Cupid Claws: The Twelve Mates Of Christmas, Book 6 Page 4

  Holly looked into the huge box of Christmas decor. There were some pieces she could set up without Rowan’s help, like the poinsettia arrangements for the tables. She started to set those out while Rowan hung up other ornaments around the cafe.

  Two familiar customers came into the cafe. Holly went to the register to take their order.

  “The usual, Pandora?” asked Holly.

  “Yup. Two large iced Christmas lattes, extra whipped cream,” said the young woman at the counter. “Jack, you want anything?”

  “I’m good,” said Jack. “What’re you up to today, Holly? Looks like you’re in the middle of renovations or something.”

  “Oh, I’m just putting up the Christmas decor — with some help,” said Holly. She took Pandora’s card, charged the two beverages to the card, and gave Pandora back the card. Holly turned and started to make the coffees.

  “Care for two more pairs of hands?” asked Pandora.

  “If you want to hang up ornaments, be my guest,” said Holly, finishing up the beverages and putting them down in the drink pick-up area. Jack carried the drinks to a table while Pandora went into the box of ornaments.

  Avery peeked out her office door. “Did I just hear Pandora?”

  “Yeah. She wants to help decorate,” said Holly.

  “Then have Rowan go to the basement and haul out the lights,” said Avery. “Here.” Avery tossed her keys to Holly.

  Holly caught the keys and walked over to Rowan.

  “Hey, can you help me get some stuff out of the basement?” asked Holly.

  “Sure,” said Rowan. Holly led Rowan down to the basement, where there was a box prominently marked, ‘Lights.’ Rowan grabbed the box and carried it upstairs. They opened the box. The box was full of neatly organized Christmas lights, with green cords and red, orange, blue, pink-purple, green, and blue tapered bulbs.

  Holly found a socket while Rowan found a stepladder in the basement. Rowan set up the stepladder and started to hang up the lights with Holly’s direction.

  “Hey, this was fun, but we’re gonna head out,” said Pandora, tapping Holly on the shoulder.

  “See you tomorrow!” said Jack.

  “See you!” said Holly. She went to grab another set of lights for Rowan. Before long, the entire bakery was decked out in lights.

  “All done,” said Rowan.

  “Not quite. I think there’s still a few ornaments left for us to hang up,” said Holly. She carried the stepladder back down to the basement.

  Holly came back to the box of ornaments. Rowan had just taken out the last decoration and was holding it in his hands.

  “Guess you beat me to the box,” joked Holly.

  “You’re telling me you didn’t come here just so you could steal a smooch?” asked Rowan.

  “Steal a what?” asked Holly, cheeks burning red. “I was just —”

  “Look,” said Rowan, pointing up. There was a ball of leaves and greenish-white berries hanging down over the duo.

  “I didn’t hang that up,” said Holly. “Is this your doing?”

  “I swear, I’m innocent,” said Rowan.

  “There’s a tag on it,” said Holly. “What’s it say?”

  “It’s just marked, ‘From P,’“ said Rowan.

  “Frikkin’ Pandora,” muttered Holly.

  “Well, we’re standing under the mistletoe, Holly,” said Rowan, running a finger along Holly’s chin. “What do you think we ought to do about that?”

  “It’d be bad luck not to, well, you know…right?” asked Holly.

  “It’d be very, very Naughty of us not to kiss,” said Rowan, leaning in toward Holly. He took her thick waist in his rough hands.

  Holly shuddered as Rowan touched her. The bakery was warm, but somehow, Rowan’s touch was even hotter. Holly met Rowan’s lips. She brushed her lips against his and felt sparks.

  Rowan pulled Holly closer. Holly got on her tip-toes and put her hands on Rowan’s shoulders. Holly was a BBW, but with Rowan’s hands on her thick waist, she felt absolutely tiny. His broad shoulders dwarfed her own. He had powerful muscles that pulsed under her touch. She could feel his pulse quicken as his tongue entered her mouth. She wondered if he could feel that her heart was beating a mile a minute too.

  Holly broke the kiss to breathe. She’d forgotten to breathe. She’d been so swept up in the winter blizzard that was Rowan’s embrace that she’d forgotten to take in a single breath. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up into Rowan’s chocolate brown eyes, which reminded her of a mug of hot cocoa, dotted with toasted miniature marshmallows. They were warm, inviting, and made her feel toasty inside.

