“I’ve got you,” I murmur.
She fits perfectly against me. I never want to let her go, but I can’t hold her like this forever, can I?
She adjusts the star until it’s secure.
“Perfect,” I say quietly, though I’m not talking about the star anymore.
When I finally lower her back to the ground, she turns in my arms, and suddenly we’re face to face. Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes lock with mine.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“Anytime.”
I force myself to take a step back, to give her space, even though every instinct is screaming at me to pull her closer. Instead, I motion to the couch. We sit down, and I hand her a blanket so she’s not cold.
“I can share,” she says when I involuntarily shiver.
“Thanks,” I say, scooting closer so we can both use the blanket.
She smiles up at me, and my heart skips a beat. Fuck, this woman is all I’ve ever wanted. She’s kind, sweet, smart… She’s… everything. I know it’s soon, but when you know you’ve found the one, you know. And I want to risk losing her by telling her how I feel. It’s better than forever regretting not saying anything.
“Naomi, I need to tell you something,” I start, my voice rougher than I intend it to sound. “I need to say it clearly this time, because I was too subtle before, and I don’t want there to be any confusion.”
Her breath catches as if she already knows what I’m about to say. “Okay.”
“I know we just met. I know you’re only here for a week, and you have a whole life somewhere else. I know this is crazy and too fast and probably a dozen other things that should make me keep my mouth shut.” I shift closer, close enough that our knees are touching under the blanket. “But I’m falling for you. Hard and fast and completely. You walked into my life less than twenty-four hours ago, and you’ve already changed everything.”
Her eyes grow wide.
“I want you to stay. With me.”
The silence that follows feels enormous, but I’m not going to pressure her into answering. Candlelight flickers over Naomi’s face while she thinks. Every cell in my body hopes she feels the same way, yet is screaming in fear at the same time, afraid she’ll turn me down.
After what feels like an eternity, she clears her throat and smiles at me. “I’ve been trying to convince myself it’s just this vacation, the romantic idea of spending an evening with a sexy mountain man, but it’s not. It’s all you. The way you listen, the way you see me, the way you make me feel like my dreams aren’t silly or naïve. I’m… What I’m trying to say is this, Thorne. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and it’s terrifying and wonderful, and I don’t want it to stop.”
I search her face, hardly daring to believe what I’m hearing. “You mean that?”
“Yes, even though I don’t know how we can make this work since I live so far away, I’m willing to find out. I don’t want to waste another second being scared or pretending this isn’t happening.”
I find her hands under the blanket that’s draped over both of us and pull her closer to me. She melts into me, and I’m done waiting. I kiss her softly. She reacts immediately, her whimpers driving me insane. Shit, she tastes so good. Feels so good.
I pour everything into our first kiss. All the longing, the connection we share, the fear, the hope, the primal want.
“Stay,” I murmur against her lips. “Not because the storm has forced you to, but because you want to stay with me.”
“Yes. God, yes, I want it all.”
I kiss her again, and my hands slide down her back. She arches into me, and I greedily pull her flush against my body. I let my tongue explore her mouth and lips while my hands don’t know which part of her body to touch first.
She moans, and I lose every last shred of constraint I was desperately clinging to. The storm outside can bury this entire cabin in snow for all I care. All that matters is Naomi and the way she trembles when I keep kissing her with unmatched hunger.
“Thorne,” she whispers.
“What?”
“You could have anyone. Why me?”
“Because you’re real. Because you called me out on my bullshit from the start. Because when you look at me, you seeme, not some tough mountain man. And because from the moment you stood your ground when you stole my tree, I was gone.”
