Leo grunted and shifted deeper into the couch. “We'll have to do this the old-fashioned way. I don’t want you to get hypothermia or something.”
“Yeah. Then we’d have to strip naked so you could save me with your body heat.”
I bit the side of my cheek hard to keep from laughing at Leo’s choked expression. His gaze darkened, and I couldn’t tell if he was imagining that scenario or planning to wring my neck.
“What are you doing here, Bennett?”
I bent over and reached into my bag, pulling out Leo’s trophy. “You wanted this back, so here it is.”
“You drove through a blizzard to return a stupid hunk of glass? I swear—”
“Fine, you don’t want it?” I pulled my feet from his lap. “I’ll leave. I’m sure I can push the car back onto the road—”
Leo silenced me with a look and dragged my feet back. “You’re staying. I don’t care if I have to tie you up with Christmas lights. You don’t step a foot out of this lodge until the snow stops and the roads are clear.”
“Yes, sir.” I sent him a mock salute. “You know,” I mused after the silence had trickled in. “I’ve never been tied up with Christmas lights. Is that another one of your villainous tricks? I might like it.”
He hissed out a breath. “You’re on very thin ice. Be careful, Bennett.”
We listened as the fire snapped and cracked; the only other sound besides the gusty wind. Leo had lit candles, strategically placing them around the room. The flickering glow was soothing and cast deep shadows across Leo’s profile. Somehow it made him more captivating like a mystery box with no apparent opening.
My original plan had been to burst through the door and tell him I knew everything. But there was something about this moment and this earthshaking clarity that allowed me to see him fully, while he tried to maintain his guard. It was in those cracks I felt his affection, and maybe something more.
We weren’t going anywhere. Not tonight. The snow had been pushing me here to discover the truth, and now that I was standing in its path, I wanted to see everything I’d missed. Leo would not confess. I knew that much. He would have told me at the overlook. Leo was holding onto his secret. Afraid to let it go. I was going to have to draw it out of him.
And maybe have a little fun while doing it.
“So, what should we do to pass the time? It is Christmas Eve. We might as well make the best of an unpleasant situation.”
Leo gave me a side-eye glare. “I think you should sit in silence and contemplate your reckless actions. I’m still upset you drove here.”
“Yeah, I’m not going to do that.” I wriggled my toes against his abdomen, feeling him tense. I lifted a brow in challenge.
“Actually, I was thinking we should play a game.”
Chapter 16
Sage
Leo placed the lettertiles onto the board, spelling out the word that got him twelve points on the scorecard.
“Really? You went with, agony? You just played, tormented, and before that—“ I glanced at the board. “You played, haunted. I’m sensing a theme. Who are you, Heathcliff fromWuthering Heights?”
Leo cocked his head and pressed his mouth into a grimace. “You’re the one who wanted to play a board game. I voted for silence.”
“If I remember correctly, I suggested we playTwister.You’re the one who choseScrabble.”
“It was the safer choice,” he said under his breath as he pushed off the sofa to throw another log into the fireplace.
It was hotter than a snowman in the Bahamas in here. Leo kept adding logs to the fire every time I got too close. If I even moved within a three-foot radius of him, he was up, stoking the flames like a man possessed.
I took a cool drink from the glass of water on the table, but it did little to tame the heat. I fanned my face and reached for the hem of my sweater.
“What are you doing?” Leo pointed the fire poker in my direction.
“Relax. I’m melting over here. You’re taking your job as Fire Master a little too seriously.” I pulled the sweater over my head and tossed it over the back of the sofa. Then I patted the cushion. “I’m ready to play my next word.”
Leo’s gaze roamed over my ice-blue silk camisole. His throat worked, and his chest rose on a deep inhale. Warily, he sat on the sofa. Three feet away.
