“Slow down, J.D.,” Anna Victoria chuckled. “I’m pretty sure he’s not part of any cult. But”—she reached out and put a hand on her shoulder—“being mates, or any relationship for that matter, involves compromise.”
“And communication,” Temperance added.
“You guys just met yesterday, cut yourself some slack,” Anna Victoria said. “And you know, I’m so proud of you guys, being so mature and taking things slow and wanting to get to know each other. This is part of that. And arguing and fighting and pushing each other’s buttons.”
“But in the end, it’s all worth it, right, Anna Victoria?” Temperance said with a wink.
“Definitely.”
The two shared a look again, but this time, both had that glow of happiness she’d only seen when they were talking about their mates. A pang of envy hit her—she wanted to someday have that look on her face too.
She gave a resigned sigh. And though she knew her pride would take a hit, she knew she had been unreasonable for throwing a tantrum and blowing things out of proportion. “Comprise. Communication. Okay. Excuse me, ladies.” Rolling up her sleeves, she marched back out to the living room.
The three men were already sitting on the couch, drinking beers and watching football on the huge flatscreen TV. Typical, she thought. She marched over to Cam, who was right on the edge of the sectional, a beer in one hand. He looked up at her as she stood over him, face inscrutable. Though they kept their heads turned to the screen, Damon and Gabriel’s gazes flickered to them.
“Is this seat taken?” she asked.
“Go ahead,” he gestured to the empty spot next to him.
Instead of sitting next to him, she planted herself on top of his knees.
“That’s my lap.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Did I stutter, Spenser?”
Damon sighed and got up. “Let’s go check on what the girls are doing, Gabriel.”
The lion shifter rolled his eyes. “Right.
As soon as the two men left, Cam opened his mouth. “J.D.—”
“Wait.” She held a hand up. “Let me go first. So, I may have overreacted a little about the whole Christmas thing. And I’m sorry for being overdramatic.”
He looked at her, surprised. “I didn’t think you would apologize.”
“Yeah, well.” She let out a huff. “It seems to me there was a lack of communication between us.” Her shoulders sank. “Now, I’m not telling you this because I want you to feel sorry for me, okay? All I want is for you to understand. Why Christmas means so much to me, I mean.” She sucked in a deep, calming breath. “My mom, she loved the holidays. Like, a lot.”
Her chest tightened. It had been so long ago, and if it weren’t for the pictures she had around the house or the home videos her father had kept, she wasn’t sure if she would remember the details of Ivy McNamara’s face or the sound of her voice. “When Christmas rolled around, she would go all out, decorating our tiny Brooklyn apartment. One year, the tree she got was so big that Pop couldn’t get it up our sixth-floor walkup. Had to rig a pulley to bring it up through our window. But he did it because he loved her so much and would do anything for her.”
Cam’s expression softened, and he cupped the side of her face. “When … how …”
She gave his palm a nuzzle and breathed in his scent. “Brain aneurism. She was human, and it was all very quick, and she felt no pain. I was nine.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and he brushed it away. “I can still remember the l-last Christmas we spent together.” The smell of fresh-baked cookies. Ribbons and wrapping paper everywhere. Ma and Pop kissing under the mistletoe. “The summer after she … she … we moved here to Blackstone so my father could open the garage and we could start afresh. New York was just … everything back there reminded us of her. But when Christmas rolled around, we realized we couldn’t let her down. We couldn’t forget her, not during this time of the year.”
“Bloody hell,” Cam cursed, then pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sorry, love,” he murmured into her hair. “So sorry.”
She sniffed and wiped her eyes on his shoulder. “It’s silly—”
“It’s not,” he said.
“It is. I’m a grown woman. They’ve both been gone for so long and I just … it’s a big deal to me, okay?”
“And now I know why.” Hauling her around, he made her legs straddle him, then tilted her chin up. “I apologize for being harsh.” His lips swept over hers gently. “And thank you for telling me.”
