Page 34 of Take My Heart
‘What are you doing?’ Brody calls out. ‘You’re going to fall.’
‘I’m too far away to do this.’ I’m almost in front of him now and get the snowball ready to aim.
‘Do what?’
‘Get you back!’ I toss the snowball at his face, lunging toward him as I do. My boots slip and I end up slamming into Brody. He loses his balance and falls back in the snow, with me sprawled on top of him.
‘Oh God, I’m so sorry!’ I say, trying to get off him. ‘Are you okay?’
He holds onto my arms, keeping me there as he smiles at me. ‘I’m good.’
Our eyes meet and I feel my pulse race as I gaze back at a guy I just met who’s making me feel more in this moment than I ever felt with Cam. How is that possible? How did I almost marry a guy who never made me feel this way?
And why am I feeling this way with Brody?
Chapter 7
Brody
This is not what I expected would happen when I took Kate out here. I thought we’d throw some snowballs, she’d get cold and complain, and we’d go back inside. But instead she’s laughing and having a good time and somehow ended up on top of me. And I gotta say, I’m not hating it. The girl is hot, even with red cheeks, a red nose, and her hat falling off.
I’ve always been a sucker for girls who can let loose and be themselves and aren’t obsessed with how they look, but I didn’t think Kate was that type of girl. Everything she’s told me about herself makes her sound like one of those girls who isn’t happy unless everything’s perfect—her clothes, her hair, her makeup. But maybe I was wrong, or maybe she’s only being this way because she knows we’ll never see each other again after the storm ends.
‘You want to go inside and warm up?’ I ask, thinking I better get her off me before my cock reacts to the feel of herbody on mine. It’s already started to, but I doubt she can feel it through all the layers of clothes she’s got on.
‘Do we have to?’ she asks, rolling off me onto her back.
‘No. I just thought you might be cold.’
‘I’m freezing.’ She laughs as she stares up at the sky. ‘I’m not even sure I can feel my legs anymore.’
I turn to face her. ‘Then we need to get inside. I don’t want you getting frostbite. Plus, it’ll be dark soon. We won’t be able to see unless I turn the porch light on.’
‘Just a few more minutes.’ She closes her eyes, smiling as the snow falls on her face. She really is beautiful, even with a bright red nose.
‘What are you doing?’
‘Listening.’
‘To what?’
‘The stillness. It’s so quiet.’
‘It’s always like this.’
‘I’m used to noise. Cars going by. Police sirens. That beeping sound trucks make when they’re backing up. There’s always noise in the city. But here, it’s so quiet I can almost hear the snow falling.’ She opens her eyes and looks at me. ‘What’s it like living in a small town?’
‘It’s great! People are friendly. It’s easy to get around. Small-town living isn’t for everyone, but I personally wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. The only downside is that it’s hard to date here. I know almost everyone in town and have already dated the girls I was interested in.’
Kate looks up at the sky. ‘It’s not easy dating in a big city either. Before I met Cam, I tried a few dating apps and didn’tfind a single decent guy. Most of them were just looking for sex. Some of the guys weren’t even real. Just fake profiles.’
‘So how’d you meet Cam?’
‘At a fundraiser. He was there with his parents. We were all seated at the same table, Cam and me and our parents. It was a total setup, but I didn’t know it at the time. I found out later that my parents and Cam’s parents, who knew each other socially, arranged for Cam and me to meet that night. And the rest is history.’
‘So it was like an arranged marriage.’
‘They didn’t force us to get together. It just happened.’ She sighs. ‘I’m sure his family hates me now.’
