Frosted Hearts & Fiery Souls (Front Lines to Home Fronts #1)

Chapter 1

Adjusting her wipers to a higher speed, Vivyan Souza worried her lower lip as the snow continued to slam into her windshield even though she felt like she made her way down the interstate at a crawl. If she was lucky.

“This is what I get for agreeing to head out to a different town to help them set up that library.”

She checked the rearview and wasn’t exactly surprised to see no lights behind her.

Only foolish people were on the road in weather like this.

Explains so much as to why I’m here. For three heartbeats, she focused on her expression, noting the exhaustion on her dark face, the circles beneath her rich brown eyes.

“At least I can sleep once I get to the hotel.” When the weather had turned crappy so fast, she’d called the hotel, confirming they would hold her reservation until she got there, being as the weather would delay her.

Rolling her shoulders, she focused back on the road.

The sun would be setting in a few short moments, not that the ball in the sky was currently offering a lot of light, given the heaviness of the falling snow.

But once it did set, the world would be even darker and far more dangerous to be out on the road.

The temperature would drop even faster and the slight thawing of snow from the heat of the vehicles would ice over in mere moments, making it no better than a skating rink.

Ahead, a flicker of reddish orange snuck through the haze of white.

What the hell? More flickers and it hit her what she was seeing.

Flares. An alert.

Vivyan eased off the accelerator on her 2001 Nissan Pathfinder, because she wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to run up upon.

This wasn’t the kind of weather that boded well for anyone who slammed on the brakes.

The flares flickered and struggled in the accumulating snow for visibility but whomever set them down had done plenty.

Smart of them.

Every instinct she had told her to go ahead and keep moving.

It was dangerous to stop for strangers in this day and age.

So much crazy and hate out there, seemingly getting worse as the days went by.

But, her mother, a loving and caring woman until the day she passed from this world to the next, would have stopped, no matter what. Especially in weather like this.

And so it was her mother’s voice in her mind that had her pulling off the road behind the pickup. A Chevy, newer model, electric blue in hue.

If it were warmer, she would have popped out and offered to take a look.

The driver’s door opened and her gut tightened as a large—and she meant large—bearded man stepped out.

Dark blue jeans, window pane brown flannel with what looked like red in there as well, but she couldn’t tell positively because of the whipping snow.

Her mother’s words were drowned out by her father’s, “Never stop, baby girl, it’s too dangerous and I don’t want to lose you like I did your mother. The world has changed and so many will see nothing beyond the color of your skin and that you’re a woman.”

She understood his fear but dang it, her mother’s words were now, as they’d always been, a strong force within her.

Dad had taught her how to fix cars. She had put herself through college by working as a mechanic, it hadn’t been her calling, not like her love of books which had gotten her to pursue getting her masters in library science. But she’d been good at it, very good.

He tugged the brim of his worn baseball cap down, to hide his eyes or protect them from the blowing snow, she wasn’t sure. The man checked both ways before striding toward her.

For the space of a few seconds, she flexed her fingers over the gearshift, her father’s words telling her to shift into gear while her mother’s were reminding her to be a better person.

Instead of leaving, she turned the heater up higher, preempting his need for warmth when he got out of the cold and hers after she got back in from stepping out.

The man didn’t get smaller the closer he came, quite the opposite. Shoulders were broader than she had first thought. Shifting her legs closer together as a rush of heat hit her, she whimpered with longing.

What is wrong with me?

This wasn’t her. She didn’t get crazy over a man merely from a look.

Instalust was something that happened in books, not her life.

She was level headed, understanding that kind of thing didn’t happen to her as a plus-sized woman.

Men, if they spoke to her, weren’t interested in her in a sexual manner.

It had been years, far more than she wanted to reflect on, since she’d found pleasure other than by her own hand.

Despite the snow that increased in both the size of the flakes and speed at which they fell from the sky, she swore he watched her as he walked up to her vehicle and swerved to the driver’s door.

