Tis The Season for Secrets (Village of Yule #2)

13. Juliet

N either of them spoke on the way back to Will’s house. Juliet had barely had time to think of what to say when the door slammed behind her.

“Why are you always running away from me? I don’t think it’s safe to shower around you.” Will glared at her, backing her up against the door.

“I didn’t mean to run off! I just went to get some air and I got lost.” She fumbled through the excuse, while he stared at her like he was trying to decide what to do with her.

“How am I supposed to trust you?!” he hissed. “Next time I’ll have to bring you in with me – I clearly can’t take my eyes off you.”

“You can’t be angry and flirt with me at the same time.” Juliet narrowed her eyes. “I left you at the Bryce because I had to work, not because I didn’t want to stay. Also, you can’t lecture me about trust when you’ve been stalking me for weeks!”

“I wasn’t stalking you. It’s complicated.” Will paced in front of her. “If you’d just stayed with me for breakfast, I could’ve explained everything. You’re lucky that it was Lyla who found you.”

“Why would I believe anything you say now?” Juliet asked firmly, trying to keep her composure.

“I wish you could understand what might have happened to you by running off like that. If Lyla hadn’t found you—” He buried his face in his hands. The deafening silence nearly killed her.

“I’m fine. I’m sorry I worried you. I panicked; this is all so overwhelming.” She reached for his arm, needing him to see that she was okay.

“The cold alone could’ve killed you, since you haven’t acclimatised. I need you to trust me, and if you can’t, then please listen to me while you’re here,” he pleaded, taking her hands in his. “There are rules in Yule about outsiders—”

“How am I supposed to know what the rules are or aren’t? You haven’t told me anything! I’ve just found out that my family is meant to be from some isolated magical village in Yule that I never knew existed until a few hours ago.”

“Lyla told you about legacies,” Will said slowly, letting every word sink in. “The Frost family was banished from Yule three generations ago for reasons I’m not going to get into. The banishment applies to you, and if someone discovered who you were and that you had brought me as well, then we’d all risk banishment. The council could remove your memories of this place and everything related to Yule, including me.”

“Banished? Why? What did my family do?” Juliet gasped, before the last thing he’d said sank in. “How can memories be altered? Would they really go so far?” Losing her memories was unthinkable, if it was even possible. But then she also would have said that being transported by a tiny bell to a village in the North Pole was impossible.

“I can’t be the one to tell you why. I’m sorry, but I promised your mum that I would only reveal what was necessary to keep you safe.”

As frustrating as the response was, she could see how much he was risking by helping her. Was that the point of the chest? So I could discover all this myself? Or was I supposed to wait until my mom just magically appeared and revealed the dozens of magical secrets that have been kept from me for over twenty-six years?

“This is all so crazy! I don’t even know how to take it all in,” she confessed, trying to make sense of the snippets she knew so far.

“Being overwhelmed is completely normal. If the situation was different I would tell you everything in a heartbeat, but some things shouldn’t be revealed by a stranger.”

“I hardly think we’re strangers; we’ve seen each other naked,” she mumbled.

He grinned. “Flirting with me won’t distract me. Promise me you won’t do this again? Because if Lyla hadn’t found you today, I don’t even know what I’d have done…” His troubled expression squeezed her heart.

“I get it, but I’m here and I’m safe. Can we start the day over?” Juliet closed the gap between them, and his hands travelled up her arms to her shoulders as if making sure she was real. She realised how much she’d missed his touch.

“You’re so lucky that I can’t resist those damn eyes,” he sighed, and she rolled her eyes. “Did you just roll your eyes at me?”

She stilled as he tipped her chin up to make him look at her. “Maybe, but only because your mood is giving me whiplash.”

“Trust me, I’m giving myself whiplash. I’m trying to remain professional – and then I see you, and all my self-control goes out the window.”

Juliet tried and failed not to smile, slightly smug that it wasn’t just her.

“When you smile at me like that it makes me forget that I’m mad at you,” he murmured.

She chewed her lip to stop herself, but he tugged it free with his thumb, then tucked a strand of free hair behind her ear with his other hand.

“And your flushed cheeks tell me you want me just as much as I want you. I think that’s the only truth that matters right now.”

Juliet swallowed as his breath brushed her neck. Being this close to him was dangerous. Her body responded to him in ways she had never really felt before, but she knew she wanted to feel them again.

“And if I do?” She looked up at him through her eyelashes, praying for him to make a move before she lost her mind.

Will pulled back slightly, eyes carefully searching her face.

“Juliet.” He rested his forehead against hers. Juliet felt a shiver pass down her spine at her name on his lips. “What do you want from me? If you want to go home, tell me now.”

“Kiss me.” She had wanted to say those words for longer than she cared to admit.

Will’s lips were on hers before she was aware he’d moved, his hands in her hair so he could control her as he wished. Juliet’s stomach churned with excitement. His body had her trapped against the door, and she brought her hands up to rest on his biceps, holding on to him as though she’d collapse under his touch.

He dropped his lips to her neck, and she instinctively rolled her head back to give him better access. His mouth was warm and surprisingly soft against her skin, and she felt her eyes begin to close as he trailed urgent kisses from her jaw towards her ear. A flood of warmth passed through her, and she opened her eyes. She wasn’t fighting this or overthinking it, only letting the desires that she had been denying since the first night they’d spent together come to the surface.

