I swallow hard, and need courses through me again.
“So, are you going to continue to be a brat and fight me? Or are you good with me holding you?”
“If you insist,” I say, shaking my head.
“Oh, I insist.” He takes off, moving quickly down the sidewalk again. The smell of his cologne engulfing my senses as I nuzzle into his chest.
“Wait, you missed it,” I yell as he bypasses my place and continues to head down the street. “It’s the one with the blue door.”
Stopping, he moves backward until I tell him to stop, and then he slowly lowers me to the ground, tracing the curve of my body with his hands.
“This is me,” I say, nodding to the door at the top of the stairs.
“Can I come—” he begins, but he’s interrupted by another loud crash in the distance, causing me to jump.
“Was that thunder again?” I ask, looking up at the night sky.
“I don’t know. Thundersnow is pretty rare, but it’s really coming down, so it could’ve been.”
“Maybe we should—” I begin, but another boom echoes across the sky, and the street goes pitch black, leaving us in the dark.
“What the fuck?” I shout, stepping closer and wrapping my arms around his waist. There’s not a working street or traffic light as far as we can see. A passing cab’s headlights illuminate everything for a split second as it passes, but then we are returned to dark as it disappears down the road. We’ve had power outages before, but this is unbelievable. It’s like someone flipped a switch and turned every light in the city off.
“Looks like the power’s out,” he says.
“Gathered that,” I deadpan, looking around. “But why?”
“The snow storm? We better get inside.” Pulling out his phone, he turns on the flashlight. We begin to carefully climb the stairs leading to the door of my place when another loud roll of thunder echoes through the darkness, making us both pause on the top step.
“Oh, my god,” I say, taking in the sight before me. Swirls of pink dance across the sky above us, casting a soft, rose-colored glow on everything the light touches. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s ethereal and magical, and I can’t look away.
“The northern lights?” Everett questions.
Cars passing by stop, and people join us on the street to take in the dancing lights.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” I say, watching as the lights flow from a deep magenta to a soft blush, illuminating everything they touch.
“No?” he questions, his voice is alittle raspy. “I have.”
I turn to face him, fully expecting his eyes to be locked on the mesmerizing show in the sky, but instead, he’s looking at me.
Just as I’m about to give him shit about the cheesy line, he takes my hands, and the world falls away as he stares deep into my eyes. His mouth finds mine again. This time, it’s not desperate and needy, but instead it’s soft and sweet. My knees buckle under the feel of his lips on mine, and he catches me, wrapping one of his arms around my lower back. His other hand finds the back of my head and pulls gently at the hair falling beneath my hat, tilting my head back and letting him take our kiss deeper. My hands explore his body, and the energy between us shifts again to something more heady. I want this man.
Fuck, Ineedthis man.
Pulling away, I fumble for my key to unlock the door.
“Wait,” he says. The lights move, casting a pink glow across his face and revealing a smirk. “You don’t want to watch the lights a little bit longer.”
“No,” I say. “I want you.”
He chuckles. Leaning forward, his mouth finds my ear. “Needy, are we?”
“Yes,” I breathe out, turning the key and pushing the door open. We move inside quickly, and he follows me up the stairs to my second floor apartment. He pushes my back against the door, and his hands trail up my thigh, under my dress.
“Fuck, you’re wet,” he says, his fingers finding my center over my thin tights. I let out a laugh. Flipping around, I push the key into the door and then turn the knob to reveal my dark apartment. The pink lights cast a romantic glow throughout the space, and I swallow hard when I hear the door shut behind me. His hands find my hips and he spins me around, pushing me up against the wall in between a small entry table and the window. Taking a step back, his eyes rake over me. I drop my purse to the floor and then slowly remove the hat from my head and his coat from my shoulders, revealing the short black dress that hugs every curve of my body perfectly.
Grabbing the scarf that hangs around his neck, I pull him towards me. Our bodies collide, and his leg moves between my own, shifting upward and creating toe-curling pressure against my sensitive bud. I gasp at the feel of it as I grind against him, and hislips find mine again. His rough beard tickles against my face, and my hands move up his back.
