Reindeer turds!Now she was going to think about him more than she usually did.She was going to remember what it felt like when he kissed her.She was going to wake up in a sweat recalling his hands, his mouth, and even that damn spanking!And the frozen rat bastard king was going to marry someone else!There!At least she recalled some of the more descriptive words she’d learned while she was far from the North Pole!
“Jackson, you rat bastard!Get down here and take me home.I mean it you fucking jerk!Take me home before I go through this grand palace you’ve built making everything look like a crushed ice maker has run amuck!”she screamed out, stomping both of her feet.
Casually he strolled down the staircase, looking as handsome as ever.His silver blue eyes, the touch of silver at his temples, and the stubble on his face only made her angrier.And he was smiling.Why couldn’t he be ugly?She’d seen her share of ugly Elven males.Why couldn’t he be one of them?Or stupid!Why did he have to be so intelligent, so charming, and why did his smile make her heart race?
She was mad.Madder than she’d ever been in her life and he was grinning as though it was of no consequence at all.
“Damnit, I think I’m going to have to kill you,” she cried, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at the floor in front of him and smiling as a small fire burst to life at his feet.
Tsking he shook his head and pointed at the floor where she was nearly jumping up and down in fury.Instantly it turned into a patch of slippery ice and she fell on her ass.
“Don’t use magic on me, my darling,” he stated smoothly and blew out the flames.“You won’t win.”
“I might if I had my hairpins,” she hissed as she struggled to get to her feet and stay on them.
“Which is exactly why I regret giving them to you and have asked for them back multiple times,” he replied, taking her hand and pulling her forward.“They are entirely too powerful to be in the possession of a nitwit.”
“Who are you calling a nitwit?”she asked, grinding her teeth.
He rolled his eyes as he towed her into the small salon off the foyer.
“So why did you give them to me in the first place?”she demanded after he’d pushed her down onto a settee.
“Because I was wildly in love with you, and I wanted you to have them for your protection,” he sighed.“I knew the kind of power they possessed and would have shown you how to harness it had you not run off with what’s his name.”
“Brad Timberline,” she snapped back.
“Yes, that’s the one,” he agreed coolly, “human extraordinaire in his world, and not nearly good enough for you in yours.”
“That’s not true!”she insisted.
“Possibly.Perhaps it’s because I still harbor a good deal of resentment towards him, even though he has passed on.It’s not something I’m proud of,” he admitted reluctantly.
“So you gave me the diamonds because you were in love with me?”she asked, clearly surprised.“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“I thought you knew.”
“How could I?”
“Crystalia, I doted on you, catered to your every whim,” he gasped out.“I built the courtyard so you could enjoy it, the glorious fountain, the rows and rows of rare flowers in every shade of blue and silver were all specifically designed for you.If you’d looked closer you would have seen your name intricately carved into every bench.
“Every time you acted out and made me angry I controlled my emotions.Sometimes you scared me with your impulsive nature, taking risks and thinking it was all so amusing.So many times I longed to scold you or even spank you, but I never did, not once.You were too precious to me.I couldn’t risk hurting your feelings, or your naughty bottom,” he informed her with a shrug.“You were young and foolish.I didn’t have that excuse.I was besotted.”
“And now you’re not,” she sighed flopping back against the settee.
Jackson looked at her.She sounded…well, forlorn.His eyes narrowed.
“Why would you say that?”he asked warily.
“Clearly, you no longer love me,” she pointed out.“You’ve asked many times for the diamonds back, so you no longer care about my safety.You’ve scolded me, and spanked me, so you’re not afraid of hurting my feelings or my bottom.”
“How have I hurt your feelings?”
“Good grief, apparently I’ve given your intelligence more credit than you deserve,” she snapped getting up and stalking across the room to face him.“You brought me up here and made such incredibly passionate love to me that I will dream of it for at least the next century.
“You made it clear you intended to marry another, yet it seems you wanted to show me what I’d been missing, and will continue to miss for the rest of my very long life.Jackson, you’ve burned your touch, your face, your scent into my soul.Now, take me home and leave me be.What else is there between us now?What reason do you have for keeping me here?
“Your magic may be stronger than mine, but believe me a woman scorned can do a great deal of damage and I’m not feeling particularly charitable towards you at the moment!”Spinning on her heel she headed toward the entry way.His laughter stopped her in her tracks.
