Jingle Spells (16 page)

Noelle watched him, patiently waiting for his reaction. It was one of the things he'd always loved about her, the way she'd instinctively known when he needed space for the wheels to spin and had always given it to him. Unlike his brothers and sister, she didn't push.

Which was good, because if she had he probably would have balked on principle alone.

Picking up the nearest handy object, a pair of metal tongs he used to shape the glass, he threw them across the room. The metallic rattle as they hit first the wall and then the floor was less than cathartic.

Noelle didn't even blink at his outburst, which only made him regret the less than helpful gesture.

Her smoky voice, the sound of it making him think of flickering fires and her lithe body spread out across the soft surface of a white rug, swirled across his skin. “Feel better?”

“Not particularly.”

A smile, all the more enticing because of its rarity, teased at the corners of her lips. “Yeah, me either. Although I do feel guilty for leaving a dent in the wall of my father's office.”

“Your office.”

Noelle's startled gaze collided with his. Her mouth went slack with surprise before she snapped it shut again.

“My father's. I'm only here temporarily.”

“Yeah, that's what you keep saying.”

Was it wrong that he wanted her to stay? Had always wanted her to stay. But she hadn't. She had a life outside Gingerbread, one that she was pretty damn good at apparently. One that he knew nothing about.

The spike of sadness surprised him. Reaching up, he rubbed at the ache of it in the center of his chest.

“Fine. Let's go figure out how to make a damn car fly.”

Chapter 2

N
oelle tried not to pay attention to the way his body moved, but it was difficult not to notice. Especially when she had to quicken her strides, forcing out two for every one of his, just to keep up with Dash. Even in her four-inch designer heels the top of her head hit just even with his chin. Unfortunately, it gave her a great view of the dimple there.

Jerking her gaze away from him, Noelle forced herself to pay attention to what they were doing.

“Sir, Kris had the car delivered to the barn fifteen minutes ago.”

From the expression in the elf's eyes it was clear the general consensus was that this was an idiotic idea. Noelle didn't disagree...they just didn't have many other options.

With a nod, Dash followed the tiny man around the back of the lodge to the huge structure waiting there.
Barn
was a misnomer. It might have looked like one on the outside, but it resembled a warehouse on the inside.

On one end were large bay doors that would be rolled up so the sleigh could be brought out and loaded. Noelle's gaze swept across the ancient vehicle. It had been used for centuries. The wooden boards and gold-leaf paint seemed laced with magick. The runners gleamed beneath the fluorescent light. She used to creep inside the sleigh, curl up on the soft velvet seat and pretend she really did belong here.

She hadn't seen it in years...and until that moment hadn't realized how much she'd missed the outward sign of her heritage. A little prick of longing shifted inside her, but before she could do anything about it, Dash was striding off across the cavernous space.

The Corvette stuck out like a sore thumb. Not because they didn't have modern conveniences. The clan kept a huge fleet of vehicles available for use by anyone.

A crowd stood around staring at the huge yellow monstrosity. Their heads barely reached the top of the low-slung car. Several of them whispered back and forth to each other. Off to her left, Noelle heard a bleating sound that seemed to echo the consternation swirling around. Apparently the reindeer weren't oblivious to the fact they'd just been replaced.

The crowd split, clearing a space for them to pass.

Dash frowned. “This is a bad idea,” he mumbled beneath his breath. If the elves loitering around weren't blessed with preternatural hearing, she would have been the only one to hear his words. Big pointy ears had their advantages.

“Maybe, but we're doing it anyway,” Noelle countered in a loud voice filled with as much certainty as she could muster.

Shaking his head, Dash ordered the staff to clear the area. Everyone fell back, although they didn't completely disappear. Small faces filled the large bay opening.

“Why don't you try the cloaking spell first? Let's make sure we can hide this monstrosity before I try to make it fly.”

Logically, she knew he had a point. But that didn't stop the infinitesimal tremor she felt. Her magick had been...finicky. For months she'd been working hard to cover up her issues. She'd been lucky. But it looked like that good fortune was about to run out.

She felt sick with nerves. The sensation wasn't completely unfamiliar. There had been plenty of times she'd felt the same churning mix of anxious apprehension, usually moments before she plunged into a deep-cover assignment. Those jitters never lasted for long because she knew she had the skills to handle the situation.

