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He opened the curtains and bathed the whole room in the eerie gray of snow and clouds reflecting off each other. “Power’s out on the whole street.”
I sighed loudly and flopped my weight back against the pillows, pulling Brooke with me. Her surprised giggle was musical.
“Can’t do much without power—except conserve body heat—we should probably stay in bed.” I was brilliant if I did say so myself.
Brooke clucked. “Tempting.Reallytempting.”
“You’re not going anywhere else for a while anyway.” Deacon was still staring out the window. “Somehow we fucked our way into a blizzard.”
“I think I saw that movie. We need to be careful, because the horny zombies are coming for us,” I said.
Deacon turned to face us, laughing. “Coming for us, orcomingfor us?”
“They’re zombies, so eww.” Brooke scrunched up her face. “I mean, unless that’s your thing, I guess?”
“I definitely prefer my groans to come from the living.” I nipped her shoulder with my teeth, and she rewarded me with the most delicious sound.
She extracted herself from my arms and moved to the edge of the bed. “I should call the kids. Make sure they’re all right.”
“Tell them you probably won’t be home tonight,” Deacon said.
Brooke plucked her clothes from where they’d landed, wrinkled her nose when she grabbed her panties, and just tugged on her shirt and jeans. “Because of the snow.”
“That too.” I grinned. The moment might have been interrupted, but now there was a chance for more fun later. Snow days were the best.
Deacon and I dressed, and he called the power company while Brooke called home. I went in search of candles.
They found me before I found what I was looking for. If Deacon didn’t have candles, I did. We’d repurpose them for the night.
“Power company says ETA is at least tomorrow morning,” Deacon said.
“I guess we’ll have to cuddle to keep warm.” I didn’t mind the idea of that.
Deacon gestured to the wood burning stove in the corner of the kitchen. “And maybe haul some wood up, for that. Not that I have much.”
“We should make sure everyone else on the block is set for a night without power,” Brooke said.
Not every shop owner on the street lived above their place like Deacon, but several of them did. We bundled up and headed outside. A few of the neighbors were already out here—Aubrey, Sebastian, and others I’d only met a couple of times.
Fortunately, Travis the Tool was probably home safe and sound in his house on the hill, because his trollish face might ruin the gorgeous still that was out here tonight.
After a brief exchange, everyone agreed they were set for tonight, and they all promised no one would be freezing to death.
Sebastian had an actual fireplace, and invited anyone over who needed it.
As we turned to head back in, Brooke slipped and let out a horrible and heart-wrenching whimper of pain.
FIFTEEN
DEACON
The sound Brookemade sliced through me worse than the cold. She was on the ground in more than a foot of snow, cringing and struggling to find her footing.
I offered her a hand and tugged her to her feet. She let out a yelp when she put her weight on the right one, and I wrapped an arm around her waist before she could stumble again, and Adam was at her other side without hesitation.
“I’m sorry.” She sounded forlorn.
I held her upright. “Don’t be.”
