Page 10 of All Snowed Gin

“Do you like to cook? Your kitchen is amazing.”

Rose’s voice is sweet and light, warming my insides just as much as the stew. I’m intrigued by her. Want to know everything about her. From what I can tell, she’s the kind of person that will tell me too. I just have to find the right questions to get her talking.

“I make do,” I answer, trying to deflect. I need to turn this on her. “You?”

“Oh, I love to cook. Well, bake really. I come from a very long line of fruit and nut farmers—the three Ps to be exact—so those are always in abundance in our house it seems. Even when they’re out of season.”

“Three Ps?”

“Peaches, Pecans, and Peanuts,” she says, a silent “duh!” hanging in the air, punctuated by a giggle that makes my semi even harder.

“Gotcha.”

“Yeah, so I love to fool around in the kitchen and create new recipes and ways to use them. It’s so much fun. And my new sister-in-law, Tizzy, well, she’s not my sister-in-law yet, they’re not married. And actually, Cary, that’s my brother, he still has to propose. But I know it’s coming, so, she’s my sister-in-law. Anyway, she’s a chocolatier. So, we’ve had a ton of fun playing with chocolate. For Christmas she’s going to…”

Rose cuts herself off, her bottom lip starting to tremble. See, I knew once I got her going, information would flow like Niagara Falls. I just wasn’t counting on her making herself cry.

“Is that why you’re so desperate that you risked frostbite, hypothermia, and a broken ankle? To get back to dipping shit in chocolate?”

My response is snarkier and terser than I intend. There’s no hiding that my question is dripping with judgment. Not that I’m trying. Because nothing could be important enough to risk death like that. Especially not dipping fruit in fucking chocolate.

“It’s not just about the chocolate!” Rose defends. “It’s Christmas. I want to be with my family. It’s our first one with Tizzy, and Mom and I have all sorts of plans and surprises to help welcome her into the family. It’s going to be epic. Or, at least, it was.”

The loud, harsh sigh she emits is enough to tug on any heartstring. Even ones as short and singed as mine. There’s nothing I can do about it though. Until it stops snowing and they fix that bridge, there’s no going anywhere.

“That’s not worth frostbite.” I mean it as a joke, but the scowl it earns me informs me that it doesn't land as intended. Ooops.

“Says the man who slammed the door in my face when I asked to use the phone. And c’mon, you can’t be thrilled that being snowed in is your new Christmas plan either.”

“This was my Christmas plan.”

“To be snowed in?”

“No, but stay in. By myself.”

“By yourself? On Christmas? Oh no, Pierce…”

Rose sits up a little more, leaning forward and reaching out, like she’d take my hand if we were closer. Part of me aches for that—to feel her touch and know if it’s as comforting as it seems it could be. But a bigger part says no. Letting her in would be a bad idea. I need to keep my distance and just deal with the fact that we’re forced to be roommates for the short-term future.

“There must be someone you planned on spending the day with, instead of being all by yourself,” she continues.

“It’s what I wanted. Besides, I’m not all by myself anymore, now am I?” I gesture toward her.

“Oh, I guess not.”

Frowning, she turns back to her stew. We continue to eat in silence for a long while, not making eye contact, nothing but the sounds of the crackling fire and spoons scraping against the bowls to fuel the already thick tension. I try to think of something to say, to get her talking again, but I can’t. Everything I think of is going to come out wrong, or potentially lead me to be an ass again. I’ve done enough of that today.

When we’ve both finished, I clear our dishes, taking my time in the kitchen. I’m all but done wiping down the counters for a third time when an idea hits me. Rushing over to the walk-in pantry, I spin around a couple of times, trying to remember what I did with the little bag. I’m not much of a sweets eater, but every now and again I get a craving for a little something. And for just those occasions I keep…aha! There it is. Grabbing the bag, I empty a handful of the candies into my palm and head back toward the living room.

“It’s not peaches and pinochle, but…maybe it’ll help?” I say, kneeling down in front of Rose.

Opening my hand, I offer up my palm, three perfectly wrapped Hershey Kisses on display. Rose gasps, eyes lighting up, hands flying to cover her mouth, which is turned upward in a smiler bigger than I’ve seen from her all day.

Mission accomplished, Pierce…see, you’re not a complete ass.

“OMG, thank you! They’re perfect.”

Rose launches forward, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her quick movement catches me off guard, but I react in time. My arms aren’t the only thing reacting though. My dick wants in on the action, now fully standing at attention, as I hold on to her, enjoying the feel of her body pressed against mine. To my surprise, Rose doesn't immediately let go. She holds on for a long moment, and I revel in it, not wanting to be the first to pull away.