Chapter 127

Kayla

I opened my eyes to find a flat gift box in my hands, topped with a neat red bow and a tag that read, “To: Kayla. From: Nicholas”. I blinked up at Nicholas, who was looking over my shoulder, in surprise.

“You… did get me something?” I asked.

Nicholas lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Something like that,” he said. When he glanced at me and noticed my baffled expression, he smirked. “What, did you seriously think I wouldn’t get you something for solstice?”

I swallowed hard, suddenly not sure what to say. “You already bought me two gifts recently,” I pointed out. “You didn’t need to get me anything for solstice.”

He narrowed his eyes. “If that’s the case, then why did you look so sad when you thought I didn’t get you anything?”

He was right, of course. My cheeks flushed pink, and it had nothing to do with the cold. Nicholas nodded toward the gift box. “Open it.”

With slightly trembling fingers, I lifted the lid off the box. Inside was a… “Composition notebook?” I asked as I pulled the book out of the box. It was just a nondescript notebook, the type a college student might use for class.

But when I looked up at Nicholas, his face was beet red, betraying that there was more to this than met the eye. “Look inside,” he said, clearing his throat into his closed fist. “It’s… not empty.”

Frowning slightly, I flipped the notebook open. My eyes widened as I saw that the composition book was, indeed, not blank—but rather filled with writing. Nicholas’s handwriting, to be exact, with a cursive chapter marker on the first page.

“Chapter one,” I read out loud. “The princess and the dragon.”

Nicholas was silent. I didn’t know what to say other than, “Did you… write this?”

I turned to face Nicholas, and if it was even possible, his face was redder now. He didn’t meet my gaze, but rather stared sheepishly at his feet, as he said, “I did.”

“For me?”

“For you.”

I could hardly believe it. Flipping through the composition book, I could make out pages upon pages filled with neat handwriting, what looked like ten chapters worth of reading, and even… a couple of smutty scenes. My cheeks warmed as I flipped to a random page and read something about the dragon turning into a man, and…

“You don’t like it,” Nicholas said, noticing my silence. He looked like he wanted to die. “I’m sorry, Kayla. I just thought, since you’ve been enjoying that series I loaned you… And I thought the sex scene might make you laugh. If you don’t like it, we can burn it and never speak of it again.”

My throat was too tight to speak. Without a word, I whirled on my heel and stormed back inside.

“Kayla!” Nicholas called breathlessly. “Kayla, I’m sorry!’

But I wasn’t running away from him. Instead, I hurried into the cabin, where the others were still seated around the fire with mugs of cocoa in their hands. They all looked up as I entered, confused, and Emma stood, wringing her hands. But I ignored them, beelining for my duffle bag.

I pulled out the gift I had prepared for Nicholas, a flat parcel wrapped carefully with burgundy paper and a green ribbon. I then turned and rushed back outside, where Nicholas was still standing in the snow, looking utterly horrified.

“Kayla,” he said, moving toward me as I approached, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you—”

I thrust the package into his hands. “Open,” I commanded.

Nicholas took the package, his brow furrowing. Finally, after hesitating for a moment, he untied the ribbon and let it fall to the snow, then tore into the paper.

Inside was a slender bundle of papers, hole-punched and held together with strings. And on the front cover read, “A Journey Through Time: The King’s Mistress.”

Nicholas stared at the short story in complete and utter shock. A chill wind ruffled his dark hair, sending a cascade of it into his eyes. It was all I could do to hold back my laughter as I watched his confusion give way to recognition, so much so that I had to bite my lip to keep myself from bursting out.

Finally, he looked up, and his eyes were sparkling with that mischief I knew all too well.

“Did we write each other short stories for solstice?” he blurted out.

I nodded, my face reddening to an impossible shade of crimson as I added, “I may have written a steamy scene or two in mine as well. To make you laugh. The scarf was just a decoy.”

For a moment, Nicholas and I were silent, just staring at each other in shock. Then, slowly at first like the distant rumble of a thunderstorm on the horizon, he began to laugh. I snorted, too, covering my mouth with my fingers as a giggle began to bubble up from my chest.

“You’re joking, Kayla,” he huffed as he flipped through the packet. “And you had no idea that I was writing one for you?”

I shook my head. “Not a clue,” I managed between laughs. “I guess we know each other better than we realize.”

Nicholas glanced up at me again, and his eyes were softer now, more tender. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I guess so.”

The knot in my chest loosened then, replaced with something else. Something sweet and gentle. But I couldn’t help but stare sheepishly down at my feet as I suggested, “Maybe we should read each other’s sex scenes and pick which one is best. Then…”

“Act out the winner?” he asked, his voice low and gravelly with desire.

My eyes shot up to meet his once more, and the dark, stormy look in his amber eyes set my body ablaze. Just that one look, the sight of those fiery stars burning out in the small galaxies that were his irises, was nearly enough to make my knees cave in.

And they almost did, too. Or would have, had Nicholas not surged forward and wrapped one arm around me, pulling me flush against his body. And then his lips were on mine, soft and tender yet passionate and insistent at the same time. A promise. And a proposition.

When we finally pulled apart, breathless and eager, I felt eyes burning into us. I glanced over to see that the others had crowded around the cabin window, watching us. They all scurried away when they realized they’d been caught, and Nicholas chuckled.

“I’d like a few minutes with you without prying eyes,” he said, taking my hand and tugging me further away from the cabin. “If you don’t mind.”

I couldn’t argue with that, because a little time alone sounded splendid. In fact, my body was craving him already, and I couldn’t help but picture the two of us pressed up against the base of a tree, cold skin and heated lips.

We made our way just beyond the treeline, into the silvery moonlight of the forest. I shivered again, but Nicholas pulled me closer, wrapping me in his arms. I stumbled back against a tree as our lips met once more, hungry for each other as if we hadn’t just had a feast.

My fingers tangled in his hair as his lips dragged across my jaw and neck. He grumbled my name, the word vibrating through my throat, and I couldn’t help but smile.

But as my eyes flicked open, something caught my gaze over his shoulder.

“Nicholas,” I whispered, gripping his shoulder. I pointed toward the movement I saw in the shadows not far from where we were. “Look.”

Growling low in his throat with frustration, Nicholas followed my gaze, probably expecting a squirrel or an owl to be the source of my sudden fear. But the moment he turned, he froze.

And before I had a chance to say a word, Nicholas was suddenly gripping my waist, whirling us both around the tree to the other side. He sandwiched me against the trunk, cold bark digging into my back. His eyes were nothing short of predatory as he peered around the tree.

I turned my head, slowly, to follow his gaze. And there, stepping out from the shadows, was a large gray wolf.