Her Mistletoe Minotaur: A BWWM Paranormal Holiday Romance (A Very Alpha Christmas Book 1)

by Erin St. Charles

"Hey, not so fast," Blue said, raising his voice a fraction. "What about this girl? I mean, this woman? What are you going to do about her?"

  "Girl is right," Mitch countered. "I'm not going to do anything about her, except take her to her sister's house when the weather breaks."

  "What, you're not going to tap that?" Blue sounded incredulous.

  Mitch didn't like the way Blue referred to Tu, who, annoying as she was, didn't do anything to warrant that kind of disrespect.

  "What did you just say?" Mitch was surprised at his own rough tone.

  "I just never knew you to turn down pussy. Are you feeling okay?"

  "You better not talk about her like that," Mitch said. "She's a nice girl. A sweet girl. I've been telling you, that's why she's no good for me. She's not just a piece of tail, Blue."

  "I see," said Blue. Mitch heard some kind of whirring, high-pitched machine being turned on in the background. It was pretty fucking rude of Blue to ask about his life, then ignore what Mitch had to say.

  "Excuse me for saying this," Blue went on. "But it sounds like this woman has gotten under your skin. You might want to consider why that is."

  "It's because she gets into things she has no business getting into," Mitch said, wondering whether Blue had been listening to him at all.

  "Or maybe it takes an irritating person to get to a cranky one." Blue clearly had an agenda of things he wanted to say and was not about to let Mitch derail him.

  "What?" Mitch asked, because that made no goddamned sense at all.

  "Every cup has a saucer," Blue said. He had stopped his machine again to impart that bit of wisdom.

  "What does that mea—" Mitch asked, only to have the machine start up again. Blue was being so goddamned cryptic. Also, he was being an annoying motherfucker.

  Blue went on. "I don't think you're listening to me very closely, but I know some of this has penetrated. Later, when you have occasion to turn this over in your head, remember I told you that you are allowed to have Christmas without your mother. This girl—this woman—might just be the cup to your saucer. Or, the other way around."

  "You think so?" Mitch asked absently.

  "Try not to overthink it. Go with your gut. Do what seems natural."

  Mitch was focused on the road, or rather, the service road. It was unlikely he'd have an accident on this road, even late at night and with poor visibility. His wrecker was one of the few vehicles built to handle tough situations. He only heard part of what Blue told him.

  "Sounds like you're driving," Blue said. "Be careful out there, okay? Maybe you should just go back home."

  "Sure," Mitch told him, again not responding to his mentor directly. "I'm hanging up now."

  His mind went over the events of the evening. He'd forgotten about the snowball garlands he'd made with his mother. Well, she made them. He basically kept an eye on the skeins of yarn, so his mother could wind up the snowballs without the yarn tangling.

  He felt a sudden compulsion to call his father now. The old man had been gone for a week, and he was no doubt having fun with his sisters and their children.

  Every cup has a saucer...

  Blue's words came back to Mitch, slapping him upside the head.

  Could he and Tu be cup and saucer? But that just didn't make sense. She was too different from him.

  Although, now that he thought about it, she was able to get him to talk, something Mitch was quite skilled at avoiding. The look in her eyes when she'd told him "no" was priceless. She hadn't been afraid of him in the least. More like curious. Poking him, then waiting for his response with the detachment of a scientist examining a specimen in a Petri dish.

  The truth was she wasn't intimidated by him at all. Because of that, she was one of the few people in years who'd been able to have an honest conversation with Mitch. She was the only person to truly challenge him...outside of Blue.

  This idea rattled in his mind. He wasn't sure what it meant. However, he was starting to feel a conviction that he was not going to find any answers driving the deserted roads.

  He was by then on the far outskirts of Waco, which was a bigger town than Perdition, but no better at handling the weather than the little town he sort of called home. He needed to turn around and go home. It bothered him that even though this seemed the right thing to do, he was reluctant to do it.

  "You're afraid," he said into the darkness. "You're afraid of a twenty-seven-year-old who is a foot shorter than you, and less than half your weight."

  Every cup has a saucer...

