AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“For heaven’s sake,” she said in exasperation as she slipped her hands around his neck and pulled. His jacket slipped from her shoulders to the ground in a heap. Her lips were soft and, at the same time, blistering against the frigid air that encircled them. She kissed him tenderly, exploring his mouth with hers.
Tentatively, he held her close, telling himself she must be freezing and they could preserve their body temperatures. But deep down, he knew otherwise. They molded together, one heart and one mind, two people who cared about the same things.
If he had thought Erika was meant for him, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he had been terribly wrong. Dianna stirred emotions within him that he hadn’t felt before—certainly not with Erika.
If he could memorize one moment from his life, this would be it. Tristan’s emotions boiled over, taking with them his common sense and logical mind.
Tristan came to his senses and pulled back, putting a good two feet between them. His eyes dipped to the coat and he lurched toward it. “You must be freezing. Here.” He wrapped the coat around her and, once again, made sure to put enough space between them that he wouldn’t be tempted to lose control like that again. His relationship with Erika had been fast, too. And up until this point he hadn’t connected that it might have ended so abruptly because he hadn’t realized who she really was.
It wasn’t that he thought Dianna would do something so treacherous as leaving her own son. But he wasn’t sure he was ready to risk everything on something so new. They should take it slow.
Dianna touched her lips with the tips of her fingers and stared at him.
He couldn’t tell if she was upset or if there was something else going through her mind. That was one more drawback to how well they knew one another. Or the lack thereof. Tristan gave her a half smile, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. “You okay?”
She nodded.
“You sure?”
Dianna pulled the jacket around her tighter and said, “I never knew a kiss could feel like that.”
“Is that a good thing?” he asked. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear her tell him that this wasn’t going to work out.
Her gaze darted up to meet his and the hint of a smile touched her lips. “I’ve never been kissed like that before.” She touched her lips again, her smile deepening. “You were my first.”
Tristan couldn’t help it. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. “You’ve never—are you sure?”
She arched a brow. “I think I would know if I had been kissed.” There was that familiar tone in her voice—the one that said she was disappointed in him, the one that said he should know better than to say such things. She’d used it on him when she’d lectured him about how he wanted Mathew to be treated. “Is that going to be a problem?”
He took a step toward her, the pressure of his chest squeezing the blood from his heart so he felt lightheaded. Cupping her face with his hand, he dipped his face lower so it came within inches of hers. “It was a pleasure to be your first.” He grazed his lips against hers briefly, for good measure. “How about we go visit Mathew, then come back here for a little snack.”
Dianna nodded, the smile returning to her face. “I’d like that.”
There was a light snow covering on the ground from last night’s snowfall. They were about halfway to the cabin when the first snowflake of the evening drifted to the earth beneath their feet. It was big and fluffy, resembling a down feather more than a snowflake. A second and third followed in its wake until the entire area was being dumped on by the clouds overhead.
Dianna laughed, tilting her face to the sky and closing her eyes. She brought up her hands and turned around. “I love the snow. Especially at Christmastime.”
Tristan watched with fascination as her hair was adorned by the fluffy flakes. When she brought her focus to his, she looked like a snow queen with a crown of ice. He shivered as a fresh wave of chills assaulted him. “Come on,” he held out his hand, “I’m certain Mathew is waiting on us.”
The snow was still dumping, coating the entire property in a thick layer of white. By the time they made it to the cabin, they were both soaked to the bone. They stepped inside and immediately Mathew came barreling out from the hallway, his sitter on his heels.
“Miss Dianna!” He threw his arms around her, then jumped back and looked her up and down. “You’re wet.”
She laughed. “That’s because it’s snowing. Did you see it yet?”
His head whipped around to stare out the window, then he darted around a chair and collided with the window ledge to stare outside. “I can’t see anything.”
“Then let’s get out there.” Dianna glanced at Tristan. “If it’s okay with your dad.”
“Dad! Can we? I want to see the snow.”
“Sure, bud. But we have to get your coat, gloves and boots on. I don’t want you getting sick.”
Mathew pouted. “But you guys were out there without—” He shot a look in Dianna’s direction, and once again, Tristan’s heart stuttered with shock. It was almost like he wasn’t looking at his son. The boy before him had been taken over by another entity. One who argued less often. Mathew snapped his mouth shut. “Okay.” He took off toward his room and returned with a pair of snow boots, a hat, and gloves.
Tristan had never seen Mathew dress so quickly. They were out the door in what felt like mere seconds. Mathew flew to the snow quickly piling up in the small yard. The only one who stayed behind to watch inside was the babysitter.
Mathew crouched down and gathered a snowball in his gloved hands. Then he waddled with his legs apart, rolling it until it came to his knees. Excitedly, he gestured toward the ball. “Miss Dianna, come make a snowman with me! Please?”
