He’s going to kiss me.
I know it. He knows it. The snow knows it.
His breath dips lower, touching my lips. My fingers curl into the front of his jacket.
His forehead brushes mine. He leans in?—
“YOU GOTTA KISS AND MAKE UP!”
We both flinch. Ash jerks his head up so fast he nearly whiplashes himself.
Holly stands a few feet away with her hands on her hips and zero shame. “That’s the rule! If you fight in the snow, you gotta kiss to fix it!”
The entire firehouse erupts in laughter. Ash looks at her like he’s questioning every decision that led him to this moment.
“Holly,” he says, voice strangled, “that’s not a rule.”
“It is,” she insists. “Mommy said so and she’s a grown-up.”
“There is no universe—none—where I kiss someone to satisfy a six-year-old’s?—”
Holly gasps. “You want to kiss her!”
Ash freezes. My entire body blushes.
Talon yells, “Pay up! I told you she’d be the one who made him crack!”
Ash rolls off me so fast he falls backward into the snow. “I’m done. I’m so done.”
I sit up, shaking snow from my hair. “Holly, sweetie—maybe let’s give your uncle a second to… reboot.”
Ash shoots me a glare that’s half fury, half mortification, and half something too hot to survive.
“That was not,” he growls, “a near kiss.”
I raise a brow. “Wasn’t it?”
His voice drops dangerously. “Don’t push me.”
“You tackled me into a snowbank, Ash. I think pushing already happened.”
He runs a hand through his hair—wet now, tousled, unbelievably sexy. Do not stare, Lucy. Do not stare. Too late.
“Ash,” I whisper, stepping closer. “Hey. It’s fine.”
“No, it’s—Lucy—” He swallows. Hard. “I need to… I need a minute.”
“Ash—”
But he’s already standing, brushing snow off his clothes like he’s trying to scrub the moment off his body.
Talon calls, “You sure you don’t want to kiss and make up?”
Ash flips him off. Lucy Snow: bad influence extraordinaire.
Holly runs to hug my leg. “That was so fun!”
I laugh shakily. “Yeah, kiddo. Fun.”
