Tidings of Love

by Alicia Hunter Pace

  Clara didn’t know what to think; she just stared at him.

  He gave a small laugh. “Did you know that you’re the only one who knows when I really smile? Or when I really laugh? I guess, to be more accurate, when I’m not really smiling or laughing? Or when I’m really trying to do something serious?”

  Clara scoffed. “I can’t be the only one. I barely know you.”

  “But you are. And I don’t think I quite understood it until, like, right now.” He let out a laugh that sounded kind of like a gasp. “Like the party tonight. I told you that I ran it by Martha first? Well, she didn’t really think I was serious about it. She just laughed and told me it was a “great” idea.”

  “Well, you were half-naked at the time.” Clara murmured.

  His lips quirked. “But when I came to you, you just didn’t brush me off, you gave me a budget. And that makes me…ah! It makes me so god-damned nervous! It’s like I can’t just be some carefree faker around you. ’Cause you see right through it and then…”

  Clara sighed. “And then I treat you like shit?”

  Kai’s arms dropped from her shoulders. “Yeah, a bit. But I’d rather be treated like shit for being an airhead once in awhile, than never being taken seriously.” He inhaled deeply and looked up at the sky. “I’ve only ever been up here with my parents, you know. And today, when you just seemed to be going off the deep end, I knew that some stupid snow-cone stand wasn’t going to cut it for you. You needed… something real. And, I guess, I wanted to be the one who gave it to you.”

  Clara examined him. His dark hair and dark eyes were barely lit by the stars in the sky. No one had ever said something like that to her. She felt her chest constrict in a not-unpleasant way, and a sudden warmth flooded her cheeks. Maybe it was this feeling, maybe it was the bitter wind whipping around them, but Clara lurched forward and wrapped her arms around Kai. She pressed her face into the cool skin of his neck and gave a shuddering sigh.

  She wanted to apologize, she wanted to tell them that she knew that she had never really treated him right before. That he really shouldn’t say such things to her because she didn’t deserve it. That he shouldn’t go to so much trouble to make her feel better after a hard day. But she didn’t say any of that.

  “Thank you,” she murmured into his neck, trying to keep herself together when she was falling to pieces. “Thank you.”

  His arms wound themselves around her, and she felt his breath against her ear. He didn’t say anything back, just held her. Clara nudged her chin against his neck, not wanting him to feel the wetness prickling in the corners of her eyes.

  Instead, she looked up. The stars were so far away, yet they seemed to surround them, bowing over them in a great star-filled dome. And the thin air was thick with warmth. Clara felt like she could stay there forever.

  Until a rather harsh wind caught them both and Clara’s blanket nearly flew off. “Fuck, that’s cold.”

  “Is this the woman who has been complaining about how hot and dreadful this tropical weather has been all month?”

  Clara looked up, now that she was sure she wasn’t going to burst into tears or anything so hysterical. “Brat.”

  “Hypocrite.”

  “Flirt.”

  “You know you like it.”

  She would naturally roll her eyes or glare or retort harshly, but for some reason, Clara found herself laughing instead. It was probably because he was being serious, and totally right. Also because this night had been amazing. Who else could say that they spent the first hours of Christmas morning on top of a mountain in Hawaii, where there was snow? It might be the best Christmas present she’d ever got.

  Not that she would ever let Kai know that, of course.

  Chapter Four

  “So…?” Kai was watching her expectantly.

  She frowned. “So what?”

  “I have just given you a one-of-a-kind mind-blowing Christmas present. Where’s mine?”

  Clara smirked. Busted. “You seriously think I have one?”

  “No, but I seriously think you know how to improvise.”

  She rationalized that if he had acted this way anywhere else on this island, she would have been more annoyed. But right here, on the top of this mountain, she didn’t feel like being rational.

  Before she could rethink it, Clara leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Kai was so surprised he just stared at her with wide eyes. She shrank a little, still in his arms, suddenly wondering if she had misread something.

  He suddenly snapped to attention. “That’s it?”

