Chapter 1
1322 Words
Chapter One
“Mommy, can I have a cookie?” Phoenix asked, peeking above the table after she crawled up onto one of the chairs to see what her mom was doing.
Carmen turned a soft, loving gaze to Phoenix and nodded. “Yes, but just one, I don’t want it to spoil your lunch,” she said with a smile.
Phoenix scowled and shook her head. “I can eats lots of cookies and still eats lunch. My dragon is always hungry,” she replied with a serious expression. “Did you makes hearts? I love hearts!”
“I know you like hearts, that’s one reason I made them in this shape,” Carmen chuckled and tapped Phoenix’s nose with a fingertip covered in frosting. “Oh my, you have red frosting on your nose!”
“Frosting? Is that the yummy sweet stuff?” Creon growled, stepping into the kitchen and sniffing in appreciation before looking at Phoenix when she turned her head and grinned up at him. “I think I need to lick that off!”
Phoenix’s eyes widened and she released a squeal of laughter when her dad came at her with his hands up, growling like he was going to eat her up. She slid off the chair and took off for the living room with Creon playfully snarling and chasing her. Carmen laughed when she heard Spring’s dragon’s delighted roar when she came to help protect her sister from the Daddy-monster.
Carmen smiled and shook her head, enjoying the sounds of giggles and deep masculine laughter coming from the other room. She refocused on decorating the cookies. She added the words ‘Be mine’ on one of them.
She shook her head and her lips twitched when she heard Creon’s startled howl of pain. Spring must have been successful in sneaking past his defenses. Her dragon was teething and Creon was her favorite chew toy at the moment.
Carmen glanced up when she saw Creon walk back into the kitchen, rubbing his ear. She raised an eyebrow at Creon as she picked up the cookie she had just finished and placed it on the rack for the icing to set. Warmth filled her when he walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist before resting his chin on her shoulder.
“I hope you told Spring that she isn’t supposed to bite,” Carmen murmured, picking up the next cookie and placing it on the rack with the others.
“Of course – not,” Creon replied. “I had Phoenix trapped and Spring wanted to protect her sister. Besides, she didn’t bite me all that hard.”
Carmen tilted her head back and glanced at his ear. “You’re bleeding,” she stated. “Baby dragons have very sharp teeth. It doesn’t matter if she bites hard or not, it is going to draw blood.”
Creon reached up and touched his ear. He scowled when he looked at his fingers and saw the tiny smear of blood. He released Carmen and walked over to the sink. He dampened a disposable cloth and wiped the small cut before he tossed the cloth into the trash disposal and washed his hands. Carmen saw the mischievous grin curve his lips when he turned his gaze to the cookies she had finished.
“Don’t you dare,” she warned, but it was too late. He had already snagged two off the rack before she could stop him. “Between the girls, and you, I’m not going to have any cookies to take to Paul and Morian’s tonight.”
“Why do you have words on them? You did not write on the other cookies you have made,” Creon observed, gazing at the words written in red frosting. “I like them.”
Carmen glanced at him with an amused smile after he took a huge bite out of the cookie and moaned in pleasure. Unable to resist, she leaned closer to him. She gazed up into his golden eyes before bending close enough to flick her tongue along the corner of his mouth where a tiny smear of frosting was stuck.
“You had some yummy sweet stuff there,” she whispered, her gaze growing hot when she felt his reaction.
“I will never be able to thank the Goddess enough for bringing you into my life,” Creon murmured, pulling her tight against his body. “I love you, Carmen.”
“Is you going to kiss her? Can I have your cookie if you do?” Spring asked from behind her mother.
Carmen rested her head against Creon’s chest and giggled. It never failed. Now that the girls were older, every time they tried to sneak a moment alone, it was like a neon sign going off, and one or both of the girls would appear. She felt Creon’s hand move. Spring’s delighted giggle told her he had given her the cookie he was holding.
“Share it with Phoenix,” he ordered, sliding his warm hand back over the curve of Carmen’s hip.
“I will,” Spring promised, turning and disappearing back into the living room. “Phoenix! I gots another cookie.”
Carmen looked up at Creon again. “That was bribery, you know,” she murmured, sliding her hands up his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck so she could tangle her fingers in his hair.
“I know,” Creon retorted in a low voice. “Now, where was I?”
Carmen melted against Creon when he captured her lips in a kiss that tasted of cookies, frosting, and pure male. She returned his hungry kiss with one of her own. It didn’t matter that they had been together for over four years and had two children, her heart still thundered when they kissed.
She reluctantly pulled away from him several minutes later and rested her head on his shoulder. Her fingers slid down to play in the opening of his shirt so she could touch his warm skin. She sighed happily and she looked up at him.
“Thank you,” she whispered, lifting her hand to run her fingers along his cheek.
A confused frown creased Creon’s brow. “For what?” he asked, caressing her back.
“For loving me, for being there, and giving me two beautiful daughters,” she murmured.
“I am the one who should be doing the thanking, Carmen. You have filled my life with warmth and love. It is a gift any warrior would cherish,” Creon replied, slipping a hand under her chin to brush another kiss across her lips. “Why are you making cookies with words on them?” he asked again, turning to look at one. “’Be mine’… What does this mean? You are already mine.”
“We celebrated a holiday on Earth each year called Valentine’s Day. It’s a time to show your affections for those you like and those you love,” Carmen explained, deciding to make it simple instead of going into the history of the saints, and the religious and political causes that created the holiday. “When we were kids, we would exchange Valentine’s Day cards with all kinds of images and words on them. My favorites were the princess ones. I kept those for years.”
“You are a princess,” Creon stated matter-of-factly.
Carmen wrinkled her nose at him and laughed. “Trust me, I never expected to become one, and it is much different than what I was expecting.”
“Different in a good way or a bad way?” Creon asked with a touch of concern.
“In a good way,” Carmen assured him, leaning up to brush a kiss across his lips. “In a very good way.”
“This ‘Valentine’s Day’, it is something you miss? It is something the girls would enjoy?” Creon asked.
Carmen chuckled and nodded. “Yes, I miss it, and I know the girls would love it,” she replied, turning and picking up the tube of frosting. “It was fun.”
“Then we shall have a Valentine’s Day… once I know what we need to do,” Creon replied, picking up another cookie. “Any holiday that has cookies with yummy words is good enough for me.”
“Out!” Carmen ordered, shaking her head and laughing. “Go pick on the girls while I make more cookies.”
“In that case, I’ll need a few more,” Creon said, grabbing three more cookies before he darted around the table when Carmen grabbed the dish towel. “Girls! I have captured more cookies for us.”
“Yay!” The girls yelled from the living room.
Warmth flooded Carmen when Creon shot her a boyish grin before disappearing into the living room to play with the girls. Her hand fluttered to her throat at the raw emotion of love he sent her. Even her dragon wasn’t immune to the promise in that grin.
Harvey babysit tonight, her dragon muttered.
“Oh, yes, I definitely think a night out is in order,” Carmen agreed with a sigh. “For both of us.”
I tell Harvey, her dragon responded with glee.
- Writer
