Page 36 of Kringle and the Kraken

My boyfriend? My gaze swung to Levi to gauge his reaction to the b-word my mom had just casually dropped with all the subtlety of a nuclear bomb. He was smiling.

“Well, Mother, I was supposed to have the day off because of the KELPS holiday party, but I got a call saying you guys were overrun out here, so myboyfriend”—I stressed the word, letting it roll around on my tongue and finding I really liked the sound—“is dressed for a pizza party, not cutting down trees.”

Completely ignoring me, my mom turned to Levi. “Did you really leave the house without a coat?”

I could swear I saw sweat forming at Levi’s brow as he looked between me and my mother, trying to figure out how to navigate his very first Mary Kate Kringle interrogation.

“I, uh, I had a little mishap. Ripped the sleeve right off.”

A snort slipped out when I tried to hold in my laughter. Yeah, more like Levi hulked out of his jacket and left the thing totally decimated, but sure. A ripped-off sleeve. Let’s go with that.

“Oh dear.” My mom rubbed her hands over his shoulders and bare arms, fussing over him like he was a child even though he was…well, I didn’t actually know how old Levi was, and I addeda note to my mental tally of things I needed to ask him about krakens. Did they age the same way as humans or was it like a dog years thing? Was Levi actually hundreds of years old?

“I’m fine, Mrs. Kringle. I swear I’m not cold.”

She huffed at him. “First, I told you to call me Mary Kate. Second, I don’t believe you. I know we have some extra winter gear around here somewhere. Let me go find it while you boys check in with Keith.”

My brother was already waving us over, another stack of brightly colored tickets in his hand. By the time we’d retrieved them, my mom had returned with an old Carhart jacket and a handmade scarf, probably another of Kimmy’s best efforts, and an old pair of rubber fisherman’s boots that fit on over shoes.

“Here. You put this on before you head back out there. There will be no pneumonia on my watch.”

Someone called her name from across the barn and she turned to leave, then dropped a kiss on both our cheeks before hustling away to gossip.

Levi watched her go. “I’m not gonna lie, I kinda love your mom. She scares the absolute shit out of me, but I like her anyway.”

My answering laugh echoed around the barn, and I heard a few people gasp when they saw the jolly sound was coming from me. “Same.” I pointed at the pile of gear she’d left. “You’d better put that on whether you need it or not. You don’t want to know what will happen if she sees you without proper outdoor attire.”

Levi rushed to comply, and then we were back in the ATV and back out to cut down more trees. Probably trying to be a dick, Keith had given us a stack of tickets for the trees located at the far back of the property, but working so far from the hustle and bustle of the barns and workshop meant Levi could shed his coat and use his tentacles, and watching him was nothing short of completely amazing.

Each tentacle was crazy strong, and he used his kraken strength to effortlessly lift the trees I cut into the trailer. We were done in record time, and I got the smug satisfaction of seeing my brother’s shocked expression when we returned to the barn for another set of tickets.

“This is the last group.” He passed off the stack, and Levi and I made quick work of it. My dad had installed lights out in the trees, and they’d come on as it got darker. Without them, it would have been pitch black, but the tall lamps threw enough light to make it easy to see.

When we’d loaded the last tree into the trailer, I reached for Levi’s hand, twining our fingers together.

He looked down at our joined hands then up at my face. “You have snow in your beard.” I lifted my hand to brush it away, but Levi grabbed my wrist. “No, don’t. I like it.”

My smile was wide as we got back into the ATV. I loved spending time with Levi. It was comfortable, like we’d been doing it for years instead of just a few weeks.

“Thank you for not freaking out earlier.”

“I like you, Levi. The fact that you’re a kraken doesn’t change that. It’s just you, but now with tentacles.” I couldn’t help the shudder that rolled through me when visions of everything I wanted those tentacles to do to me flashed through my mind.

“I like you too, Kris.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “I know it wasn’t technically part of our plan for the evening, but do you want to come to my house after we’re done here?”

I was nodding before Levi even finished the question. “Yes, definitely.”

Mischief sparkled in Levi’s eyes when I glanced over at him, and I knew without a doubt we were on the same page. “Excellent. I’ve been dying to get my hands on you again.”

“And other things, right?” My voice came out a little raspy with desire.

Levi’s eyebrows almost hit his hairline. “You’d want that?”

“Um, yeah.” I felt my cheeks heat in spite of the snow swirling around us, and I wondered if the heat there was now creating a void where the snow melted and evaporated before it even hit my skin. “Is that okay?”

“So okay. So very, very okay.” Levi was breathless and adjusted himself in his seat, and I stole another quick glance at him as I pulled up behind the baling barn. The bulge behind his zipper was more noticeable than it had been a few minutes ago.

Not that I’d been looking.

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