Holiday Magic

by Tl Reeve

  He looked over his shoulder and caught her staring. Before she could register what he was doing, he’d taken a photo of her with his phone.

  “Hey!”

  “Hi, there,” he replied with a sly grin, his eyes on the screen of his phone. He rejoined her on the bed and tilted the screen so she could see the shot. There she was, sheets twisting around her, one breast nearly revealed, and hair that screamed she’d been fucked every which way. Aubrey laughed at the sight.

  She snuggled into Nate’s side as he read through the barrage of messages he’d just received. His arm was wrapped around behind her, his free hand alternating between slowly stroking her arm and twisting the ends of her hair.

  “Do you have to rush away?” she finally asked.

  He chucked his phone to the side and turned his full attention on her. “Nope, not yet. Just updates from work. Nothing that can’t wait a little while longer.”

  “You’re going to delete that photo, right?” she asked.

  “You mean my new background image? Absolutely not.”

  Aubrey moved until she was straddling Nate, her eyes narrowed in mock anger. “That is not your new background. Someone might see it.”

  “Exactly. Me. Every time I look at my phone, I’ll see it.” His face didn’t hold an ounce of humor in it. His seriousness sent a shiver through her.

  He looked at her as if nothing else mattered. Is it possible to fall for someone over something so stupid? How many times had he set aside his phone and put his gorgeous eyes on her, giving her his full attention? How many times had he, in so few days, put her first? She could think of only once when he’d put his work first, and in truth, that didn’t bother her. She hadn’t been thrilled about how he’d done it, but the fact he’d been wrapped up in work hadn’t been the problem.

  “Nate. . .” She wasn’t sure what she was going to say. That she loved him? Did she really? Could you love someone so soon without knowing more about them. She didn’t know where he’d gone to school, or if he liked the Broncos, or maybe he hated football, maybe he hated all sports. Did he like animals? Was he one of those people who said they did but then kept fish?

  “Hungry?” he asked in response, a knowing smile sweeping away the seriousness that had cut her deeply.

  “Uh, yes, actually,” she licked her lips.

  He chuckled as he cupped her face and pulled her down to him. Gently, as if she might break, he kissed her lips, and then her nose, and then her forehead. His gaze ran down her naked form. She’d let the blankets fall away entirely, modesty completely gone after last night.

  “Pancakes?” he asked when his eyes made it back to hers.

  Aubrey broke apart with laughter and she buried her face into a pillow.

  “Blondie?” Nate sounded thoroughly confused. She held up a finger indicating she needed a moment while her body shook. “I’m going to take that as a yes on pancakes.” She felt him moving off the bed and then the sting of his hand slapping her bare ass before he walked past. She gave a yelp but continued laughing. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  Aubrey sat in the middle of the bed with Nate’s faded black University of Colorado Boulder sweatshirt hanging on her small frame. She’d rolled the sleeves so they weren’t dragging in the syrup that pooled on her plate around the edges of the pumpkin pancakes. Nate had pulled on his flannel pants and was leaned back against his headboard watching her make faces he’d seen the night before. This woman did dirty, horrible things to food, and he loved it.

  “Oh, my,” she murmured, eyes closed, tongue flicking out to catch a drip of syrup from the base of the fork. “I’m keeping you. Quit your job, you’re now my personal chef.”

  “Blondie, if I get to watch you eat everything I make with that same level of appetite, it’s a deal.”

  She smirked, her eyes still closed, her face still locked in blissed. He wanted to shove the plate away and have his way with her again, but there’d be time for that later. First, he wanted to know more about her trip to California, and to finally hear everything that had happened with Riley.

  “Tell me about California and this dragon you trained with. Did you tell him about. . .” He trailed off when she opened those green eyes and put her fork down. “About us.”

  “I did.” Her eyes dropped to the last sliver of pancake on her plate. With a tiny shrug, she picked her fork up, stabbed the offending food and shoved it into her mouth. Nate watched, amused. Nothing came between Aubrey and her food, he realized.

  After she’d licked the fork clean, creating a bulge in Nate’s pants in the process, Aubrey let out a satisfied sigh and continued. She told him about how she’d not known how to heal him properly, and so hadn’t finished the job, and how this could create the humming sensation. She finished by telling him about Zane’s offer to introduce her to other dragons, to help her find a good mate.

