I nurseda beer at the edge of the room and watched guests down their last few sips of champagne while they laughed too loud, their cheeks flushed from alcohol and adrenaline. The staff tried to look calm, but their eyes kept darting to the windows like they were afraid the storm would find a way inside.
Sidney moved through the wreckage of her masterpiece. Her silk blouse was wrinkled, lipstick long gone, and she’d pulled the pins from her hair so it fell down her back in long waves. She was barefoot, with her heels dangling from one hand as she wove through the last clusters of guests, collecting abandoned coats, and whispering instructions to the servers like she could still control everything. She looked exhausted. And fierce. And beautiful enough to make my chest ache. She’d pulled off something impossible tonight and didn’t even seem to know it.
Rand stood, tapped a butter knife on his glass, and the room hushed. “Quick update before anyone thinks about leaving,” he said. “Management says the roads are closed. No plows until morning. So, congratulations, you’re all stuck here.”
Cheers went up. Someone popped open another bottle of champagne.
Sidney’s smile stayed fixed while her eyes went distant. I could only imagine what was running through her head. She was probably calculating numbers, thinking about lodging logistics. Her shoulders tightened like she was solely responsible for everyone. Then her gaze skimmed the room, caught on me, and for just a second, softened.
By the time the last guests straggled out, it was close to midnight. The ballroom was half torn down, candle stubs drowned in wax, roses wilting, the cake table stripped bare. The storm beat against the windows in relentless white waves. Sidney came back in from the loading dock looking like someone had pulled the plug on her energy. She set her clipboard on a crate and stood there, her hands slightly shaking.
“You should be asleep already,” I said.
“So should you.”
“The storm’s not letting anyone leave.”
She shook her head. “This was supposed to be perfect. Every single second of it.”
“It was.”
“It wasn’t. The blackout, the cake, the roads?—”
“And no one noticed but you.” I stepped closer. “You made them forget.”
She swallowed, her eyes glossy under the dimmed chandeliers.
I wanted to say something that mattered. Instead, I held out my hand. “Come on.”
“Where?”
“I’m going to put you to bed before you fall over.”
My suite was warm and quiet, the fire throwing soft gold across the walls. Snow plastered against the windows, muting the storm to a low, distant roar. Sidney stopped just inside the door. Her hands hung loose at her sides like she wasn’t sure they’d work if she tried to use them. I took her coat and hung it by the fire.
“I shouldn’t be here tonight,” she said, her eyes on the flames.
“You’re probably right.”
She looked up. I’d been biding my time all day, all week, really. Now was my chance to find out for sure if the heat between us was real. I crossed the room in a few long strides and kissed her.
She gasped and then hauled me closer by the shirt, all that tight control finally snapping. The taste of champagne lingered on her lips. I backed her toward the bed, slow and steady. Buttons gave. Silk slid. She shivered when my hands skimmed over her warm skin. I wanted to take my time, but I also wanted to devour her.
“Last chance,” I whispered against her mouth. “Tell me to stop.”
Her eyes were dark but soft now that she didn’t need to maintain such tight control anymore. “Don’t you dare.”
I deepened the kiss, slow and deliberate. Her hands slid under my shirt, palms warm and confident against skin that still felt foreign outside a uniform. Heat rolled through us in lazy waves. She hooked her fingers in my collar, and I lifted her, easy, onto the bed and nudged her back against the blankets. Outside,the wind clawed at the windows. Inside, my heart thudded while I tried to convince myself this was really happening.
I traced the line of her throat with my mouth and felt her breath hitch. When I eased up, she tugged me back like she was short of air and I was the dose she needed, kissing me like she trusted me to hold her together.
Her blouse slipped away under my hands, and I let myself look. Her skin was freckled at the shoulders, a quick scatter of light that made something in me unclench. I kissed the spot where her collarbone met throat, and she shivered, her fingers knotting in my hair.
When I shifted to push us further, I froze just long enough to fumble in my wallet, the habit drilled too deep to skip. The foil crinkled between my fingers, and her eyes widened.
“You came prepared?” She whispered, breathless.
“Always,” I rasped, rolling it on before I let myself sink into her heat.
