At least, that's what I'm told.
I hear it's very cool—
Maybe even too cold to hold.
I am your winter.
I halt; I put time on ice.
Untended, I burn.
Under the skies,
Among the trees
In a place not too far away,
though you’ll have to look for it
You’ll find it...
And when the sun goes behind the clouds,
And the wind blows
And the blood runs cold
You’ll need it…
I read it a second time. "Okay, what does that mean?" I frown.
"Something cold," Christian says slowly. "Maybe too cold to hold?"
"That’s what it says." I scowl. "And it’s somewhere outside, not too far away?"
"Maybe we should step out and go in search of it?" Christian offers.
"Maybe, that’s the first really good suggestion you have come up with in a long time?"
"Getting sassy, are we?" Christian wraps his fingers about my neck and pulls me so close that I can make out the individual lines fanning out from the corners of his eyes. The heat of his body surrounds me; the force of his dominance presses down on my shoulders. I try to draw in a breath, and my lungs burn.
"Getting violent, are we?" I manage to force out the words.
He peers into my features.
I lick my lips, and his gaze drops to my mouth. The air between us thrums with electricity. The hair on the back of my neck rises and my toes curl.
"If you think this is violent, then you have no idea what I am capable of, Flower." His hot breath sears my cheeks. A bead of sweat trickles down my throat and into the valley between my breasts. He follows it with his gaze, and the tension between us skyrockets further.
"I think," I clear my throat, "I think we need to leave if we have any hope of winning this scavenger hunt."
"And is that important for you?" he murmurs. "Winning?"
"It’s what most people aspire to."
"But you and I are not like the others, are we?" He releases his hold on me, and I draw in a breath. Another. What the hell was that all about? Why did he look at me like he wanted to … kiss me, hold me, ravish me? Why does every part of me want him to do that and more?
"Better dress warmly. It’s going to be cold outside."