I stayed in the water until it cooled, then hauled myself out, my skin flushed pink. I wrapped myself in a thick towel, then reached for the long silk robe hanging on an antique coatrack in the corner—a deep green Kimono-style thing I’d found in a vintage shop and talked myself into with the promise that I’d wear it “on special occasions.”
Tonight counted. I’d survived an entire afternoon of Cade Murphy not leaving me alone. If that wasn’t a special occasion, nothing was.
I cinched the robe around my waist, padded back into the main room, and turned off most of the lights, leaving only the lamp by the couch lit and the string of fairy lights along thebig front window. The brewery below was dark, the stainless-steel tanks hulking shapes in the shadows when I glanced down through the glass floor panel near the stairs.
My phone buzzed on the coffee table as I dropped onto the couch. I picked it up to see it was a text from Colin that included four musical note emojis and a blurry photo of his band’s setup in somebody’s garage.
Colin
Gig is about to start. You coming?
I stared at the message, my thumb hovering over the keyboard. The thought of putting real clothes back on, of smiling and making small talk, made me want to sink into the couch and never resurface.
Stella
Already had a bath and about to turn into a pumpkin.
Colin
Lame
Stella
Love you too!
Blowing off my brother off made me feel slightly bad, but it was for the greater good. At the best of times, I was an acquired taste. In this mood? Not a chance.
I dropped my phone onto the cushion beside me and tucked my legs up under me. I was finally starting to relax, my mind drifting pleasantly toward sleep, when the doorbell chimed.
My entire body went rigid, every muscle locking.
I stared at the ceiling, willing whoever it was to go the fuck away. The chime sounded again, followed by a muffled knock. I pushed myself off the couch with a muttered curse and crossed the room to the small monitor mounted near the stairs, the camera downstairs offering a grainy black-and-white view of the sidewalk in front of the door.
Cade stood on the top step, shoulders hunched against the cold, hands stuffed deep in his jacket pockets. He glanced up toward the light shining from my window, then back at the door like he was debating knocking again.
My heart thudded once, hard enough that I felt it in my throat.
“Fucking hell,” I whispered to the empty loft.
two
. . .
CADE
I’d been standingoutside Mistletoe Bay Brewing Company long enough for the cold to settle into my bones, my breath fogging in the night air. Ten different times, I almost turned around and left.
“Just do it already,” I muttered, cupping my hands and blowing into them for warmth. Should’ve grabbed my gloves from the boat when I left it this morning.
With shaking hands, I finally pressed the buzzer. For several long seconds, nothing happened. I hit it again, holding it down longer this time, but still nothing. So I knocked—two quick raps, then once more when the silence continued to stretch.
What felt like an eternity later, the light over the door snapped on, a sudden glare in the dark that made my pupils squeeze tight. I blinked hard, my vision sharpening just as the locks clicked and the door opened.
Stella stood there in nothing but a dark green silk robe, damp hair curling against her neck, her skin still warm and flushed from a bath.
My mouth literally watered.
She was gorgeous and tired and absolutely fed up with me—and I still wanted her anyway.
