Page 91 of The Snowflake Effect

“Thanks.” I wrench my neck back to see his face. His eyes are fixed on the direction Raven fled. “How long are you in town for?” I ask.

Finally, he looks at me. “What?”

“In town. How long are you staying?”

His gaze flicks over my shoulder again, then back to me. “A couple days. Just here for the guys.” Again, his focus leaves my face.

“You could go talk to her.”

“Yeah,” he says and nothing more. Then, “I need a drink.”

Not much of a talker.

I take another sip of wine, the alcohol having officially transported me to Happy Town, and beam at the crowd, readying myself to mingle. Until I see Kolton.

Two men are talking with him, both in slacks and button-downs, their clothes owning the men. Kolton, on the other hand, is doing his outfit a favor. He’s not a jacket-and-tie guy, choosing a simple white shirt, top two buttons undone. A hint of chest hair. Broad shoulders. I’ve never seen him in dress pants before, but the pressed black wool is tailored perfectly to his narrow waist.

And his penetrating gaze locks on me.

He barely participates in his conversation after that. He sips his amber drink—probably bourbon—then says something to the guys, eyes still on me, before he prowls in my direction.

My heart pounds to the rock and roll beats. We’ve had sex every night this week. Not sweet sex. No sensual explorations. Rougher sex, almost desperate. Like we’re sailing into a storm, the rope holding us on course dragging through our fingers.

Tonight, the storm will finally break.

He stops in front me and presses his hand to the exposed skin of my back. “You’re a fucking vision standing here. That dress…” His heated gaze dips lower than my plunging neckline, the thin silk feeling transparent. Unconcerned with my lipstick, he kisses me, slow but chaste. “If this weren’t our grand opening, we’d be finding a dark corner.”

I wipe the smear of red off his lips. “Lost your nerve, Axl? What happened to the daring guy from Aspen?”

It’s probably not professional to flirt with Kolton here, but I’m living in Happy Town, and his manly perfection is too perfect. With how tense things have been between us, it’s fun to let loose. Especially knowing I’m ready to make things work with him, the pieces of my life finally falling into place.

He rubs circles on my back. “The daring guy from Aspen took off. He’s looking for the woman he met on that trip. You know where he can find her?”

A not-so-subtle dig about my distance this week. “Yeah. I think I’ve located her. Maybe we can schedule a meeting later. There’s something I’d like to discuss.”

Instead of softening, his body stiffens slightly. “Have you made a decision?”

God, I want to tell him I love him. That I choose him and will work to make sure we last while apart this year. But if I do that, I won’t be able to keep from tearing apart the buttons on his shirt. This conversation has to wait until later. “I have.”

He studies me, his eyes boring into mine, like he’s searching for a clue. Am I that hard to read? Does he not see how excited I am to be a part of his and Jackson’s life?

I spot Hilary over his shoulder, and she gestures for me to join her. Another part of my exciting future. “We’ll talk later. I promise. Hilary wants to speak with me.”

He drags his hand down his ponytail. “Sure,” he says. “It’s a date.”

With a quick kiss goodbye, I hurry up to Hilary, wanting to discuss this week’s upcoming work schedule, but everyone I pass stops me to praise my design work. Random people I vaguely know confirm what I hoped: I did an amazing job. My bubble of happiness grows larger, close to bursting.

When I reach Hilary, instead of bringing up my schedule or offering a normal hello, I say, “I’d love to accept your offer.”

I maybe should have spoken to Kolton before telling her, but I’m clearly too excited to wait.

She startles for a moment, then folds me into a hug. A first for her. “This is wonderful news.”

“I promise I won’t let you down. We’ll do great things together.”

She pulls back and straightens her black cocktail dress. “You should know, I’ve fired Maeve.”

I blink, wondering if this is a wonderful dream, not reality. “You fired Maeve?” I repeat.