6
Christmas Introvert
I ntense stormy blue eyes held hers as he backed her against the wall. “Are you arresting me?” she asked huskily. Arousal slowly drizzled through her as his strong body pressed against hers, his mouth hovering so close, so tempting. She wanted him to kiss her. But in a flash, she realized she was naked, and everything seemed all wrong.
“You should put your clothes on.” His lips lifted in a cocky smirk.
Embarrassment and anger bubbled up. “Jerk,” she snapped. As she tried to step around him, she realized he’d handcuffed her. “No,” she moaned, “No.”
“Quinn. Quinn!”
“What, what?” she snapped as she rolled over in her bed not fully awake yet. Why on earth had she dreamed that? She lay replaying the dream, feeling a groggy mixture of horniness and irritation. Cracking one eye open, she saw Belle standing over her.
“What?” she said again, hoarsely trying to clear her muddled morning thoughts.
“I can’t tell if that was a good dream or a bad dream you were having,” Belle quipped with a raised brow.
“Ugh,” Quinn grunted not sure herself.
“That good, eh?” Belle asked still staring down at her.
“Nothing worth retelling,” Quinn said with a yawn. She didn’t want to think any more about that man. And it annoyed her she’d had a dream about him. He was just as infuriating as in real life!
“So, breakfast?” Belle grinned brightly down at her.
“God, it is so beautiful here,” Belle said letting the sun beat down on her face from where she stopped on the mountaintop.
“Heaven on earth,” Quinn agreed, catching her breath while taking in the view. After a few hours of hiking along a trail and gaining elevation, they’d come to a clearing that overlooked the town below them. Quinn was sure she’d never seen a more spectacular vista. The sun streamed through brilliant blue skies illuminating the picturesque town that lay nestled among the giant snowy mountains. The air was crisp, and everything was quiet except for the sounds of nature. The snow rustled on the trees as the warm sun melted its surface. Birds were happily singing. Quinn took a deep breath, soaking in nature’s salubrious effect on her very soul.
“I didn’t think I’d ever feel hungry again after that breakfast this morning, but I’m getting pretty peckish,” Belle said digging through her pack for a snack. Quinn would be willing to bet that Belle could plow through a plate of cookies faster than St. Nick on Christmas Eve, but it didn’t matter what she ate, her five foot two frame always stayed perfectly slim and petite. Sometimes it was hard to not be envious of Belle’s incredible metabolism.
“When I saw the line up for that breakfast place, I’m not gonna lie, I wanted to bail, but dang, it was worth the wait. Have you ever seen cinnamon buns that size? Shoot, I could totally go for another one now,” Megs swooned, sucking in her lower lip and pressing her eyes closed, as if she could will a sticky hot cinnamon bun to magically appear.
“Oh my god, me too. They were so good. And the eggs Benedict was chef’s kiss,” Belle said, pulling out a chocolate-covered granola bar from her pack.
“As much as I love this, I’m done girls,” Meg said after a few minutes. “My legs are dead.”
“Hiking a mountain is no joke,” Belle muttered, pressing her booted toes against a rock to stretch her calf.
Quinn was ready to head back too; her muscles were trembling from the exertion of the climb. Technically, the descent was supposed to be the easier part but, her leg muscles quivered in protest as the women began their trek down.
“I heard the weather is supposed to change in a couple of days. Calen is supposed to get a record-breaking snowstorm, and the temps are set to plummet,” Meg said as they began their descent.
“Really?” Quinn hadn’t paid much attention to the weather forecast here, but it didn’t matter to her because she intended to work on her novel over Christmas anyway.
“You sure you don’t wanna come back to my place for the holidays?” Megs nudged her.
With a father she never knew and a mother who passed away when Quinn was a teen, she had spent most holidays alone—aside from some time with her grandmother. She had grown rather accustomed to it. Sometimes, her heart longed for a big family Christmas, and she wondered if she’d ever know one. But for the most part, Quinn was content with her own company, even over the holidays.
Quinn looped her arm through Megan's. “I’d love to, but honestly,” she paused taking in a deep breath of fresh mountain air, “I think I need this. I need to have some time with myself. And with my book. This is a new chapter for me. A new adventure. And I’m kind of excited about being in this snowy mountain town for Christmas.”
Despite having the gift of gab, Quinn preferred quiet solitude and her own company. There was something so cathartic about being alone with her thoughts. Not that she didn’t also love being with her friends, but she was excited to have some time to really dig into her book. This little mountain town was already filling her with inspiration.
“But what fun will it be if you have to be stuck inside the whole time because it’s too frickin' cold and snowy?” Belle asked.
Ironically, the thought appealed to Quinn. She could be a total introvert, keep her jammies on, order room service—or maybe stock up at the grocery store, she amended, keeping her budget in mind—and write. “It will give me the time I need to dig into my writing. Besides, the inn has a restaurant, and I spied a yoga studio nearby. I’ll have everything I need.”
“Well, you won’t be getting to that yoga studio if the weather gets as bad as they say,” Meg said skeptically.
“I’ll do yoga in my room then. It’ll be fine.” Quinn wasn't worried in the least.
Belle and Megan didn’t look convinced. “But it’s Christmas! You shouldn’t be alone for Christmas.” Belle frowned as if she were a child, who just discovered a lump of coal in their stocking. “Christmas is a time to be with friends and family,” she argued.
Quinn stopped on the trail and smiled adoringly at the two women. “And I’m grateful to be with you both now. Honestly, girls, I’m happy to have some time with just me and my book. I’ll order Christmas room service and spend the day with my characters. You know how I am.” She laughed. Being stuck in this mountain town while it snowed and having nowhere to be but in her room writing her first novel, sounded dreamy to Quinn.
Belle and Meg looked at her as if she was nuts. Quinn chuckled. “Aww, girls, it’s where I want to be. Truly. But I promise we’ll meet up again soon in the new year.”
Neither of them looked convinced, but thankfully, they let it go. Quinn was grateful the cop hadn’t come up in conversation again. Although she found her thoughts turning to him anyway. He’d crossed her mind more than a few times throughout the day. She wondered why he’d given her such a hard time with the ticket and when they saw him again last night. It galled her how he’d been so jovial and pleasant until his attention turned to her. Maybe she had started it last night, but still, he didn’t have to be so cold towards her.
It was the contradiction that gnawed at her. Cold hardened cop when it came to her but warm and sweet as fresh-out-of-the-oven gingerbread cookies with her friends. It annoyed her mostly cause that soft side she glimpsed was even more lethal than his dangerous cop side. That smile of his… Her belly fluttered at the memory. She knew it would be good, but it was far better than she imagined. Her friends were right—he was dreamy, at least when he smiled. Not that he’d directed that smile at her. The man was a puzzle, and she wished her curious mind didn’t thrive on solving them.