Page 10 of Frosty Mountain Man

Her mouth opened in astonishment. “What did you just say?”

I crossed my arms and looked down at her. “You heard me. And unlike you, I don’t repeat myself for the fun of it. I only say things I mean.” I let my eyes drag over her, unhurried, daring her to call my bluff. “You don’t have any place to be, Elle. The roads are dangerous and I’m not letting you risk your neck just to be someplace else than here.”

“But you don’t want me here.” Her voice wasn’t exactly small, but it was quiet.

“Did I say that?”

“Yes, you literally said that.”

I shrugged. “Things change.”

“And what exactly has changed?”

I didn’t answer. Walking into the kitchen, I started making breakfast. Mostly because I didn’t trust myself not to turn her over my knee and spank her until that ass was a bright red. She was stubborn to a fault. I knew that stubbornness was a wall she’d built not to allow anyone too close.

The wind hit the house hard enough that we both turned toward the windows. Snow was slanting sideways now, where an hour ago there’d only been pale gray sky.

Neither of us said anything for a second.

I crossed to the living room, flipped the television to the local station. The forecast graphic filled the screen showing a path of white pushing down out of Canada.

Red text scrolled underneath. Blizzard Warning In Effect… Heavy Snow And Whiteout Conditions Expected… Travel Not Advised.

“That’s not possible,” Elle said, coming to stand beside me, arms wrapped around herself. “It’s September. You said it was a lull, not — that.”

“Told you it wasn’t finished with us.” I watched the radar loop swallow half the state, and didn’t let myself sound as satisfied about being right as I felt. “Doesn’t happen every year. Last one like this dropped two feet in a day and a half.”

“Two feet?”

“Yep.” I turned the volume down, the graphic mocking us both. “Point is, you’re not driving anywhere today. Might not tomorrow either.”

She was quiet, staring at the window like she could argue with the weather the same way she delighted in arguing with me.

“Well,” she said finally, her voice light but I could see the strain on her face. “Guess I’m snowed in with the mountain man after all.”

I didn’t count that as I win as I had earlier. I liked her stubbornness and spirit. My body wasn’t being subtle about it either. I was hard and it hurt, and I liked that a little too much.

CHAPTER FIVE

Elle

It only took an hour for the reality of my situation to sink in.

I was on a mountain. Snow was falling outside. And a man who oozed dominance and sex appeal was my unwilling host.

He was sitting in his living room, reading a book, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. I was grateful on the one hand, but a little put out that I wasn’t causing some ripple effect in his usual solitary life.

Walking to the bookcase that took up a large portion of one wall, I ran my fingers along the spines. In any other scenario, one that did not involve Harrison Cole sitting ten feet away, I would have picked a book and curled up on the large leather couch and lost myself in a story some thoughtful writer had provided.

I couldn’t. Not with him in the room. Not with my body tingling in all the right-wrong places.

“I’m bored,” I announced.

He didn’t look up from his book. “That’s not my problem.”

“It is now. You’re the one with a house the size of an airport terminal and nothing in it to do.”

“There’s a television.”