She didn't think she had what she needed to pull this off. Growing up, she'd struggled to keep up with the rest of her classmates. The spells and casts they could do in their sleep she'd had to fight for. She'd spent hours practicing, determined that she would not let herself be different from the rest of the kids. But she was. And everyone knew it.

This was it. The moment everyone realized she'd been lying from the day she'd come back. They were about to get firsthand evidence she didn't belong with the Winter clan. The Evergreens would decide she couldn't fulfill her position and kick her out. Her father wasn't strong enough to resume his duties yet. He'd lose his job, and while the Evergreens wouldn't boot him to the curb, he needed his job. He needed something to fight for in order to get better.

Well, it had been a good ride. She'd actually lasted longer than she'd expected.

Here went nothing. Closing her eyes, Noelle pulled out her wand and concentrated on the car in front of her. In her mind's eye she recalled every detail so the memory was as complete as possible. The glaring color. The glint of light on the chrome. The squeak of brand-new tires against the coated concrete floor.

Whispering words in an ancient language only a few remembered, she started at the hood and moved backward, imagining the entire thing disappearing beneath a blanket of nothing.

She breathed evenly, drawing on the surge of light that kindled deep in her belly and radiated out.

A murmur started behind her, the sound of it growing to the point of annoyance. Didn't they realize she needed to focus?

Beside her, Dash shifted. His arm brushed against her. And she reacted. That single moment shattered her concentration as everything inside her centered on the man next to her. The picture in her mind was no longer of the car, but of Dash as he'd worked the ball of blue glass with expert precision. The bunch and pull of his muscles. The glowing heat on his skin.

A strangled sound erupted from Dash. Smothered laughter. Noelle's eyes popped open and she stared blindly at the car. A very blue Corvette.

* * *

“Well, it's definitely an improvement, but not quite what we were hoping for.”

Dash tried desperately to smother the laughter, but he wasn't succeeding very well.

“At least we don't have to worry about flying lemons anymore.” His foot connected idly with the tire. “Blue would work well...if Kris was traveling through the sky on a warm summer afternoon.”

A choked gurgle erupted from Noelle. Dash jerked his gaze away from the car and back to her. She stared at him, horror and hurt filling her eyes for the briefest moment before that damn mask slammed back over her expression.

But he'd seen it.

“Jesus. Elle.” His voice was low, full of the regret rolling through him. He took a single step toward her, planning to wrap her in his arms and soothe away the damage he'd unintentionally caused. But she stumbled backward, shaking her head.

Dammit! He knew how touchy she was about her powers. Knew how much she'd struggled growing up. But it had been easy to forget those old insecurities and assume they were long gone. From the moment she'd come back, Noelle had been nothing but competent, confident and efficient.

But that didn't excuse what he'd just done. He'd hurt her, and that was the last thing he'd ever wanted to do.

“You know that's not what I meant. My mouth gets me in trouble.”

Her eyes flared. Her gaze dragged down to his mouth. A hot blast of need shot through him. Part of him wanted to follow through on the unwitting invitation. He'd wanted to kiss her from the moment he'd walked into the Evergreen boardroom and seen her sitting in one of the dark leather chairs.

He could make her forget, soothe the emotional wound he'd just inflicted. Coax her to forgive him with his tongue instead of words. But that tactic hadn't exactly worked well for them in the past. Anytime she'd gotten upset about something, his solution had always been to distract her with sex. To remind her just how compatible and perfect they were together.

Instead, he rolled his head, stretching tight neck muscles, and tried to find the core of control that was slowly slipping through his fingers.

“Don't beat yourself up over this, Elle.”

“Don't.”

He wasn't sure whether she was talking about the nickname or his pacifying words.

“It's a difficult spell. Even the most powerful from the clan would struggle. Besides, you almost had it right until the last moment.”

Her gaze collided with his. “What...what do you mean?”

He shrugged. “Half of the car had disappeared and then it...was back. And blue.”

Eyes wide, her beautiful mouth fell open. It only made him want to kiss her more.

Slowly, a brilliant smile melted across her face. It was like watching the best sunrise, the ache of it difficult to take. It lit up her eyes, making them shimmer just like his glass.

God, she was gorgeous. And he loved to see her happy. There was a time when his whole existence was tied up in drawing out that smile. Even then she'd been so serious and intent.

“I did it?” she whispered.

This time when he moved closer she didn't pull back.

“Yep. What happened?”

