Page 50 of Wounded Christmas Wolf
“It was,” Holly said quietly. “In spite of all the ups and downs ... it was.”
They walked around the rest of the farm hand in hand, and by the time they came back to the yard, both of them were more than ready to go in. Even Rocket seemed to havehad enough of the cold weather; the dog crowded close to their legs until the door was open, and vanished instantly to the dog bed by the radiator.
In the entryway, they took off their outside gear with stifled giggles as they kept bumping into each other. Holly was pink-cheeked and bright-eyed, and looked a lot more relaxed than earlier.
“You’re right, that helped,” she whispered. “Sorry to be such a coward.”
Jace turned to face her. “Holly. You’re nothing like a coward.”
She was looking up at him, head tilted back, the chill outside giving a rosy glow to her face. He leaned forward, took her face in his hands, and welcomed the promise of her kiss with his own.
Her lips were chilly, the tip of her nose cold where it brushed his cheek. But when she opened her mouth and let him in, there was all heat and eagerness. They kissed and kissed, pressed up against each other, half smothered in coats.
Finally Holly pulled away and finished taking her boots off. Then she straightened up and looked at him, her cheeks bright pink.
“Come upstairs with me,” she said softly, holding out a hand. Her fingers laced through his. “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
In spite of the invitation, Jace hesitated on the threshold of Holly’s bedroom door until she beckoned him inside. He tiptoed in and shut the door quietly behind him.
Holly sat on the bed. Now that they were both here, shelooked a little nervous. She had turned on the bedside lamp, and the light cast soft shadows over her face.
Jace sat beside her. He leaned over, raised a careful hand to touch her face, and kissed her again.
Her lips were warmer now, an open and glorious invitation. They kissed and kissed, until he laid her back on the bed, and then both of them froze as the bed creaked under them, relaxing as the rest of the house remained quiet.
“Not used to bringing boys up here?” Jace whispered, half-teasing.
“Mmm. Kiss me again and maybe I’ll tell you my secrets.”
After some more kissing and some unbuttoning, Jace happened to look up.
“What?” Holly whispered, noticing that he had stopped moving.
“Do you mind if we—cover the dolls?”
Holly blinked at him, her lips twitching. “You can’t stand to do it ... in front of my childhood doll collection?”
“I feel like they’re watching me!”
She dissolved into giggles, burying her face in the pillow to stifle it. “I’m fine,” she gasped. “We could make tiny blindfolds for them.”
“Knock it off,” he growled playfully, crawling onto the bed.
“I could line some of them up ... you know those scorecards they hold up at Olympic sports ... 9.2, 8.7 ...” Her eyes brimmed with tears of laughter as she fought not to lose control.
Jace pushed her back on the pillows and climbed on top of her. “I’m going to hope it’s all 10’s.”
“Urgh. Move. I’ll fix this. Hang on.”
She got up, beautifully half-naked, got a box out of the closet and swept the dolls into it.
“I needed to do this anyway,” she remarked as one dollafter another tumbled in. “I haven’t changed anything about this room, just moved back in like I never left. But I’m an adult now. And I guess it’s time to put childish things away.”
As she shoved the box into the closet, there was a plaintive SQUEAKASQUEAKA~~ on the other side of the door, down on ankle level.
“I forgot about Cupcake,” Holly whisper-sighed.
She put on a bathrobe and vanished for a few minutes. Jace heard her talking to the dog quietly, then heard her feet on the stairs and receding squeaking noises, and soon she came back in.