  Clara flushed with embarrassment and tried to shove him off. “What more do you want?”

  But he didn’t let her go. “Thank you for asking.”

  Then he gave her a kiss that was so much more than a peck; so much more than teasing or playfulness; and so much more than she expected from the annoying lifeguard who constantly bothered her.

  One arm was secured around her waist, the other tangled in the hair at the base of her neck. His mouth, oh, his mouth was open and pliant and very warm. He didn’t kiss like some hormonal teenager, which is how he acted most of the time. He kissed her like she was something precious and delectable.

  His mouth moved slowly over hers, tasting and exploring with no rush. He shifted his weight and Clara found herself being pushed back against his car. The blanket, still miraculously around her, kept the cold metal from her skin. Abandoning reserve, she reached up and tangled her hands in that hair that she had seen tousled far too many times. She was going to see just how tousled it could get and her fingers tightened to bring him closer.

  Kai broke the kiss briefly, but before Clara could moan for more, he had attached himself to her neck, sucking and biting. Her head fell sideways and she gasped for breath. His teeth rasped against her skin and she didn’t feel the cold anymore. All she felt was a deep, thrumming warmth pooling in her abdomen. And while he was distracted, she decided it was time to get a feel for those muscles he flagrantly displayed.

  Underneath woolen blankets and a thin t-shirt, his skin was hot and his muscles drawn tight. He gasped against her skin as her fingers flickered over one nipple. Kai pulled back to look at her and she grinned wickedly at him. Clara leaned forward and placed a soft kiss at his neck. This was nice. This was more than nice. But the sky was already getting light...

  “I’m thinking,” she murmured against his skin, “that we are on top of a mountain.” Another light kiss. “It is some ungodly hour of the morning.” Another. “And we both have work tomorrow.” She leaned back, letting her arms slide away. “You should probably take me back to my car.”

  “Really?” Kai exhaled.

  “Yes, really. It’s late and I need at least a couple more hours of sleep before making any more important decisions.”

  Kai leaned back, eyes glimmering. “Are you saying I’m an important decision?”

  Clara bit her lip, suddenly feeling shy. “All I’m saying is that it’s been a long rollercoaster kind of day. And now it’s probably near dawn at the top of a mountain and I can’t feel my ankles.”

  As if to emphasize the point, a rather strong gust blew up and they nearly lost the blankets. Kai looked at her seriously. “Alright, I suppose we could start being reasonable humans now.”

  Clara smiled and let herself into the passenger seat. She sighed appreciably that the cold wind was blocked and there was also apparently more blankets in the backseat. “Oh, this is heaven,” she breathed and began pulling them over her frozen body.

  “Hey, don’t take all of them! One of us has to be functional enough to drive!” Kai had come around the car to the driver’s seat. Instantly, he began grabbing blankets from her, trying to bundle himself up.

  Clara could feel a giggle rising—oh God, had she really turned into a giggler?—and barely resisted letting it out. She didn’t even know why.

  Kai was laughing too, as he wrapped himself up. “Well that’s good.”

  Clara wiped her
eyes with a corner of one of the blankets she managed to keep. “What is?”

  Kai started up the engine, trying to coax the heater on. “Your laugh.”

  “What about it?”

  His lips quirked as he looked at her sideways. “It’s the second time I’ve heard it tonight. Didn’t know if it was going to be a one-time deal.” He twisted the knob and hot, stale air filled the car. “Warmer?”

  Clara had looked away, not quite able to meet his eyes, and looked up at the sky. “Much warmer.”

  As the car began to make the slow descent down the mountain, Clara curled up further in her seat. She had the sudden thought that the coziness she felt right now was not totally dissimilar to how she felt at home on Christmas Eve. All today, she had been internally bemoaning how she missed just even sitting down with her mother at midnight, sharing a cup of tea before bed.

  And though she could really kill for a cup of hot tea…right now, sitting in Kai’s car and feeling the hot air wash over her numb legs, her ears popping from the altitude change, hearing him hum absently as he navigated the steep roads… it was almost better.