  “Is that something you want?” he asked.

  She frowned at him. “Is that something you want? To find a good witch to settle down with?”

  “The witch part is negotiable. I’ve never really bought into the idea that I need to strengthen blood lines. I just want to find someone who makes me happy, who I can make happy in return.” He waited nervously for her to answer the question. Maybe being out there with Zane had made her see that what she really wanted and needed was to be with other dragons. Maybe last night had just been a result of the magic of winter solstice.

  “That’s what I want too. I had thought I felt more witch than dragon anyway, until Riley and Chuck were talking last night in the car about traditions. And so many of our traditions are the same. I can be both, right? I was raised a witch, but I’m also a dragon.”

  He grinned at the thought. “Yeah, Blondie you can be both. But I think you’re something entirely different. Something amazing.”

  “Plus, I thought I was dating you now,” she said in a teasing tone. “Or were those it’s-time-to-go pancakes?”

  “No, those are not get-the-fuck-out pancakes. That’s what cereal is for,” Nate joked. Aubrey rolled her eyes. “I just wanted to check, make sure you weren’t going to write last night off as a result of solstice and nothing more.”

  “Well, it wasn’t the solstice. In fact, given the hour, I think we pretty thoroughly proved it wasn’t the solstice.” When she laughed, his stomach twisted. He loved her laugh. She caught him staring at her and her eyes darkened with desire. The plate found its way to the bedside table and Aubrey found her way to Nate’s lap.

  He let her push him backward onto the bed, let her kiss him until they were both gasping for air between kisses. Her hand felt hot on his chest, inches from the scar. The energy racing between them where their flesh met might disappear with that scar, but Nate knew what remained would be more powerful.

  19

  Jaina Moore was staring them down like a bald eagle zeroing in on its prey. Nate held her gaze, daring her to say something. Riley and Chuck were arguing over whether paprika was a real seasoning, debating the practical uses, and whether it could be cut entirely from her grandmother’s recipe.

  Ian Finley sat next to his cousin, occasionally making comments about the spice trade, and Aubrey sat next to Nate, eyes narrowed in confusion as she listened. Madison Chadwick was waiting tables. She didn’t need to, but Finley said it kept her sane. And connected. She was Gaius Aeden’s lifeline to the town.

  “It’s red dyed dust, that’s all I’m saying,” Riley said loudly over Chuck’s protests. “Bree, come on, back me up.”

  “Cooking isn’t really my thing. I might starve if Nate didn’t feed me,” Aubrey said with a laugh. Her hand squeezed Nate’s thigh under the table. He knew that plea. Say something to ease the tension.

  “Hey, Riley?” he asked, gaze finally leaving the old biddy behind the counter.

  Riley looked at him expectantly. “Yeah, man? You agree with me, right? Useless. Use Cayenne if you want real flavor.”

  “Uh, I mean, paprika has some flavor. Not really anything
worth much, but for some people it’s enough,” Nate said quickly, flashing Chuck an apologetic smile. But then he was back to business, focus on the dragon across the table from him.

  It was spring break at the university. That meant Chuck was here visiting her brother—well, really Riley. And Waldenburg University was a ghost town. It also meant it was time for him to either renew his lease on his apartment or move.

  “Riley,” Nate said, “I know you and Aubrey are close now, so I wanted to let you know Aubrey and I are moving in together.”

  Everything went still. Ian was pretending to look at a very important message on his phone. Chuck was looking out the window. Aubrey’s hand on Nate’s thigh tightened. And Madison was beside the table with their lunches. Five seconds stretched into an hour.

  “Right on,” Riley replied and time restarted. He looked to his sister. “You need help moving?”

  “No,” she said softly, a smile on her face. “Thanks though.”

  “You tell Dalton?” Finley asked, his phone still holding his attention. Maybe he wasn’t pretending.

  “Yeah, this morning,” Nate replied. The moving in conversation had gone about as well as the dating your niece conversation. Posturing and threats, and then a slap on the back and a congratulation. Dalton was a mixed bag. Nate wondered how much of Dalton’s response was a result of a sense of duty to look after Aubrey.

