PROLOGUE
The snow swirled around the car like a ghostly veil, as isolating as it was ominous. Kip’s grip tightened with each gust of wind, whitening her knuckles as she clenched the steering wheel. Her new wedding ring bit into her finger. Every time they met a car, the headlight shot through the large diamond, sparking a kaleidoscope of colors on the headliner over her head.
Driving wasn’t her favorite activity, but the light show from her ring made all the difference. She didn’t even worry about her tendency to be what Lonzo liked to call directionally impaired. The whole left-right thing always confused her. At least Lonzo was her Dom as well as her husband, so driving wasn’t something she did often.
As soon as they’d pulled away from Lonzo’s parents’ estate, it had started snowing. The thrill of excitement she got when it snowed hadn’t changed since she was a child. Pictures of snowball fights and snowmen filled her mind. She’d lived in Wyoming all her life, and she still felt her most Little when it snowed. Of course, he’d been driving then.
If only it made Lonzo feel like a Daddy. She’d brought it up asthey headed to his parents’ house two days earlier. She’d asked if he’d talk about being her Daddy. To say he’d been surprised was an understatement. But something had stirred the tiny, six-year-old corner of her who feared thunderstorms and wanted to be held without earning it.
He’d tried to let her down gently. “I don’t think I can do that,cariño.” His Spanish heritage always slipped out when he was uncomfortable. “I mean, I’d be willing to try. I’m more of a soft Dom than a Daddy. They’re close to the same thing. I thought you were happy with our dynamic. Isn’t that enough? Aren’tweenough?”
“Yes, Sir,” she whispered. Forcing a smile, even though his words hit her like a velvet hammer. She hadn’t feltLittlethen. She’d felt small and ashamed. But she’d nodded her acceptance because what else could she do?
“Good. I’m glad that’s settled then.” And he was. The relief practically shone from him like a beacon. The man she loved, who loved her, had drawn a line, and she wasn’t selfish enough to drag him across it. That would only bring them both more pain.
For the past five days, he’d been a wonderful husband. She should be grateful, not wish he’d been able to give her more.
When they got back to college, they would build the first snowman of the year. Afterward, they would be moving from their separate dorm rooms to their first apartment as husband and wife. She couldn’t wait. Hopefully, the weather would pass soon, so they wouldn’t have to.
But now, the light flurries of snow had turned into a snowstorm. It showed how extreme her husband’s pain must be to agree for her to drive. He leaned back in the seat, restless, pale, and moaning. His eyes pinched shut against the pounding headache.
“I hope you understand why I didn’t tell my family we were married. It wasn’t that I’m ashamed of you. I could never be ashamed of you… of us. I just thought they needed more time to get to know you better, that’s all. We’ll tell them in a few weeks when we go home for Christmas.”
Her smile felt brittle. “It’s fine. I understand. We’ll have to plan a special way to break the news.”
She did understand. Going from dating to marriage was a shock. It had been for her. He’d hinted their trip to Vegas was going to be special. She’d even wondered if he planned to propose. Two years of dating was a long time.
Marriage had been a blissful surprise. He’d planned everything. A private ceremony in a small garden at one of the popular resorts. The trees were covered with twinkling lights, and clusters of candles adorned the ground. It was perfect.
Now they were headed back to college to start their new life together. She glanced at him and winced in sympathetic pain. He hadn't experienced a headache like this since last summer. The cluster headaches had plagued him as long as she’d known him. It hurt her to see so much pain on his face. That was why she asked to take over the wheel.
She didn’t drive often. It made her nervous, especially in thundersnow. Like snowstorms weren’t already bad enough without adding thunder and lightning. She’d never seen one before, but of course, she’d run into it now, after she’d promised Lonzo’s parents a hundred times she wouldn’t be driving home.
She hadn’t lied. Driving was the last thing she wanted to be doing. But Lonzo was miserable. Focusing on the road through all the snow was hard enough for him. The flashes of lightning would make everything worse.
So, they’d be getting home a bit later than they expected. She wasn’t taking any chances by driving too fast. Relief tickled her tense muscles when they drove past the Sage Hollow city limits sign, population three hundred twelve. That was one up from the last time she and Lonzo had driven through to visit his parents.
The snow was coming down too hard for her to see.Approaching the traffic light, she slowed down.It shone Christmas green through the snow, but to be extra careful, she checked the oncoming traffic to the right and left, making sure everyone agreed it was her turn to go.
The winds grew stiffer, and the snow fell even harder. Maybe she should stop at the convenience store proudly claiming to sell food, tires, gas, and bait. Surely the storm would blow itself out soon. She wiped the fog from her window to see if they were even open. Spotting the flicker of a neon sign through the sheeting snow, she checked the light once more to make sure. the light was still green.
Confirming it was still her turn, she entered the intersection.
Thunderclaps turned into blaring car-horn sounds. The lightning froze, spotlighting into her car through Lonzo’s window on her right, as the world folded in like a tin can under a boot. The impact wrenched her toward Lonzo, and the snow became glass. Lurching back to the left,
Kip’s teeth snapped together, filling her mouth with the taste of copper. Pain flashed through her head, replacing the light with blessed darkness.
Kip forcedher eyes open at the tightening of straps across her chest. A funny-smelling plastic mask covered her nose and mouth, forcing air into her lungs. Was Lonzo okay? A sense of urgency to check consumed her, but she couldn’t force her lips to form his name.
The harder she tried, the faster the darkness chased the lights away, trying to pull her back under. A man in a heavy raincoat with shiny stripes across his chest emerged from the fog and looked down at her. His voice floated somewhere above her. “Stay with me now. Stay with me.”
But the darkness would not be denied.
The hum of bright fluorescent.The sting of sharp antiseptic. The beep of angry machines.
Kip drifted up through layers of cotton and pain. Her eyelids fluttered like two trapped moths.
A woman’s voice, clipped, tired. “…severe concussion, possible intracranial pressure, but CTs are clean otherwise. She’s damn lucky.”
