AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What?” Self-consciously, she smoothed down her messy hair.
“I think we’re snowed in.”
“What?” she asked again, hopping out of the bed and joining him at the window, not caring that she was naked. Sure enough, at least a foot of snow covered the ski lifts below, and it was still coming down. The peak of the ski hill was barely visible through the thick, white sheet of snow smothering everything, swirling against the window as the occasional gust blew the flakes askance.
“Don’t you have to go? Like, to help?” she asked, turning from the window and scooping up Matt’s dress shirt. She didn’t want to be naked when he said he had to go. She already felt vulnerable and exposed enough. Slipping her arms into the sleeves, she wrapped herself in his shirt, reveling in the Matt-scent infused in its fabric. Never in her life had she been so addicted to a man’s scent, and so quickly. Biology, she knew, indicated that they were a good match.
Geography, however, did not. The distance between Cheyenne and Denver was a mere ninety minutes. If he weren’t moving, they could’ve easily started dating. Ninety minutes was worth it to pursue the connection she felt. But the distance between Denver and Seattle? Oh, about thirteen hundred miles.
He turned from the window, and he opened and closed his mouth before blowing out a breath and crossing his arms. “Actually, I don’t. We’re in Rawlins County, not Laramie, and yesterday was my last day. Turned in my uniforms and everything.”
“So . . .” Heat bloomed across her chest at the idea that she might get to keep him for one more day.
“So we’ve been granted a reprieve. Turn on the news. I bet they’re telling everyone to stay off the roads.”
Ellie picked up the TV remote from its resting spot on the nightstand. She sat on the edge of the bed, flicking through channels until she landed on a local news station.
“Heavy snow and gusting winds haven’t let up across much of southeast Wyoming, and the National Weather Service is reporting that up to two feet of snow have already fallen in some areas. The snow is expected to taper off as the day progresses, and clean-up efforts are already under way. It’s been a mess on the roads, and police are advising people to stay home and avoid driving if at all possible. Especially treacherous is the I-80, with police reporting dozens of collisions.” Ellie stopped listening and went back to the window, flinging the curtains open wide. She’d grown up in Colorado, and was no stranger to blizzards, snow days, and bad driving. But she hadn’t been this excited about the prospect of a snow day since high school. For a minute, she just watched the snow falling, thick flakes dropping from the sky like a gift.
A reprieve. That was what he’d called it. And God, was it accurate.
“If it’s okay with you, I’m going to call the front desk and make sure we’re able to keep the room for an extra night, and order us some breakfast,” he said. He smiled as she walked toward him, sliding his hands around her hips as she came to a stop in front of him. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving, and if I get a whole extra day to play sex detective, I need to refuel.”
Her stomach did a happy flip at his words, and she nodded and lowered her head to nuzzle kisses into his neck before ducking into the bathroom to freshen up, brushing her teeth and hair and swiping away the faint mascara smudges under her eyes. She opened the bathroom door just in time to hear Matt giving his credit-card number over the phone. When she shot him a questioning glance as he hung up, he tossed his wallet on the bed.
“You paid for the room last night, so I’ve got tonight.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, sliding onto the bed beside him.
“I wanted to.” He fingered the fabric of his shirt, parting it to reveal her breasts. “Do you have any idea how good you look in this?” He exhaled, a low moan rumbling from him, and a warm tingle started between her legs. “Hang on.” He disappeared into the bathroom, emerging a minute later with much fresher breath.
She licked her lips as she watched him crawl onto the bed and on top of her, reveling in the sight of his incredibly sexy body and grateful for the chance to enjoy it in the daylight. As he lowered himself on top of her, a flash of fear seared through her. If she’d thought spending last night with him was unsafe, what did that make today? She knew saying good-bye to him was going to hurt, and yet she couldn’t not grab this day and absorb as much of Matt as she possibly could. With every tiny new thing she found out about him, she wanted to know a hundred more. And they hadn’t even touched on the big things.
As she wound her arms around him, he kissed her tenderly, his fingers weaving into her hair. It didn’t matter that her hips were stiff, that her thighs ached, or that she felt tender and a little raw between her legs. The physical reminders of everything they’d shared—and they’d shared a lot—last night only made her want him more. Her stomach did a slow turn as she realized that it probably didn’t matter how much he gave her, it would never be enough. As much as she tried to rationalize it away, the rush she felt every time he looked at her, every time he touched her, was still there.
She began to shrug out of the shirt, but he stopped her.
“No.” He spoke against her mouth, his lips warm and soft against hers. “Leave it on.”
But before they could get much further, a knock sounded at the door. Matt pressed his forehead against hers before giving her nose a quick kiss. “Breakfast.” He hopped off the bed and began walking toward the door.
“Uh, Matt? You might want to put pants on.”
He stopped and looked at her, and she pointed at the massive erection tenting his boxer briefs. He glanced down and quickly picked up his pants off of the floor. “Thanks for the heads up.”
“Careful. You’ll put someone’s eye out with that thing.”
He laughed and winked at her, zipping himself up.
They sat on the bed, a spread of waffles, bacon, eggs, fruit salad, coffee, and orange juice on a tray between them.
“Can I ask you something?” said Ellie, blowing steam away from the top of her coffee cup.
“Anything.” He bit into a strip of bacon.
“What happened with you and your ex-wife?” The question had been eating at her, and she braced herself, not quite sure what kind of answer to expect.
He put down his piece of bacon and reached for his coffee, taking a sip and then setting it down. “We’d been married for a few years, and we were fighting a lot.” He toyed with a spoon on the tray, his expression serious.
