Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

KRIS

“Levi?”

He pushed through the beaded curtain that led from the storage area at the back of his shop out into the storefront, a giant box balanced in his hands.

“Hey! You’re early.”

“Yeah, I saw the guys working on the window and figured I’d pop in to see how it was going.”

The box in Levi’s arms started to slip, and he hefted it up on his hip. “They’re almost done. Since you’re here, you can help me with this.”

I followed him, and he lifted the box onto the front counter, brushing his hands off before reaching for me. His lips met mine in a quick kiss.

“Hi.” I let my forehead rest against his.

“Hi.” Levi squeezed my hips, and the pressure made my dick take notice, but we were due at the KELPS holiday event in a little over an hour, and there wasn’t time to start something we wouldn’t be able to finish.

Instead of hauling Levi into his back room and bending him over his desk, I stole one more kiss, then stepped back to look at him.

“Okay, seriously, how many of these shirts do you own?”

Today’s shirt was dark green with a tentacled nutcracker on it surrounded by the words let’s get kraken .

Levi laughed. “Too many, but this one is brand-new. It was one of my options for Thanksgiving. I figured since we’re going to a Christmas party with the local Kraken Enthusiast and Lore Protection Society it was more than a little appropriate.”

“The guys are going to love it.” I tipped my head toward the box. “So what’s all this?” I peeked over the edge of the box. “Decorations?”

“Yep.” He reached into the box and pulled out a paper-wrapped bundle, unrolling the wrapping until a ceramic figurine was revealed. I’d seen similar small statues displayed around town.

“I appreciate your dedication to the nautical theme. Where did you manage to find a mermaid Santa statue?”

For a second, Levi looked confused, and then he started to laugh. “I don’t really celebrate Christmas, remember? This isn’t Santa. It’s Poseidon.”

Upon closer inspection, I saw the trident in the figure’s hand and the coral crown on its head. Some of the versions I’d seen decorating other businesses in town showed Santa—Poseidon—in a yellow raincoat, rain hat, and boots so he looked like a holly jolly Gordon’s fisherman. I’d thought there was a previously undiscovered market for nautical Santas, but learning the figures were actually Poseidon made so much more sense.

“I’ve seen these all over town in a lot of the stores and in people’s front windows.”

“Yeah, a lot of people in town celebrate Poseidonia like I do.” Levi lifted another decoration from the box. This one reminded me a little of a menorah, but instead of candles, there were holders for five glass vials that looked like test tubes from a science lab. I’d seen these around town over the years too. “This is Poseidon’s trident. On the first day of Poseidonia, we collect sea or lake water in this large vial, and over the next four days, we pour a little bit of water from the larger vessel into the smaller ones. The large vessel represents Poseidon’s reign over the seas, and the smaller vessels represent each of the oceans. The act of pouring the water reminds us of the gradual return of Poseidon’s power after the winter solstice. The holiday marks the beginning of winter and our new year, and we exchange small presents that symbolize our wishes for friends and family in the coming year.”

My fingers itched for a notebook so I could write everything Levi was explaining down and use it for a future course. “That’s fascinating.” I ran my fingertips over the teak and brass trident. “When does Poseidonia begin?”

“It depends on when the winter solstice falls, but usually on December twenty-first or twenty-second, and it lasts for the four days following, so usually until December twenty-fifth or twenty-sixth. This year Poseidonia is December twenty-first through the twenty-fifth. A long time ago, the whole period was marked with festivals and ceremonies, but nowadays, most people celebrate privately with family and friends. In Baleen, there is a big event with food and music on the first day of Poseidonia, but I get the feeling there isn’t anything like that here.”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t think so. At least, I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Figures.” Levi pulled a seashell garland from the box, and without being asked, I started helping him to untangle it just like we’d done with all the strings of Christmas lights when we’d helped my family decorate on Thanksgiving.

When we had it neatly arranged on the counter, Levi looked at me. “You know, I haven’t felt much like celebrating my holiday recently either, but since I met you, everything feels different. It’s like that warm glow I used to get during Poseidonia when I was a kid has returned.” He brushed a hand over the box. “I can’t remember the last time I decorated for Poseidonia or even pulled out my trident, but I want to celebrate this year.”

I felt the same way. My feelings about Christmas were all knotted up in the fact that the holidays were my family’s business, but there was something about this year that made me feel like I wanted to get into the spirit. Maybe not to the extent my family did but just a little. With Levi. “I understand the feeling. Maybe we could celebrate together.”

Levi’s answering smile made the winter sun look dim by comparison. “Yeah, I think I’d really like that.”

I leaned in for a kiss, my lips connecting with Levi’s the second my phone buzzed in my pocket. Levi laughed against my mouth. “You wanna grab that?”

“No.” I tugged him closer, the vibrating in my pocket stopping as my fingers slid under the hem of Levi’s kraken T-shirt. But the reprieve was short-lived, the buzzing starting up almost as soon as it had stopped.

Levi put a hand on my chest and pushed me back a step. “You grab that. I’m going to check in with the window repair guys, and we’ll”—he gestured between us—“pick this up later.”

