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Hair wet, skin glistening, breasts on vivid display, and grinning at him, he nearly fumbled and dropped his phone into the snow as he hurried to make sure neither Tess nor Anna saw what had just appeared on his screen. He had no idea how he would have explained the picture she’d just sent him if either of them had caught even a glance of the seductive and nude redhead.
Thankfully, the two women remained caught up in admiring the igloo they’d spent so many hours working on and discussing what to make for dinner, so his fumbling panic garnered no interest. Face redder than a cherry, he shoved his phone back into his coat.
She’s crazy,Liam thought, heart racing because of her cavalier indiscretion.
“I’m a bit exhausted, but it was well worth it,” Tess said, smiling one last time at their igloo. “Now, I could go with a bit of timeinsideduring this terribly cold weather.”
Both her student and her neighbor nodded, and the three of them broke for the warmth of modern heating over finding it in their igloo just yet.
The next hour passed without anything dampening their high spirits. He and Anna helped Tess prepare a warm dinner to eat inside the igloo, and they eventually braved one final group foray into the cold. Turning on her backyard lights, they quickly discovered that it wasn’t enough for them to see much of anything inside the igloo, with night now draping the sky in black.
Three phone lights did a poor job of illuminating the space, but it almost added to the charm of the situation. Slurping down warm soup—well, not Anna, who maintained her polite eating habits—and chatting about whatever topic their good cheer carried them toward, the igloo’s warmth kept them content to remain outside for over an hour. Even once their bowls and cups were empty, set aside so they could stretch out a little inside the igloo’s interior, they all happily lingered together.
There was no doubt about what he’d told Anna, and their eyes briefly met at a time when it seemed like they were both remembering what he’d said. Today was special. Unforgettable. Worth every ache in his muscles and every sniffle induced by the cold.
Eventually, largely due to how much they’d all strained their bodies, fatigue butted into their relaxed joviality out in the igloo. Anna yawned first, and then he yawned back, and then there wasn’t a minute gone by where someone didn’t yawn or stretch their tired limbs over their heads.
“I think we should consider packing it in,” Tess advised. Of the three of them, she seemed the least worn out, which tracked for someone as physically active as she was. Still, even she wasn’t immune to the exhaustion of the work they’d completed today.
“That is probably for the best,” Anna agreed.
Collecting their bowls, cups, and plates but leaving behind the blankets for their likely return tomorrow morning, Anna and Tess experienced their final outdoor-induced shivers that night. On the other hand, Liam had one more sprint home awaiting him.
“Come over tomorrow, all right?” Anna said after they’d returned indoors and settled their dishes into Tess’s dishwasher. They stood in Tess’s entryway, with Tess starting up the dishwasher in the kitchen while Anna bid him farewell.
He’d already shared a much briefer goodbye with Tess once they’d all made it indoors, though Anna had been there, so their hug had been barely a tenth of what it’d been in his garage. He’d spent it wishing the whole time he could have found a way to get her alone for just a minute or two, if only so they could chat in private. Unfortunately, no opportunity had arisen since their time together in the igloo, which had sent him listing back into a state of trepidation.
“I will,” he promised.
Suddenly, Anna stepped closer, only to then immediately pause. A curious array of emotions danced behind her eyes, responsible for both her sudden movement and her just-as-sudden faltering. Swallowing, the beautiful, busty heiress took a deep breath and then finished closing the distance between them.
The hug was much briefer than the one he’d shared with Tess earlier, and miles less erotic. However, it was also a far cry from their awkward entanglement twenty-four hours ago.
After overcoming a brief stint of surprise, Liam hugged her back, and he absorbed her warmth while they remained in one another’s arms. When Anna pulled back, she cleared her throat.
“Have a good night, Liam. Thank you for today.”
“Yeah, you too,” he said, smiling, receiving one in return, and then hurrying back toward his house. After dumping his snow-soaked clothes into his washer, a long, steaming hot shower followed, which dislodged some of the fatigue adhering to his every muscle. Within twenty minutes of emerging from it, he’d already slid into his bed.
He wasn’t quite ready for some sleep, however.
You almost got me into so much trouble,he texted Avril, finally replying to the lewd image she’d sent him a couple of hours ago.
Oh? My phone didn’t blow up with messages from Anna or Tess about what I’d done, so you must have been fine.
Liam huffed at his screen and shook his head. How cavalier could someone be?
Yeah, they didn’t see it. They almost did, though.
Almost. Eventually. Words that just mean that nothing happened. So, did you enjoy your igloo adventure?
Actually, yeah.Liam paused while typing his response, chewing on his lip while considering how much he should say. He eventually arrived at the belief that he owed so much of his success to her that she deserved to know how today had truly gone.
Actually, yeah. It was the second-best part of my day.
Flattery won’t get you another, naughty boy,she sent back a moment later.
Liam smirked, finally experiencing the thrill of being a step ahead of the scheming woman.
