Give in to the madness.
That was what the old man was saying now too. But I bet Mr. Radovitz would agree with me about familial duty since his family was so important to him.
We took our leave and headed back to Primrose House. I dragged my empty sled, and while the streetlights were still working, the flashlight Jason carried helped us steer clear of the deep spots of snow.
“You probably shouldn’t have told him that we were dating Lyla.” I spoke loudly over the thunder of the wind.
“Why not? It’s just Mr. Radovitz.” Jason still had a flush on his cheeks from the drink.
“He’s probably talking to one of his friends right now, and that friend will tell someone else and it will spread like wildfire through the town.” As we turned the corner, a little rush went through me at seeing Primrose House lit up at the end of the block looking like something inside a shaken snowglobe.
“So?” Jason shrugged.
“So, it isn’t true. We’re just helping Lyla out with her heat. Nothing has been declared. We haven’t even taken her on a proper date.” That alone would horrify my family. Yaya would smack me on the back of the head for it.
“You know,” Jason swaggered around a snow drift. “When you didn’t show up at the house in a reasonable amount of time, Lyla went into full panic mode. She was ready to come out herself to find you.”
She was concerned about me? I wanted to brush that off as Lyla just being a decent human being, but something hooked into me and twisted.
“At Big Sisters, you didn’t hesitate when she crooked her finger at you.” Jason continued.
I held up a hand and shook it at him. “There was plenty of hesitation. It was her heat making her desperate. I didn’t want to take advantage of her, and I shouldn’t have let that happen.”
“What the fuck ever!” Jason laughed and shook his head. “She’s into you, Oz. Lyla isn’t the type to just suck anyone’s dick. She’s our scent match. It’s happening fast, yeah, but that’s because it was meant to be. I see it. She sees it. It’s only you fighting the inevitable.”
“It’s not inevitable.” I took a gulp from the tumbler so I didn’t say anything else. There was probably enough alcohol in the mug so I didn’t think about much at all.
The snow crunched under our feet as we approached Primrose House. Already the porch and drive were getting covered by drifts again. Multi-colored lights twinkled along the roof and reflected on the icicles between them.
The door flung open as we neared the porch. Lyla launched herself off of it and into my arms. She wrapped herself around me as I nearly dropped my mug.
“Oh my God! I thought you were lost and turned into a popsicle and a yeti had kidnapped you! I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” Lyla clung to me, burying her face against my neck.
My heart thumped hard as I held her and carefully made my way up the stairs to the front door. Jason looked at me with a raised brow and his I-told-you-so expression. He held the door for us, smiling that smarmy smile the whole time.
“It’s okay, Lyla. I just got sidetracked by Bluebeard and Mr. Radovitz.” I rubbed her back as we went inside. I expected her to let go once we were in the front foyer, but she only squeezed me tighter. My emotions were a mess as if someone had shook a present to try to guess what it was and let loose everything inside.
“Yup. Oz can’t go anywhere without rescuing someone.” Jason closed the door and kicked off his boots. He held up his mug. “But he’s not rescuing me from this hot toddy.”
I rolled my eyes and tried to gently urge Lyla to let go of me while not wanting her to at the same time.
She kept her arms locked around my shoulders but put her feet down. “Bluebeard is Mrs. Locke’s dog. He loves the snow. I bet he was having the time of his life.” She smiled as I nodded, but then her lips pursed with concern. “What about Mr. Radovitz? He lives alone…”
“He’s fine. He had a little fall, and I checked him over and then shoveled a path for him to get down his drive. Jason found me just as I finished, and Mr. Radovitz rewarded us with enough alcohol to get all of Santa’s reindeer drunk.” I indicated the travel mug, vaguely aware that I was still holding it. Every one of my senses were focused on Lyla and how incredible her body felt against mine. Her enchanting fruity scent made me want to convince her just how okay I really was.
With her under me, locked together with my knot, screaming my name.
“I’m so glad he’s okay. Thank you.” Lyla hugged me with more tenderness this time. “You’re a hero. Both you and Jason. My heroes.”
I was just doing my job. Those words were on the tip of my tongue. But I liked it she saw me as a hero, and she looked at me with those beautiful big blue eyes. There had never been another woman who’d captivated me the way Lyla had. She was magic given human form.
“We should get in and make sure you’re doing all right. How have you been feeling since you got back?” Even as I said it, I didn’t move apart from her. My feet refused to heed my command.
“No. I’m taking care of you now.” Lyla stepped back, and I immediately felt her absence from my arms. “Get out of those wet clothes. I set aside some dry ones beside the washer and dryer. Then come eat some mac and cheese and warm yourself up. I made cookies too.”
Jason’s laughter boomed from the direction of the kitchen. Lyla grinned and slipped away from me, hurrying through the house.
Someone wanted to take care of me. My throat felt thick as my chest tightened. It was always me looking out for the world. Jason had my back, but we were a team. Even my family drilled into me that as the eldest son, it was my responsibility to look after everyone.
