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The whole living area has a cozy feel to it, the sofa and armchairs covered in plaid-patterned wool blankets and cream furs. There’s a narrow hallway ahead, with two doors and a kitchen at the very end.
I’m guessing one bedroom and one bathroom beyond those doors. I can see the small espresso machine on the kitchen counter, along with other accoutrements that make this place feel like a home away from home.
I listen to the fire crackling as the orange flames grow brighter. Soon enough, the room gets warmer and I can finally take my hat, my scarf and my gloves off.
Leo stays close to the fireplace, watching me intently.
He looks different in this light.
Way bigger and infinitely hotter.
My core tightens as his gaze wanders up and down my body.
Is he checking me out?
My brain is being overridden by thoughts of fear mixed with sexual desire. Clearly, I don’t how I’m supposed to feel about being alone with a stranger - especially one as breathtaking as Leo.
He adds another log to the fire, then goes into the kitchen while I move closer to the flames, drawn by the familiar warmth.
“I’ll make us some coffee. That's all I have at the moment.”
“You don’t spend much time here?” I ask.
“Not as much as I would like,” he says, louder from the kitchen as I listen to his movements, followed by the humming and gurgling of the espresso machine.
“When I get tired of the city life, I come up here and spend some time alone. It’s good for the soul.”
“I can imagine.”
Leo comes back with two mugs of steaming hot coffee, offering me one. I take it, and his fingers slightly brush over mine in the process.
Wow, what was that?Thousands of tiny electrical tendrils shoot up my arm.
I suck in a deep breath before the first sip, the wonderfully bitter liquid tingling my tongue before it rolls down my throat.
The warmth spreads through my insides as I slowly relax.
“What were you doing out there?” he asks, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Just trying to handle some family issues,” I reply. I don’t feel like talking about why I was stranded in the middle of a snowstorm in the middle of nowhere.
I don’t feel like thinking about my father and his increasingly worrying tendencies.
As if sensing my discomfort, Leo goes to a cabinet built into the corner of the living room and takes out a bottle of scotch.
“I hope you don’t mind. I like to add scotch to my coffee,” he says. “I’m not driving anywhere until the blizzard calms down, anyway.”
“You think?”
“Look outside.”
I do, all I see is white. A thick layer of white against the darkness of the night as the windows tremble, constantly puzzled by the growing winds.
We’re going to get snowed in for a handful of hours, at least. If not for longer. The thought of being trapped in this place with a complete stranger should have me on edge, but there is something about Leo that soothes me.
There is also something about him that adds tension to the back of my neck, but it’s enticing.
It’s heavy and heady, burning hot under a layer of unanswered questions.