  “Rowan! It’s time to go!” shouted Krampus, leaving Avery’s office in a huff.

  “Whatever,” said Avery, crossing her arms. “You’re just annoyed he liked my idea better.”

  “I guess this is goodbye,” said Rowan. “For now.”

  “Rowan!” shouted Krampus. “Don’t make me repeat my elf! I mean, myself!”

  “Your elf?” asked Rowan, following Krampus out to the boat. “Did something happen?”

  “No,” said Krampus, crossing his arms as Rowan got in the rowboat and untied it from the dock. Krampus waved his arms and a second pair of oars appeared out of nowhere. Rowan grabbed his paddles and started rowing, but he wasn’t able to row as fast as Krampus, whose arms were spinning so fast they were practically a blur.

  “Whatever,” muttered Krampus. “Oh, ‘you’re just annoyed he’ blah. Blah!”

  “What happened?” asked Rowan.

  “Frikkin’ Boreas frikkin’ Winter wants Avery’s help with some winter solstice party,” said Krampus.

  “So?” asked Rowan.

  “So he’s gonna ‘talk about it’ with her, over ‘lunch,’“ said Krampus.

  “So?” asked Rowan. “Wait. Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”

  “Whatever,” grumbled Krampus.

  “What?” asked Rowan. “You’re annoyed she’s gonna be seeing another man. This is the cutest thing ever. You’re jealous that another man is taking your girlfriend out.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend,” insisted Krampus.

  “Uh-huh,” said Rowan. “Tell you what, Krampus — if I can get this Boreas guy to back off, will you go and erase my name from The Naughty List?”

  “No, and for even asking that, you have to do a hundred sit-ups,” said Krampus. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

  “Uh-huh,” said Rowan with a smirk.

  “Great, you just made it two hundred,” growled Krampus.

  Chapter Three

  December 6th, 2012

  Holly’s heart was a-flutter as she thought about Rowan and the kiss. Every single day, Rowan had come over to pick up pastries and coffee, and every single day, Krampus had made Rowan leave the bakery quickly. The day they’d spent decorating had been an exception to the rule so far. Holly snuck glances at Rowan and knew he stole glances back at her. After all, on more than a handful of occasions, they’d locked eyes and exchanged secret smiles.

  Holly was putting away freshly baked white chocolate cranberry scones when somebody tapped on the display case, shocking Holly as if she were a fish in an aquarium. She rose quickly and hit her head on the edge of the display case.

  “Ouch,” said Holly, rubbing her head.

  “Sorry, sugar, but I saw something in that case that looked downright delicious and sweet,” said Rowan. He pulled Holly close and pressed his lips against the spot that Holly’s hands had been rubbing.

  “Well, given you kissed me better, I supposed I could give you some sugar…on the house,” said Holly with a wink, pulling Rowan in for a kiss. “Are you heading right out?”

  “Krampus is spending some time with Avery, so he said I could spend some time with you,” said Rowan. “Can you go on break?”

  “Yeah, Amanda’s working,” said Holly. “Amanda, can you handle the register on your own?”

  “Obviously,” said Amanda, rolling her eyes. “Get out
of here, you two lovebirds. You’re going to make me sick with how frikkin’ adorable you two are.”

  “Point taken,” said Holly with a smile. “Thanks, Amanda. We’ll take it outside.”

  Holly led Rowan by the hand to the back patio.

  “So, how have things been on the…” started Holly, then, she spotted him — the man she’d had to shoo away multiple times. “Hey! Get out of here!”

  The man ignored Holly. He was holding a white wicker basket filled with green plastic grass. Inside the basket were some poorly shaped pastel cookies. Given the man was wearing a pair of white rabbit ears, it wasn’t hard to tell he was going for an Easter bunny look. He was trying to sell his wares to a table of two moms and their three kids.

  Holly walked up to the table, followed by Rowan. The women were already getting up to leave with their kids. It had been a pleasant family outing until it was ruined by that jerk in the bunny ears.

  “Excuse me, ma’ams, but he’s not affiliated with the bakery,” said Holly, reaching into her pocket and pulled out some coupons. “Here. For your trouble. We’re so, so sorry this man has bothered you. If you bring your receipt back tomorrow, we can remake your order, on the house. So sorry.”