Making sure her hazards were on, she unlocked the door and began to open it. A large hand on the upper frame stopped her.

Okay. Guess he doesn’t want me out there.

Biting back her instant irritation that for whatever reason warred with her internal squealing—she needed to rein in her inner romance whore—that he was a man who wanted to protect her from the weather.

She lowered the window and sucked a sharp breath as the biting wind slammed into her, even with the mere two inches she’d opened it.

However, on that coldness, came a scent of pine and musk. One that made her insides flip.

“Are you okay? It’s freezing out here.”

Shut up, he knows it’s cold. He’s the one standing out in the winter weather.

Weather that was getting worse by the second.

He thumbed up the brim of his cap, the chestnut brown hair, darker by the snow that’d dampened it and curled against the nape of his neck, and she was smacked with thick smoky lashes that exposed deep, rich sapphire blue eyes. Another wave of heat rolled over her, despite the window being down.

“You stopped.”

Holy crap. That voice. Had she not been near orgasm merely from watching him walk and his scent, his voice would have kicked her to the edge. As it was, she almost fell over that cliff.

“I did. Can I drop you in town? It’s not a night to be stuck alongside the road. Not that any night is a good one to be stranded. But maybe you’re not and you have a tow coming.” She flushed. “Oh god, I’m rambling. I’m sorry.”

He nodded, his beard dotted with snowflakes. “I would love a ride.” A pause as he ran an ungloved hand along the rim of her car. “I’m going to grab my bag, okay?” His words were hesitant, almost like he worried she would race off leaving him stranded, the moment he stepped away.

She managed to nod without having yet another flood of verbal diarrhea that only solidified her understanding as to why she was single. She lifted the window while staring at his firm ass while he headed back to his vehicle.

Plus I’m not single digit size. This is a man who is panty-soaking handsome and could have the pick of any woman he wanted. Like sexy as fuck lumberjack. Or mountain man. Or rugged grumpy who falls for his sunshiny neighbor and is always saving her.

Vivyan rolled her eyes. Could she stop thinking about romance novels at the moment? This wasn’t fiction. This was real life and she was about to have a stranger—a very large one—climb into her vehicle with her. In bad weather and he was damn near twice her size.

Her heart kicked up when he strode around the front of her SUV toward the passenger side. She hit the unlock button and swallowed hard as he popped open the back door, tossing his bag in on the seat. When that door closed, she exhaled and prepared herself for sharing her vehicle with this stranger.

The SUV rocked to the side, a combination of the wind and his large size settling into the seat.

“I appreciate you stopping.” He touched the brim of his cap. “Thought I may have been spending the night out here. A few other cars blew right by me.”

She glanced at him. A mistake for her breathing grew erratic again. “People left you there?” Indignation filled her. That was tantamount to killing someone on a night like this.

Firm lips twitched as he looked at her while buckling his belt. “You almost did. I stepped out of the vehicle and I could feel you almost leave.” She opened her mouth and he shook his head. “I get it, I’m a scary motherfucker.”

Vivyan bit the inside of her cheek. He reached over and covered her hand with his.

Large, scarred, and covered with a dusting of hair it completely dwarfed hers.

Her heart paused before kicking up a few knots.

How was it this man’s hands warmed her? He’d been outside in this freezing cold weather, no gloves, no coat.

And she believed that he was warmer than she.

“I will never hurt you, angel.”

“Vivyan,” she corrected. “My name is Vivyan.”

Lips twitched. “My name is Ronan. Ronan Milo.”

She didn’t want to think about how she missed his touch when he pulled his hand back.

“Nice to meet you.” Vivyan shifted into gear, checked the mirrors, turned off the hazards, and put them on the road once more, heading toward Sander’s Point.

Not commenting when he flicked on his seat heater, she kept both hands on the wheel.

Wind buffeted her vehicle, slipping them on slick surface.

It wasn’t that she was overly concerned.