“You won’t run from me again, will you?” His teeth captured her bottom lip, and she shuddered as he growled low in his chest. She couldn’t get enough of the feel of his lips against hers. “Answer me.”

The pressure on her lip increased; his hand slid up over her stomach, and Juliet inhaled sharply as it reached her breast. Even through her clothes, her skin burned for him. A small moan escaped her.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Will’s rough tone spoke of his own desire, and the hard length of him pressing into her hip confirmed it.

He grabbed her ass, lifting her up so that her thighs wrapped around his waist, and carried her to the stairs. There he positioned himself between her legs, peppering kisses down her neck as his fingers trailed along the waistband of her sweatpants. He made quick work of the knotted drawstring. Juliet swallowed hard as his fingers grazed her lower belly, and felt her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. She was so ready for him, and neither had even lost a stitch of clothing.

“You’re blushing. Are you wet for me?” Will whispered.

Juliet found herself nodding, unable to speak, as his fingers slid inside her underwear. Her hips bucked against him as he brushed against her core.

“So fucking eager, I love it,” he groaned, claiming her lips once again and pulling her sweats and underwear down her legs, teasing her with his touch. “Did you want something?”

Juliet’s laboured breathing gave away her desire to be touched, claimed by his hands, his lips. She was aching to feel him against her, inside her, again.

“Fuck me,” she breathed. “Please.”

Will’s eyes darkened. Slowly, he dipped his fingers into her.

Juliet leaned her head back against the stairs. Gentle moans escaped her as she felt him leisurely slide his fingers in and out. There was no denying how much she wanted, needed him. He had lied to her, followed her, but she couldn’t deny how much she yearned for him. She wanted to turn her brain off and let her body take all it desired from him.

“I want you, Will,” she breathed. “I want this.”

His hand dropped from her breast to her knee, pulling her leg up around him roughly enough to make her gasp sharply. He pulled himself free from his underwear, moving his hips against her, and suddenly she remembered just how impressive his size had been in her hand last time.

“I missed this,” she panted as his hand gripped her thigh, holding her in place.

“I missed this too.” He grinned wickedly, then leaned down and kissed her again. She let out a small, shaky breath, but nodded when he pulled away and looked down at her for confirmation. He grabbed a condom from his wallet, and she smiled.

Feeling the pressure of him at her entrance and biting her lip to silence her moans, Juliet lifted her other leg and wrapped it around him as well, unable to wait any longer. Will smiled against her lips. Taking the hint, he pushed into her. Juliet dug her nails into his hips as he stretched and filled her, crying out into his mouth as he groaned into hers. Her body tensed and tightened as he pulled back a little before pressing forward again, getting a little farther this time.

“Oh fuck,” Will muttered as he lifted her up, burying his face in her hair.

“Oh my God, Will!” Juliet gasped as the pressure inside her built. It felt good, but it also hurt, and she felt her body clench.

“You’re so tight; relax for me.” Will’s voice was deep and commanding. Juliet tried her best to loosen her muscles. “I’m sorry, I should’ve taken this slower.”

“Don’t you dare stop or apologise. I need this. I need you,” Juliet told him, pulling him back to her. Slowly, she accepted more and more of him inside her. Will’s eyes clouded over with lust; he dropped his hand between them, heightening her pleasure with his touch. Juliet’s heart began to race as his fingers teased her.

“Yes,” she gasped, tightening her legs around him and angling her hips for better access. Will thrust into her, and Juliet arched against him, taking all of him.

“You feel so good,” he grunted. “You were made for me.”

Juliet could barely catch her breath as he thrust in and out of her at a steady pace. His lips found hers again, swallowing her moans as he sped up gradually. The ecstasy sent shivers through her body.

“Oh fuck, Juliet, tell me you’re close,” Will rasped. Juliet leaned back, sensation rising within her, and moaned loudly enough for it to echo around them.

“I’m close…” She clenched around him, and pleasure exploded in her. “Will!”

He groaned as he reached his own end, and they both took a moment to catch their breath, his face pressed into her neck.

After regaining their senses, they pulled apart, situating themselves and adjusting their clothing. Juliet had her shirt halfway buttoned back up as Will bent down and scooped up her underwear from the wooden floor. Blushing, she reached for it, but he quickly pulled it back out of her reach.

“I’m keeping these.” He smirked, tucking them into his pocket. “So that you’ll remember this lesson.”

Juliet rolled her eyes, but her heart threatened to melt as he eased her sweatpants back up her legs.

“Lift your hips for me,” he asked, and she did as she was told. He made a little knot in the drawstring, the furrow in his brow as he concentrated an adorable contrast to his firm orders.

Juliet tucked her hair behind her ears before glancing back up at him. His smile had been replaced with something she couldn’t quite name… fear, concern. Guilt cut through the moment; she hadn’t realised how much her leaving him had hurt him.

“I’m sorry I worried you.”

“It’s my job to worry about you.” Will secured his belt and knelt to press his lips to hers. Juliet shook her head, but he ran his fingers over her jaw and down her throat, and her breath caught. “I should get you home before Margot starts to wonder where you are, but we should wash up first.” He sounded disappointed that she’d have to leave.

“She’s probably going out of her mind with worry,” Juliet agreed.

“Don’t worry, I told Harvey you were with me. Though I left out where.” He smiled, and she wished it didn’t make her insides melt. Another hour or two wasn’t going to make a difference.