Page 12 of Trapped in the Christmas Cabin
LightsGoOut—(candles and firelight only.)
ForcedProximity(only one bed)
SnowedIn(at least for the night.)
TouchingRequired(nothing works without help)
MaximumRomance!
Thefirst part of the list was fairly self-explanatory toKelli—she was an avid romance reader—but the last two entries were somewhat confusing.Whatdid “TouchingRequired” mean?
“Idon’t understand any of these,”Klausgrowled in her ear.“Whatthe fuck is ‘MaximumRomance?’”
Ashe spoke, he reached overKelli’sshoulder and tapped the box beside the last entry on the list.Aglowing checkmark appeared in the box…and then all the other boxes beside the other entries suddenly lit up with checkmarks as well.
Then, as abruptly as it had appeared, the list vanished and everything went dark.
10
KELLI
“OhmyGod!”Kelligasped as all the lights in the cabin were extinguished at once.
Theywere plunged into pitch blackness, which was both unexpected and scary!Whatthe hell was going on?
“Klaus?”Shegroped for herProtectorin the dark and felt one long arm slide around her shoulders.
“It’sall right, sunshine—I’vegot you,” his deep voice rumbled.
“Okay,Ijust don’t understand what’s happening,”Kellitold him.
“Meeither.Idon’t thinkIshould have touched that fucking list,” he growled.“Ithink something got fucked up.”
Justthen they heard the voice of the cabin again.
“Systemrecalibrating,” it said in the same soft, feminine voice.“Pleaseremain still for a moment whileMaximumRomanceModeis activated.”
“MaximumRomanceMode?Whatthe fuck does that even mean?”Klausgrowled, but the voice of the cabin didn’t answer.
Kellipressed closer to herProtectorand put her arms around his waist.Shewas no longer having quite so much fun.Whatif the cabin was deficient somehow, like the crazy massage therapist robot?Whatif they were trapped here now with no way to get out and get home?
“It’sokay, baby—I’vegot you,”Klausrumbled, rubbing her back.“Notgoing to let anything happen to you,Ipromise.”
Hisreassurance and the way he was holding her did makeKellifeel somewhat better.Shepressed her face to his side, rubbing her cheek against the warm furry material of theSantaoutfit he was still wearing.Underit, she could feel the hard tone of his muscles and his warm, spicy scent which she had always loved seemed to calm her even further.
“Iguess we’d better try to find the way out—” she was just beginning to say when the lights came back on.Notthe glowing golden lamps that had lit the cabin when they first came in, however.Theyremained dark.Buta fire suddenly appeared in the fireplace all at once, like someone had turned it on.Also, various candles thatKellihadn’t noticed before suddenly lit all around them.Theonly artificial lights were the ones on theChristmastree, which started glowing again as well.
“Okay…”Kelligave a shaky laugh.“Well,Iguess that ‘MaximumRomance’ means firelight and candlelight.”
“Butwasn’t that just one of the entries on the list?”Klausasked, frowning down at her.“MaximumRomancemust mean something else, too.”
Ashe spoke, they heard a soft but very audibleflumpoutside the cabin.
“Oh—what was that?”Kellijumped and grabbed atKlaus’sSantacoat.
“Don’tknow but it sounded like it came from outside.Let’slook out the windows.”
Togetherthey walked over to the nearest window.Klausdidn’t take his arm from around her shoulders andKellididn’t ask him to.Shewas still feeling spooked by the lights-out incident.
