is a safe haven. She winked, and turned to Brick. "Done so soon?"
"I had help." Brick slid his arm around Lori's shoulders again. "Angela, this is Lori. I drafted her to help me with the tree at Eden II, and hopefully with the rest of the trees."
"How many are you going to decorate today?" Lori blurted, blushing and laughing with Angela a moment later.
"Not decorate. Just deliver."
"Just deliver." Angela shook her head. "Let me see your hands. And roll up your sleeves, while you're at it." She glared, barely managing to conceal the mischief sparkling in her eyes, when Brick hesitated to comply.
He rolled his eyes, tugged back his coat sleeves and rolled up his sweatshirt sleeves. Red spots dotted the palms of his hands, on the webbing of his fingers, and ringed his wrists like bracelets. Lori couldn't decide if the itching across her palms was real, because Brick no longer touched her, or if it was sympathy pains. He hadn't gotten those killer hives from her, had he?
Could he be allergic to her?
No, wait a minute. Angela expected to see those hives. What was going on?
"What are you allergic to?" Lori asked, when Angela just shook her head and Brick grinned like a boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Pine trees," Angela said. She beckoned with a jerk of her head. "Come with me. Now," she added in an implacable tone, when he hesitated.
He shrugged, gave Lori a "What can you do?" look, and followed Angela away from the front counter. In moments, she was alone, looking around at all the old-fashioned toys and penny candy in big glass jars filling the front counter and the shelves behind it, the old-fashioned brass cash register, and the enormous tree decked with silver garland and rainbow-hued metallic balls.
A shimmer of magic in the air made the hair stand up at the nape of her neck. Lori turned around. Her mouth dropped open when the angel at the top of the tree jumped off, doing a triple twist on the way down. It swooped across the room to land on the counter in front of her, and turned into her cousin, Maurice. Albeit, Maurice dressed in G.I. Joe camouflage fatigues and five inches tall. With glittery, unreasonable wings. Fae hadn't had wings in centuries.
"How's it going, Ange?" Maurice snapped his fingers and a miniature black leather recliner appeared on the counter behind him. He sank into it and crossed his legs. "How'd you escape the Dreadfuls?"
"Maurice, what are you doing here? And--like that?" She couldn't say "shrunk". The word stuck in her throat.
"You know that exile the Council decided on last year? I've been here ever since."
"Here?" Her voice broke.
"Hey, Divine's is a great place. I'm actually going to miss it when my gig is up in a year."
"Oh, no, I didn't mean this place. I meant--well, who was stupid eno
ugh to exile you to the Human world when it was Human things that got you in trouble?" She seriously considered temporarily shrinking herself and sitting down. But would she have time to change before Brick came back and saw her?
"That's the beauty of it. I can't do much of anything. My magic got shrunk along with my size. I have to ration it, decide what's worth spending it on. Makes a guy really think about what's important, y'know?" He hooked a thumb in the direction Brick had gone with Angela. "So, how'd you hook up with Brick?"
"You know him?"
"Heck, I know almost everybody in Neighborlee. Anybody who's got a brain, who's worth anything, comes into Divine's at least once a month. I like him."
"So is he for real?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. Now was the perfect time for Brick to come upon her and catch her talking about him.
"He's a great guy. Richer than the entire town all put together, but he keeps forgetting he has money. Ooops!" He leaped up from his recliner, which vanished with a loud pop. Maurice kept moving, zipping up through the air and morphing back into the angel tree-topper, until he came to rest on the topmost branch of the tree.
Angela and Brick came from the back. He had his sleeves rolled up and a pinkish-brown swath of drying calamine lotion circling his wrists and the backs of his hands and dabbed between his fingers. Lori's fingers twitched and she itched in sympathy. She opened her mouth to make some suggestions of remedies she used when her holiday allergies kicked in, but was stopped when she felt the sizzle of magic at work.
One corner of the front room, almost hidden behind the Christmas tree, held some wrought iron bistro tables and chairs. A coffee machine that sat halfway in another fold of reality suddenly hummed into life. Steaming water appeared in its reservoir and ingredients for frothy, rich, creamy coffee drinks appeared in the containers set up all around it. Lori was impressed. She met Angela's gaze and the woman gave her a little nod, one corner of her mouth twitching up in a smug little smile.
The three of them sat in a cozy little corner, drinking frothy, creamy cappuccinos, waiting for the calamine lotion to dry, and talking about all the holiday activities in Neighborlee. Lori thought it rather sweet that Brick didn't like to talk about the things he had done. She almost dropped her half-full mug in her lap when she realized what she had just thought. Was she falling for a Human, after less than three hours in his company?
Have Yourself a Faerie Little Christmas Page 6