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Well. That just made everything more awkward. Everyone apparently knows how I feel about Anton, except Anton. Watching his face morph from questioning to horror was the highlight of my damn life.
I shake it off. I have four men actively pursuing me. I do not need a fifth. Even if they all know about my attraction to Anton, that doesn’t mean I’ll act on it. It’s one night. This is fine.
It’s not until I’m pulling on my usual pajamas that I realize I might be showing too much skin…
You know what? Oh, well. This is my house, and it’s not like I’m walking out there naked. I pull my blue hair into a bun and check my reflection. Yeah, he’s not seeing more than he would if I was in a bikini. A large T-shirt that falls mid-thigh, and my boy shorts are my go-to. The fuzzy socks are just cozy.
“I’m so sorry,” Anton croaks as soon as I step out of my room. I shrug.
“It’s fine. You’re forgiven. But if you want a shower, there are clean towels in the closet.”
“I had a change of clothes in my truck. Figured I’d grab those before the snow got worse.” He holds up the neatly folded stack of clothing, and I nod.
“Cool. I’ll wash what you’re wearing now, while we still have power. Just stick them in the laundry basket in my room.”
“Okay. I saw you already had a decent amount of firewood stacked in the mud room, too,” he adds.
“Yep! I’ll make us some dinner, and we can watch a movie before we lose that, too,” I say, heading to the kitchen.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
“Oh, wow, that smells good,” Anton says, and I turn to see him standing at the kitchen counter.
“Thank you.” I grin, trying to ignore how good he looks in gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. I should have worn a bra…he might notice my nipples getting hard. But I wanted to be comfy while my heater still works. “I was thinking we should clear the living room, so we can put my mattress out here. If we lose power in the middle of the night, it’ll get cold fast.” The silence behind me makes me think I’m alone. I didn’t hear him leave… I look over my shoulder. Nope, he’s still there. “Anton? Did you hear me?”
“I’ll sleep on the couch. But I can bring your bed out here for you?” he offers, and I look away. Okay. Fair. He doesn’t want to sleep in my bed. I can’t blame him. Now I’m embarrassed, though.
“Oh, yeah. I’ll just grab you the extra blankets. Here, take over. Once it boils, turn the temp down to two.” I gesture to the pot of soup, and he nods.
I dash off, grab the clothes, and toss them in the wash for a quick cycle, then start grabbing stuff for the couch. I just pile them up and start a fire, turning the heat down, so the system doesn’t have to work so hard. When I return to the kitchen, Anton steps out of the way, so I can take over.
“Hey,” Anton says, answering his phone as I serve us two bowls of deliciousness. “Yeah, I’m with Sapphire.” He pauses, rolls his eyes, and sighs. “Obviously…yes, I know… Okay! Fuck, man, I got this.” Another pause. “Isaiah says he’ll make sure the snow plow comes our way as soon as it can.” Another pause. Then he just holds the phone out to me. “Here, you deal with him,” Anton grumbles, stomping away as I take the phone.
“Isaiah?”
“Hey, baby. Listen, I told him to take care of you, but I’ll be up there to–”
“Hey there, hotcakes!” Jer says cheerfully, apparently taking the phone from his brother. “This is going to be a blizzard. Stay inside, stay warm, and use the flare gun if things get bad.”
“Flare gun?” But Jer is gone.
“Jer and Isaiah are at my house, and I invited your book nerd, too,” Zach says, and I frown.
“What?”
“The nerd. He’s here. His car was in a ditch. He’s lucky Jer and I forgot to shut the power and shit off in the store. We wouldn’t have been there to save his ass. Alright, bluebird, be safe. I gotta give Isaiah his phone back before his head explodes.”
“Bye?” I murmur but get no reply.
“As I was saying, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do you have enough food and firewood?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I have to go. But I’ll talk to you soon. Have a good night. Oh. The nerd says hi.” Then Isaiah hangs up, and I just hand Anton his phone and take a seat beside him on the couch to eat dinner.
“Flare gun?” I ask, and Anton nods.
“It’s in the mud room.”