  In the silence, she murmured, “We’re going to be useless tomorrow.”

  “Damn straight.” His voice was just as soft.

  Clara smiled, content.

  Chapter Five

  Clara was more than useless: she was a liability. By the time she’d gotten back to her apartment to take a shower, it was already five a.m. She needed to be at work by six for an early morning meeting. So Clara had gotten approximately half an hour of sleep, and even Susan, the rather dim temp who was covering Jane’s job for the holidays, would be more helpful today than she was. Eventually, the girl just stationed herself outside Clara’s office and deflected anyone trying to get in contact with the head of the department. At least most of the guests were apparently sleeping in Christmas morning. She knew it would be a different story, come afternoon and evening, so Clara took the moment to try to get a quick nap in before lunch time. She was in a rather nice doze, her head on top of her desk, when the door burst open.

  “Darling, I’m home!” Someone screamed and Clara founding herself practically whirling backwards in her seat.

  “What the hell!”

  Kai, who was currently only wearing his company swim trunks, bounded into the room. “It’s lunch time!” Then he leaped over Clara’s desk and sat on a report that she had been pretending to read. Kai propped his feet on her chair and looked extremely pleased with himself. She then noticed he was also soaking wet.

  “What the hell, Kai! Why are you wet?!”

  He leaned forward and shook his head purposefully, spraying her with pool water. “It was absolutely dead at the pool this morning. Decided to take a quick dip to cool off.”

  Clara rubbed her eyes. She was far too tired to deal with this. “Do you need me to yell at you for breaking protocol again?”

  “For what? Swimming while I’m on duty as a lifeguard? Or the running through the lobby soaking wet and half-naked, trying to scandalize everyone in sight?”

  Clara smirked. “Was Martha there?”

  Kai smiled. “Of course.”

  “And did she have anything to say?”

  He pretended to think about it. “You know, she did! Wanna hear it?”

  “Alright.”

  He smiled impishly and launched himself forward, burying Clara in a very wet hug. “Merry Christmas!”

  Clara couldn’t help, but snort and tried to disentangle herself from him. “Get off, you wet dog.”

  Kai only leaned back slightly. “So I was thinking…?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Why?” she asked dryly.

  “Don’t interrupt, dear. Anyway, I was thinking that, it being Christmas Day and all, that you really still owe me a present. I did give you a pretty awesome one last night.”

  Clara raised her eyebrows and leaned over to confirm that Susan was, indeed, still at her post. She was currently listening and probably would spread some awful rumors by lunch. “Oh, and by the way, thanks for that. The entire concierge desk has banned me from the front lobby today. Possibly tomorrow, unless I can convince them otherwise.”

  “Well, you could just say that you were too busy fucking the hottest lifeguard at the resort to sleep.” He suddenly turned and shot a rather impish smile to Susan, who seemed to realize that she had been caught. Her footsteps quickly scampered away.

  Clara groaned. “Thanks for proving, despite what happened last night, that you are still the same Kai.”

  Kai suddenly leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. And, despite how familiar they had gotten last night, Clara found herself blushing. It had all seemed like some dream she cooked up in her half-awake state. But with Kai here, ruining her blouse with pool water, it made her feel good to know it wasn’t her imagination.

  “Even if you know how sensitive and deep I am, can’t have the rest of the resort getting in on it, eh?” he whispered.

  Clara looked away for a moment, before smiling shyly back. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

  “So…I’ve got an hour for lunch. I know you definitely have an hour to spare. You want to give me more of my present?”

  Clara tried to glare at him, she really did. But she just wasn’t feeling it anymore. Maybe it was because she was finding his immature attitude and obnoxious flirting to be somewhat endearing. Or maybe it was because he did give her a pretty awesome Christmas present in the form of real snow in Hawaii, and the best view of the night sky on possibly the entire planet.

