Page 60 of Falling for the Grinchy Bad Boy

I should have felt awkward. Should have been wondering what this meant, where we went from here and how we’d navigate the morning-after conversation that was inevitable. Instead, I felt… peaceful. Right. Like this was exactly where I was supposed to be.

His breathing changed, becoming less deep and rhythmic. I knew he was waking up. I stayed still, not ready to break whatever spell the snowstorm had woven around us. Not ready for the walls to go back up or for him to retreat behind that careful professional mask he wore like armor.

“Joy?” His voice was rough with sleep, uncertain. “Is this a dream?”

I tilted my head up to look at him, finding his blue eyes already focused on my face. “Do you want me to pinch you?”

Something flickered across his expression. Relief, maybe? As if he’d been worried I might regret what had happened between us. The thought made my chest tight with tenderness.

“How did you sleep?” he asked.

“Better than I have in weeks,” I admitted, which was the truth. Despite the circumstances and the improvised bedding, I had slept more soundly wrapped in Cooper’s arms than I had in any bed since coming back to town.

His eyes searched mine, and I could see him processing my admission. Cooper was always cataloging information, always thinking three steps ahead, but right now he looked like he didn’t know what came next.

Before either of us could figure out how to navigate this moment, the sound of heavy machinery rumbled to life outside. Snowplows, from the sound of it, and the scrape of shovels against concrete.

“The cavalry has arrived,” Cooper said dryly, but he didn’t move to untangle himself from our makeshift nest.

I listened to the sounds of the town coming back to life. Voices called out to each other. Soon, very soon, the doors would open, and the real world would intrude on whatever this was between us.

The voices outside were getting closer. I could hear someone rattling the front door of the building. Cooper seemed to realize the same thing because he carefully extracted his arm from beneath me and sat up, running a hand through his rumpled hair.

“We should probably…” he gestured vaguely toward our clothing. “I don’t want to end up on the front page again.”

“Right.” I pushed myself upright, immediately missing his warmth. The building was still cold, though not as brutally as it had been in the middle of the night. “Can’t have anyone finding us like this.”

We both quickly dressed without saying a word.

“Ready?” Cooper asked.

I nodded, even though I wasn’t ready at all. Wasn’t ready to pretend that nothing had changed. But I followed him anyway.

Outside, the sun was shining. The streets were already plowed, and people were shoveling sidewalks in front of their businesses. No one even seemed to notice us.

“I’ll check in with you later,” Cooper said.

“Yep. Later.”

“Need help digging out?” he asked, nodding toward my car.

“I’ll be fine,” I said quickly.

We stood there for another moment. Last night, we’d been pressed together from shoulder to hip, sharing breath and warmth and something that felt dangerously like intimacy. Now we were awkward strangers again, struggling to find solid ground.

He turned and walked toward his truck. I watched him go. When he reached his vehicle, he turned back once, and our eyes met across the distance.

For a heartbeat, I thought he might come back. Might close the space between us and say something that acknowledged what had passed between us in the darkness. Instead, he lifted his hand in a small wave and climbed into his truck.

I had no idea what we were doing or where we went from here.