“No?”
“I haven’t spent time on Earth since I was a child.”
He took another gulp of his wine before asking, “Why not?”
“Just never had a reason, I guess.”
He leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs at the ankle. “Bullshit. You said you have an aunt who owns an art gallery in New York and an uncle who’s married to a vampire in Chicago. Also, your entire reason for throwing this Christmas, despite it clearly not being Christmas here, was to impress your mother and aunt who are from Earth. That sounds like at least four reasons to visit, yet you haven’t.”
She busied herself placing another ornament, then dusted off her hands. “I think the tree is looking good.”
“I think you’re avoiding telling me the truth about why your uncle Colin was worried about you leaving Paragon and why you haven’t spent more time on Earth even though you have connections there.”
She whirled on him. “Don’t act like I’m the only one with secrets. It’s pretty clear to me that there’s a reason you don’t believe in magic or relationships. Something more than just a tiff with your family over the environmental friendliness of their business. There was a reason you didn’t go to your father’s funeral and a reason you were hiding at the North Pole during the human holidays.”
He worked his jaw back and forth before draining the last of his wine. “Fine, we both have secrets.”
She turned and stared up at the tree. “It’s late and we need to finish decorating this tree. What’s this thing you’ve drawn on top?”
“A star. It’s usually made out of something shiny. Either silver or gold.”
“I’ll check to see if Alexander has anything we can use.” She added another ornament to the branches in front of her.
“Hey, you can’t just put all the gold ones together. You’ve got to mix up the colors. Spread them out. Put some deep inside the tree and some outside on the tips of the branches.” He set his glass down and rose to join her, his swagger veering toward slightly tipsy.
“Who says? I doubt the Christmas police are going to come and issue me a fine.”
Scoffing, he vaulted up onto the edge of the pot and started shifting some of the ornaments around. “I’ll issue you the fine myself. It’s an insult to holiday decorating.”
“Be careful,” she said through a laugh. “You already kissed the floor once today. I could be wrong, but being a scientist probably requires your brain matter to stay within your skull.”
“I’m trying to correct your inferior tree decorating. There is holiday enjoyment at stake.” He rose up on his toes and hooked on another ornament, teetering on the edge of the pot.
“Seriously, Liam. I can fly. I’ll get the high ones. Don’t hurt yourself. You’re clearly suffering the effects of the wine.”
“The wine… Yes, that reminds me, we should call for another bottle!” He shuffled around the side of the tree, circling his arms to catch his balance.
“Tribiscal wine is very strong, and you’ve had enough to slosh a dragon. I’m afraid if you have any more, I’ll be carrying you to bed tonight.”
He leaned into the tree, peering around the branches to look at her. “Promise?”
She laughed, feeling her cheeks grow warm. “I thought you said you wouldn’t touch me again.”
“We shouldn’t. It will only make things more difficult.”
She nodded slowly. “Right. We might develop an attachment to each other, after all. An infatuation perhaps, or something worse, like a genuine friendship.”
He nodded his head. “Nothing good could come of it.”
“You wouldn’t want to give me the wrong idea. I might trap you if you’re not careful. Refuse to take you home. Keep you here as my sex slave.” She grinned wickedly and waggled her eyebrows.
His eyes narrowed. “I never thought of that. You wouldn’t do that, would you?”
Men. She rolled her eyes. “Who says I’d want to? You seem like a lot of trouble. I’m not even sure you can do the job I brought you here to do. Those cookies were a disaster.”
“They were, weren’t they?” He snorted. “We shouldn’t have left them behind. They belong disposed of in a bright red bag marked with a skull and crossbones.” His laugh was cut off with a loud hiccup.
“Liam! You are drunk. By the Mountain, get down from there.”