  Holly turned back to the man.

  “Avery told you to get out of here,” hissed Holly.

  “The Bear Claw Bakery isn’t the only place in town where people can get baked goods,” said the Easter bunny. “You don’t have a monopoly on cookies.”

  “This is private property, and the lady told you to get lost,” said Rowan, cracking his knuckles. “Now, if you don’t want trouble, I suggest you turn tail — or turn cotton-tail — and get lost.”

  The man in the bunny ears pushed Rowan. Rowan stood his ground and didn’t move an inch. He didn’t push the man back. All he did was smirk.

  “Is that the best you’ve got?” asked Rowan, crossing his arms. He gave the man a look-over.

  Rowan saw the man’s arms change and press against the fabric of his flannel shirt. Rowan gulped. This guy wasn’t shrinking down to the size of a cute, cuddly bunny. Whatever this guy was, he was big for a shift.

  Rowan shifted without thinking. His clothes didn’t rip. For a second, because he didn’t hear the familiar tearing of his clothing, he thought he hadn’t shifted. He looked down. He was covered in brown fur — but not the fur he was used to. He was wrapped in a thick warm winter coat speckled with gray and white. He didn’t have paws — instead, he had hard hooves at the end of spindly legs.

  What the — thought Rowan, and then he felt it — a bunch against the side of his face.

  Rowan shook it off and looked up. Where there had been an Easter bunny, there was now something with a long two, two big, flat feet, and two arms, held up, in a boxing position.

  No way, thought Rowan. I’ve never fought a kangaroo before. Heck, I’ve never fought as a reindeer before!

  You have hooves and horns, said Cupid. If you can’t figure out a way to make those work for you, you’re a bigger dummy than I thought.

  The kangaroo was still wearing human clothes. The kangaroo shifter’s kangaroo form was only slightly smaller than its human form, but, because it had shoulders, the shirt was still on the shifter. The ‘roo was somewhat big for a shift. The shifter’s pants, shoes, socks, and underwear were in a pile on the ground.

  What made the entire sight hilarious to Holly was that the kangaroo was still wearing bunny ears! She couldn’t help but giggle. Holly knew that the fight wasn’t funny, but the sight of a kangaroo, dressed up as the Easter bunny, fighting a reindeer, during the Christmas season, was just too much.

  Rowan took a quick glance toward the giggling sound to see where Holly was. Holly had been smart and gotten her curves out of the way. The kangaroo had been watching Rowan’s face and, once it saw his eyes flick toward Holly, the kangaroo punched at Rowan with both hands.

  Rowan looked forward. The kangaroo had grabbed him by the shoulders! The force of the punch hadn’t been that hard. Rowan was face to face with the kangaroo and confused about what the heck the kangaroo was trying to do.

  Then Rowan felt it — a kick toward his sternum. He let out a loud gasp, but, because Rowan was in his reindeer form, it didn’t sound like an ‘oof’ sound. Instead, it sounded like a duck wrestling a goose in a pool of mud.

  The kangaroo kept kicking at Rowan. Rowan jumped to try and fling the kangaroo off of his body. He jumped up and down, moving left and right, swinging his head about until finally, the feeling of being kicked by the kangaroo stopped.

  Rowan’s head was spinning. Soon, he regained clear vision and realized why the kangaroo had stopped being able to kick him.

  Rowan was ten feet in the air, with the kangaroo holding onto Rowan’s neck for dear life, its legs dangling in the air.

  What the heck? thought Rowan. I must’ve been knocked out!

  With that, Rowan hit the ground, hard, landing on top of the kangaroo.

  You might just be the worst reindeer shifter in history, said Cupid. Is it Santana’s eight swimming reindeer? Perhaps it’s Santana’s eight square-dancing reindeer? No. It’s Santana’s eight frikkin’ flyin’ frikkin’ reindeer!

  Rowan got up from the ground, standing on his spindly but strong legs. He watched the kangaroo as it hopped toward him on its two goofy looking legs. The red, furry animal didn’t just have two legs — it used its tail as a third leg! Whenever the kangaroo jumped toward Rowan, it used its tail to balance itself, like a pogo stick.

