He would never be cold again after this. Not as long as he was with Ava.

  He kissed her, taking his time, wanting to learn her—to learn everything about her. He couldn’t wait to join with her again and again and again. She was breathless when she finally broke off the kiss.

  “For someone who didn’t think he knew what to do, that was pretty epic,” she said.

  He shrugged. “I guess I’m a natural.”

  She laughed, turning away so that she looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Some of the stuff you said… That wasn’t…” She shook her head, her voice trailing off.

  “Wasn’t what?”

  She sighed. “That wasn’t your first time, was it?”

  He smirked, then leaned in and kissed her again. He left their foreheads touching when he stopped.

  “If you’re not sure, why would I tell you?” he said. She scowled at him playfully, but he could tell she needed an answer. “Humans are so caught up in firsts and lasts. I’m more interested in the now.” He nuzzled her neck. “Though I confess, I’m also very interested in the ‘next’ with you.”

  She laughed again. “I guess we still have some time. And I have a very comfy bed upstairs.”

  “That sounded like an invitation.”

  Before she could say more, he swept her into his arms, curling her up against his chest. The way she squealed with delight sent a thrum of a different kind of pleasure through him. She snuggled closer as he carried her through the office. His magic uncoiled, swirling within the lock in the door between them and the stairs that went up to her apartment and unlocking it, then opening the door. Ava’s smile faltered.

  “I don’t remember leaving that unlocked,” she said.

  “One thing you’ll learn quickly with me is to expect the unexpected.”

  Her smile returned, her arms tightening around his shoulders. “I guess so. All of this is…” She shook her head and looked away.

  They had reached the top of the stairs, and he set her on her feet. Something in the way her shoulders tightened didn’t sit well with him. He took her hands in his and squeezed them.

  “What?” he said, surprised at the sincerity in his tone. He still wasn’t used to caring. Not like this.

  “I haven’t been with anyone since my marriage broke up. Since before then, actually.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then shrugged. “I sure as hell have never brought a guy home before.”

  “That just means you have good taste.”

  She chuckled and looked away.

  “And that you’re looking out for your family,” he added.

  She froze at that, her eyes snapping to his. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  “In my world, there’s no such thing as coincidence,” he said. “There’s meddling. Busybody Fates and all that. But in the end, it’s the magic that’s pulling the strings. People come together in the right place and at the right moment.”

  She slid her arms around his shoulders, angling her head to the side. “Like you ending up in my flower shop when I really needed someone?”

  Her voice lowered, some of the playfulness on her features being chased out by a vulnerability that made his heart ache. It seemed to stop beating, waiting to hear what she would say next.

  “Giving me the space to realize I maybe was ready to… try again,” she said.

  An odd weightlessness suffused his body. His presence in her life had made it better, just as hers had done for him. He finally understood what all the fuss was about in the Court of the Yuletide Fae. Finding that one person in all the worlds, in all of time, who they could spend eternity with… It was amazing. He could make her happy. He would make her happy.

  He leaned down to capture her lips in a slow, searing kiss, willing her to feel everything he was feeling for her. The impossible hope, the incredible possibilities before them. He poured forever into that kiss.

  When he pulled back, she said, “Wow. That was… quite a kiss.”

  “Well, you’re quite a woman.”

  She chuckled, looking away again. He was starting to understand her, to know when she was uncertain and how to reassure her. He lifted her face with one finger under her chin so that he could lock his gaze with hers.

  “You showed me that I’m ready, too,” he said. “Ready for a life I could never have even imagined before. You were my first. First kiss, first… everything.” Her eyes widened, but he kept going. “I was never interested in kissing anyone. The reason I’m ready is because it’s you. There’s no one else in this world or any other for me.”

  “If that’s a line, it’s a damn good one,” she said.

  “It’s not a line. Everything with us, everything with you, it’s real.”

