It didn’t matter, because in the next second a giddiness fell over her like the pounding of a rainstorm. She scrambled to pull on a pair of jeans, a sweater, and her boots before she yanked her coat from the hook on the back of the door. She thundered down the stairs only to grimace at the bottom praying that she didn’t wake Sonya.
She was about to head out the back of the house where she’d seen Leo but then thought better of it and scuttled toward the front door where she painstakingly opened it and slipped into the early morning frosted air. The cold nipped at her cheeks and before she considered all the consequences of her decisions, she stooped down to scoop a ball of snow into her hands.
The ice bit at her skin. She should have found some gloves before racing out here to act like a child who had never seen snow before. Oh well. She wouldn’t be out here long.
Soft snow didn’t crunch at her feet—at least not yet. But it was wet enough to stick together in her hands. She tiptoed around the side of the house, breathing out a puff of air in relief when she found Leo still standing contemplatively a few steps from the house.
A wicked grin spread across her face, and she pulled back her hand before launching the ball of snow right at him.
Disgruntled, surprised curses slipped from Leo’s lips when the snow exploded against the side of his head. He whirled around, fire in his gaze. Those two burning orbs landed on her and what should have been a glower meant to freeze her to the spot only had her doubling over in peals of laughter.
Until he tossed the mug in his hand and prowled toward her.
Kat yelped with a surprised laugh before she took off running. In her haste to escape, she scooped another decent amount of snow in her hand before careening around the side of the house. She backed up against the siding, breathing deeply and hearing his thrashing footsteps as he chased her down.
The second he rounded the corner, she shoved the snow into his face with another squeal of laughter. Kat caught a brief glance of him wiping the snow from his face with a growl before she took off running around the back of the house again.
It felt like a blizzard had erupted in her chest complete with swirling snowflakes and brash winds. She wouldn’t have been able to slow her racing heart if she tried—not that she wanted to. The exhilaration and adrenaline were far too addicting.
She got another ball of snow ready and leaned against the house, her eyes trained on the corner where she knew he’d be arriving any second. The seconds ticked by. Her heart still refused to slow. He’d gotten wise to her. She could already see it. He’d probably wait for her to come looking for him.
Well, she wasn’t that dumb. He was more than likely pressed against the house just around that corner and she wasn’t going to be the target of their little war.
When was the last time she’d smiled this much? She couldn’t remember.
The longer she waited, the more anxious she became. Had she hurt his feelings? Was he actually mad at her?
That thought had her pushing away from the wall and inching closer to the corner of the house. Shoot, if she upset him, thenthe truce they’d formed might as well have never happened at all.
Step after step, she drifted closer. Her ears strained to hear any sign of him but all she heard was her own thundering heart and the sound of her ragged breathing. At the edge of the house, she leaned forward and peeked.
Nothing.
Great.
Kat straightened just as a body collided with hers. Hands wrapped around her waist, taking her down in a strange sort of tuck and roll. She screamed with surprise. Leo’s dark chuckle was the only thing to make her eyes fly wide open.
And there he was. Hovering over her small frame. His hands clutched at her wrists, pinning them into the snow above her head. There was a maniacal glint in his eyes—heated and full of… desire?
Cold seeped into her back but it was nothing to the inferno of Leo’s presence. He was breathing heavy now. Their chests rising and falling as they took each other in. Leo released her hands before he raised one to her face. It was warmer than her chilled skin and the change in temperature sent shivers coursing through her body.
The tension between them that had been pulled taut at the beginning of the summer had only seemed to coil tighter and tighter with each interaction they had with one another. Leo rubbed a thumb along her cheekbone, his eyes sweeping from her eyes to her lips.
As if against her will, Kat’s own hands framed his face. She stared into his hooded eyes. There were so many emotions bursting to life within her like different colored fireworks. There had been a time when she couldn’t stand him—when she would have done anything to steer clear of him.
But something had inexplicably changed.
“Leo…” she whispered. That single word was the only thing that escaped past her chilled lips before he captured them with his own.
His kiss was hot, searing, and breath stealing. The way he could make the world completely disappear with a single touch was—magic. There was no other way to describe it. There was no such thing as pain or cold;disappointment or fear. He took it away all with a brush of his lips against hers. He stole anything negative that stood even a chance of surviving his light.
Kat melted into his kiss, clinging to him, demanding more. Her fingers dug into his hair and she tugged him closer wanting to disappear in this euphoria he offered. How was it that this man could feel like a stranger while at the same time make her feel utterly seen?
None of it made any sense.
Somewhere in the recesses of her mind she recognized the sound of a door slamming shut. And just like that, reality crashed into her. Eyes flew wide and she realized what she was doing. She was kissing Leo Chambers. In the snow.
Kat gasped, breaking the kiss. Leo pulled back, his eyes looking just as dazed as she felt. Concern flickered in his gaze briefly before she half-heartedly shoved him away from her. With trembling limbs, she scrambled to her feet.
