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She wanted to tell him what had just happened. And more importantly, how conflicted it had made her feel. And maybe if it had been a real relationship, she would have. But it wasn’t. So instead of saying what she was feeling, she once again swallowed down her feelings and forced a smile to her face. “It’s these drinks,” she lied. “I think they’re hitting me. But I’m okay now.”
He looked at her as if he were prepared to challenge her further, but then his cocky grin returned. “There’s that smile,” he said. “Must be because I’m back.”
She shook her head with a laugh. She liked that about him. He made her laugh.Reallylaugh. “Must be.”
He signaled the bartender for a new drink and turned back to her. “Seriously.” His voice changed. It was softer. He was genuinely asking. “Are you sure you’re okay? You can talk to me, you know?”
She wanted to. So badly that it was almost a physical ache inside her.What was this man doing to her?In a matter of only a few days, she’d gone from knowing exactly what she wanted out of life, to being completely and totally confused. And there was no way she could tell him any of that. And she especially couldn’t tell him that even though what they were doing was just supposed to be fun and no strings, she was starting to have feelings. Real ones. No. Shedefinitelycouldn’t tell him that.
Besides, in a few days, he’d be gone, she’d go to Toronto to start the new job, and they’d never see each other again. “I’m good,” she lied. “I’m looking forward to the frolic later.” Thatwasn’ta lie.
Cole leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. The openness of their relationship, or whatever it was that they were doing, took her off guard a little bit, but she liked it. A lot.
“I’m looking forward to it, too.” He kissed her again. “Reallylooking forward to it.”
ChapterTen
Cole couldn’t shakethe feeling that something was bothering Amber, but he wasn’t going to push either. She’d talk to him if she was ready. But maybe he’d been wrong, and there really wasn’t anything wrong. After all, she was smiling now. He glanced over at the beautiful blonde, whose smile only made her more radiant.
He’d never been one to question happiness and there was no reason for that to change. So for the time being, he was going to take the smiley, happy, beautiful woman on his arm and enjoy the rest of what the day had to offer. And he was pretty sure that was a whole lot.
They finished their drinks at the Tipping Cow and, needing some fresh air, ventured out into the town square. Cole had never been one for the quaintness of a small town, but something about Crystal Creek was getting to him. He glanced at Amber, who held his hand as if they were a real couple. He wasn’t even going to pretend that it wasn’t Amber’s influence that was making him feel so good. He knew damn well it hadeverythingto do with her.
They strolled toward the focal point of the square. The gazebo was decorated with giant wooden snowflakes that had been painted light blue and white and dipped in glitter and pine boughs swags that hung along the banister. He couldn’t help but want the walk to last longer. Heck, he wanted everything with Amber to last longer. Knowing that Josie was coming home and would crash their little arrangement was bittersweet. Of course he wanted to see his little sister, but he desperately wanted to spend more time with Amber.
“What?” She caught him staring at her. She blushed a little and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
“I was just thinking how beautiful you were.”
She blushed harder, and the sexy pink flush that worked its way across her creamy skin was totally worth the lie, which wasn’t really a lie at all.
“Let’s sit.”
“I have a better idea.” Amber tugged on his hand and started to walk in the opposite direction. “Let’s check out the ice castle.”
Cole laughed. “It’s not dark enough. Let’s wait.”
“No way. Besides, it’s not like it’s a haunted house.”
“It is kind of crazy, isn’t it?” he asked. “This whole Halloween, winter festival mash-up?”
“I like it.” She grinned. “Besides, I really don’t think the ice castle is meant to be haunted or creepy, but if it is, dusk is the best time to check it out.”
“I think you’re crazy, but okay.” Cole shrugged and laughed again because ultimately he didn’t care what they did, as long as he was with Amber. The thought hit him out of left field. He’d literally only been in a relationship…or whatever it was…for forty-eight hours, and already he was thinking about how he never wanted her out of his sight. And that’s what was crazy. But surprisingly, he wasn’t scared. And he definitely didn’t want to run away.Maybe he was really growing up?The thought made him want to laugh. His whole adult life, Cole had made it a point not to settle down, not to get attached. Maybe that was changing? No, it was definitely changing. Fast.
The ice castle turned out to be an excellent idea, especially because Amber clutched tightly to him at every turn. It really was a mixture of a winter wonderland with frosty features in the form of glitter and a few spooky Halloween holdovers. Occasionally, something would jump out, or fall on them, and whenever that happened, Amber worked her way a little closer to him. But that wasn’t even the best part.
Just as they were navigating their way through a room that had been designed to look like a giant igloo, a polar bear jumped out and grabbed at Amber’s arm. She shrieked and Cole spun her so she was sheltered in his arms and nuzzled under his chin. As he turned, he caught sight of the staircase and got an idea. When Amber had gotten up to go to the bathroom, the bartender in the Tipping Cow told him a little more about the ice castle and that it was a little bit famous for couples to sneak upstairs and fool around in one of the upstairs rooms. He hadn’t planned it, but since the opportunity presented itself…
Without saying a word, Cole took her hand and led Amber up the stairs and away from the chaos below.
“Where are we going?”
“Just to take a little break.” He found the first door and tried the handle. It was locked. He tried not to laugh and tried the next one. It opened. Cole popped his head around the corner and checked. The room was empty.Perfect.
“What are we doing?”
Conveniently, there were candles and a book of matches lying on an old dresser. Cole lit them, illuminating the dim room. There wasn’t much to it, except a few chairs and an old sofa. He pulled his jacket off and laid it on the sofa for her to sit on. She giggled at his chivalry and sat.
