Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

KRIS

“Mom? Dad? Anyone home?”

Levi followed me into my parents’ house. It was Monday evening, and the Santa’s workshop experience had been closed for the day, but I’d still had classes to teach, and Levi had his record shop to run, so we hadn’t been able to make it out to the house to look for the supplies we’d need any earlier.

“Kristopher? We’re in the sun room.”

I started to take off my coat and outerwear, but Levi put a hand on my arm. “Might want to keep the scarf on.”

“What? Why?” But I already knew.

He looked down at his feet. “I may have been a little aggressive with the tentacles Saturday night.”

“Did you give me tentacle hickeys?” I hissed the words, turning to look at my reflection in the decorative mirror by the front door. Pulling my scarf down, I revealed the circular purple marks that did, in fact, look exactly like the suckers on each of Levi’s tentacles. I ran my fingers over the marks, my cock thickening in my pants. I loved the marks he’d left on my skin. I’d been borderline obsessed with them since I saw them the morning after my first tentacle sex experience.

“I’m sorry. I got caught up in the moment, and I didn’t think about it.”

Tucking my scarf up around my neck again, I reached out to grab Levi’s hand and thread our fingers together. “I’m teasing you. I already saw them, and I don’t mind. I like seeing your marks on me.”

“You do?” He looked at me like he was expecting the other shoe to drop, like he was waiting for everything to catch up with me and for me to push him away, but that wasn’t going to happen. I’d had one taste of tentacle sex, and I was already addicted. If Levi wanted out of this relationship, he would need to be the one to end it. As far as I was concerned, he was mine, and there wasn’t anything that was going to change that.

In a move that was arguably way too bold for the front hallway at my parents’ house, I brought his hand down between us and brushed his knuckles over my half-hard cock. “Yeah, I really, really do. In fact, I can’t wait to get all tangled up in you again. Soon.” I pressed a quick kiss to his nose. “Very soon.”

Levi beamed at me, and I tugged him farther into the house.

“Okay, I think I get it now. It’s like a Christmas store threw up in here.” Levi’s head was on a swivel trying to take in all the decor at once.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if this stuff was just up during the holidays, but it never comes down. My mom’s decorating aesthetic is Christmas chaos year-round.”

“You’re kidding.”

I shook my head. “I really wish I was. Even during Easter, the motion sensor Santa in the dining room is still ho-ho-hoing.”

Levi laughed as we walked through the house and past the aforementioned Santa, which did, in fact, ho-ho-ho, making us both laugh. It was easier being in my childhood home with Levi by my side. I loved my parents and my family, but living in a holiday Hallmark movie was just a little too much sometimes. Especially when I was myself the ultimate cliche—Grinch-y tree farmer with an advanced degree and a good-paying job that had nothing to do with the tree farm. All I needed to do was become a closet millionaire, and I could probably sue Hallmark for some sort of royalty rights. Or they’d at least have to start putting in one of those disclaimers about how the events depicted in the film were in no way meant to resemble real people.

But seeing it all through Levi’s eyes made it easier to breathe, and the red and green glitter and the flashing multicolor twinkle lights actually seemed kind of cheerful with him by my side with his hand in mine.

My parents had put an addition on the back of the house when I’d been in my twenties, and the sunroom had become their favorite place in the house. The room had floor-to-ceiling windows that took up the majority of the wall space except for where there was a large wood-burning fireplace with a large TV mounted to it. Sometimes they’d put one of those fake fireplace scenes on the TV while they also had a real fire going, but mostly, they liked to sit in the sunroom when it was snowing. My mom called it her living snow globe, and I guessed it kind of made sense.

Today, both my parents were in their matching recliners, each with the floor lamp on behind them and a book in hand. My dad’s gold-rimmed readers were perched low on his nose, a John Grisham novel I was pretty sure he’d read about nine hundred times in his hands. My mom had on red readers that matched her holiday sweater and plaid leggings, and she was reading the latest book in the cozy mystery series about capers that occurred during the holidays that my sister Kimmy had gotten her hooked on.

They both looked up when we walked in.

“Hi, honey.” She looked around me to Levi. “Levi. It’s wonderful to see you again, dear.”

Levi’s cheeks went a little pink, but he was smiling wide. “It’s nice to see you again too, Mary Kate.”

“What brings you boys by?” My dad lowered the footstool on his recliner and slid forward to get up, setting his book aside.

“Uh, I was actually wondering if I could go through the craft cupboard. We need a bunch of little bottles.” I held up my thumb and forefinger about three inches apart. “I thought maybe the sugar plum fairy dust bottles would work if there were any of those left.

