“But your friend’s pants don’t fit me.”
“Then we’ll locate a belt to hold them up.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bedroom. As they rummaged through Brad’s closet, she realized Justin was purposely trying to keep them from getting personal. She was very vulnerable, and she realized he wasn’t going to take advantage of her helplessness. Her heart softened. What an incredible man.
She laughed with Justin as they picked out clothes for her to wear. The pants didn’t fit, of course, but he found a belt and wrapped it twice around her waist. Brad’s boots were overly large, but with three pairs of tube socks on her feet, she was able to at least walk in them.
Justin bundled her in Brad’s coat, gloves and a scarf, then dressed himself in outdoor clothes. When she stepped outside, there was a noticeable difference between last night’s weather and today’s. The bitter wind was gone, and the afternoon sun softened the chill.
She played in the snow with Justin and even found her heels buried by the Jeep. She had never laughed so hard in her life, and Justin also seemed to enjoy himself. Brooke’s heart fluttered to think he liked her company, too.
Frantically, she worked on forming the snowballs to build their sculptures, but when a smaller snowball smacked her in the back, she realized Justin wasn’t serious in making anything. She wouldn’t let him distract her from her goal.
When she finally settled the snowman’s body into place, Justin grabbed her from behind and pulled her to the ground. In teasing fun, he rolled them in the snow, making sure to push her face into the white powder. She laughed and playfully slugged his arm before falling on her back.
He loomed over her, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “Now what-cha gonna do, little lady?”
Because of his position as he knelt over her and the weight of her outer clothing, she didn’t have the strength to do one of hermoveson him. He must have realized that, which explained his wide grin.
“You just wait,” she teasingly warned.
He leaned down and kissed her lips then traced his tongue over the outside of her mouth, licking away the snow. His lips moved over her face and removed the excess liquid, and suddenly the mood changed. Tingles ignited inside her, warming her more than she had expected.
His lips brushed by hers again and she captured his mouth, giving him the kiss she’d been thinking about all afternoon. A low moan tore from his throat before he gathered her in his arms and lay on top of her. Although they were closer, she still cursed the separation made by their bulky coats.
Before anything could come of the passionate kiss, he stopped the kiss and lifted himself off of her.
“Are you trying to keep me from building my snowman?” he asked, a glint of humor in his brown gaze.
“I’m only following your lead.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “And what lead is that?”
“Distraction from the game.”
He laughed, stood, and pulled her up. “Okay, no more distractions. We’ll get back to our snowman competition.”
He left her side to start his snowman, and she wished that he’d changed the rules a bit. Kissing him was nice, but after she thought about it a little more, she realized he was taking things slow for a reason. She liked that.
Her heart softened, and love began to blossom in her chest. Could she fall in love with a man she’d known less than twenty-four hours?
As he awkwardly packed the snow into large balls, she hashed over her emotions. She’d been attracted to Justin as soon as she’d met him. Even through all the pain and humiliation Chuck had put her through, she still longed to find a man who could love her and overlook all her past mistakes. Justin was different. Her subconscious had already sensed his gentle sweetness.
She finished the snowball head and placed it on top. As she patted it together, she glanced at Justin. His snowman was only halfway done and looked more like a clump than anything. She quickly held in the bubble of laughter that wanted to spring from her throat. Obviously, building snowmen was a talent he didn’t possess.
Justin’s attention left his creation and rested on hers. His mouth drooped into a frown. “Are you trying to make me look bad?”
She laughed. “Yup.”
He straightened, crossing his arms over his chest. “Does this mean the game is over?”
She nodded. “I won.”
His boyish scowl quickly turned into a grin before he rushed to her and gathered her in his arms. “Good. Now can we go inside and hold each other by the fire?”
She laughed heartily. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Picking her up in his arms, he gallantly carried her into the cabin. As she stared into his charming eyes, her heart warmed on its own without any help from a fire. She’d never experienced feelings this deep for any man, and surprisingly, it didn’t scare her.
