“Will this suffice, Quinlan?”
“It should work fine,” Quin answered. “We might have to repair the ice a few times, but that's easy enough.”
“Good.” Caitrin smiled, excitement brightening his sea-blue eyes. “Would you like to show us what you can do?”
“Ready to play?” Quin asked, flashing Layla a grin.
She returned his smile as she touched a deep dimple. “Sounds fun.”
After a big kiss, he lowered her feet to the snow and led her away from the others. “How are the toes?”
“Toasty.”
“Good. Tell me if that changes.”
“Believe me, I'll let you know if they get cold. I hate cold toes. Once, I ran through the snow barefoot, thinking it sounded like something fun to do. You know, like something you'd see in a movie, but it was not fun. I thought my feet were going to fall off.”
“How old were you?”
She blushed and looked away. “Seventeen.”
“Let me get this straight,” he laughed, “at the age of seventeen, you went frolicking through the snow?”
“Are you making fun of me?”
He grinned. “I'm just trying to picture it – you running in the snow by yourself, constantly jumping because your feet are freezing.”
“I wasn't by myself,” she corrected, “and yes, jumping was necessary.”
“Were you with a friend?”
“Yes, my mom.”
“Katherine ran barefoot through the snow with you?”
Layla smiled, remembering. “Yes. It took me an hour to talk her into it. Then it took me three hours to get her to stop giving me the silent treatment. She soaked her feet in warm water the rest of the day.” She paused, wrinkling her nose as she looked at him. “You think I'm weird.”
“No,” he assured. “I think you're fun. If I'd been there, I would have run through the snow barefoot with you.”
“Without magic keeping you warm?”
“Yep.”
“I might make you prove that someday.”
“I thought you didn't like it.”
“I didn't, and if I do it again, I’ll be using magic.”
“I'm not sure that's fair.”
“Hey, you're the one who agreed to do it without magic, not me.”
He laughed and shook his head. “You know, for every trick you pull on me, I'll have two waiting for you.”
“I like your tricks, so that's not scary.”
They were a few yards from the icy lake when he halted and turned her toward him. “You like my tricks?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” He glanced at the others, who watched from the top of the slope. Then he found Layla’s eyes and vanished his cloak. “Do you want to show them one of our tricks?”
“I don't care if they watch or not,” she answered, “but I’d like to see what we can do.”
He smiled as he stretched and squared his stance. “Okay, my love, fill me with your fire.”
She’d watched his bare chest flex when he stretched, and as if her hands had a mind of their own, her palms found his pecs, her fingers dipping into the hard grooves of defined muscle. Sliding her hands over his shoulders, she took the back of his neck and pulled his mouth to hers, giving him a long kiss.
“Mmm...” she purred, licking her lips.
He smiled as he slid his tongue along the same trail. “That successfully filled me with heat,” he whispered, raising tender fingers to her throat, “but it wasn't what I meant.”
“Sorry. I just can't get enough of you.”
His fingers slid around her neck and curled into her hair, and his other hand found the small of her back, pulling her against him as he dipped her toward the ice. “It goes both ways, my love.” His kiss started soft and sweet, but passion quickly took over, stealing her breath and stimulating delicate areas.
Several family members laughed, and Brietta's voice drifted over the ice. “You guys know we're watching, right?”
“I don't think they care,” Weylin noted.
“Apparently not,” Brietta giggled. “Looks like Layla's worked her way out of that shell she showed up in.”
Quin’s lips stilled, and Layla grinned. “They're making fun of us.”
“I don't care,” he countered. “Do you?”
She kept her eyes on his as she answered. “Nuh-uh.”
“You have no idea how much that pleases me,” he approved, pulling her upright. Then he took a step back. “Shall we show them why we really brought them here? Or should we keep showing them how great our kisses are?”
“We can show them our fantastic kissing technique at home, so I guess we better get to the point.”