  Madison was handing them their plates and giving her congratulations. Chuck had questions about Aubrey’s lease, and what she’d found pricewise while hunting for properties last winter. Riley was cutting his giant burger in half.

  “Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Riley said, burger hovering in front of his mouth. “Did it work? Scar free?”

  Nate grinned and nodded. “Yeah, it worked.”

  Aubrey had spent the last three months training with her brother and Zane. She’d met a few other dragons too. Two weeks ago, she’d surprised him by saying she was ready to finish what she’d started. With more control, and without passing out, she was able to pull her power, and Nate was as good as new.

  They’d feared everything would change once her power wasn’t split. And it had. Aubrey didn’t tire as easily. Metal objects didn’t shock them when they were near one another. And Nate’s stamina greatly increased. They’d tested that many times, just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t.

  Nate had also landed another large case requiring long days, some weekends, and more hours away from Aubrey than he liked. He had been sure it was going to kill their relationship, based purely on past experiences.

  But she found ways to see him during the day, bringing him lunch, or sending him a text with a photo of her lecture room on a pop-quiz day. When he was at his busiest, she hadn’t complained. They found ways to make the best of the limited hours they had together, which led to him spending most of his nights at her apartment, and discussions of finding one apartment that could be theirs.

  He looked at Aubrey and found her with her eyes closed in bliss, her mouth still wrapped around her fork. Now was not the time to be sporting a hard-on, but that look did it to him every time. And she didn’t even know she was doing it.

  “Oh my God, Nate, you have to try this,” she murmured, utensil still in her mouth, obstructing the clarity of her words.

  “Jaina thought you’d want dessert first,” Madison said from where she leaned against the side of the booth. “Good?”

  “Amazing. Love. Love. Love,” Aubrey replied while she stabbed another sliver of the pie.

  “Raspberry and apple,” Madison informed the table. “New recipe for the coming Beltane celebration.”

  Nate winced. Beltane? And Jaina was shoving her pies off on Aubrey? He looked at the old crone, who was watching them closely.

  “Blondie,” he said gently as he stole the plate from her. She handed him her fork and he took a small bite. Yep. Charmed. He rolled his eyes.

  “What?” she asked, eyes on the pie.

  He leaned in and whispered, “She laced it with charms, most likely fertility related if I know Jaina.”

  Aubrey’s eyes darted past him to the old witch, and then back to the pie. “It’s really good.”

  He laughed and handed the plate back to her. “Go on, Blondie. We’ll just take extra precautions.”

  “Not hearing this,” Riley muttered.

  “Don’t eat that pie,” Finley said to Madison.

  “I never do,” Madison replied before heading off to the next table.

  “Hey, Nate?” Aubrey asked softly as she loaded her fork.

  “Yeah, Blondie?”

  “I love you more than this pie.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him as she shoved the fork into her mouth.

  “I love you more than all the pie in the world,” he replied, watching her eyes go wide. He knew what she was thinking. That was a lot of pie. And then her fingers gripped the edge of the plate, curling it toward her, away from him. A dragon protecting her treasure.

  He sat there transfixed as she continued to eat, watching the movement of her throat, the smile on her face, listening to the little contented sighs. Everything about this woman mesmerized him. And in the last three months, he’d learned that Aubrey Dalton had never needed saving. She’d needed someone to help her see who she truly was, an elegant beast waiting to be unleashed. And Nate knew exactly how to set that beast free.

  * * *

  <<<<>>>>

  About the Author

  A.K. Hudson is a native Austinite who fell in love with urban fantasy thanks to Anne Rice and L.J. Smith novels and Joss Whedon’s Buffy. She currently lives with her husband and three cats in Sweden, where she devours romance and fantasy novels while plotting her own.

  * * *

  Follow AK on Social Media:

  Twitter: @TheAKHudson

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAKHudson/

  Note From the Publisher

  Thank you for reading the Holiday Magic. If you liked the stories, please leave a review. Reviews help the authors more than you know.

  If you’d like to know more about After Glows, check out our website or email us at admin@AfterGlowsPublishing.com.

  To stay current with upcoming titles, new releases, and other publishing news from After Glows subscribe to our MAILING LIST.

  Also, join our Facebook Reader’s Group to interact with our authors and other readers.

  Thank you again for purchasing and reading Holiday Magic.