Chapter 6
six
Tessa
F eeling a little guilty to be sitting in the warming truck cab while Ethan chips at the layer of ice on the windows, I watch his face as he works. Despite his grimace when a stubborn spot of ice refuses to move, he does look adorable with my fuzzy teal scarf wrapped around his head and neck. When shards of ice begin to slip as the defroster heats the glass he finally grins and gives me a thumbs up.
A few minutes later he slips into the driver’s seat and shivers hard enough the vehicle shakes.
Worried I touch the wet cloth of his jacket sleeve. “You okay?”
Pulling off his soaked gloves, he rubs his hands together before covering my fingers.
“Yikes.” I jerk but he clasps my hand tightly.
“You’re so warm,” he mumbles as his teeth chatter.
“And you are freezing. Why’d you stay out there that long? Here, give me both of your hands.”
He hesitates so I reach across his body for his left hand then sandwich both of his between mine. I’m far from petite and small boned, but my hands can’t stretch to cover the length of his fingers. So I briskly rub his skin. My touch slows to a caress as his fingers warm.
“Um.” He clears his throat. “We should get going. Before the weather—you know—starts to get worse. The wind is picking up and it looks like the sleet is turning to snow.”
After a glance out the mostly cleared window I nod. “Yeah, we should.”
I don’t want to let go of him. What’s wrong with me? One day, one kiss, and my emotions have slipped back to those of that chubby teenager who had a major crush on the star athlete. Even worse? I don’t care. The adult me still wants him to notice me just as much. The adult me wants him. Only now I know exactly what that means.
“Tessa?”
I lift my gaze to his face and he’s staring at my mouth. “Hmm?”
“We need to get—no, I need to kiss you again.”
Anticipation races through me, speeding my heartbeat. I cup one of his cold hands and press my cheek to his palm. “Please.”
He shakes his head. “Let’s get you home safely first. Kissing you now would make me a distracted driver. Driving needs to take all of my concentration.”
He’s right of course. Even while disappointed, I appreciate his concern.
“Buckle up and tell me where we’re going.”
“I inherited my granddad’s place when he died.”
“Tessa, I’m sorry. I know he meant a lot to you.”
It’s been less than a year and my heart still aches when I think about Granddad. He was always there for me, supporting my plans and ideas even while my parents thought me foolish. I miss his grin and the stories he told about his long, interesting life.
“Thanks. He did. Does. You remember how to get out there?”
He nods and puts the truck in gear. We inch forward slowly, testing the road conditions. He breaks and starts a couple times while we’re still in the empty parking lot for practice.
At the exit to the street he says, “The sand truck went by while I was scraping. Hopefully they’ve gotten the major intersections taken care of.”
“And the crews were out last night brining the main streets. With this much ice though, I’m not sure the melty stuff can keep up. It’s the short stretch of highway that concerns me the most.”
“Town has grown since I left. Out your way, too?” He pulls onto the street and controls a tiny sideways slide.
Traveling now is not a good idea and I’m sure he’s trying to make normal conversation to calm my nerves. “You don’t need to talk. Just drive.”
Nodding, he hunches over the steering wheel and flexes his fingers. We drive in silence meeting only one other vehicle out braving the roads. When I glance at the clock on his dashboard, it’s difficult to believe that if the day had turned out the way I’d planned, the parade would only just be finishing up. The streets would be filled with families enjoying the end to a fabulous Krampasnacht festival.
Stupid weather.
“Sorry,” Ethan mumbles when the truck slides past a corner and I realize while I’m trying to portray confidence in his driving, I have one hand wrapped tight around the restraint crossing my body, the other clutching the door armrest. My feet are pressed hard against the floorboards as though through sheer willpower I can keep the truck from sliding.
It feels like it takes forever to get to the edge of town. At the stoplight where we turn onto the highway he puts the truck in park then leans back, rubbing his fingers. He angles his face toward me. “You doing okay?”
I attempt to keep a casual tone but my voice cracks from the stress. “Yep, fine.” At his doubting expression I rush to offer encouragement. “You’re doing great. It’s not much further. At least the sleet has stopped.”
After staring out the window at the thick, blowing snow he glances sideways at me. “Unfortunately now the snow is starting to cover the icy patches. It’s going to be even more difficult to see once we run out of streetlights.”
“I’m so?—”
Waving one hand, he grins. “Do not say you’re sorry. You didn’t invite the storm to be a part of your event, did you?”
“Of course not. But?—”
“Tessa, my muscles are as relaxed as I can get them. Before we get going, I need to tell you that the highway goes right past my motel. We could safely stop there. Then I can get you home once the roads are clear tomorrow morning. There’s…uh…two beds in the room.”
He’s inviting me to share his room. My lady bits wake up and take tingling notice. He also made a point of the fact there’s two beds. I can’t figure if he mentioned that for me. Or for him. Enough time has passed since our first kiss, maybe he’s regretting that impulsive moment.