She looked deep into his eyes, her thumb brushing a lock of hair that had loosened from his ponytail and clung to his cheek. The blue-violet orbs stared back, and she waited for him to say … something. To give his own confession on why he hated Christmas. But they remained like that for a few heartbeats with neither speaking. Maybe he just doesn’t like the holidays. Weirdo. But he was her weirdo. “So, I guess we just passed a milestone.”
“Milestone?”
“Yeah. Our first fight.”
“Hmm.” He blinked. “I do believe you’re right.”
“Now it’s time for another milestone—first kiss and make up.” Moving her hips against his, she leaned down to press her lips to his. She must have caught him by surprise because he didn’t move, but then quickly responded. There ya go.
A growl rattled from his chest as his hands moved down to cup her ass, pulling her closer against the growing tent in his pants. She shuddered when the ridge of his erection rubbed against her just right, and his tongue invaded her mouth to deepen their kiss. A hand reached up under her sweater, inching up her rib cage to cup her breast.
“Ahem.”
Cam’s hands dropped to his sides as J.D. pulled away, glaring up at Damon, who stood at the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. “Do you mind?”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Damon grumbled. “You guys already desecrated my office desk, and now you wanna do it to my sofa too?”
“Sorry, Chief.” Cam eased her off his lap. “Won’t happen again. I really promise this time.”
“See that it doesn’t. Now, let’s go eat before the food gets cold,” Damon cocked his head back toward the kitchen.
“Of course. Be with you in a moment,” he called after the chief as he left. “That was close,” he sighed.
“Not close enough.” She smirked at him. He looked so cute, with his glasses askew and that flustered look on his face. “C’mon, champ. Let’s go get some food.”
Chapter Five
Chinese takeaway didn’t seem like the typical Thanksgiving meal, but J.D., Damon, and Gabriel had explained their little tradition as they stood around the huge kitchen island filling up their plates from the numerous boxes.
“Since we moved to Blackstone, Pop and I always spent Thanksgiving with the Coopers,” J.D. began. “He and I, well, neither of us were great cooks, so Damon’s mom was only too happy to have us come over every year.”
“She’s an amazing cook,” Gabriel said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, we had the best chefs prepare our Thanksgiving at my house, but it was always so formal and stuffy.” His nose wrinkled. “I would always sneak out and come over to Damon’s as soon as I could. We kept the tradition, even while Damon was deployed and when he came back.”
“But my parents retired four years ago, sold their house, and moved to Florida,” Damon continued. “I can’t stand traveling during the holidays and even then, they prefer to come here during Christmas since they miss the snow.”
“That first year, we tried to make Thanksgiving dinner, just the three of us at my house,” J.D. said. “Unfortunately, it was a disaster.”
“A total disaster,” Gabriel added.
“You can still see the scorch marks on my ceiling.” J.D. slapped her palm over her eyes. “The only restaurant open was Chang Kee, and so we had to order there, and we’ve been doing that ever since.”
They got their fill of food, and the rest of the day was spent drinking beers and watching American football on
the telly with each couple finding their own spot on the humungous couch in the living room. He and J.D. were at the far end of the section with her tucked into his side.
He smiled against her hair, and his bear rumbled happily. Earlier, of course, it had been a complete beast. It hated that he had angered their mate and made her storm off. But she was being completely unreasonable during that fight in the car, wanting to get out in the middle of the road just because he didn’t like Christmas. Of course, he felt terrible and wanted to kick himself when she had confessed to him about her mother. He understood her obsession with the holiday now and how much it meant to her.
The only problem was, he didn’t just dislike Christmas.
He abhorred it.
Each year, he did his best to avoid the holidays. He buried himself in research and work, ensuring he was away doing fieldwork as far away as he could possibly manage in places where they didn’t celebrate the holidays.
Each year that December twenty-fifth passed, he could breathe a sigh of relief.
It was too much to bear.
Too many memories.
Too much baggage.
