Chapter Nine
Ella
The past two days have been a complete whirlwind. I’ve hardly seen my love, and I didn’t like it.
Tiero and Lex flew to Soldotna, and Rhia decided at the last minute to go with them, not trusting that they would get everything we need.
It’s a good thing the plane has a cargo hold. They came back with so much stuff, they would’ve needed a trailer if they’d taken the car. Even the plane was stuffed to the brim.
We unloaded carpets, fold-out tables, boxes and boxes of every imaginable kind of fairy lights, torches, lanterns, and hundreds of battery-operated candles.
When I asked if they had left anything for other people, they just shook their heads unapologetically.
They must have spent a small fortune, but Tiero justified it by saying he wouldn’t skimp on our wedding. Good thing he still has money coming out of his ears.
Everything is coming together with ease. Now we just need the marriage license.
Rhia found herself a dress in a dark plum color that complements the soft pink of mine beautifully.
She also hunted down suits for Tiero and Lex. They had to size up to accommodate the thermal underwear Tiero insisted on. He came back with bags of it and handed them to me, making me promise to wear it.
What a picture that will be when he gets to undress me. I laugh just imagining it.
Though beneath it all, I’ll be wearing very sexy, white lace, skimpy lingerie, courtesy of my best friend.
Seriously, this woman thinks of everything. I couldn’t love her more if I tried.
All-terrain wedding organizer extraordinaire that she is, Rhia also managed to find a florist in Soldotna who had plenty of roses and lilies in stock. Needless to say, she bought most of them.
With it being winter, our shed down by the tree line can serve as a cool room. The florist assured her that if we keep them there, the flowers will be fine until the big day.
Since then, Rhia has disappeared to the shed numerous times and forbidden me from setting foot in it. She’s been watching YouTube tutorials on flower arrangements and spending hours applying what she’s learned.
Meanwhile, Claudette and I have been busy preparing Christmas food.
Tonight is Christmas Eve, when my family used to exchange gifts. It’s more of an Austrian tradition than an Irish one, but we’ve always followed it, even though I lived much longer in Dublin than in Tirol.
Plus, when my parents were still alive, it made celebrating with the Bannaghans easier. We’d have Christmas Eve at our house with Rhia’s family and Christmas Day at theirs. We ended up getting presents twice that way. Who would complain about that?
Claudette and I baked, roasted, and chopped for hours, listening to Christmas music. With her in the kitchen, fun is guaranteed.
Yesterday, Tiero and Lex took the snowmobiles out to search for the perfect tree to get married under.
They found it.
Of course they did. Because everything is magically falling into place, right?
They spent the daylight hours decorating the area and ploughing a path to it.
Tiero and Lex are out there again now, continuing their work while Rhia, Claudette, and I are sitting around the kitchen table ticking off items on Rhia’s mile-long to-do list.
“Why won’t you show me the flowers?” I ask Rhia for the umpteenth time. “Normally, a bride has a say in the arrangements, you know? I could help you,” I insist. “Claude and I both could.”
“But then we wouldn’t have anything to eat for Christmas, and that would be a tragedy. Besides, I really want to do this for you. So please stop complaining and let me indulge myself.”
“Fine,” I grumble, just as the all-too-familiar warmth begins to swirl through my veins and butterflies dance in my stomach.
A smile spreads across my face. This never loses its charm.
Even after months, the telltale signs of Tiero being near haven’t faded.
Sure enough, not a minute later, the sound of snowmobiles drifts through the air. Rhia’s head pops up from behind her list, her grin disconcerting.
I raise an eyebrow at her, but she schools her features and gathers her papers, tapping them on the table to line them up.
“Good. The guys are back. Lex and I need to go into town to pick up some… um… some rope.”
She looks guilty as hell. What is she planning now?
“Rope?” I repeat, my brows still raised as I look at her.
“Yep,” she says, meeting my gaze head-on. “Trust me, you don’t want to know what I’m planning to do with it.”
Oh.
Images of Lex bound to a bed pop into my mind. Hmm, maybe I should tie Tiero up and have my way with him. That would be fun.
Rhia jumps up, effectively cutting off any more questions, and heads for the door.
I look at Claudette. “What was that all about?”
She shrugs. “I don’t think I want to know.”
“Really?” I challenge. “Given you like nudist camps, I didn’t think you’d be shy about watching.”
“True. But those two wouldn’t be into sharing. And what am I supposed to do when I get all turned on?”
Memories of Claudette in a group hug at the nudist camp in Canada come flooding back, and I shudder.
That was… yeah… could someone wipe that from my mind, please?
I hear the front door open, the guys’ voices animated. Then Rhia’s joins in. The door closes again, and there’s only silence.
Did Tiero go with them?
I get up and walk over to the mudroom. And there he is. My love in all his glory.
His eyes light up when he sees me.
He finishes taking off his shoes before taking me into his arms.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispers, seeking my lips. “And I’m ravenous.”
“Oh, I can make you something to eat.”
I try to pull out of his embrace, but his arms only tighten.
“I’m ravenous for you!” He bites down on my lip, and I moan. “I’m going to take you to our bedroom and fuck you. Any objections?”
I shake my head, and he kisses me. I can taste his hunger for me, and it stirs the embers of my own desire, fanning them into a blazing fire in no time.
“Your choice, princess,” Tiero rasps. “Nice and slow, or rough and fast? We’ve got about ninety minutes. I need my fill of you before the Christmas Eve celebrations begin.”
His teeth latch onto my bottom lip and stretch it out.
“What’s it going to be?”
My insides quiver in anticipation.
“Both,” I moan when Tiero’s mouth finds that spot by my ear that has goosebumps racing down my spine. “Start nice and slow, and finish rough and fast.”
“Perfect,” he whispers. “Just like you.”
Then he carries me off.
Ninety-six minutes later, we are showered and dressed with a satisfied, just-fucked glow.
Claudette’s in the living room reading and trying hard not to smirk when we enter.
I tried, I really, really tried to be quiet, but the smile that’s lifting at the corners of her mouth tells me I wasn’t as successful as I had hoped.
The jingling of bells drifts in from outside. If it weren’t for the yelping accompanying it, I’d expect to see a horse-drawn sled sliding past. The Jingle Bells tune starts playing in my mind, and I’m tempted to sing along.
Curious, the three of us move to the floor-to-ceiling windows, searching for the source of the noise.
I do a double-take, unsure I can believe what I’m seeing.
What the?