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Bethenny laughed and lifted the lid off the frother. “It’s a good thing you just admitted to believing in Santa Claus. I should have warned you yesterday. People who don’t believe aren’t welcome here,” she said with a wink. We both chuckled as she poured the steaming, frothed mixture into two mugs. She had a thoughtful expression on her face as she handed me a hot chocolate, then walked over to stare out one of the windows. “There has to be a way to get you to the Ashleys. I don’t want you to miss any more of your holiday with them. But they live a little far to venture out on my snowmobile in this weather.”
I mentally sighed in relief. I was good and stuck here.Perfect.
4
Bethenny
Having Lincoln stay with me through the storm would take my mind off the fact that I was spending the holiday without my family for the first time ever. Especially since the chemistry between us was hot enough to melt the blizzard—as I’d proved by humping him like a horny teenager. But that would’ve been extremely selfish, so I forced myself to offer him a way to make it to Jake’s parents’ house. Even if it was half-hearted and I was relieved when he replied, “It’s not worth the risk.”
“Are you sure?” I took a sip of my hot chocolate as I peered through the kitchen window at the whiteout conditions. “The storm is bound to let up at some point, and there will be plenty of snow on the ground for us to ride. I’d hate for you to miss out on all the fun with Jake and his family.”
He winked at me, his lips curving into a smile of pure male satisfaction. “With how we started the day, I’m damn sure I’ll have a fuck of a lot more fun stranded here with you.”
Heat filled my cheeks, and it took everything in me to hold his gaze. I wasn’t shy in most situations, but something about Lincoln brought out the lovestruck teenage girl in me. And it wasn’t just because of what had happened between us when I woke up.
My reaction to Lincoln was far from normal for me. The magnetic pull between us had roused my dormant libido—and the outline of his semi-hard dick in those gray sweatpants was sending my desire to new heights.
I didn’t have much experience with guys. Growing up, boys had been terrified to ask me out. My brothers had made sure of that. By the time I’d gotten to college, I was too busy to worry about dating. And once I was elected, I didn’t just have a jam-packed schedule to contend with—every citizen of Winter Falls felt as though they had the right to stick their nose in my business.
Having this time with Lincoln without the prying eyes of my constituents or my family was the best Christmas gift I could have received. I must’ve been on the top of the nice list this year because Santa had been very good to me.
“If you’d prefer to stay here with me, who am I to argue?” I tried to act nonchalant, but I didn’t do a good job of it.
There was a teasing glint in his hazel eyes. “But only if you want me here.”
“You’re going to make me say it out loud, aren’t you?” I muttered, setting my mug on the counter and crossing my arms over my chest.
His answering grin was sexy enough to combust my panties. “Yup.”
“Fine,” I huffed. His gaze dropped to my chest, where my breasts were now pushed up, and my nipples pebbled beneath his stare. “Please spend your Christmas with me.”
His expression turned serious as he answered, “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
Butterflies swirled in my belly at his forthright admission. I was sorely tempted to climb him like a tree, but it was probably too soon to do that. Again anyway since that was pretty much what I’d already done to him in my sleep. Then his stomach let out a growl, and I realized what a bad host I’d been last night. “Oh, no! I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask if you were able to grab dinner at the airport. You have to be hungry by now. I’m so sorry.”
Lincoln patted his stomach with a sheepish grin. “No worries there. I had plenty of time to eat at the airport while I was delayed, and I munched on some chips that I grabbed from the vending machine while I was driving. But I could definitely go for some food right about now. If you have groceries, I can cook breakfast.” He tossed back the rest of his drink and set his mug down beside mine.
I strode across the room and flung open the refrigerator door. “Even if we end up snowed in for a little while, we definitely won’t starve. Since my family was supposed to be in town, I stocked up on all kinds of stuff. But you don’t need to worry about cooking because I already prepped breakfast for this morning before I found out they weren’t going to be able to make it into town because of the weather.”
His gaze raked down my body, spreading goose bumps in its wake. “I should’ve known when you put on that sexy librarian outfit of yours that you’re the kind of woman who’s prepared for anything.”
“Is that a bad thing?” I’d always thought my clothes were fairly boring, but I felt as though I was dressed to seduce with the way he was looking at me.
“Not even close.” He stroked his hand down my side, resting his palm on my hip as he peered over my shoulder into the fridge. “But if we keep talking about your clothes, I’m going to want to rip them off you to assuage a different kind of hunger. Then it’ll be a long time before we eat breakfast because food will be the last thing on our minds.”
Holy moly.That was the hottest thing I’d ever heard. Twisting around to look up at him, I suggested, “The sausage breakfast muffins I made only need thirty seconds in the microwave.”
The green in his eyes was more pronounced as his gaze heated. “Are you giving me free rein to do my worst, little one?”
My answer should’ve been a resounding no. Sleeping with a guy who I’d just met was completely out of character for me. But Lincoln was only visiting Winter Falls, so my time with him was limited. “Yeah, I think I am.”
The phone rang, breaking the spell between us and making me groan in frustration. For the first time ever, I cursed the fact that I had a landline. “I’m sorry, but I really need to get that. My job is kind of twenty-four seven at times. And with the storm as bad as it is, the call could easily be an emergency.”
He inclined his head in understanding. “I’m not going anywhere. Go ahead and grab it.”
Heaving a deep sigh, I walked over and stabbed my finger against the speaker button so I could pull out the breakfast stuff while we were talking. I figured I might as well multitask and get Lincoln fed so he had plenty of energy for whatever we got up—or down—to after I took care of this call. “Mayor Andersen.”
“Hey, Bethenny. It’s Hayden. We have a row of houses on Sycamore Street that’re without power.”
