Page 21 of All Snowed Gin

And yes, I do mean orgasms—plural—since what started on the couch was just the beginning. It took a long moment to recover from the earth-shattering pleasure that had ripped through my body thanks to Pierce. It also left me wanting more. The rest of the night was filled with a quick dinner that we flirted and kissed our way through before moving to the bedroom for another movie—that we missed most of, since neither of us were able to keep our hands to ourselves.

Looking around the kitchen, I’m disappointed not to find Pierce. Rolling over and finding his side of the bed cold alerted me that he’d been up for a while. But where did he go? I grab a slice of bread, not bothering to toast it, nibbling on it as I wander through the house.

This place is massive, and I haven’t done much exploring. Wandering down the hall, I find a series of rooms, all of which I assume were intended to be bedrooms. Just as Pierce had said, each one is empty, nothing but the beautiful hardwood floors and light from the floor-to-ceiling windows filling them. My heart squeezes, emotion swelling inside me as I mentally decorate each one of the rooms. A massive king-size bed in the one at the end of the hall, with rich jewel-toned linens. Matching sets of bunk beds in the room next to the hall bath, with a mural of a hiker climbing a mountain on one of the walls. I continue on, dreaming up what I would do with each one, until I reach the first one I passed.

I stop, leaning against the doorjamb, wondering how I missed this when I walked by the first time. Unlike the others, this one isn’t empty. A large, heavy-looking desk made from a dark wood sits facing the windows that look out over the back of the house, tall trees filling the view. There’s a laptop placed on one side of the desk, a legal-size note pad on the other, and in the middle are four computer monitors—two of them mounted to a metal arm above the other two—each one the size of a small TV. All four are switched off, leaving me to guess what they’re used for. I didn’t take Pierce for a gamer, but what else could he need four screens for?

“Morning.”

I jump, Pierce’s deep voice both startling and sending shivers down my spine. Memories of him whispering my name, paired with the fantasies I had while I slept about all the naughty things I want him to say to me, take over for a split second. But then I remember what he caught me doing.

“I wasn’t snooping, I promise!”

Pierce laughs. “There’s nothing for you to find. I wasn’t lying when I told you this place was empty.”

“I noticed. But…” I cut myself off, unsure if I want to continue. We’ve found such a nice balance since yesterday, and I don’t want to go back to the grumpy version of the man I found when I got here.

“But…”

“There’s all that stuff in the garage. Certainly you could bring some of it in? Make this place…homier?”

“Most of what’s in the garage is knickknacks and such. Not actual furniture. Most of the furniture that Gram and Gramps had in the old house was, well, old. So, it didn’t make the move over. I told them I would furnish the new house too, but Gram insisted that I be there to pick it out with her. She wanted to go right after Christmas, but I had a big thing going on in London for work, so I kept pushing it back. Finally, I told them to just go, pick something out, and they could show it off to me when I got back. That’s where they were headed when it happened.”

My stomach drops, my heart breaking at his story. No wonder he hasn’t made an effort to make this place a home.

“So that’s why the couch is…in the state it’s in?”

“Yeah. Gramps loved that thing, and I just can’t bring myself to get rid of it yet.”

“That’s more than fair. If I were you, I’d be the same way.”

Pierce smiles, his dark eyes soft with emotion. Reaching out, I take his hand, giving it a squeeze in hopes that it will comfort him. He squeezes back, making the butterflies in my tummy come alive. I can’t explain it, but I feel drawn to him. There’s a connection between us, one that goes beyond us being stuck together for a few days. I just hope he feels the same thing I do.

Because this is going to be super awkward if it’s all in my head.

“You’d also turn away from everything and everyone in your life and become a recluse?” he says with a wry laugh. I can tell he wants it to come off as a joke, but it doesn’t quite land.

“Maybe not full-on recluse,” I admit. “But, I’d hold on to things that meant something. I think it’s natural. My brother Cary lost his dog, Riley, last summer and he still keeps her leash in his truck. I took her collar and put it in a shadow box that he now has up in his office. Everyone has something. For you, it’s a couch. And, I’d guess based on your reaction yesterday morning, a tie-dyed purple apron with a storybook character on it.”

“We’re all a little mad here…”

I burst into laughter, unable to control myself. Pierce’s dry sense of humor seems to come out of nowhere, catching me off guard. I would love to introduce him to Cary. The two of them would get on like a house on fire.

“Had I known, I wouldn’t have—”

He cuts me off with a kiss, my thoughts disappearing in an instant. My knees wobble slightly as I melt into him, grabbing ahold of the side of his T-shirt. Fuck, does he taste good. Like spearmint and coffee—two thing that don’t seem like they mix, yet I can’t get enough.

Breaking the kiss, he presses his forehead to mine, our exhales commingling as we try to catch our breath. I don’t loosen my grip though, still not wanting to let go.

“Wanna see something a lot cooler than my office?”

“Sure, but can I ask one thing first?”

“Okay…” His voice is cautious, like he’s nervous about where I might take this.

“Four screens?”

Pierce laughs again, leaning back, relief all over his face. “I’m a stockbroker. I need the different screens to keep up with all the trades being made.”