Page 10 of Love Under Snowfall

“What? Your shuttle bunny doesn’t expect dinner and drinks after carting you and your kayak around?”

“Is that your way of asking if I’mcurrentlysingle?”

Frankie just snorted and shook her head. “Doesn’t matter to me either way.”

“Well, seeing as how my cousin Ian and I swapshuttle bunnyduties, we tend to go Dutch. Except for tonight. He has to get back home to the wife, which means I’m free to take you to dinner.”

She’d chewed on her lower lip, trying to decide if she was still upset with Sheriff Howards or if the year of space was enough tocool her irritation. “Pick me up at seven.”

That warm summer day seemed so long ago.

Despite the current fall chill, Frankie was suddenly too warm in her cocoon. She flipped off the toasty quilt and gave a resigned sigh. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to have a stress reliever on retainer when she returned for Thanksgiving break. Lord knows she could use a little therapeutic fun.

Frankie:

I suppose I could extend the expiration date just this once.

Sheriff Howards:

Awesome.

Frankie:

But for now, I need to get to bed. Long day.

Sheriff Howards:

Sleep sweet, princess.

Frankie cringed at the nickname and tried to ignore the pang of . . . something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It might have been guilt over stringing Clint along. He’d put in a valiant effort to woo her. By the time she left for Seattle, they’d gone on four dates and kayaked once together. He even helped her pack and load boxes for the move, never going further than a few kisses and a little groping.

But her education was too important to screw up. She knew how distracted she’d get after hooking up with the sexy sheriff, and she couldn’t afford to focus that level of attention on a fuck buddy. So, she’d decided to make a temporary vow of celibacy until she got a handle on the whole grad school thing.

Unfortunately, she’d miscalculated. Intentionalradio silence and a literal mountain range separating them hadn’t managed to cool his advances. Instead, he texted her daily, really putting in the work to keep in touch. Frankie hadn’t made any commitment to him before leaving, aside from a promise to get dinner once she was back in town, but perhaps in Clint Speak, that meant more thanjust dinner.

Maybe the pang she felt had nothing to do with guilt.

Maybe she was just horny. Plain and simple.

All the more reason to take sex off the table. If she could manage to satisfy her own needs, she’d have much more time for studying. And if she passed her classes, she’d indulge in a little reward while visiting Leavenworth for break.

Frankie stared up at the ceiling, willing herself to fall asleep, but agitation nagged at her with growing ferocity. Fortunately, her self-imposed celibacy didn’t have to extend to solo activities. She located her favorite vibrator from one of the many boxes she’d yet to unpack and settled back into her cozy cocoon, grateful that her roommate worked at night. Twenty-eight minutes and two orgasms later, she finally relaxed and slept like a rock for the rest of the night.

Chapter five

October, Seattle: Frankie

Over the next several weeks, Frankie put in the work. She focused all her time studying, apart from the sporadic quest to restock the fridge at the grocery store or take-out restaurant.

She’d even managed to find a third-year law student to work with once a week for a reasonable fee. Studying with a tutor was an absolute game-changer. The weekly session, paired with the library books Rayne had picked out, helped Frankie see the case law more clearly.

Even the book Professor Clark recommended was helpful when she studied solo. She was glad he’d suggested it, even if she was a little resentful of his comment that first day in class.

Even someone like you will be able to follow it.

Elitist bastard.

As promised, the few precious hours of study time she spent shopping for professional clothes with Todd boosted her confidence. She traded her favorite worn tank tops and distressed jeans for black leggings, conservative blouses and sweaters, and neutral flats. With her honey-colored hair pulled back in a neat bun and a subtle layer of makeup, playing the part of the studious academic was that much easier.

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