But he said he wanted to kiss me before we left the parking lot. Is he offering me the choice, giving me control? My body thrums with desire. I don’t trust my own behavior if I’m sequestered with him. I need to be in my own space. My own safe space. As much as I desire to experience Ethan at long last, I can’t. Not in a motel room. That would only punctuate the fact he’s leaving tomorrow.
“I have to get home tonight.”
Disappointment and questions fill his expression. “Why? Honey, it’s dangerous out here.”
“Scared of a little winter driving?” Keeping my tone light is difficult. “Sorry, I don’t mean to tease. I know it’s not safe. I should just have driven myself.”
“No, it’s okay. I would have worried. Probably followed you so there would have been two idiots on the road. I’ll get you home, no worries. Can you tell me why it’s so important?”
I can’t tell him I’m afraid of what I might do if I’m alone in a motel room with him. “I… I have chickens.”
He jerks and stares at me. “Chickens? We’re braving this wild winter weather for chickens?”
It does sound stupid, but my concern is real. “I’ve had some issues with the heater in the coop. I don’t want the ladies to get thirsty because their water dispenser has iced over. And Granddad’s cat is really old and I can’t leave him alone too long.”
“You always did love your granddad’s animals.”
“You remember that?” He didn’t remember our race but he does my love of animals. I’m confused.
“Okay, go ahead and grab hold of your safety handles.” He winks. “But try and keep your feet off the imaginary brakes on your side.”
“Oh stars. I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”
His lips twitch and the sudden, deep need to feel their texture against my skin angles me toward him. He taps his temple. “Great peripheral vision. Ready for the last bit, honey?”
That’s the second time in the last five minutes he’s called me honey. Fighting the rise of delight, I remind myself he probably uses the endearment when he’s with one of those puck bunnies. Even imagining the number of women he’s probably had sex with makes me hug the term tight in my memory. One I want just for me.
“There’s a big sign right before the turn-off now,” I warn when we’re almost there.
“Thanks. That it?” He nods toward the sign pointing toward a business a little further down the highway.
“Yep.”
The truck’s bed completes the turn before the cab and once we’re pointed in the right direction, we both release relieved breaths. Ethan chuckles. “Whee?”
Now we’re both hunched forward, focused on the road. He makes the turn onto my long drive and thankfully we soon pull up to the front of my house. I can’t wait to be on reasonably solid ground and rush to unfasten my seatbelt and exit the truck. Cold wind and tiny snowflakes slash against my exposed face.
Standing in the snow covered dead grass along the sidewalk, I turn to wave at Ethan to—to what? Say thank you and goodbye? Invite him inside? The least I can do is offer him something hot to drink. Maybe some food. There won’t be any restaurants open when he gets back to town. I’ll invite him in.
I press my thighs together to contain the rush of desire. Welcoming him into my home might easily lead to me welcoming him in other ways.
Something’s not right. The soft rumble of the engine is silent but Ethan’s truck is moving. Backward. Down the slope toward the tiny creek that crosses my property. The truck crunches to a stop, probably against one of the huge decorative boulders Granddad placed there years ago.
Before I rush forward, Ethan is out of the cab. Legs spread, hands on his hips, he stares at the truck. “Fucking hell,” carries to me on the wind. Then he carefully follows the tracks left by the vehicle’s descent. “That’s not going anywhere until I can get a tow truck out here.”
“I didn’t think about how close you stopped to the slope.”
“I forgot about the creek. Besides, there’s enough snow to disguise parts of the area.”
“Come inside.”
“Love to, but I’d better get going. Thank god it’s not that far back to the motel. Once I reach the highway there’ll be lights to follow.”
“How?”
“On foot. As long as I stick to the ground instead of the pavement I should be alright.”
There’s no way I’m allowing him to even consider walking back into town in this weather. His coat is still damp from earlier. So are his gloves. “Don’t be ridiculous, Ethan. You’re not going anywhere except inside my house. I won’t be responsible for the Lynx’s star player freezing to death on the side of the road.”
“Being a bit dramatic, don’t you think?” A hard shiver wracks his body.
“Dramatic? Can you feel your hands? Your feet?”
His head dips. “Other than them being blocks of ice? Not really.”
“All righty then. Let’s get inside and warm up.”
The glow from the yard light highlights how his eyes widen and a smile eases the worry from his face. Uh oh. He’s reading too much into my words. Isn’t he? Maybe I do mean to imply, to build on the tense awareness between us. Maybe I’m ready to let go and discover what my teenage dreams only hinted at.
I turn toward the house and dig in my bag for my keys. “Let’s get warm, Ethan.”
“Anything you say, honey.” The crunch of his steps follows me until he lets out a loud, “Whoop.”
I glance over my shoulder, pause, then burst into laughter.
Sprawled on his back across the sidewalk, Ethan frowns up at the sky. Obviously he knows how to fall and doesn’t seem hurt. Just frustrated and embarrassed as he pounds his fist against the ground.
I can’t resist. “Hey, Crunch.”
“What?” he grumbles.
“I thought you said you were good on ice.”