As I step out into the cold winter weather, I pull the jacket closed, taking notice of the few layers I put on to brace against the cold. The wooden porch swing in the yard, the grill, and my car are completely white with snow.
With a resigned sigh, I grab the shovel leaning against the porch and prepare to tackle clearing the driveway. As I begin to push the heavy snow aside, my breath forms clouds in the freezing air, and I can’t help but appreciate the beauty of it as well. The town is painted in shades of white, and the only sound is the soft crunch of snow beneath my boots.
Lost in my thoughts, I don’t hear Kallie slip out of the front door behind me. As I bend to scoop up another pile of snow, I feel something hit me on my back. Shocked, I stumble forward slightly, dropping the shovel with a clatter.
I turn around to find her standing there, covering her mouth to suppress her laughter. Her cheeks are flushed pink from the cold, and in her hand is a perfectly round snowball, evidence of her little sneak attack.
“You little brat,” I say, trying to sound stern but failing to suppress a grin. “What was that for?”
She shrugs her shoulders innocently, a twinkle in her blue eyes. “Just adding a bit of excitement to your day.” She smiles.Her smile is contagious.
I can’t help but chuckle as I reach down and scoop up a handful of snow, shaping it into my own ball. With a playful shrug, I aim, and it flies through the air, hitting her square in the face with a soft thud.
She gasps in mock anger then bursts into laughter. “How dare you!” she yells before making a few snowballs for her retaliation.
As the snowballs pelt me, I can’t help but admire her. The way her hair is piled high on her head, only a few strands falling to frame her face. How her pink lips turn up into a real smile. This is the freest she’s looked since she arrived back in town, ten times better than the night she came to the bar and threw everything up hours after.
Despite my fingers feeling like they’re frozen, I know I can’t let her have all the fun. With determination, I gather a handful of snow and wait for the perfect moment as she collects her own. Just as she launches another snowball in my direction, I dodge, her shot barely missing, and take the opportunity to charge towards her.
Surprise washes over her face by my quick movement.Probably because she thinks I’m old. She tries to avoid me, but I’m too quick. With a yell, I wrap my arm around her waist and tackle her to the ground.
“Lance!” she yells as her back hits the fluffy snow, her head cradled in my hand.
I lay above her, only a few inches separating us. The world around us seems to fade away, leaving only the two of us in our own little bubble of heaven. Her eyes move to mine, her breath hitting my lips as warmth infuses my whole body.
“I’ve thought about what it would be like to kiss you since the second you walked into the bar,” I tell her.
“Then do it,” she says, wasting absolutely no time. Then, without hesitation, I lean in, capturing her lips in a kiss I’ve been desperate for.
Time doesn’t seem to move an inch as our lips press together. The cold of the snow is long forgotten, and the feeling of her warm lips on mine makes me never want to leave this spot.
When we finally pull away, breathless and a tad flushed, I find myself gazing into her eyes, searching for any sign of regret, but all I find is a gorgeous smile plastered on her face. And that’s when I realize everything between is about to change, and there will be no going back.
“You are absolutely beautiful, sunshine,” I tell her as I lean down and leave another kiss on her lips.
“I’m also freezing,” she laughs and pushes at my chest. I stand, my knees giving me slight trouble. I guess I’m probably too old for a snowball fight with a twenty-six-year-old. As I pull her up from the ground, she makes sure to keep her grip as she drags me in the direction of the house.
“I need to finish shoveling the snow,” I tell her, but she only shakes her head.
“No, what you need is to come inside and show me where you keep the hot cocoa.” I don’t argue, because how can I? This girl could ask for anything, and I’d find a way to get it for her.
Chapter Twelve
Lance
The day passed byquickly. The air has less tension than when we first arrived, probably from the kiss we finally shared. When I looked at the clock, I realize it’s already almost five in the evening but dark as night, which tells me a storm is raging or about to be real soon.
A movie plays in the background as I sit up from the couch. I must’ve dozed off at some point, only waking when I heard the squeak from the shower being turned off.
Getting up from the couch, I stretch out my legs after standing and walk into the room. The bathroom door is cracked open, giving me a glimpse of Kallie wrapped up in a white towel. She embodies everything I desire, everything I’ve wanted in a woman wrapped into someone I shouldn’t. Her presence is aforbidden temptation, a beautiful enigma I can’t ignore. I don’twantto ignore it.
Her eyes sparkle with a mischievous glint as she brushes through her long brown hair. The water drops rolling down her body draw me closer with an invisible thread. I know, deep down, that I should look away, that I should keep my distance even after the kiss. The need to move slowly, but every fiber of my being longs to be near her, to feel her warmth, to taste her.
Watching Kallie through the small crack in the door to the bathroom is probably wrong, but I can’t peel my eyes away. She glances in my direction in the mirror, her eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that sends shivers down my spine. I try to look away, to break the connection, but her eyes don’t leave mine as she toys with the white towel.
I turned to leave, to put some distance between us, but as I start to walk away, I can’t escape the relentless desire consuming me. My cock aches with the need to bend her over the counter and fuck her from behind as she screams my name. So instead, I turn and head toward the bathroom with only one thought in mind.
Her.
