Page 18 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
“That’s my guy,” she shouted, her voice louder than he’d ever heard it, and without a hint of that closed-off armor she hid behind.
She turned to him with a brilliant grin, and just like that, his blood started to burn.
She was attractive all the time—there was no denying that. But here, tonight, watching her watch the game… the transformation right in front of his eyes was irresistible.
Without that scowl and the standard suspicious glare that always accompanied it, she seemed years younger—no, scratch that. She seemed her age, which was probably around the same as his. Twenty-eight. But she carried herself like she was so much older most of the time.
Her smile faded a bit when she sank back into her seat. “What?” she asked. “What are you looking at me like that for?”
Because you’re beautiful.
Because I can’t tear my eyes off you.
“You look good without the weight of the world on your shoulders.” He settled for that. It was the truth, after all.
No need to make things stilted between them when she had one foot out the door, right?
But his comment earned him a wary side-eye, like she wasn’t sure how to take that compliment.
And itwasa compliment.
“I’m not picking on you,” he added as he reached for a fry from the basket they’d ordered to tide them over. “Just a fact. Most of the time you seem to be carrying all kinds of responsibilities.”
“Yeah, well…” She reached for a fry and popped it in her mouth as well. “I told you, my job is multifaceted.”
“Uh-huh.” He wasn’t talking about her job, and he suspected she knew it.
A big part of him wanted to ask her about her relationship with Rose, and that sister of theirs who’d yet to show. Daisy, that was her name. Not to mention how she felt about discovering she had all these half sisters, or the fact that their father had left them his sole property…
But her gaze was already back on the TV, and he wasn’t in a hurry to see her return to Miss Serious mode.
“Third period is almost over,” she said, not glancing his way. “We’re totally gonna win this one.”
He smiled. Did she honestly think he cared about the game? That was cute. He wasn’t sure she even realized that while she’d been so entertained by the hockey, he’d been more entertained by her.
But he wasn’t thrilled to learn the game was about to end.
He was having more fun than he’d had in…
Ah heck, he didn’t know how long it’d been since he’d gone out on the town with a woman whose company he so thoroughly enjoyed.
He wasn’t nearly the loner mountain man everyone made him out to be. Sure, he preferred his own company, and the peace and quiet of his cabin was almost always preferable to small talk and meaningless chatter.
But that didn’t mean he didn’t occasionally crave fun. He enjoyed spending time with people he truly respected, people who didn’t speak just to hear themselves talk, and people who gave it to you straight so you weren’t forever guessing at their real thoughts and emotions.
People like Dahlia.
He finished the last sip of his beer and went back to watching her.
He knew the game was over when she slumped back in her seat with a satisfied sigh. Her lips toyed with a smile that she flashed him for a moment before looking around the bar with an antsy twitch.
That woman did not know the beauty of being still, but in fairness to her, she was hyped up on beer, fatty foods, and a triumphant win for her team.
He wasn’t ready to take her home, to squash that joy she couldn’t help but exude.
So he drew it out the only way he could think of. “You wanna play some pool?”
She glanced over in surprise, one brow arching. “Depends. How do you feel about being beaten by a girl?”
