Chapter Fifteen
Drew
Vermont
The late afternoon light was already beginning to fade, bruising the sky into shades of deep violet and pink over the peaks. The first flakes had started to drift in lazy spirals, catching in the glow of the resort lights like glitter in slow motion.
Walking back toward the house, I was sore, cold, and should have been eager for a shower and a meal. Instead, I was reeling from the realization that I’d just had another amazing date-not-date with Bella Holliston.
Holliston.
I’d known her my whole life. I’d seen her at charity galas and across boardroom tables where the air was thick with the resentment of our fathers. I thought I’d cataloged every version of her. The Ice Queen. The CEO.
The next generation Holliston nemesis.
But the woman who had spent the last six hours laughing into my ear was someone entirely new. She had a sense of humor that matched my own and a startling, unpolished humanity.
How could I not have seen this?
We made a ridiculous pair, stomping through the snow in our full gear. We’d bypassed the lodge entirely, left our car, opting for the long trek back rather than risk being recognized by any stray Holliston or Burke acquaintance. The house had looked closer than it felt as we made our way to it.
Bella was still wearing her helmet, her goggles shoved up like a crown, and the comms crackled with a faint hiss between us.
“I’ve forgotten how to walk on flat ground,” she muttered.
“It’s the gear,” I replied. “It’s designed for descent, not tactical retreats.”
“Tactical retreat,” she repeated. “I like that.” After a pause she added, “You do realize that as spies we’re subpar.”
“Are we?” I asked with a grin.
“Unless you were able to track and surveil our targets while I was occupied with faceplanting and landing on my ass.”
Oh, yeah, there’d been a purpose to the outing that had fallen to the wayside. Instead of addressing that, I joked, “You have a gorgeous ass, so I hope the snowbanks were kind to it.”
Her laughter rang out, as beautiful as it was unexpected. “My ass is fine.”
“Exactly.”
She shook her head but smiled at me. “If I wasn’t so tired, I’d hit back with something witty, but you’ll have to settle for this eyeroll. That’s all I have left.”
“If I said your eyes are also gorgeous, would that gain me another roll?”
She chuckled. “No, even they’re too tired now. Would you accept this groan in its place?”
“How about we table this until we’re back at the house, showered and changed, and you can insult me with your usual vigor.”
She glanced at me then. “I don’t believe I do that . . . insult you.”
“I stand corrected. You challenge me and not in a bad way. I see that now.”
“Same,” she said quietly as she kept walking and suddenly I wasn’t cold at all. A warm, almost giddiness filled me.
The snow fell thicker as the house rose ahead of us, a fortress of timber and glass tucked into the slope. Bella fumbled with the handle, her gloves making it impossible. I stepped closer to help.
“I can open a door,” she protested.
“You can,” I agreed. “But I’ve already removed my gloves.” I reached around her and pushed the heavy door open.
Warm air spilled out, inviting us inside. She went through first, knocking the snow off her boots, then removing her gloves and helmet. Her long, dark hair spilled free in a chaotic, stunning, mess. “I can’t wait to get out of this snowsuit.”
My cock took that entirely the wrong way and surged to attention. I closed the door behind me and removed my helmet as well. “Yeah, me too.”
She turned, our eyes met, and reality and fantasy blended.
In my mind, I pulled her to me, and one feverish kiss led to both of us ripping each other free of our colorful layers with an impatience that had my chest heaving as my breathing shallowed.
Helmet in one hand, gloves in the other, I leaned toward her.
Eyes wide, lips parted, she leaned toward me.
Our breath mingled in anticipation of our bodies doing the same.
And both of our phones chimed in frantic unison.
Emergency weather alert.
I didn’t want to look away, but I also didn’t want to rush. So, I tore my attention from her and checked my messages while she did the same. The storm had hooked south. The roads were becoming impassable.
“A snowstorm,” Bella said flatly.
“A big one,” I added.
“I should make sure Brady is okay,” she said, shifting back into strategy.
I nodded. Nora and her friends.
We stood in the foyer, reporting back to bases that had no idea we were in the same zip code. I thumbed a text to Nora. She confirmed they were hunkering down with mocktails at the hotel bar, excited for powder in the morning.
“Brady said he’s riding out the storm at the resort.”
“Nora and her friends too.”
I placed my helmet and gloves on a table in the foyer and began unstrapping my boots, the sound of plastic snapping echoing through silence. After putting some distance between us, Bella sat on a chair in the hallway and did the same.
I stepped out of my boots.
She removed hers and put them to the side. As she stood, she partially unzipped the front of her snowsuit and I swallowed hard, unable to look away. Her hair fell partially over her face and she grimaced as she pushed it back. “I’m a sweaty mess.”
Did she have any idea how badly I wanted to dig my hands into her hair and kiss those glowing cheeks of hers before claiming her mouth with mine? “Me too.”
I mentally kicked myself. Seriously? That’s the best I can come up with? Where was my usual smoothness? My bravado? My swagger? What was it about Bella that made this exchange feel like if I messed it up I’d spend the rest of my life regretting it?
From a safe distance away, she said, “If we don’t want to get stuck in the snow, we’ll have to hurry.”
“The roads are quickly getting dangerous.”
The silence of the house settled around us.
Outside, snow thickened against the window, the flakes moving faster now.
She looked vulnerable in a way I’d never expected her to, so I gave her an easy out.
“Nora and Brady are safe. I can stay behind to make sure they remain that way. If you want to head out now, I’ve got this. ”
She slow blinked. This was her chance to reset us back to our purpose. We could pretend the last twenty-four hours had been nothing more than necessity.
She didn’t move. The air crackled with tension. I hadn’t imagined the change between us. She was facing the raw, undeniable temptation of us.
“I had a lot of fun today,” she admitted, her voice almost a whisper.
God, she’s beautiful. “Me too.” Yeah, my brain defaulted to something more primal than wit when she looked me over like I was an option she was only now allowing herself to consider.
“I haven’t had fun,” she confessed softly, “in a very long time.”
Mouth suddenly dry, I took a leap of faith. “Then stay.”