“Oh! I forgot about those.” My mom clutched her hands to her chest. “Those were darling. We should bring those back.”

My dad laughed. “Katie, I’m pretty sure you stopped giving them out after parents started complaining about all the glitter in their kids’ beds.”

My mom slid her readers off and bit her lip sheepishly. “Oh, right. Oops.”

“Do you know if there are any bottles left in the shed?”

“Probably. I think we bought fifteen hundred. You’re welcome to go look.”

My dad rested his elbows on his knees and looked at Levi and me over his glasses. “What are you going to do with the bottles, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Levi jumped in before I had a chance to tell the truth—that we were making protective talismans to keep the town safe. “Uh, I just wanted to make some little gifts for folks in town. I’m going to drop them off with a, uh, coupon for the record store. Hopefully, drum up a little business.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely. You feel free to help yourself to anything you find out there.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that, Mom.”

I towed Levi back through the house and out the back door off the kitchen. My parents’ house was at the opposite end of the tree farm from where the entrance to the workshop experience was, but they were closest to the storage buildings, which worked out well when my mom was doing her painting classes in the offseason because it meant she was always close to extra supplies.

The supply barn had an electronic lock with a keypad on it, and I tapped in my code and hit the little open lock. The door clicked open, and I reached inside, blindly looking for the light switch. My dad had decided all the outbuildings needed electricity about ten years ago, and he’d made it happen. LED lights flicked on overhead.

“Holy crap. Is that an entire shelf of glitter?” Levi asked as he peeked over my shoulder into the space.

“Yes, yes it is.” My mom and sisters kept the supply barn organized with military precision and everything had a place, neatly labeled with what belonged where. All the storage containers were see-through, so you could tell at a glance if something was running low.

Levi moved through the rows of supplies oohing and ahhing over the sheer quantity of stuff that was inside. “What are we looking for again? I’m getting distracted.” He reached out and spun a spool of ribbon where it was hanging on a dowel rod mounted to the wall.

“Your dad said the talismans would work best in glass, right?”

Levi nodded.

“My mom used to make these little sugar plum fairy dust bottles that she gave to the kids as part of their treat bags after the Santa’s workshop experience. It was just glitter and these little candy charms in a glass bottle with a cork lid. She ordered the bottles in bulk and there should be boxes of them in here somewhere. The Kringles never throw away a craft supply.”

We each moved down another row, scanning the shelves for what we needed.

“Oh, hey.” Levi waved me over. “It’s not the little bottles, but can we take some of these?” He’d stopped in front of a shelf of mason jars in all sizes.

“Sure. You heard my mom. We can take whatever we want.”

Levi hoisted a large box filled with big glass jars from the shelf and balanced it in his arms, carrying it over to the door and setting it down before coming back to where I was moving further down the aisle with the glassware.

“Here they are.” I bent and hoisted a still sealed box up to a higher shelf, then pulled my keys out of my pocket and cut the tape. I plucked out a bottle and held it out to Levi. “Do you think these will work?”

He took it from me and turned it over in his hand. He unscrewed the tiny lid, then twisted it back on. “Yes. I think these are perfect.”

I studied the bottles. They would actually be perfect for mini ships. “If there are any left, I might keep a couple for myself.”

Levi cocked his head. “Why?”

“I make ships in bottles. It’s a hobby, but I take commissions and sell them online. These would be great for some tiny ships.”

“That is so cool! I always wondered how those are made. Will you show me?”

I felt my cheeks turn pink. “Of course. You can see some of them when we get to my house.”

“I can’t wait.” But there was something in Levi’s expression that said he was looking forward to being alone with me for reasons that had nothing to do with my hobby. Unless I could count tentacle sex as a new pastime.

We packed up the boxes quickly, ran through the house to tell my parents what we were taking, and got back into my truck.

The drive out to my house was peaceful. The snow that had fallen recently made everything look even more serene. Evergreen trees grew thick along the road, keeping the landscape green even after all the other trees had lost their leaves and stood like barren sentinels dotted among the fat spruces. Fall was still my favorite time of year. The contrast of the bright yellows, oranges, and red among the evergreens was gorgeous, but winter wasn’t bad either. It was beautiful in its own quieter way, and it was at its prettiest when it was snowing.

As if the weather gods had heard my thoughts, a few fat flakes of snow hit the hood of the truck.

“Oh my gods.” Levi leaned forward and watched the flakes fall through the windshield. “It’s beautiful.”

“Wait until you see it tomorrow. I’m guessing we’re in for another solid snowfall tonight.”

