Page 16 of Snowed

“It’s part of why I hate the holidays so much.” He blew out a breath. “Anyway, you make it easy to open up, Red. Even when we’re fighting at work, I don’t hold back with you. You give me this…boost of energy that I don’t experience with anyone else. I like fighting with you more than most things. That’s probably why I dream of you.” He sighed deeply. “You’re…fire. Gorgeous fire. And I hope you don’t turn me down when I take my shot again sometime when we’re both sober.”

Now I really wanted to turn around and plant another kiss on his luscious lips. But instead, I replayed his words in my head and listened to the sound of his breathing as we both drifted off to sleep.

CHAPTER 9

Cade

I woke to an empty bed.

A ray of sun streaked in through the window, cutting a rude path directly across my eyes. I threw my arm over my face and groaned.

What time is it?

And where the hell is Daria?

The house was quiet, not a peep to be heard.

Fuck. Did she leave without me?

I whipped the covers off and sprang out of bed, taking the stairs two at a time in a panic. When I got to the bottom, I found Daria staring out the kitchen window, her hands wrapped around a mug.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

She jumped. “Shit. I didn’t hear you come down.”

“Sorry.” I raked a hand through my hair. “How long have you been up?”

“I don’t know. Maybe an hour.”

“What time is it?”

“About seven, I guess.”

The smell of coffee wafted through the air. An almost-full glass pot sat on the counter, so I helped myself. Daria stayed put, not saying a word. Once I fixed my coffee, I walked over and stood beside her as she continued to gaze out the window.

Yesterday’s blizzard had turned into today’s winter wonderland. Tree branches bowed under the weight of heavy white powder, icicles glistened from eaves, and the ground sparkled with a pristine canvas of snow.

“Wow,” I said. “I’ve wanted to paint the world with color since I picked up my first can of spray paint at ten years old. But some things are art without trying. Goddamn, Mother Nature is a showoff.”

Daria smiled. “Yeah.”

We stood that way for a long time, just sipping our coffee and appreciating the beauty. Eventually Daria’s cup was empty. “You want a refill?” I asked.

“I got it.” She spoke as she poured. “I checked the weather. There’s a break in the snow until tonight. The last of the flurries are supposed to taper off soon. But another heavy band is coming in around midnight. So if we want to get out of here, we should hit the road as soon as they’re done plowing. Otherwise, we might get stuck here.”

My eyes stayed locked on her. “I can think of worse places to be.”

She smiled, but it was weak. Her face didn’t join in on the action. “Listen, Cade. About last night… I need to apologize.”

“For what?”

“I had too much to drink, and I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

“Why not?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Because we work together. Because we don’t even like each other. Because you were drinking. Because I was drinking. Because we are at our boss’s in-laws’ house, where we’re supposed to be working our shit out, not making things more complicated.” She shook her head. “Do I need to keep going?”

“I wasn’t that drunk.”