AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She glanced at her watch. “Meatballs are almost ready.” She started toward the kitchen. “I’ll brown the bread while the water boils.”
Ace followed her and turned on the burner before he put olive oil and a little salt in the water.
He kept his flirting at a minimum. He didn’t want to make her think he planned to hit on her the entire time they were stuck in the cabin. With the snow already coming down like it was, they might be snowed in for a while.
Although he didn’t think of it as stuck. He liked to think of it as a mini vacation with Charlee.
While they cooked dinner, Ace prepared a meal for Ossie, who didn’t mind a hamburger feast at all. “That’s a regular happy meal, don’t you think?” he asked Ossie.
The dog glanced up from her bowl with a look of satisfaction before diving back in to finish it off.
It wasn’t too long before Ace and Charlee sat at the small dining table with plates of spaghetti and garlic bread, and mugs of hot cider from a jug she’d had in the pantry. Ossie curled up on a rug near the couch.
“This is fantastic.” Ace wound spaghetti around his fork. “The meatballs are the best I’ve ever had.”
“Thanks.” Charlee pointed to her plate. “This is the spiciest pasta sauce.” She fanned her mouth with her hand. “What did you put into it?”
He flashed her a wicked grin. “Red chili pepper.”
“Ah.” She nodded. “Great sauce, Ace.”
He watched her for a moment as she ate. When she licked a drop of sauce from her lower lip, he almost groaned aloud.Damn,that was sexy.
Charlee glanced up and paused with her fork in the air as their gazes met.
“Your cabin is incredible.” Ace tried to deflect her attention from him staring at her while she ate. “How long have you owned it?”
She rested her fork on the edge of her plate as she considered his question. “I bought it a couple of years after I purchased the spa. The cabin became my escape—sometimes I just need to get away, and I like coming here with friends. Bailey and Dara love it, too.”
He finished chewing the bite of spaghetti he’d taken while she talked. “You bought the hair salon you used to work in first. I think Bailey said you took it from red to black.”
She picked up her fork and twirled it in her spaghetti. “Yeah, it worked out. A year later I bought the spa.”
“And had even better success with it, from what my sister said.” He grinned. “Like I said, I pay attention.”
“Apparently, you do.” Charlee smiled before she took a bite of her spaghetti while Ace watched.
“And now you’ve got your own private mountain paradise,” Ace added.
She picked up her mug of cider. “I consider myself blessed.”
He wrapped his hand around his own mug. “All of your friends are proud of you, and I’d like to count myself as one of them.”
The smile that crossed her face was beautiful, angelic even. “Thanks, Ace. I like to think of you as one of my friends, too.”
He’d known Charlee since she became his kid sister’s best friend, some twenty years ago. She’d always been a cute kid, but she’d turned into one hell of a woman. He wouldn’t mind if he and Charlee became more than friends, but he liked knowing they had the bond of friendship.
In his fantasies, since they were teenagers, he’d often wondered what it would be like to be with Charlee Burke in every way imaginable. He’d never expected to be locked up with her for any length of time.
Speaking of locked away, ever since Charlee’s experience with the bastard named David Smith, when she was in her early twenties, she’d shied away from having relationships with any man. If Ace would have had the chance, he would have killed Smith with his bare hands for what he’d done to Charlee and her sister, Jo.
Ace had to tamp down the anger rising within him and keep his expression neutral. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her.
He relaxed his muscles and turned his thoughts and attention to better things. “Do you have Christmas decorations around?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I’ve had a couple of holiday parties at the cabin over the years.”
“What you need is a tree.” He glanced out the window. “If there’s a break in the storm, maybe we can find one.”
