Page 90 of Bragg's Love

“You didn’t have to get me anything.”

She looks up at me from beneath her lashes and bites her bottom lip. “I was going to wear a trench coat with nothing underneath and wrap a bow around my neck but I didn’t think the people of Winter Falls would appreciate it.”

She’s a vixen. My cock hardens at her words. He votes for throwing her over my shoulder and escaping this party. I second. I start for her but before I can reach her, the gossip gals arrive at the front of the crowd.

They’re wearing hot pink t-shirts with the wordsGossip Gals Bring The Partyon them. I chuckle. The gray-haired ladies can’t be a day under seventy yet they believe they’re the ones bringing the party.

“Eden Spring, take it back!” Sage demands.

Eden bats her eyelashes. “Take what back?”

“You know we don’t mind a little nudity in Winter Falls,” Petal says.

“And sexy times. We don’t mind sexy times,” Feather adds.

“You used to do nude yoga all the time,” Cayenne points out and my cock twitches at the vision of Eden doing yoga completely naked. Shit. I don’t want to be hard in front of the old lady gang.

I clear my throat. “Can I open my present now?” I hold up the box Eden gave me, but I don’t wait for an answer before opening it.

I remove the baseball cap with an integrated headlight from the box.

“Do you like it?” Eden asks as she bounces on her toes. “I thought it might be useful in case someone thinks it’s funny to switch the lights off on you when you’re in the basement again.” She glares at Elder who winks back.

“How do you…” I cut myself off. Of course, she knows what Elder did. Everyone in town knows everything that happens in town within minutes of it occurring.

I lean over and kiss Eden lightly on the lips. “Thank you. It’s perfect. I love it.”

She beams up at me. “Good. But if you change your mind, I kept the ribbon to make a bow for around my neck.”

I groan. She’s killing me. Before I can declare the party over, Brody slaps a card in my hands. “Here.”

“Thanks,” I say and start to put it in the box with my hat.

He nudges me. “Open it.”

I debate opening it. Brody’s a prankster, but how big of a prank can he fit into a card?

“Open it! Open it! Open it!” Brody chants and the rest of the crowd join in.

Guess I’m opening it. I pull the card out of the envelope. It’s just a normal birthday card. An ugly one with flowers on it but still a birthday card.

“Read it out loud.”

I clear my throat. “Happy birthday, brother,” I read.

“The inside. Read the inside,” Brody insists.

I flip the card open and frown. The writing is tiny. “This is written for elves.”

Eden leans over me. “I can read it just fine.”

I hand her the card. “Then, you read it.”

She backs away. “It’s your card.”

I glare at her. She knows exactly why I can’t read the card.

Mom arrives at my shoulder. “Here.” She holds out her glasses. I stare at her and she nudges me. “Don’t be a baby, Miller.”

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