  Maybe he could...talk to her. Find out what she wanted. What kind of interaction she wanted. Not a relationship, an interaction. Short-term, with an expiration date that was the undetermined date of the snow and ice melting. Maybe that would work. Holding on to her over the long-term couldn't lead to anything lasting.

  There were no stranded motorists out here, he realized. There was only him, and Tu, and home.

  At the next stoplight, he took the turnaround on the service road and went back the way he came, only this time, he drove on the highway.

  He was going home.

  But a funny thing happened on the way. He was determined to get back home in one piece, and when he hit a patch of black ice, he wasn't expecting it. When Mitch ran off the road, it was a true surprise to him. It happened so fast. When the wrecker slid off the road, none of his usual curses came to mind. Instead, only one word came to mind as adrenaline pounded in his brain, lighting fear in his body. One word. One name.

  "Tu."

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  A Hazy Shade of Winter

  Mitch didn't return that night.

  Not when she cleaned up the mess in the kitchen.

  Not when she'd made herself a sandwich for dinner.

  Not when she'd settled herself on the couch of the great room watching “A Christmas Story” again, without any snacks since she didn't trust herself to use the appliances without burning the food. He had told her to take the decorations down. She really ought to obey him in this, but she couldn't bear to do it. There was obviously so much love poured into making them that she just couldn't pack them away in the attic.

  She faced the front of the house where she had left the porch light on. She was surrounded by the decorations she'd put up. All evening long, she kept expecting to hear Mitch’s huge feet stomping up the front stairs of Stately Wayne Cabin. It never happened.

  I pushed him too far.

  Yet, her pushing him paradoxically turned him on, as she'd correctly pointed out to him. It also prompted him to lose control long enough to give her a crashing orgasm just from kissing her. Her face heated from the memory, which she had played in her mind again and again as she waited for Mitch to return.

  The man was a puzzle. Smoking hot, big, protective, but also grumpy as hell. The grumpiness excited her to an extent; she knew it was rooted in the need to create emotional distance.

  She wanted him. He wanted her. They didn't have to be boyfriend-girlfriend in order to pass the time while snowed in. She didn't want to give up on the idea of doing him, particularly since he could make her come with just a kiss.

  But even with those heated memories, self-recrimination had been going through her mind all evening, too, then it plagued her all night as she tossed and turned in the huge, plush, comfy bed.

  The next morning, she stood in the shower for a long time, trying to clear the fog lack of sleep had left. The sun wasn't yet up when she dressed and went downstairs, wondering if Mitch had come home during the night. She ate granola soaked overnight in vegan milk and drank lukewarm instant coffee.

  She wandered the many rooms of the cabin struck by the way she could sense Mitch wasn't at home. Whether he admitted it or not, sexual tension seemed to pulse between them whenever they were in a room together. What was holding him back?

  If he was already involved, wouldn't he tell her?

  Her mind ran over the things he'd said to her the night before.

  You should be afraid
of me.

  What did that mean? Sure, he was gruff, but why on earth would she be afraid of him?

  If I fuck you, then I'll start to depend on you. I'll start to care about you.

  She shivered at the thought of a strong, protective man like Mitch caring about her. Her blood heated at the memory of him picking her up as if she weighed no more than a sack of potatoes. Even angry, pinning her up against the fireplace, he hadn't hurt her at all. When he whispered in her ear, she was so sure he was going to kiss her. His lips feathering against her ear had made all the hairs on her skin prickle.

  I'll start to need you.

  Was that so bad? Maybe she'd need him, too.

  Then you'll go away.

  She had no way of knowing what the future held, but she knew she wanted to be with Mitch in the here and now.

  Because you're too beautiful, and too sweet, and too young, and I'm wrong for you.

  Mitch was handsome, not sweet, and not young. But in her heart of hearts, she couldn't help but think he was wrong about them being wrong together.

  I can't afford to lose control.

  But she was desperate for him to lose control. There was something rough and domineering about Mitch...but he was also vulnerable.