“Come back to my house after the KELPS party?” I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Levi again. In the week and a half since Thanksgiving, I’d replayed the feel of Levi’s hand on my cock a million and one times while I got myself off, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t recreate the sensation, and it was driving me crazy.

His gaze heated, and he nodded. “Definitely.”

I slid my phone from my pocket and answered the call.

“Kris, it’s Pete. The community center is out of coffee cups. Can you pick some up on your way?”

“Of course. Do you need anything else?”

“No. I don’t think so. Marvin ordered the pizza, and it’s being delivered in about forty-five minutes.”

“Do you have plates?”

“Yep. Clara sent them with the cookies she made.”

“Shortbread?” Clara’s shortbread cookies were my favorite, and don’t tell my mother, but Clara’s were better than hers.

“You know it.”

“Set some aside for me.”

Pete laughed. “You know I can’t play favorites like that, Kris. You’ll just have to get here early.”

“Fine, then get your own cups. I need Clara’s shortbread.”

Pete chuckled again, then sighed. “Fine. I’ll see what I can do. You get the cups.”

“On it. See you soon.”

“See you soon.”

Levi had wandered back my way and continued unloading his box of Poseidonia decorations, glancing up at me when I hung up the phone. “Everything good?”

“Great. Marvin’s wife made shortbread cookies.”

“Okay.”

“You don’t get it. Clara’s shortbread is the best.”

One of Levi’s brows lifted toward his hairline. “I’m willing to believe it’s the best shortbread you’ve ever had, but you forget I grew up in Ireland. One might even say I’m a shortbread connoisseur.”

“Well, if we want to make sure we get some so we can test your theory, we need to get to the community center STAT.”

Levi brushed off his hands, a few flecks of glitter falling from his fingers as he reached for his coat, which was draped behind him on a tall chair. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Are the guys done with the window?”

“Yep. They’ve been paid and everything.”

“All right then. Let’s go. We have to make a quick stop on the way.”

“Okay, you were right.” Levi stuffed the rest of a piece of Clara’s shortbread into his mouth. “This is damn good.”

“I hate to say I told you so.” Crumbs flew from my lips as I spoke with my mouth full.

Marvin pushed between us trying to get to the tray, then shoved the lid back over the shortbread. “Save some for everyone else.”

“That’s easy for you to say. I bet Clara makes these for you all the time.”

Marvin harrumphed. “Not even close.” He patted his ample stomach. “She says I need to watch my sugar intake.”

“That’s probably good advice.” I lifted the lid and slipped another cookie from the tray. “Advice I’m definitely not going to take.”

Levi elbowed me in the side. “Me either. Grab one of those for me.”

I did as he asked, passing him the cookie. He made a big show of inhaling it, closing his eyes to savor the buttery sweet scent before taking a big bite. “So good.”

Marvin watched Levi carefully, something that almost looked like awe swimming in his eyes. When Levi was done with his cookie, Marvin patted his arm. “Levi, I wonder if I might have a word.”

“Of course.”

The older man walked a few paces away, Levi trailing behind.

“Kris.” Pete called my name from across the room where he and Abe had assembled some of the archival boxes where they kept all the KELPS chapter’s research. When I arrived at the table, Pete asked, “What do you think we should put out? We want to make a good impression.”

I didn’t bother pointing out that the event had already technically been going on for thirty minutes and I doubted any new attendees besides Levi were going to show up. Instead, I looked at what he’d laid out on the table.

His pride and joy was a grainy, sepia-toned photo of what appeared to be a giant squid in the water right off the coast, technically right in my backyard, as the very edge of the lighthouse was also visible in the photo. The picture had been passed down to Pete from his predecessors, the previous KELPS chapter leaders, and he’d made keeping it safe his entire personality.

“Obviously, that has to be on display.” I pointed to the photo, and Pete and Abe both nodded. “What about some of the captain’s logs?”

“Oh, yes. That’s a great idea.” Abe reached into the archival box farthest from me and grabbed a cracked leather binder with his white-gloved hands. The members of the KELPS preservation team took their archival duties very seriously and insisted on handling the artifacts with the utmost care. Abe flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. “I love this passage.” Laying the book down, he ran his hand over the yellowed page. “Look at how detailed the drawing is.”

As always, he spoke about the kraken artifacts as though I’d never seen them before, his tone reverent.

“I wish I could have seen what they saw back then.” Pete pulled another piece from the box. “I think if I saw a kraken I could die happy.”

A choked sound from right behind me, made me turn. Levi held a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide as he coughed. He held a cup of eggnog in his hand, the creamy drink threatening to slosh over the side.

“You okay?” I thumped him on the back and carefully extricated the cup from his grip.

He cleared his throat, his eyes still streaming from the coughing fit. “Didn’t realize it was spiked.” But his gaze was locked on Pete’s photograph, his skin a shade paler than normal, while around the room everyone hissed, “Shh.”

Levi glanced at me in confusion before his eyes fell back to the photo. “We’re technically not allowed to have alcohol on the premises.”

“Oh.” But I could tell he wasn’t really listening. Pete had caught on to Levi’s fascination with the picture and jumped into his spiel.

“That picture was taken right off the coast here in Lifeboat in 1897.”

Since I’d heard the story a million times, I headed back to the snack table to see if I could steal another piece of shortbread.