  Chapter Eight

  Ava woke up smiling. She was more relaxed than she could remember being… ever. She stretched out next to the man responsible, loving the coolness of his skin. He ran cold, she ran hot. It was perfect. They were perfect. So perfect, it was hard not to be afraid. She hadn’t had much luck with love, and Charlie’s happiness was on the line as well as hers.

  “You’re awake,” Jack said.

  “Yeah.” She rolled over to look at the clock. “Oh man, how long did we sleep?”

  He made a noncommittal sound. They had slept—and not-slept—longer than she thought, and they only had half an hour to deliver the flowers. She threw off the blankets and jumped up, pulling on her clothes. Well, some of her clothes.

  “I can’t believe I left my jeans downstairs,” she said.

  “Among other things.”

  She cast a playful grimace at him, which earned her a smirk in return. For a moment, she let herself stand there in just her bra and unbuttoned flannel shirt, staring at him. He was absolutely gorgeous. Rippling, lithe muscles under skin as pale as snow. Eyes like glacier ice surrounded by pitch black lashes and those dark brows. He looked as though he had stepped off a movie set. The sheets were pushed down to his waist, letting her see the smooth lines of his chest and abdomen.

  “You know, we don’t have to leave immediately.” He hooked one arm behind his head and grinned.

  She shook herself, finally looking away. “We do. All that extra time you got me is gone. I don’t want to be late.”

  “You won’t be late.”

  She snorted. “If I get back in that bed with you, you better believe we’re going to be late.”

  She glanced over to see his smirk soften into a genuine smile. A devastating smile. It broadened as she kept staring.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Nothing.” He tossed the sheets aside and leapt up. Unlike her, all of his clothes were upstairs, and he began pulling them on with a grace that was mesmerizing. He turned and caught her ogling him. “Enough of that. I don’t want us to be late, either. Finish getting dressed.”

  She chuckled as she hurried downstairs, finding her clothes in a pile on the floor where she’d left them. She shook them out, dressing as quickly as she could. She was just buttoning the last button when Jack sauntered out of the office. He headed straight for the arrangements, picking up one of the reinforced boxes and loading it up.

  “The banquet hall is only ten minutes away,” she said. Heck, in this small town, everything was ten minutes away, it seemed. “But I want to have as much set up time as we can before Hayden gets there.”

  “Easy peasy.”

  “Sure, but we only have…” She looked up at the clock, her brow furrowing. It still said half past the hour. How could it still be half past? Maybe her clock upstairs wasn’t working. Or maybe this one was broken. Neither thought was reassuring. She pulled out her phone, and confirmed that she had a full thirty minutes. Weird. She would take the win, though.

  In a surprisingly short amount of time, they had her van loaded up and were on their way to the banquet hall. Her heart seized up a little when she realized she hadn’t even asked him to help. He had just pitched in and fallen into step beside her so easily. It was as if they were meant to be together.

  I’ve thought that before…

  But had she really? Charlie’s dad, Jim, had been obsessed with his job and with the city. He wouldn’t consider relocating, even for their shy, sensitive son. Since she and Charlie had moved to Crystal Hollow, he had blossomed like the flowers in her shop. He still kept to himself a lot, but he laughed and smiled and talked to Ava and her friends. He had even become friends with the local librarian.

  Before they left the city, Charlie hadn’t even talked to Ava, really. She had been so scared, but Jim hadn’t seemed to care. He had been busy with yet another project at work. He never had time for Charlie—or for her. At least he had let them go without a fight. Her jaw ached as she thought about it, her teeth grinding together.

  “You are thinking about something unpleasant,” Jack said.

  “Yeah, sorry about that.” She parked the van near the loading dock at the back of the hall and killed the engine, but just sat there for a moment.

  Jack didn’t say anything. He didn’t pry or prod. After a few moments, he reached over and picked up the hand closest to him and interlaced their fingers, then lifted her hand to his lips for a gentle kiss. Somehow, the caring of the gesture brought tears to her eyes. She sniffed and looked away, wiping them as discreetly as she could.

