PAPER STARS: An Ordinary Magic Story(18)

“Maybe you should stay.” He shifted so we were slotted together even closer.

I took one last deep breath and rubbed my hand down his back. I could feel him wince a little when my fingers ghosted over his bruises.

“I need to work. I’ll be home in time to change for Christmas Eve over at Myra’s house.”

“Or you could stay in, if you want,” Myra offered because she was a pretty awesome sister most of the time. Okay, all of the time.

“No.” I stepped out of the comforter, every inch of distance between Ryder and me making me wish I’d let Myra take my shift so I could stay wrapped up in him all day.

“Delaney,” Myra said.

I took one look at her bloodshot eyes, the tired lines across her forehead, and her wrinkled clothes. She’d stayed all night here on the couch, keeping an eye on us.

“You’re officially off duty, Officer,” I said.

She scowled. “Do not pull the boss card.”

“Shuffled, cut, and dealt. Go home. Take a nap. Get the feast cooking. Ryder’s gonna be fine here, and we’ll be by around eight for drinks and dinner.”

“Are you bringing the demon?” she asked.

I couldn’t tell from the carefully blank look on her face if she wanted a yes or no answer.

“He doesn’t really listen to me,” I said. “Frankly, I’m surprised he didn’t stay here bothering us all night.”

“I told him to leave us alone.”

“And he listened to you.”

She shrugged. “There was also the dragon issue.”

“The dragon was sleeping with us. Mymy, Bathin doesn’t listen to anyone…”

“Not this again,” she muttered.

“...except you.”

“Yeah, well, he knows I have all of Dad’s old journals and can banish him from Ordinary if I want.”

“Can you?” Last I heard she hadn’t found a way to be permanently rid of the pest.

“Not yet.” Then she gave me a dazzling smile. “Getting there though.”

She waved and headed toward the door. “See you tonight. Don’t worry if you’re late. Ryder, call if you need anything.”

I heard the door open, then shut behind her.

There was a commotion of four-footed things running out of the bedroom behind us, the dragon in the lead, carrying a pillow in its mouth with Spud quick on his heels.

They disappeared into the living room and we were silent a moment.

“So we have a pig?” Ryder asked.

“Dragon.”

Spud barked, the dragon oinked then growled, a very dragony-sound. Spud barked again as if excited he’d made the piggy do a dragon thing.

“Dragon. Okay. What does it eat?” Ryder asked.

“Whatever it wants.” I smiled sweetly at his raised eyebrows. And yes, he looked excited to have a dragon in the house.

“Is there some way it communicates? Telepathy? Song? Riddle?”

The man loved finding out what kind of creatures we had in town, and I loved his enthusiasm, even though he was trying to play it cool.

“One oink means yes, two means no.”

His eyebrows dropped and he frowned. “That’s no fun.”

I laughed and pressed a kiss on his mouth. A quick kiss, a gentle kiss, a kiss that was not supposed to linger. But his hands shot out, caught both of my arms.

He held me to him, stepping into me as he did so, angling his thigh between mine. I was walked backward until my back bumped into the wall.

We never stopped kissing, couldn’t stop kissing. I swept my tongue along his bottom lip and he opened, his tongue licking into my mouth as we tasted, hungered, devoured.

I never wanted it to stop.

Never wanted to know a day when his hands wouldn’t be warm on my body, when his mouth wouldn’t be pressing secret words into mine.

Finally, we came up for air and we hung there, heads tipped, both of us staring at the other’s mouth.

I wanted to say it again. To ask him if he had heard me last night. To know if he understood that I loved him. Loved his laughter, his strength, his steady calm.

But I had already told him once, in the dark, in the relief that he was alive and with me. Maybe that would be enough.

Maybe that was all we were supposed to have. Maybe we didn’t need the words. Maybe we just needed this. Us.

I shifted, sliding my leg down off from his hip where I had somehow put it, and settling all my weight on my feet.

I pressed his chest, and he stepped back.

“Go to the doctor and make sure you don’t have a concussion,” I said.

“I don’t have a concussion.”

“Go anyway.”

He sighed. “So you’ll be home before eight?” His voice was sex, and it took everything I had not to just strip right there and drag him off to bed.

“I promise.”

He searched my gaze for some other meaning behind those words, the same words he’d told me before he’d gotten stranded.

“Are you going to be okay alone?” I asked.

“Yeah. If I need anything, I’ll call. Delaney? Thank you for being on the phone with me. For keeping me awake. For getting me home.”

“Like I’d let you miss our first Christmas together.”