Season's Bleeding Read online

  “Nope,” I said. “Let’s head out.”

  We journeyed through the store, heading towards the registers. Leo only rolled his eyes when I made a few impulse grabs, picking up some new socks and a plastic Christmas stocking full of dog treats for Johnny.

  Half a dozen people stood in each check-out line and I edged the cart into the queue. Leo fingered some lighters, touched the multi-packs of gum. His head suddenly jerked up.

  “Oh, I forgot,” he said and jogged off without another word.

  I stared after him, then picked through the tabloids, catching up on all the celebrity gossip I didn’t care about. Then finally the guy in front of me paid and I started loading my stuff onto the belt.

  “Find everything okay?” the checker asked. I looked up at him and he grinned as he beeped the massager and stuffed it in a sack.

  “Yep,” I said, my face flushing. I pulled my coat back on, avoiding the eyes of everyone around me.

  “Here,” Leo panted, appearing at my side. He tossed a couple of tubes of lube on top of my other purchases and my face went from warm to molten.

  “I know it’s not our usual brand,” Leo said, low into my ear. “But it’s supposed to tingle.”

  “Leo,” I hissed, but the guy at the register just laughed and finished bagging my stuff. I swiped my debit card, my face burning.

  “Have a very Merry Christmas,” the checkout guy said, handing me my receipt. He winked at me.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled.

  “We plan to,” Leo said. He grabbed all the bags in one hand and started off, cutting through the crowd without a backwards glance.

  The automatic doors whooshed open and an arctic blast of air chilled my heated face. I slipped on a patch of ice as I followed Leo across the dark parking lot.

  “So, do you want dinner?” he asked, holding his hand out for the keys.

  “We can just hit a drive-through,” I said, handing them over.

  Leo grinned at me as he shoved the shopping bags into the backseat. “Anxious to get home?”

  “Uh,” I said and then smiled back at him. “Maybe.”

  “Thanks for my Christmas present.”

  “Oh, you’re very welcome. Did you get a present for me?”

  “Yes,” he said, climbing into the driver’s seat. He leered at me. “I’ll be giving it to you later tonight.”

  I sat down beside him, a little closer than I might normally have sat, letting my shoulder brush against his.

  “I look forward to it,” I said, leaning over to kiss him.

  “You’ll like it,” he said. “It’s a gift that keeps on giving.”

  I smiled. “Merry Christmas to me.”

  The End

  Thank you for reading this short! I hope you enjoyed it!

  If you would like to know more about my writing process, when new books are available, my dogs’ antics, my love of tattoos, or other random musings I have, follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/malcatthews.

  Or visit me at http://www.calmatthews.com. I blog there, and regularly update my writing schedule.

  Ratings and reviews mean the world to me, good or bad. Please consider leaving a rating or review at All Romance eBooks, Amazon, Goodreads, or Smashwords.

  Season’s Bleeding is a short story set in the world of The Thaumaturge Series. The first novel in the series, The Dead, is available from All Romance eBooks, Amazon, and Smashwords. The second book in the series, Boneyard, is scheduled for release in early 2016.

  Thank you again!

  About the Author

  Cal Matthews enjoys hot cocoa, snowboarding, board games, and snuggling up with a good book. A native Montanan, Cal likes the snow... until about mid-March.

  Table of Contents

  Title page

  Season’s Bleeding

  Copyright © 2015 Cal Matthews

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author