  Even more baffling to her was why she was so attracted to him. Yes, he was objectively handsome and strong, and, well, loaded. But she'd felt the spark between them before she’d even really known what he looked like, when he was shifted into his beast. There was something magnetic about him even then.

  Tu settled on the couch, not knowing what to do next. Finally, she decided to call Karen Greene, who of all the Greenes to have moved to Perdition, had been there the longest. She was her mother's youngest sister, and close in age to Jasmine, and only a few years older than Tu. Everyone in her family called her Auntie, and apparently, so did everyone in town.

  Auntie owned the apothecary in town, and besides that, she was the resident conjure-woman. She had a bit of the second sight, and Tu wondered if Auntie could offer any insight.

  Auntie answered the call with her video on.

  "How's my favorite niece?" Tu had caught Auntie in her living room, where she appeared to be lounging.

  "I'm your favorite niece, huh? Don't tell Jasmine that."

  Auntie chuckled. "You're both my favorite niece," said her aunt, smiling. She was sitting cross-legged on her couch, holding a mug. She wore one of her woo-woo Bohemian dresses, this one a gauzy number that made Tu wonder whether she had her heat cranked up in order to stay warm. Or maybe she wore long johns underneath the thin fabric. A plump orange cat lounged next to Auntie on the couch.

  "What are you drinking?" Tu asked. "And when did you get a cat?"

  "Warm apple cider," Auntie said. "And his name is Fat Joey, but he's just staying with me for the holidays. Tell me, why are you calling? I've been expecting to hear from you."

  There went Auntie and her second sight again.

  "You have, huh?" Tu asked, wishing she'd thought to contact her aunt earlier. "If you knew I would be calling, then you probably already know why I'm calling."

  "I talked to your sister," Auntie said. "She said you went off the road and were rescued by our Mitch Wayne. You know, tall, hot, and grumpy."

  Tu chuckled. "That pretty much sums him up."

  "I hear you're snowed in." Auntie blew on her mug of cider before taking a sip.

  "We are," said Tu, thinking it was odd but also nice to refer to Mitch and herself as "we."

  "And how is that going?"

  "Well..." Tu felt shy all of a sudden. She went to the pantry and started rearranging. For some odd reason, Mitch had enough pasta to feed an army of marathoners carb-loading before a race.

  "What happened?" Auntie asked.

  Tu told Auntie the whole sordid tale, leaving out what she was wearing when she threw herself at Mitch, and the part about Mitch pinning her to the fireplace.

  "Where is he now?" Auntie asked.

  "I don't know," Tu said. "He left last night, and he hasn't been back."

  Auntie nodded in acknowledgement. "How much do you know about bull shifters?"

  "Some," Tu said. "My Omni doesn't work here, and I feel weird about researching his species. I'd rather he tell me himself."

  "I'd just like to point out that you went into his attic, rifled through his things, and put up his Christmas decorations without his permission," Auntie said.

  "That was different," Tu said. Should she tell Auntie how Mitch had looked when he came home and saw what she'd done? His eyes were sad, almost haunted, before turning angry...

  "Uh-huh," Auntie said. "What are you doing, anyway?"

  "Hm? I'm organizing this pantry. The way he's got things put away in here, you can't find anything," Tu said.

  "Is that a good idea?" Auntie asked.

  Tu frowned. "I have nothing else to do...until he comes home."

  "Are you worried about him?" Auntie asked.

  Mitch was a big boy. Tu had the idea that he could take care of himself, but she was pretty worried he might be so mad at her that he couldn't bear to be around her, his proclamation notwithstanding.

  I'll start to depend on you. I'll start to care about you.

  "I'm sure he's fine..." Tu said.

  "Did I ever tell you what happened when your sister came to town?" Auntie asked. She cocked an eyebrow at Tu.

  "What do you mean?" Tu realized it would be easier to just take everything out of the pantry and organize it as she put it back.

  "Your sister came to town and lived in AJ's backyard for about six months before she actually met him," Auntie told her. "I knew she and AJ would hit it off."

  "You did?" Tu said absently, only half paying attention to Auntie.

  "Hey, pay attention." Auntie snapped her fingers at her screen.

