But hell, itreallyis.
I sneak glances at him as he drives—the way his large hands grip the wheel, almost relaxed, with a slight furrow between his brows like he’s reading the terrain.
Jayce used to white-knuckle the steering wheel in bad weather, tense and irritable. Harlon just...handles it. Working with the snow instead of fighting against it.
“What?” he asks without looking at me.
“What?”
“You’re staring.”
Man, I’m bad at this. “I’m admiring your driving skills,” I say primly. “Very safety-conscious. Gold star.”
The corner of his mouth twitches.
"It's hot. All the ladies love a man who signals his lane changes, steers into skids, and brakes for wildlife on the road."
That gets an actual laugh out of him—raspy and surprised—making my heart beat a little faster.
Down the road, we hit the busy part of town.
Hope Peak is like something out of a Christmas movie.
The main street is lined with old-fashioned lampposts wrapped in evergreen garlands and red ribbons. Lights twinkle from every storefront window. There's decorations everywhere, and people bundled in winter coats doing last-minute shopping with that tell-tale Christmas Eve urgency.
"This is adorable," I breathe, pressing my face to the window. "It's like Stars Hollow, but with more mountains."
"Stars Hollow?"
"Gilmore Girls? The TV show?" I look at him. "Please tell me you've seen Gilmore Girls."
"I'm a park ranger who lives alone in Wyoming, Piper. What do you think?"
I shake my head. "I think you're missing out on quality television."
He chuckles as I spot the Skyline Bar and Grill—a charming building with frost on the windows. "How about we get some food there. We can charge our phones…and figure out what we're telling Sadie."
His jaw ticks. "You don’t want to tell her the truth?"
"Which is what, exactly? 'Hey Sadie, got snowed in with Harlon, had the most amazing sex, and everything's fine now. Be there soon?'"
“Okay, maybewithoutthe sex part," he mutters, parking the truck.
"Whatever." I shrug.
He kills the engine and turns to face me. "She's got a sixth sense about this stuff."
I grab my dead phone. "Let's just...see how it goes. Feel her out."
"Feel her out," he repeats flatly.
"I'm very good at improvisation."
"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better." He gets out and comes around to my door to help me down of the truck. I take his big hand as I descend the step onto the ground, ignoring how much I miss it when he takes it away.
Then he opens the door to the restaurant, guiding me in with his palm on my lower back.
Why is that so damn sexy?
