Chapter 10
COCO
By the time we make it back to the barn, the sky’s turned indigo.
No more daylight, but plenty of time left to set up the tree.
Beau props the spruce in the corner, straightening it in a stand.
I kneel beside a battered carboard box labeled ornaments and open the flaps.
Inside is a mountain of loose silver tinsel.
No hooks, no balls, no ribbons, just thousands of glittering strands.
“It’s just tinsel,” I call over my shoulder, plunging my hands into the pile. I grab a fistful and drop it back into the box. Tinsel clings to my sweater. The more I shake and pick at it the more it scatters—in my hair, the floor—everywhere.
“New event, new tradition.” Amusement roughens Beau’s voice. “Barn’s simple enough. We’ll make it a simple tree.”
“Just tinsel?” I say, brushing strands from my face.
“Why not?”
I scoop up the box, and a stream of tinsel spills across the floor like miniature icicles. I kick at them, which only causes more to spill from the box. By the time I reach the tree, the floor looks like a shattered disco ball.
“Or we could go with decorating the floor instead.” He grins. “Scatter it with the stuff. Make it festive.”
“I like it. Grab a handful.”
He does, but instead of spreading it around the floor, he tosses a clump straight at me.
“Hey.” I retaliate, flinging a sparkling handful at his chest. It sticks to his shirt and catches on his five o’clock shadow. Ridiculous. And playful. Not something I expected out of him.
The next handful he aims higher, tossing it above my head. Silver strands drift through the air, falling like shooting stars all around me.
“This is a terrible idea.” But it’s fun and I start laughing so hard my face hurts. “It’ll take forever to clean this up.”
“Life’s messy, darlin’. Sometimes that’s a good thing.” His hand slips around my waist, drawing me close to his body. He lifts me and spins me in a slow, dizzying circle.
“What are we doing?” I whisper.
“We’re dancing.” His breath floats across my skin, soft and warm.
He hums something slow, a tune I don’t recognize. He guides my hand to his shoulder, and we sway—lazy and close. The twinkling lights above and the shimmering tinsel at our feet feel like magic.
My pulse skips. I tilt my head, and his lips find mine—gentle, then deeper.
His hand slides up my spine, over my ribs, fingers splaying along my side, possessive and wanting.
My lips part and I taste him—sweet and salty.
The kiss builds slowly with heat curling through me, and every inch of my body tingling and on fire.
We draw back and I’m breathless and dizzy. He traces the edge of my jaw with his thumb. His gaze darkens, his expression more serious than before.
“I want you Coco.” The world narrows to the rasp of his voice. “If not now, tomorrow, next month—”
“Now would be good.” I nod, breathless.
His mouth stretches into a wide smile. He sweeps me off my feet, tinsel scattering as he carries me toward the barn door. I clutch his shoulders, giggling like a school girl between kisses.
A flyaway piece of tinsel catches on my tongue as I pepper his neck with kisses. “We’re covered in this stuff.” I pull the strand away from my mouth.
His grin is pure sin and full of promise. “I plan on finding every strand.”