Swiftly, he moves in to cut off her deadpan joke about goats. Her face breaks into a delicate smile as he pauses close enough to see it in his periphery before their noses nestle together and her warm breath tickles his lips.
It is soft and gentle at first, merely a press of contact that sparks between them. Her hair caresses his face as the wind picks up and swirls snowflakes around them both, as if nudging them even closer together. The aurora bends and shimmers above, painting them in ribbons of emerald and violet before the world falls away and all that’s left is the warmth of her pressed against him and the overwhelming urge to never let go.
She is supple under his mouth where he captures her bottom lip between his own, her lower half leaning against him as they come together with more force, greedy like they can’t get enough. Her hand weaves up into his hair as his arm pulls her in close at the waist, her sharp inhale as they come apart for the briefest moment, as if she’s trying to breathe him in, sends a shiver along his spine. The taste of her lingers, sweet and warmin the cold night air, and he realizes that for the first time in years, maybe in his whole life, he doesn’t feel hollow anymore.
All he ever wants from this day on is her wrapping around every cell in his body.
“I’ll buy you five fainting goats,” he exhales along the seam of her lips, before stealing another kiss. “Twenty,” he drops his mouth to her neck, searing a promise there. “A whole herd.”
“I’m so glad we could come to an agreement on this very important matter.” The laugh vibrating against his lips is the best thing he’s ever felt. Then she’s urging his head up from her neck, her expression serious and her lips kiss-swollen. “Hey…”
There is a question or statement on the tip of her tongue. He waits while she struggles with letting it out into the open, head tilted in curiosity and encouragement.
“I’m scared,” she admits. “But I trust you.”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
They’ve both been hurt so many times and to such an awful degree that letting anyone else in close could be foolish, and yet here they are, doing exactly that anyway. She is worth the risk.
He’s about to kiss her again, cold be damned, when a blinking red light off in the distance catches their attention before he can. It’s strong enough to cut through the impending blizzard like a lighthouse in a storm.
“The wildlife center?” she says hopefully.
“Probably. If we follow the light, it’ll lead us right to them.”
There is elation on her face at the promise of rescue, and his smile matches hers when he imagines that their journey will finally end in seeing their friends and family again. Gwen. Oliver. He has to assume they’re both alive and waiting. A reunion feels closer than ever.
“You know…” she continues. “The snow is picking up. It’ll be too thick to see soon, and there might be other people there. Living ones. At least I hope so, but once we get there…”
He nods. “It won’t be very private.”
“Exactly.”
“Plus, it’s safer to wait out the storm before we begin that hike. Five miles when you can’t see a foot in front of your face is a good way to get lost.”
“So you agree we should stay the night here and go in the morning?”
He nods. “I agree. It’s only practical.”
It’s so much more than practical. Yes, it’s safer. But their motivations are clearer than that beacon shining bright in the snow. It might be insane not to run straight for it this very second, but they have no idea what’s waiting for them beyond this building. Right now, they are safe, they have food, heat, and each other. They deserve at least one night together before any further hell breaks loose.
Chapter 17
They nearly tumble down the stairs on their way back to the main floor of the sheriff’s building. It’s hard to keep her balance when Theo has her pinned to the wall on a precariously slim step, her leg wrapped around his thigh, and his tongue chasing hers. She is drowning in the feel of him around her, against her, consuming her, until they finally make it past the exit door and into the heated office. Then, everything slows to a crawl. Despite coming here with clear intent, nerves begin to get the better of her.
Maybe he feels it too because his lips leave hers as his forehead rests softly on her own, his ragged breath mingling with her exhales.
The desk across from the holding cell digs into her upper thighs, and he uses his good arm to lift her up onto it. Her knees part for him as quickly as her body has gone slick in the last few minutes, the throb between her legs beating like an overwhelming plea for contact. His pants hang unbuttoned and loose on his hips, her shirt is rucked up to her ribs, and their shoes are somewhere across the room amid a pile of old paperwork.
They were frantic enough to get here in record time, but now that the moment is upon them, they falter. His fingertips trace her waist as her hand cups the wild pulse in his neck. She almost looks away from the raw intensity of his stare. No one has everlooked at her like she has the power to break him into a million shattered pieces or put what’s already broken back together, shiny and new. She knows the feeling, though, because he could easily do the same to her.
“Are you sure?” he asks.
There are so many reasons she told herself this would be a terrible idea, but every what-if and hesitation has already melted away in favor of a truth she’s finally ready to accept. She wants him. She trusts him. Some hidden part of her reaches out for him in a way that could frighten her if she weren’t so hopelessly head over heels.
Nora’s gaze shifts down to his lips. “Yes.”
That pocket of time they’ve been caught in speeds up at her confirmation, and his mouth finds hers again, the pressure of their kiss leaning her back a few inches while her legs wrap around him, and one hand reaches back to brace herself on the desk.