His amber eyes glittered with appreciation. “I can’t wait.”

I pulled onto the gravel path that was my driveway and parked my truck in its normal spot a few steps from my door.

Levi swung his door open and stepped out looking up at the old lighthouse. “You really live here?”

“Yep. I bought it from the government when they were decommissioning some of the coastal lighthouses.”

“Wow.” He turned to take it all in. “Do you have to man the light?”

“No. That part is managed by the Coast Guard. They set it remotely and service it twice a year. There is a number I can call if something goes wrong, but usually, they know before I do.”

“That is so cool.”

A clump of snowflakes fell and melted on Levi’s cheek, and I reached out to brush them away with my thumb. “Do you want to see inside?”

“Oh, hell yes.”

We grabbed the supplies we’d gathered from my parents and headed to the house. The old keeper’s house was a two-story farmhouse-style home with a wraparound porch. It was connected to the lighthouse by a short brick breezeway. I could technically use any part of the lighthouse itself if I wanted, but I didn’t need the extra space, so I stuck to the farmhouse unless I went up in the light for the view, which I did when I needed to think.

In the summer, I opened the lighthouse to the public on weekends. I didn’t really give tours, but people were welcome to go up in the light and take pictures from the top. The Coast Guard made sure the building remained structurally sound.

Balancing one of the boxes of glass bottles on my hip, I dug my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door, then held it wide so Levi could step in ahead of me. The sun had turned watery as more snow fell, and it started to dip toward the horizon, making everything glow a muted gold.

“This is gorgeous, Kris.” Levi stood in the middle of my living room, which was right inside the door, and spun in a slow circle.

I loved my house. It was bright and airy and always smelled like the sea. Most of the walls were pale gray with white trim and dark wide plank wooden floors that were more or less original to the house. Because my house was so close to the city and because there were other old houses out here on the cliffs—even if I couldn’t see my closest neighbors—my utilities were all on the normal grids, and I didn’t have to worry about propane heat or generator electricity. After studying maritime history for years, I knew that wasn’t the case for lots of lighthouse owners. A lot of lighthouses were in state parks or remote locations where they couldn’t be tied into public utilities. I was lucky to not have that problem.

Setting my box down on the bench next to the door, I toed off my boots and met Levi in the living room. He looked so good in my space, and I had the sudden overwhelming urge to do everything I possibly could to keep him there. Not like in a creepy way, but in the let’s build a life together kind of way.

But maybe I was getting ahead of myself.

Maybe I was still tentacle drunk, or maybe there was something in his magic kraken lube that made me feel like we were bonded.

Maybe it didn’t matter.

I was falling hard for Levi Shoal, and I wasn’t mad about it.

“Can I have the grand tour?”

“Of course. Do you want anything to drink first?”

“Nah, I’m good. I want to see your house.”

My heart fluttered in my chest as I led Levi through my house. I liked having him there among my things, looking around like he was trying to learn everything he could about me just from my home decor.

“This is my office.” I pushed open the door to the large corner bedroom that looked out over the ocean and held the door so Levi could step inside. “It’s my favorite room in the house.”

Levi went to the windows and looked down at where waves crashed against the shore. “Is that beach down there private?”

I moved across the room to stand next to my desk, which was piled high with stacks of paper and books. My sleek silver laptop was in the middle, perched on top of several nautical cartography volumes. I really needed to straighten things up before the next semester started. “Yeah. The only way down there is from a staircase near the base of the lighthouse. Do you want to see it?”

Levi’s face twisted like he was anticipating something unpleasant, but he blinked the emotion away just as quickly and turned, giving me a tight smile. “I do, but first, show me the rest.”

He was trying to hide something from me, but I wasn’t going to let it go. I would bide my time, and hopefully, he’d explain whatever he’d thought about by the window on his own.

Levi crossed the room and looked out the large windows on the other side. “This is a great office.”

“Thanks.”

We finished our tour upstairs, and when we were back in the living room, Levi immediately went to the built-in bookshelves on either side of the fireplace. “Did you make this one?” He ran his fingers over one of the first ships in a bottle I’d made. It was a historically accurate replica of Oliver Hazard Perry’s USS Lawrence from the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Now, I could see all the little mistakes I’d made, but at the time, I’d been so incredibly proud of it, which is why it still held pride of place in my living room.

“I did.”

“This is amazing, Kris. How do you get so many details into something so small?”

I shrugged. “Some would say I’m obsessive about it. I just like my pieces to be as historically correct as possible.”