Her teeth clicked together. Her gaze jerked away. And a soft burst of color seeped across her skin. “Something distracted me.”

Reaching for her, Dash ran his hands down the curves of her arms. Why did she have to be wearing that jacket? He wanted to feel her skin.

“Okay. Then why don't we try again?”

Turning her back to face the car, he flicked a glance over his shoulder and found Montreal, his head elf, in the crowd. Dash silently flashed his right-hand man the order to have the area cleared and knew it would be followed.

Wrapping an arm around Noelle's waist, Dash let his palm settle across the taut expanse of her tummy.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice low and husky. The sound of it burned across every nerve ending in his body, but he ignored the reaction. That was not what she needed right now. Or wanted.

“Helping you.”

“I don't need your help.”

“Probably not, but you're going to get it anyway. Relax.”

A harsh sound that was a combination of disbelief and jagged humor escaped her.

She shifted, probably completely oblivious to the fact that the tiny movement rubbed her rear straight across his groin. If she kept it up she was going to get irrefutable evidence of just how much he still wanted her.

Dash tightened his hand, holding her still. Her spine stiffened, and then she slowly began to melt against him. Her head dropped to his shoulder and she let him take her weight.

Her arms hung limply at her sides, her fingers still wrapped tightly around her wand.

Bending, he brushed his lips against the delicate shell of her ear and whispered, “Close your eyes.”

She did, the softest sigh slipping through her parted lips.

Dash bit back a groan.

He touched her throat, unable to stop himself from running the pads of his fingers down the slope of her exposed neck. But he forced himself to continue, over her shoulder, down her arm to the hand holding her wand.

Twining his own fingers with hers, he raised her hand and pointed the slender blade of wood at the car.

“Start again.”

She shook her head, the round point of it rubbing against his chest.

“I've got you, Elle,” he promised. “It's only you and me here.”

Her ribs expanded under a deep breath. She held it in before slowly blowing it out again on a steadying stream.

This close to her, he could feel the moment her powers surged to the surface. The glow of it was intoxicating. He'd never understood how she couldn't get it.

Her entire life she'd struggled against being different. She'd tried desperately to fit in. The problem was she couldn't. She
was
different. That was what he'd loved about her.

Unlike everyone else, her power was fueled not just by the cold core of Winter, but also by the bright sunlight of Summer. Together, the best of both worlds entwined inside her. Her skin glowed with the force of what she held deep inside.

She was one of the most powerful witches he'd ever met. She just didn't trust herself...or accept what was there. She fought to close off the piece of her that she didn't think belonged, which only drained her energy instead of feeding it.

So he'd help her tap into that potential. At least for today.

“Do you feel that?” he whispered. “The ball of energy churning deep inside you?” His hand flexed where it rested over her belly. “You must. I can feel it, and I'm only holding you.”

Slowly, his fingers spread wide, slipping farther out across her body. “Let it go.”

A small sound of refusal squeaked out of her.

“Yes,” he argued. “All of it.”

He could feel her struggle, not just in the tensed muscles pressed hard against him, but in the twisting center of her power. She was trying to cut it in half, to cordon off what she thought wouldn't help her.

“No. Don't fight it. Don't try to force that warmth down. I want to feel it, Elle.” His mouth grazed her skin and his breath slipped across the sensitive spot just behind her ear. “Let me,” he growled.

The burst of it nearly knocked his hands away from her body, but his muscles instinctively tightened and held on. Heat rippled down his body. Wherever they touched burned, but it didn't hurt. In fact, it felt heavenly. Like the warm cocoon of his hot shop.

He was so preoccupied with the revelation of just how powerful she really was now that the lock holding her Summer magick captive had burst open that he hadn't been paying attention to the car.

It was gone. Or, rather, it appeared gone. If he reached out, his hands would still brush across metal.

Unlike before, when the car had disappeared an inch at a time, one burst of energy and it had vanished.

“Elle,” he murmured. “Open your eyes.”

She did, her eyelids dragging slowly up as if weighted with sleep. He remembered that sated, drowsy, satisfied expression and wanted it again. More than his next breath.

Her gasp of surprise had him chuckling.

She whirled in his arms. One moment she was completely pliant and the next she was shoving at him like he'd suddenly turned into a serial killer.

Shocked, Dash let his arms drop from around her body and stumbled back a step.

The accusation that filled her expression slammed against him.