Page 107 of Mountain Protector

“It’s made by a local artisan,” I explain, filling the silence. “This is what I was picking up the night of the Winter Walk. I know it’s not a traditional tree, but I know you loving working with wood, and the Green Mountains, and?—”

Knox traces his finger along one of the carved branches. “Is this writing?”

“Yes. I asked the guy who made it… well, I wanted it to be personalized for you. But maybe it was a bad idea.”

Leaning closer, he reads the first name etched into the wood. “Tom?”

“All the people who are important to you. But if I missed someone…”

He continues searching along the branches. “You have all my teammates on here. And everyone in the Guardians.”

“Well, I thought they were important.”

“They are.” Glancing back at it, he reads the next name and smiles, “Lark. Of course you’re here.”

“Well.” I give him a sheepish grin. “Maybe it was presumptuous. But I hope I’m important to you.”

“Songbird. You’re the most important.”

As he moves to put it down, I touch his arm. “Wait. There’s one more. At the top. On the star.”

Knox stops. Looks at it. His features go still.

Please let me not have just ruined Christmas for him.

After an interminable silence, he turns to me. “You put Fitz on here.”

“I did. I thought… it seemed right.”

“Songbird.” He puts the tree on the coffee table andpulls me into his arms. His lips press against my hair. “Thank you. It’s perfect. And that you put Fitz on there…” A smile touches his lips. “He would have loved you, you know.”

“Do you think so?”

“Absolutely. Not as much as I love you, of course. But yes. And if he met you, he’d tell me never to let you go. That I’m damn lucky to have met you.”

Snuggling closer to Knox, I nuzzle his neck, breathing in his familiar scent. My lips feather across his soft skin, a tender spot I always love to kiss. “I’m never going to let you go, Knox. You’re stuck with me.”

Lifting me onto his lap, he frames my face with his hands. His gaze meets mine, his love a visible thing. “Good. Because you’re stuck with me, too.”

Oh.

This feeling. It’s beyond words. It’severything.

As we look at each other, I press my lips to his. First nipping his bottom lip, then stroking my tongue across it, soothing the small sting. Then teasing his mouth open and dipping inside. As the kiss deepens, I feel him hardening beneath me, sending a rush of heat straight to my core.

When we finally break apart, both of us breathing hard, Knox runs his thumb across my lips. “I’ll never get tired of kissing you.”

I grin at him. “Same. And just so you know, I’m counting the days until we can make love again.”

His smile matches mine. “So am I.” A beat, and then in that growly voice, “And once we can, I plan to make up for lost time.”

My breath catches. As I imagine us naked in front ofthe fireplace, Knox kissing me everywhere, my cheeks warm. “I can’t wait.”

“Songbird.”

“Yes?”

Knox’s gaze softens. “Merry Christmas. This has been the best Christmas I ever had.”

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