Now, however, as he held his mate to his side, he knew that he would have to find a way to make it through the holiday, because he found himself wanting to make her happy. He would do anything to be with her, and so he would grin and bear it. Adapt that stiff upper lip his father’s people were known for.
Besides, Christmas was only one day of the year, and there was still a month to go before the actual holiday. How bad could it be?
“Oh dear, am I reading that clock right?” Anna Victoria said with yawn. “It’s nearly midnight.”
After an afternoon of watching football, they had gone back and reheated more of the Chinese food for a late supper. Then Damon started a fire in the fireplace, and they all gathered around, drinking and chatting. Cam for the most part, was content to have J.D. snuggling in his arms, listening to the three friends reminisce about their childhood.
Temperance raised her head from where it was lying on Gabriel’s chest. “Oh wow, I didn’t realize it was that late.”
Cam cleared his throat. “I guess we should be going.”
“Oh, hells yeah!” J.D. bounded up and raised a fist in the air. “Thanksgiving is almost over. Woot, woot!”
“You’re awfully happy to be having this day over,” Anna Victoria said with a chuckle. “I thought you liked Thanksgiving.”
“I do. But having Thanksgiving over means one thing.”
“Oh no,” Gabriel groaned. “Please God, no.”
“What’s the matter?” Temperance asked.
“Is it Black Friday?” Anna Victoria supplied.
Damon shook his head. “No, it’s—”
J.D. reached for the hem of her top and whipped it off. “Yeah baby!” Underneath her Thanksgiving jumper was another one—this time, it was Christmas themed and had a picture of a candy cane with two, well-positioned holly berries at the base. The text underneath read, Well Hung. “Merry Christmas!”
“That,” Damon finished with a shake of his head.
Dear God, not again, Cam thought.
“Yes, and you know what that means.” J.D.’s eyes twinkled. “Damon, is your axe in the shed?”
“Axe?” Cam said incredulously. “What do you need an axe for?”
“It’s time for my favorite tradition that marks the beginning of the season. We’re going to go get my Christmas tree!”
Cam frowned. “But surely there aren’t any tree farms open at this time.”
“Tree farm? Pffft.” She waved him away. “Who needs a farm when we have an entire mountain full of trees?”
“But that’s illegal. The Lennoxes own the mountains, and they forbid the cutting down of trees. It’s one of the very first things I read in the ranger handbook.” He looked to Damon. “Right? For example, you might technically own this house, but the land it’s sitting on is on a ninety-nine year lease, owned by Lennox. J.D., love, you could get in trouble if you try and chop down a tree.” Not to mention, the Lennoxes, were a family of dragons who would not take kindly to having their land defaced.
“That’s correct.” The corner of Damon’s mouth tugged up. “But you’re looking at the only person in the entire Blackstone town, possibly the world, who has special permission to cut down any tree in the mountains for her Christmas tree.”
“He means me,” J.D. said smugly.
“You? How?”
“Well,” J.D. began, cocking her hip, “back in senior year of high school, I was at this party, right? You know the story, some kid’s parents were away for the weekend, so they throw a party and there was stuff going on …”
“Stuff?” Cam asked, brows furrowing together. “What kind of stuff?”
“Booze. Boys. Going upstairs. You know, stuff teens do when their parents aren’t around.”
His polar bear didn’t like the sound of that. “And did you do some of this stuff?” He turned to Damon and Gabriel. “Where were you? Did you watch out for her?”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s not the point of the story. Anyway, I show up late, and this house was like wall-to-wall with kids from school. Including Sybil Lennox. Ever hear of her?”
If she only knew. “You said there were lots of people there from your high school.”
“Yeah, well Sybil wasn’t even in high school then, I think. She had to be what, thirteen? Somehow, she wound up there and got stinking drunk. Like, I knew the alcohol would wear off quickly, but she just kept taking shot after shot like liquor was going out of style. None of her usual friends were there, so she was hanging out with these older girls. Anyway, I’m not sure what happened, but one thing led to another, and someone pushes her in the pool. All these kids started cheering. I think they were waiting for her to shift into her dragon form or something, but she doesn’t come up, so I jump in and fish her out.”
