Page 13 of Wren's Winter

And the way she stammered and flushed as I called her out. Not going to lie, it made my dick hard. Would her skin flush that same color if I touched her?

The ride down the mountain only took fifteen minutes, and her face was turned away the whole time, watching out the window. I hoped I hadn’t scared her away when I stood close to her. Did I come off a little strong? Yeah. But something more than myself spurned me on. I had my share of women I’ve flirted with. But I never invaded their space, cornering them against a counter and sniffing them.

And her scent. She smelled of warmth and apples somehow. I wanted to bottle that scent and carry it with me. Desperately, I wanted it splayed on my pillows, and, yes—I wanted to breathe her in as I sunk into her.

That scent was now filling up the cab of my truck. I didn’t want to open the door and have it escape.

Walking the aisles of the grocery store, I pushed the cart behind Wren as she stopped every few feet to grab something and toss it into the cart. She used no list and there didn’t seem to be a rationale for her items. From my position, I could watch as she moved. Her shirt riding up to expose a swath of smooth bronze skin, the way her jeans fit her ass. It was a great ass, round and soft. The perfect size for cupping as I thrust inside her.

I had to adjust my growing erection in the pasta and beans aisle. She turned to me, two different pasta sauces in her hands. Quickly, I thought of boner killers: my mom’s corned beef dinners and the sight of my high school English teacher when he sneezed and his fake tooth came out. That seemed to do the trick.

“What do you think? Cheap sauce or the ten-dollar organic stuff?”

I cleared my throat, staring at the sauces for a bit too long. “Um, organic?”

She nodded as if that was what she wanted me to say. In the wine and beer aisle, she studied the bottles before moving down to the end and grabbing a few clearance cans of wine off an end rack.

At the cookie aisle, she clapped her hands together. “They have my favorite!” She turned around to show me a bag of gourmet wafers and dark chocolate. “These are so hard to find, and they are the best thing ever.”

Taking them from her hand, I studied them. “No way those are the best”—I grabbed another package off the shelf—“when you can have these.”

She scoffed at me. “You’re kidding, right? You must have burned off taste buds if you think there is a cookie better than my beloved.”

I threw both packages in the cart. “Fine, we’ll do a blind taste test, and from there, the winner will be determined.”

“How do I know you won’t cheat?” she asked.

Narrowing my eyes at her, I pretended to pull out a sword. “Are you besmirching my honor? We duel at dawn.”

She laughed a bright, wonderful thing that made my stomach do a little flip.

“What do I get if I win?”

A kiss.

I swallowed that idea down. “How about if I win, you have to admit I have superior taste in grocery brand cookies and buy me a bag of my favorite?”

“And if you lose?”

I smirked at her. “What do you want?”

Her eyes flickered to my mouth before darting back up to my eyes. “You need to buy me three bags of cookies.”

Sticking my hand out, I waited for her to take it. “Deal.”

As she took my hand, a sizzle traveled up my arm and into my chest. Her palm was warm and soft, fitting perfectly in mine. The pad of my thumb brushed softly over the back of her hand. I had the impulse to lace my fingers with hers, right here in the middle of this grocery store. She looked up at me, her eyes a warm topaz.

The rattle of another grocery cart had us springing apart. Wren cleared her throat, her hand rubbing at a spot behind her left ear. Her gaze looking everywhere but me, she walked on, with me pulling up the rear.

The cart was half full as she led me down the cleaning aisle.

“The cabin supplies are atrocious.” She grabbed several items, her arms full of cans and bottles.

“I’m sure if you let Agatha know she’ll have the cleaners come back.”

Dumping them in the cart, Wren blew a curl away from her face. “It’s fine for other people, but I need like clean clean. I used up pretty much all her stuff under the sink last night.”

“You? Need clean?” When I was moving her car earlier, I noticed the various pieces of clutter around her car, a chip bag, napkins, and receipts stuck in the side cup holder.

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