  Rowan waited for the kangaroo to jump. Then, he swept his leg underneath the kangaroo’s feet. For a split second, it looked as if the kangaroo was using the reindeer’s leg to play a game of jump-rope. Rowan’s leg hit the tail, hard. The kangaroo got knocked off balance, landing on its side.

  Rowan held a hoof on the kangaroo’s belly, the other, on the kangaroo’s tail. It didn’t take long before the kangaroo shifted back into his human form.

  “Alright, alright, I give up!” said the man.

  Rowan shifted out of his reindeer form. “And you won’t show up again unless you want a free ass-kicking?”

  “I just…” started the man, getting up and grabbing his clothes.

  “You just what?” asked Rowan.

  “I just got laid off. Money’s tight ‘round the house. But, it’s the holiday, and I got a family. I’m trying to raise money to get my kids a Christmas tree this year,” said the man, zipping up his pants. “I might not be able to stick many gifts under it, but I…I think they at least outta have some piece of holiday cheer. I had the Easter stuff leftover from the spring, so I thought, maybe, I could raise some money that way…but you’re right. I went about things the wrong way.”

  “If you’re in need, you should’ve just told people in the first place,” said Rowan. “If you ask your neighbors for charity, you’ll be surprised about what they might give you — but you have to ask in the first place.”

  “What’re you saying?” asked the man.

  “Ask me for a tree,” said Rowan.

  “I can’t ask you for that, after —” started the man.

  “Don’t make me fight you again to knock the pride out of you,” said Rowan. “Just ask. It’s that simple.

  “Do you…maybe…perhaps, and if it’s not too much trouble…know of a way I could get a Christmas tree this season?” mumbled the man, blushing bright red.

  “Come back here tomorrow, at noon,” said Rowan. “There’ll be a tree here on the back patio. Talk to Holly here if you have problems finding it.”

  “That’s too much,” said the man.

  “It ain’t for you,” said Rowan. “It’s for your kids.”

  “You’re right,” said the man. “Thank you. Sorry, miss — I never should’ve come back after being told to turn tail, but…you know, maybe Fate works in weird ways. Merry Christmas.”

  The man tipped his bunny ears at Holly and left with his basket full of cookies.

  “Rowan, that was…amazing,” said H
olly. “But…I thought you were supposed to be a bear shifter, not a reindeer shifter. What happened to your clothes? Why didn’t they burst into pieces when you shifted?”

  “I have a lot to explain, and I can’t explain it all today,” said Rowan. “Believe me — I’m a bear, just, not right now.”

  “Why did you show that guy mercy?” asked Holly.

  “Look. I’m not exactly one to judge someone for their life choices,” said Rowan. “The most important thing is making sure his kids have a nice holiday.”

  “I’m sure Avery would love to contribute a basket of baked goods,” said Holly. “Let’s go ask her!”

  Holly knocked on Avery’s door.

  “Hey,” said Holly, once Avery opened it. Rowan saw that Krampus was sitting on the ground of the office, frowning and fiddling with a pair of scissors and some white paper. Around him were scraps of white paper cut into odd shapes.

  “Hey,” said Avery. “Everything okay?”

  “Well, let’s just say Rowan figured out a way to get that Easter kangaroo to leave the bakery alone,” said Holly.

  “Why do I feel like this story ends with you asking me for a favor?” asked Avery, arms crossed, looking Rowan over, top to bottom.

  “He’s just a guy trying to do right by his kids,” said Rowan. “I promised him a Christmas tree, and we were wondering if maybe you would be down with contributing some baked goods or something — for the kids, of course.”

  “What good is a Christmas tree without lights? Ornaments? An angel to stick on the top?” asked Avery.

  “I didn’t think about that,” said Rowan.

  “That’s right — so go down to the basement, and pick out a few boxes of nice things for this man’s family,” said Avery. “Whatever tree you bring over tomorrow better be big, fresh, and greener than Krampus’ balls.”

  “Wait, what?” asked Rowan.

  “Don’t make me repeat myself!” said Avery. “Here.”

  Avery opened her desk drawer and pulled out a sheet of gold star stickers.

  “Just put a sticker on the boxes of ornaments you want us to give the guy tomorrow,” said Avery, holding out the stickers. “I’ll go over them tonight before closing, to make sure you don’t give away any of my family heirlooms or anything. Now, Krampus and I are busy, so, if you don’t mind…”