  "What?" Tu glared at her aunt.

  "Eric and Jane, AJ and Jasmine, Phelan and Lola. I have a nose for these things."

  Tu froze, blinking at the image on the smartphone propped on the kitchen counter. "A nose for what things?"

  "People who start out strangers, but wind up a lot more. Eventually."

  Auntie was maddeningly smug.

  "Meaning?" Tu asked, one hand on her hip.

  "I wouldn't say I, myself, am any kind of matchmaker, but..."

  "But, what?" Tu had had enough of her aunt’s woo-woo sensibilities.

  "You'll see," said Auntie. "Just keep an open mind, okay? I have a feeling it's going to all work out. As for Mitch Wayne...just keep an open mind."

  "I hate it when you do this woo-woo cryptic shit," Tu said, annoyed. "Can you, for once, just tell me what you mean?"

  "It's not my story to tell," Auntie said.

  "How would you even know how it's going to work out?" Tu demanded. "Are you besties with Cupid now?" Tu was annoyed by how much Auntie was holding back from her.

  "Not exactly," her aunt said, stroking her cat, who tossed his head back to allow her better access for neck scratches. "But close. Very close."

  "I feel like we are having two different conversations," Tu said. "I'm speaking English, and you're speaking to a Ouija board."

  "You mock and laugh now," Auntie said. "You won't be laughing when this all plays out. Just don't run away to Vegas when the time comes."

  "What? It's not like that!" Tu insisted, but then she remembered what Mitch said.

  I'll start to need you. Then you'll go away.

  Their relationship...such that it was...it wasn't like that. Was it? She'd only known the guy for two days.

  Long enough for him to set your blood on fire, said a little voice in her head.

  She just wanted to fool around with him...right? Tu had fallen silent, her mind whirling with the frightening thoughts, her heart squeezing with emotion.

  When Tu focused on the screen again, Auntie was looking at Tu with a smirk on her lips and laughter in her eyes. Fat Joey bumped Auntie's hand, seeking attention. She looked annoyed and pushed the cat off her lap fi
rmly. Tu frowned at the annoyance on the face of her usually laid back, crunchy aunt.

  "So, what about you?" Tu asked. She had resumed her organizing activities and had placed the contents into piles according to the types of items. It was probably silly to be so invested in rearranging the pantry when there was nothing at all she herself could cook.

  "What about me, what?" Auntie's voice sounded far away; her smartphone pointed at the empty couch. The chubby cat's head swiveled as he watched her go. Then he began to groom himself.

  "Hey! Come back here!" Tu demanded. "You don't get to drop bombs, then sashay your little behind away."

  Auntie soon returned to the couch and flopped down. Fat Joey looked at her with what seemed to be...longing?

  "You just told me all about my love life," Tu said, waving a hand impatiently. "What about your love life? Spill."

  It occurred to her then that she hadn't heard Auntie was dating anyone since she'd moved to Texas from Ohio. Fat Joey looked up at Auntie and blinked. If Tu didn't know better, she'd think the cat wanted to hear what Auntie had to say, as well.

  "Well, ah," Auntie stammered and blushed. Beside her, the cat meowed plaintively.

  "That is, I stay pretty busy...what with the shop and everything..." Auntie looked distinctly uncomfortable and managed a brittle, forced smile. The cat had an uncanny expression that said, "please, go on."

  "Uh huh," Tu said. She leaned in to where the smartphone was propped on the kitchen counter and peered at Auntie, whose skin flushed red under her brown complexion.

  "What are you hiding?" Tu asked, more than a little suspicious.

  "Nothing," Auntie said, looking exactly like she was hiding something.

  "Well, come on. Fess up!" Tu demanded.

  Before Auntie could speak, the screen of the smartphone glowed, and two words appeared on the screen.

  Mitch Wayne.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Walking in a Winter Wonderland

  Mitch called the smartphone he'd left with Tu, knowing he needed to talk to her, but not knowing what he would say. He had already been walking back to the cabin for hours when it occurred to him that simply letting her know he was okay was a good idea.