“I won’t tell HR if you don’t.” He chuckled, his smoldering smile even more enticing in the firelight.
I hesitated, fully aware of what I was saying no to. Here was a reckless playboy who could be a ton of fun stuck in a storm for a couple of days. His body could do things to me I hadn’t experienced in some time. He was also my boss. My past with him was a mess. My heart shouldn’t even be in this room.
“I think I’m cozy right here by the fire.” I found the willpower to turn him down.
“Suit yourself.”
Across the dim room, I stared at the outline of him, too aware of every shift he made, every sigh, every time his blankets rustled. He couldn’t sleep, and neither could I, not with visions of a fling dancing in my head. Feet away was a very fine almost naked man, who drove me crazy, but who could probably be a ton of fun if I allowed myself to go there.
As minutes ticked by, two annoying truths snuck up on me: For the first time in years, I didn’t feel completely alone on this holiday. And I wished I’d told him to move our cots closer together after all.
I was the woman who always played it safe, the one who could be counted on to keep it together, often in charge. But it was tiring being her, and where had it gotten me in life? Maybe I was done with safe? I could be fun, at least for a night or two.
Acting on a quick decision before I talked myself out of it, I slipped out of my covers and tiptoed to him. He startled at me hovering over him.
“Could one cot be cozy enough for two?” I asked, my fingers playfully unbuttoning my chef’s coat.
11
COZY COT FOR TWO
HOLDEN
My Chef Lilah fantasyunlocked the minute she slid the white coat down her arms. Underneath, her body revealed itself in a tight red sweater and black leggings, soft and curvy, every bit to my liking.
“Hell yes, Frosty, get in here.” I flung my sheet back and patted my stomach.
She climbed on top of me, and I forgot how to breathe. The cashmere brushed my bare skin. Every nerve I possessed fired off in response. Her legs bracketed my hips. I made no apology for my cock growing between us.
She settled with her cheek on my chest as if it were the most natural thing in the world. My arms wound around her, pulling the sheet and a blanket over us.
“Comfy?” I tried sounding casual, caressing her back. Inside, I was anything but. My spirit roared to life, thrilled like hitting the lottery, the best Christmas Day ever, my perfect birthday present, and winning the Olympics all rolled into one. I’d slept with my share of women. None of them had crawled into a cot in a blizzard and made my heart pound like this.
“You’re really hot.” Her breath warmed my chest.
“Thanks. To clarify, do you mean my body temperature or my overall manly vibe?”
“Both. Try harder to be humble.”
“Too late.”
She huffed a laugh. Feathery breath slid across my skin, forcing goosebumps to the surface in a way that should’ve been lethal.
I smoothed my hand over her back in slow circles. She melted a little more, relaxing her weight fully on me, like she finally let go of all the tension she’d been carrying for years.
She shifted her hips—that tiny, innocent move that was absolutely not tiny or innocent to my very wakened cock. The cot groaned under us.
“Um. I’m seriously questioning the structural integrity of this cot,” she worried.
“The cot is fine. I checked the weight limit.” I lied.
The creaky thing gave its own response.
She lifted her head, narrowing her eyes. “That doesn’t inspire confidence, Mr. Snowman.”
“I’ll have you know I oversaw every inch of this place. Approved the purchase of every piece of furniture. Nothing but quality here.”
Her gaze dropped to my mouth and stayed there. Outside, the storm might have raged, but it faded like everything else until it was just her and me and the thud of my heart under her.