“Where do you make them? And can I see you put one together?”

“My workshop is in the garage, and I’d be happy to show you. I’m going to start a new commission tomorrow.”

“Can we go see now?” Levi picked nervously at his thumbnail, and once again, I got the feeling he was avoiding something.

“Okay.”

We both shrugged back into our coats and boots and stomped through the snow to the garage. Technically, I still had enough room to park my truck inside, but I didn’t want to. I liked having the space as a dedicated workshop.

Unlocking the man door, I stepped inside and flicked on the lights. The faint scent of cedar hung in the air. My workbench hugged one wall with my band saw off the side. Unlike my desk upstairs, my workbench was immaculately organized, with all the pieces and parts I needed for my craft carefully organized into tabletop drawers and neatly labeled stacks on the shelves I’d built above the table. Bottles waiting for the right inspiration were arranged by size and shape on a metal shelving unit, and all my finished pieces were on a separate shelf set away from my direct workspace.

Levi went to the finished pieces first, ducking down to examine the lower shelves first. “You’ve made all of these?”

“Yep.”

His gaze met mine through the shelf. “Kris, you realize these are amazing, right? Like you have incredible talent.”

I felt my cheeks heat at his praise, and for a second, I couldn’t speak around the lump in my throat, so I only nodded. Levi continued to take in my art, and an idea started to simmer in my mind, inspiration, a picture slowly taking shape until my fingers itched for a sketchbook so I could get it down on paper.

My schedule was technically full with projects that needed to be sent off before the holidays, but I would find a way to make time for what I had in mind. I had to.

Levi moved around the rest of my space, his fingers tracing along the worn edge of the workbench until he stood in front of me and reached out to grab my hips and pull me closer.

“You are absolutely amazing.” He punctuated the statement with a kiss that went from sweet to hot in a tangle of tongues and a press of our bodies together. I felt one of his tentacles against my cheek and I reached up to hold it in place and stroke over it with my hand. With as close as we were, I could feel Levi’s half-hard cock against my thigh, and I was sure he could feel mine, but there was no urgency to fuck. Right now, the kiss was the destination rather than a stop along the way to something else, and that made my heart somersault. I knew I was falling for Levi, but this kiss was pushing me over the edge farther and faster. Our lips lingered against each other’s for several more minutes, but with the exception of the wayward tentacle that had come out to play, neither of us made a move to take it farther.

Levi pulled away and rested his forehead against mine, his breaths ghosting over my lips. “Will you show me the beach now?”

His tone was all wrong, like I was about to lead him to the gallows rather than down to a private beach, and I searched blindly for his hand, finding it and squeezing it. “What’s wrong?”

He squeezed my hand in return. “I’m nervous.”

“About?”

He tipped his head up, and I watched his Adam’s apple bob with a hard swallow before he brought his forehead back to rest on mine again. “Do you remember when I told you how krakens reproduce?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Well, to make the talismans, I basically have to go through that process, but obviously, instead of joining my magic with someone else’s, I have to basically bottle it up and hand it out to everyone in town.”

I wasn’t sure I understood the problem, so I waited for Levi to say more.

“I need to take my full kraken form.”

Silence again.

“And you’re afraid someone is going to see you?”

He shook his head, and his next words were whispered so low, I barely heard them. “I’m afraid seeing me in my full form is going to be the thing that sends you running, that makes you realize I’m not really human as much as I pretend to be.”

Most of the time, I wasn’t one for large declarations, and things between Levi and me were still arguably very new, but I needed him to know that nothing, absolutely nothing, would make me run.

And there was only one way to do that.

I took half a step back and lifted my hands to hold Levi’s cheeks between my palms. “This is not my usual MO, but, Levi, I need you to hear me when I say that there is nothing—absolutely nothing in this world—that is going to make me run from you.” He tried to look away, and I moved his face so his gorgeous gold-flecked eyes met mine again. “Hell, Levi, I’m doing everything I can to run toward you. Since I met you, I feel like I’ve been falling for you, and every new thing I learn about you makes me fall a little harder and a little faster.” I pressed a kiss to his lips like I was trying to push my words into him. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Levi nodded, the motion stopped by my hands that still held his beautiful face. “Okay. Then I’m going to tell you another truth.” He closed his eyes. “I’m scared. My dad said learning to reach my magic and channel it outward the way I need to takes time, and that’s a luxury we don’t have. The wraiths could attack again at any time. We need to get these talismans made as soon as possible so everyone stays safe while we figure out the rest.”

I dropped my hands from his face and joined our palms together. “Then why are we standing around here?”