Sure, winter driving was dangerous but she’d grown up in the middle of Wisconsin and was used to that feat.

Right now, though, it was a bit different when she was now responsible for someone else in the vehicle with her.

In her periphery, she could see him flexing his arms and tensing occasionally.

She didn’t call him on it, figuring he was a control freak and arguing with a man who looked like he could lift her over his head without breaking a sweat while trying to drive in a snowstorm, not exactly a smart thing to do.

Flicking her gaze to her phone which sat in a holder on the dash to see how far she was from her hotel room and a bed.

She wanted nothing more than a long hot shower and some rest for her eyes.

Twenty five minutes. At least that was her estimated time right now but with the way the weather continued to worsen, she wasn’t sure.

Oldies moved through the speakers, keeping her calm at the familiarity. Well, calm as she could be with the man beside her. They didn’t speak and when she looked over at him, she realized he was either sleeping or pretending to be.

She didn’t have it in her to be annoyed.

He said a few vehicles had passed him. Maybe he’s just soaking up the heat because his wasn’t working and he didn’t have the ability to keep out the cold.

The truck hadn’t had any exhaust coming from it when she’d pulled up behind him so she got it, man had to be freezing.

Grateful to see the exit for Sander’s Point, he stirred when she carefully pulled off the interstate.

Following the Australian male voice giving her directions she sighed when she pulled into the overfilled parking lot.

Parking her vehicle beside a low slung red sports car that wasn’t getting out of this lot until it was completely plowed, she rolled her eyes.

“Is there somewhere I can drop you?”

Those amazing blue eyes were zeroed in on her once again and she felt the answering flip in her belly. He held her gaze for a good minute of charged energy between them.

“No, I was headed here as well.”

“Great.” She turned off the engine, removed her phone from the holder and pulled the keys before opening the door.

Should have put on my jacket first. But it was in the backseat so she didn’t have to drive hampered. He opened the door across from her and watched her from beneath the rim of his cap. Swiping his bag, he stepped back and shut the door.

Vivyan tucked her phone in her pocket, hefted her backpack, and grabbed her coat even as she noticed his looked like an army duffel bag. Locking the SUV, she yelped at the front of the Pathfinder when her pack was plucked from her shoulder.

Opening her mouth, she closed it with a snap at his look. Allowing him to carry it for her, him still without a jacket on, they walked to the building. The lobby was full and she was grateful to have a reservation.

At the desk, with her large bearded man standing behind her, holding both bags, she pulled her phone out.

“I’m sorry,” the woman whose name tag read “Maria”. “We’re booked solid.”

“I have a reservation. I called earlier when I was driving to let you know I was still coming but later because of the weather.”

Her concern smoothed away and her light tan face eased as she smiled. “Vivyan.” A blush scampered up her cheeks. “Ms. Souza. I’m so glad you made it. This storm is unlike anything we’ve had in years. They’re about to close the interstate.”

Relief swamped her and she smiled despite her exhaustion. “Glad I made it before that happened.”

She picked up the pen and filled out the paperwork.

Maria finally glanced at her and the man behind her, gaze narrowing slightly before her expression smoothed out.

“You didn’t say you were with another person.

” Vivyan opened her mouth but Maria continued, “With you here, all rooms are filled. Everyone with a reservation has checked in. These others will be hanging out in the lobby to stay out of the cold. It’s fine for you to have another in your room.

” The keys were passed over and she looked at the map taped to the desktop to find where the room was.

Third floor.

“Angel? You ready?” His large hand settled on the nape of her neck, both surprising and grounding her. Something about his touch felt right. Again, Maria’s expression made her wonder what the issue was with this. It wasn’t like she’d not faced racism before or people making assumptions about her.

She was a plus-sized half Black, half Portuguese woman. But then again, it could be because of the large man behind her.

I’m sharing a room with a stranger.

A hot stranger, hot as fuck, but still…a stranger.