  But probably, the real reason was because she didn’t feel the depressing need to go home anymore. She had so many wonderful holiday memories with her family, but she didn’t need them to feel that warm, pleasant feeling of Christmas. She didn’t even need snow to think of Christmas.

  She just needed someone, a certain obnoxious someone, to remind her that even when you were in a strange land with strange weather and strange people, Christmas is anywhere you want to make it.

  And while Clara really wasn’t feeling the Christmas spirit in her office, currently getting soaked by a hyper coworker, she had felt it last night. She had felt it looking into that starry sky that covered this small planet like a warm blanket on cold nights. That was the real present.

  Clara smiled warmly at Kai and arched an eyebrow. “Why not? I think maybe I owe you one.”

  About the Author

  Diana Jean currently resides in the Midwest. She spends most of her day writing about people falling in love, reading about people falling in love, or making excessively frilly dresses.

  Gavin Fever

  Angelita Gill

  To my Dreadnaught girls. We are so fun!

  Chapter One

  Julia gripped the edge of her seat as her stomach swirled with renewed anxiety. The airport cab driver recovered the vehicle from careening into a ditch, and slammed the gas pedal.

  Glancing out the dirty, frosted window, she released the death grip on her iPhone—which didn’t have service out here anyway—switched it off, and set it on her lap.

  Staying in a cabin outside Denver, Colorado, with its snow drifts as tall as street signs wouldn’t usually be her first pick for a weekend getaway. But it wasn't going to be the location that would make the trip worthwhile, it was the company.

  When she’d told Ashley she planned on spending Christmas alone in L.A., her old college friend had insisted that Julia join her, Bruce, and their good friends Eli and Betsy in their family cabin and wouldn’t take any form of no for an answer.

  Not relishing being alone for the holidays, Julia bought a last-minute flight. She’d been lucky enough to procure a taxi willing to take her all the way out here, as the weather had gotten dangerous. But her confidence in the driver inched upward once he brushed off the ice, sleet, wind, and snow—coming down sideways—as “meh, nothin.”

  “Whoa, Nelly!” he bellowed, as if the vehicle were a team of horses. Julia gasped as, without warning, her fearless dri
ver slammed on the brakes. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed, splaying one hand on the window, the other on her seatbelt.

  After a few seconds of sliding on the ice-slick road, they cruised to a haphazard stop. The man turned his head and beamed a smile. “We made it!”

  Christmas miracle number one. “We’re here?” She sighed in relief, rubbing a circle on the foggy glass.

  “Like I said!” He unlocked the doors and got out.

  How did he ever see the address? Julia saw nothing but frost.

  She buttoned her coat, opened her door, and climbed out. Just as she put her feet to the frozen ground, the driver plopped her luggage beside her. “Sorry I can’t get you any closer, young lady,” he apologized. “The driveway hasn’t been plowed and I don’t wanna get stuck out here.”

  Icy drops pelted her face with a skin-numbing force, and she pulled her red wool hat lower on her ears. “It’s okay.” Ashley’d better have something hot and delicious waiting for me. She finally noticed the address on the mailbox a few feet away; this was it. Down the long driveway stood a quaint cabin, lit up inside and out. Cute. With a teeth-chattering smile, she reached in her pocket for her wallet.

  “Think you’ll make it in those things?” He pointed at her stylish but unpractical black ankle boots.

  Did she have a choice? “I’ll have to.” She handed him cash for the fare. “Thank you so much.”

  He grinned at her generous tip. “Bless ya. And Merry Christmas!”

  “Same to you.” Seconds later, his tail lights beamed red before he threw it in drive and left her to fend for herself.

  Gripping the lapels of her coat closed with one hand and dragging her suitcase with the other, she marched through the driveway with giant, clumsy steps. Snow fell into the tops of her boots with every footfall, melting in her socks. Good thing there was no one around to hear her cursing like an angry sailor.

  Julia felt salvation at last when she reached the front steps. At first glance, there didn’t seem to be much activity going on. Looking around, she only saw one car, and it was buried deep in snow.