  “You’re not going to ask?” she said.

  Jack shrugged, staring out the window. “You’ll tell me when you’re ready. Or you won’t.” He squeezed her hand and turned his head to her, smiling. “Either way, you’ll find I’m a very patient man. But you like to keep to a schedule, so we better get those arrangements inside.”

  “I guess so.” She laughed and shook her head. Casting a quick glance at him, she said, “Thanks.”

  He shuddered. “You seriously don’t have to thank me. It’s my pleasure.” He leaned over and kissed her, then smirked as he pulled away, waggling his eyebrows. “As was this morning.”

  She let out a snort, pushing him gently. “Come on, let’s go.”

  Between the two of them, they got the flowers unloaded and inside in record time. He was so focused, but then, she had learned all about how attentive he could be earlier. No matter what they were doing, whether it was unloading the arrangements or placing them on the tables, scattering a few loose petals around their bases for just the right look, he was always close. She would feel the whisper of his hand at the small of her back or catch him watching her with that soft smile on his face. She had never felt so… desired. But, would it last?

  When the final arrangement was in place, she walked over to where he was stacking up the boxes they had used to transport everything. Jack was still in the same midnight blue shirt, unbuttoned far enough to give her a mouthwatering view of his chest. She cleared her throat as she approached.

  “We need to get you a coat,” she said.

  He just shrugged. “Being cold doesn’t really affect me.”

  “Well, you being cold affects me.”

  His lips parted as his features softened into that look of awe she’d caught a few times earlier. Her stomach filled with butterflies. He stood and drew her closer, leaning down for a deep, lingering kiss. People could walk in at any minute, and she didn’t even care. He pulled back, but left their foreheads touching. She loved it when he did that.

  “You warm me like nothing else ever has,” he said.

  “Sticking with that, ‘I’m your first’ line, huh?” She laughed, but he didn’t join her.

  “It’s not a line.” He cupped her face with his hands. “You are my first, my last, my only.”

  He bent to kiss her once more, his mouth caressing hers in a sensual dance that had her lightheaded and dizzy. Her heart pounded in her chest, beating with a bruising pace. Was he serious? If she misread this and let him into her life, that meant letting him into Charlie’s. What if things went wrong? He had already lost a dad once. She wouldn’t put him through that again.

  They broke off the kiss, and she stepped back. She needed some space, some distance to think this through. Jack’s brow furrowed as he looked at her, his lips set in a firm line.

  “Listen, I um…” she began. “I need to go get Charlie. His school is only a few blocks away.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “No, I… It’s better if I go myself.”

  Her breath caught in her chest as he held her gaze with those icy-blue eyes, as if searching for something. She didn’t dare let herself dream about what it might be. He slowly exhaled through his nose, a muscle in his jaw twitching. Was that hurt she saw in his eyes? He turned away before she could be sure. Her heart gave a quick, painful tug.

  “Sure,” he said.

  Her mouth opened and closed a few times, so many things pushing to be said that she couldn’t bring herself to share. She shook her head, then finally managed, “Can you load these up in the van? I should be back in just a few minutes.”

  “I can get them to the shop.”

  “Just the van is okay. We’ll drive back together.”

  “Not staying to show off the arrangements?” he said, a bite at the edge of his tone.

  “Hayden can handle the inspection. I always spend my evenings with Charlie. She knows that.”

  “Well, I won’t intrude.” He picked up a stack of boxes and turned away.

  “Hey.” She reached out and grasped his wrist, stopping him. “It’s not… It’s not an intrusion. I mean, you’re staying with us. Would you join us for dinner?”

  His brow furrowed again as he stared at her, head angled to one side as if he didn’t know what to make of her. Honestly, she didn’t know what to make of herself in that moment—or of them. She needed to figure it out before someone got hurt.

