Page 41 of Hot Chocolate & Hitmen

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I scan the landing above as I hear Teddy and Atlas following behind us, likely escorting Jason.

"What are you going to do with him?" I ask.

"Don't you worry about that," Key says, his tone light. "We'll make sure he can't cause any more trouble."

We reach the living room and Key gently sets me down on the plush couch. The fire is still crackling merrily in the hearth, casting a warm glow over the room. It feels surreal to be back in this cozy space after the chaos upstairs.

"What should we do with this lump of coal?" Atlas growls, shoving Jason into the room.

I raise an eyebrow, watching as Key's eyes light up with an idea that I'm not entirely sure I want to be a witness to.

I watch, torn between amusement and disbelief, as he maneuvers Jason into a chair in the corner of the room beneath the balcony overhang. Despite his protests, Key quickly binds him to a chair using strands of colorful Christmas lights. It’s a shame they won’t make his personality any prettier when the electricity is turned back on.

"Really?" I say, shaking my head but unable to completely smother the upward twitch of my lips.

Key grins, clearly not done yet. "Oh come on, Sugar. Every Christmas display needs some decorations!"

He darts around the room, grabbing various ornaments and tinsel. With exaggerated care, he begins adorning Jason like a disgruntled Christmas tree. A star perched precariously on his head is the final touch.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to maintain some semblance of disapproval. "You know this is ridiculous, right?"

Teddy chuckles as he appears from the hallway. Placing an ice pack on the arm of the couch, he comes to sit beside me. Draping his arm over my shoulders, I snuggle into his side. "Admit it, Little One. It's a little funny."

I glance over at Jason, now wrapped up in lights and covered in glittery decorations. A snort of laughter escapes as I picture the lights, alight in their full splendor. “I guess. Maybe a little.”

Before I can take it all in, Atlas suddenly steps in front of me, blocking my view. Reaching a hand out, Teddy hands him a flashlight. Flicking it on, Atlas kneels down and gently pulls my leg out to examine my slightly swollen ankle with an intensity that makes my pulse quicken.

Propping my leg up--making sure it’s elevated--he reaches over to grab the ice-pack and gently places it on my ankle, before draping a cozy blanket over my legs.

“There we go. How does that feel?” he asks, his gruff voice softened by concern.

I exhale a sigh of relief. “Much better, thank you.” He nods, satisfied, then settles on my other side, effectively caging me between him and Teddy.

“Now, Little One, why don’t you tell us exactly what happened up there? We need all the details,” Teddy says, thoughhis eyes remain fixed on the glitter-bombed disaster that is Jason in the corner. I can’t help but sigh.

Taking a deep breath, I start recounting everything, from the moment I heard the gunshots, to Jason’s surprise appearance and his misguided attempt to “rescue” me.

Teddy looks at me, his eyes softening. "You did good, Little One. Real good."

His praise warms me more than the fire ever could and I smile, my cheeks no doubt redder than Rudolph’s nose.

“Fantastic!” Key claps his hands, breaking the moment with his usual energy. “Now that we’ve got that all sorted, I believe someone mentioned hot chocolate and cookies?”

I giggle at his enthusiasm, but the sound dies on my lips as Teddy leans in closer, his breath skimming my neck and teeth nipping at the delicate skin, making my pulse race.

More like hot chocolate and hitmen.

Chapter Eighteen

Tightening my arm around Grace, I stroke a few tendrils of hair behind her ear and watch her sleep. The small frown lines she’s been holding throughout the day smoothing out to show how unblemished her porcelain skin really is. Her rosy red lips finish the picture, making my already blue balls that much more painful.

Glancing at the window behind her, the first rays of light are slowly starting to seep through the forest beyond. Casting rays of soft sunlight to hit her face, she truly looks like an angel in my arms.

Despite the light creeping in, the rest of the room remains in relative darkness aside from the roaring fire across the room and the candles surrounding the bed and on the bathroom counter tops.

Thankfully, the guys stoked the fire and lit the candles just before they went to fix the breakers after the asswipe in the other room decided to sabotage it. I don’t know why the fucker didn’t simplyflipthem. After all, it’s not like he’d be able to get anywhere out in the blizzards anyway, so he’d need the electricity to survive just as much as we do.

Ideally we should have fixed the breakers last night, but it would have been difficult with the lack of light, so we decided to go the old fashioned route overnight and use fires and body heat to keep warm. Adding in the fact that we were all shaken from what happened to Grace, none of us wanted to leave her side. Apart from taking a moment to dole out a whole load of hurt to her asshole ex that is. Despite the overwhelming urge though, we all managed to keep it in check. For Grace’s sake.

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