Anna Victoria gasped. “Oh Lord, was she okay?”
“Yeah. She was just disoriented, and she sobered up pretty quick. But she wasn’t feeling great, and so I offered to take her home. On the drive there, she told me that she had a huge blowup with her mom and dad. Something about her older brother, Luke. That’s why she was so upset and snuck into the party. Anyway, I’m pulling up to the front of the castle and guess who’s waiting there by the door? Her dad, the Blackstone Dragon himself. They make up and everything, and Sybil tells her dad what I did. So, Mr. Lennox is, like, super grateful, and he said I could have anything I wanted as a reward for helping his only daughter. And so yadda, yadda, yadda, Hank Lennox gives me permission to chop down any tree I want from the mountains every Christmas. In perpetuity.”
Cam gaped at her. “So, what you’re telling me is that a powerful billionaire dragon Alpha offered you anything for saving his daughter, and you ask to kill a tree from his property every year for the rest of your life?”
“If it makes you feel any better, that was my second choice.”
“Dare we ask what the first one was?”
“I asked if he could set Jenny Blake’s hair on fire as revenge for calling me a grease monkey,” she replied. “But he wasn’t too crazy about doing that.”
The absurdity of it all made his head throb. But this was his J.D. they were talking about.
“So,” she turned to Damon and Gabriel. “Are we going or what? I think I’d like a spruce or Douglas fir this year.”
“Aw, do we have to?” Gabriel grumbled. “It’s midnight and it’s dark outside. Plus, there’s trees and dirt and shit and …”
“Aw, what else is wrong, Russel? Does your vagina hurt?” With an exasperated breath, she turned to Damon. “Well?”
Damon looked at her sheepishly. “I was kind of hoping we could at least wait until tomorrow? Why don’t you stay over tonight, and we’ll go at first light. I don’t want to leave Anna Victoria alone tonight. At least she can join us in the morning.”
“Damon, it’s all right,” his mate said. “I’ll b
e fine. You should go.”
“It’s my bear. You know what it’s like, especially now in your condition. It doesn’t want to leave you behind.”
“Oh c’mon. Really? You guys suck!” J.D. pouted. “This is tradition.”
“I’ll go with you,” Cam offered.
She whirled around. “You will?”
“Of course.” As if he was going to let her traipse around the woods alone in the dark. Besides, it was one chance to finally be alone with her. “I’m your mate.” His bear wholeheartedly agreed.
“Yay!” She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “Let me go get the axe, and I’ll meet you outside!”
As soon as J.D. was out of earshot, Gabriel turned to him. “Ooh boy. Good luck with that.”
“Good luck?” He stood up and brushed some lint off his jeans. “We’re just going out to chop down a tree. How hard could it be?”
Gabriel and Damon looked at each other, then burst out laughing.
Cam frowned. This does not bode well.
Cam felt like they’d been outside for hours, though his watch said it had only been fifty-five minutes since they had left the cabin. No wonder those two laughed at me like hyenas.
He and J.D. started walking into the woods behind Damon’s home. The damn place was teeming with pine trees, yet J.D. refused to stop until they found “the perfect one.”
“How about that one?” Cam asked, pointing to a five-foot-tall spruce. “That’s a good one.”
J.D. wrinkled her nose. “Too short.”
He glanced around and nodded at a six-foot scotch pine.
“Too stubby. C’mon, champ,” she waved at him to keep following her. “The best ones are deeper in the forest.”
Grumbling to himself, he trudged after her. He made a few more suggestions, but she vetoed all of them. They were “too tall” or “not tall enough” or “too crooked” or “too bushy.”
“This one.” He grabbed the branch of a white pine. “This one’s perfect.”
Blackstone Ranger Scrooge: Blackstone Rangers Book 6 Page 6