  Chapter Nine

  “Load the van, Jack. Then you’ll get your supper.” He slid the last stack of empty boxes into Ava’s van and muttered, “How did I become someone’s elf?”

  On some level, he knew he was being unfair, but it didn’t matter. Jack’s heart still ached from Ava turning him away from going to pick up Charlie. She was okay with Jack being part of their lives, but only on her terms. He had never let himself be subject to someone else’s wishes like that. He wasn’t about to now.

  It’s a little late for that.

  He slammed the door shut, then turned, only to see the Lord of Renewed Boughs standing right behind him. He was dressed in a light blue three-piece suit under a champagne topcoat. A brighter blue scarf hung around his neck. His dark hair stood in short waves that wouldn’t have been enough to cover the tips of his ears without the glamour he was casting to hide them. How had Jack not noticed his approach?

  “Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” the interloper said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he stared at Jack with pale green eyes.

  “I would say I wish I could say the same, but I don’t.”

  “Such a chilly reception. I guess it’s to be expected.”

  “Upset by my work in the park this morning, Boughs?” Jack didn’t have the patience for Fae games today. Not when he was reeling from Ava’s apparent rejection.

  “It’s Finn, at the moment.” The other Fae smirked. “Finn Darragh.”

  “Darragh? Isn’t that just Irish for ‘Oak’?” Jack took a few steps closer. “A little on-the-nose, considering who you work for?”

  “Well, you know the Oak King is a very literal fellow.” Finn shrugged. “You can call me Finn if you’d like.”

  “I don’t plan on calling you anything,” Jack said. “And you’re being entirely too polite to me. What do you want? You know, never mind. Just go away.”

  “Funny thing…” Finn’s smooth voice grated on Jack’s nerves. “That’s exactly what I want from you. Your little decorating party in the park set my work back a week. You need to back off. Ostara is in a few days, and it needs to be spectacular this year.” Finn stepped closer, almost nose-to-nose with Jack. “So why don’t you disappear back down whatever wintery hole you crawled out of and leave me to my work? Your time is done here, Frost.”

  Maybe that would be for the best. If Ava didn’t want Jack here, there was no reason for him to stay. Except for Charlie. There was something about the kid that thawed the ice around Jack’s heart. He had thought Ava was going to be the one to melt it through. The idea of spinning himself into his frost form and returning to a wintery landscape sent a shiver down Jack’s spine.

  No one understood. He didn’t want winter, he wanted spring. He wanted hope and renewal. That’s why he showed up on the between days, when the world was just beginning to turn to spring and Jack could try to be part of something different. Something… warm.

  A memory of Ava beneath him, her arms wrapped around him and chest pressed to his, flooded his mind. Was that all she wanted from him? All she had to share?

  “We interrupting something?” Ava’s firm voice carried to them from the corner of the building.

  Jack looked over to see her standing next to Charlie, the young boy’s eyes bright as he beamed at Jack. Charlie’s hair was a mess of spiky curls, his hat peeking out of one pocket and gloves out of the other. Again, something tugged in Jack’s chest. He wasn’t going to walk away. Not from Ava. Not from Charlie. Certainly not from the possibilities that they presented.

  “Just a couple of old friends catching up.” Jack smiled broadly at Finn.

  Finn angled back, as if Jack’s smile unnerved him. Jack let out a chuckle.

  “Yeah, old friends,” Finn said.

  “You two know each other.” Ava’s eyes narrowed as she approached.

  “We’ve had the pleasure of making each other’s acquaintances.” Finn somehow managed to make ‘pleasure’ sound like ‘torture.’

  Jack wanted to see how far he could push Finn’s buttons. He stepped closer and draped an arm over Finn’s shoulders. Jack swore he felt every vertebra in Finn’s spine stack itself atop each other as he stiffened, sucking in a breath.

  “We actually work together.” Jack patted Finn’s chest.

 

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