Beauty In Her Madness (Winterland Tale #3) - Stacey Marie Brown Page 0,26
huh?” Another small voice added, like one you’d hear in a cartoon. “That woman is like a penguin ingesting a fish.”
“In your case, it would be a tadpole.” The second guy laughed.
“Enough. Both of you. As if I didn’t have enough images I needed to drown.” The man’s raspy voice made me want to reach out, wrap myself in his timbre. “This isn’t from alcohol. What did you put in her drink?”
“Doesn’t matter. What were you even doing there anyway?”
“Blaze…” A threat lay under the name. Hate.
Blaze. Yes, I remembered him.
“Fine. Quin puts a little holly extract in it. At a low dosage it acts like a hallucinogenic.”
“Think I need to pay this Quin a visit,” the small voice muttered, sounding close to my ear, something poking into my ribs. “Look at her outfit. She’s a little big for an elf, though. Or is this some kinky role-playing? Spank the elf?”
“Dor, shut up,” the deep voice rumbled, sighing heavily. “Holly’s a poison, Blaze.”
“I see you still have a frozen ice pick up your ass, brother.”
“Better than a head full of sand, brother.” Once again the sensation of warmth on my skin, but cooling against the heat in my body, moved over my cheek, producing a groan from me. “Wake up, Dinah,” he demanded.
It was not a suggestion.
My lids popped open. Blinking, I could see the brilliant night sky straight above me, white-tipped trees surrounding me, but it was the two faces hovering over me that took all my attention as I lay in the fluffy snow.
One was dark, rough like a storm, with icy blue eyes and the other light like sunshine, with seafoam-green irises.
“Butter my Christmas roll…” My lips parted. Opposites, but both so stunning and sexy, I struggled to look directly at them, as if they could burn me to ash.
While Blaze was still in his bright red swim trunks, the other wore dark jeans, boots, and a sweater. Fire and ice.
“She’s fine. I think it helped loosen her up. You should try it.” Blaze lifted his lip in a hateful snarl at the other man. “Although you have never known what fun actually is.”
Jack Frost. I now saw the boy in the man. The same eyes that used to feel like they were peeling away my skin, digging into my soul.
They still did.
“So, tell me… This is a kink thing, huh?” A six-inch mouse dropped down from Jack’s arm to my stomach, motioning to my outfit. “Please, please tell me this is some kink thing.”
“Hot fudge in my stocking.” I gaped at the talking, gray mouse standing on me dressed in a battered top hat and red coat.
“You’ve played that game too? Though I call it Cream the Cinnamon Rolls, but whatever,” he replied with a shrug. “Didn’t think it as my thing at first, but, hey, I’m willing to give anything a chance or two…maybe three.” The mouse winked at me. “So how do you eat fish? Suck them down whole?”
“Dor.” Jack rubbed his face, plucking the mouse off me and putting him back on his shoulder. “Stop.”
“What?” he exclaimed. “Just a question. Totally innocent.”
“Nothing is innocent about you.”
“That’s true.” Dor clicked his finger, winking at me again.
“Some days I think it was better when you were drunk all the time,” Jack muttered, turning back to me, grumbling. “You all right?”
“Yeah…I think.” I pushed myself up. “Where are we?” I peered around. “How long have I been out? What happened to the beach?”
“You passed out. Been out for several hours now. He demanded we carry you here to bring down your temperature.” Blaze helped me to my feet as Jack stepped back. “Though, I personally thought you were fine where you were.”
“She was overheating.” Jack’s jaw tightened, his arms folding, animosity tightening his shoulders. “From poison.”
“It’s not poison in small dosages,” Blaze snapped back, loathing wrinkling his nose.
“Coming from the person who sniffed cinnamon all the time to get a buzz.”
“Father Christmas, you are such a tight-ass prick.” Blaze stomped toward Jack. “Again, why were you even there? Strange that after so long you suddenly reappear when she does.” He pushed at Jack’s chest, barely moving him. Jack was taller and had broader shoulders than his brother.
Jack wasn’t this crisp, clean guy you pictured when you thought of cold and ice. He was dangerous and untamed, like a turbulent snowstorm. A wild animal under the clothes.
“Go back to your stone castle, alone and isolated. No one wants you.” Blaze shoved harder at his brother.