Page 36 of Falling Madly
“I don’t think it’s even possible to have sex on an escalator.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised. There was a news story…”
“Seriously? Like, how?” I hiccupped.
“I think it starts with being under the influence of something that removes any shred of shame.”
“Obviously.”
“And then… they probably got turned away from every other establishment.”
“People are insane.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.” He scooped a hand around my waist when I missed our turn. “This way.”
I felt the warmth of embarrassment on my face, but the warmth of his hand quickly overpowered it. I got so flustered that my foot slipped on the icy ground, and I nearly went down. But Trevor was faster, catching me between his giant hands, holding me upright. “D’ye want me to carry ye the rest o’ the way?”
“Yes, please,” I laughed. “I’m clearly not fit to walk.”
I meant it as a joke, but he swept me into his arms with such force I nearly dropped my purse. “As you wish.”
The sudden loss of contact with the ground sent me into a full-body flush, panicked and aroused at the same time. We were so close to the office entrance it only took him a few steps to get there. But as he lowered me to the pavement, I felt hot and out of balance, as well as weirdly out of breath.
“Here we are.”
“Thank you.” I leaned on the door, rummaging through my bag for the key he’d given me. Dear God, don’t let me lose that one! After a moment of frenzy, my fingers curled around the jagged shape, and I sighed with relief.
“Are you sure you’re okay to sleep here?” His voice was soft.
“I think it’s for the best.”
“We could call your friend… Peony?”
“No. She… we… have a history. It’s a bit complicated.”
He nodded, quietly watching me work the key. Not a word about that cabin of his. Did it even exist? And if it did, why didn’t he insist that I stay there with him?
The door creaked open to the dark staircase, but I didn’t step in. “What if something happens?”
“Like what?”
“Like… an alarm going off. Or a fire… Or a friendly ghost who starts turning on the faucet in the kitchen?” I tried to joke as a cold sensation crept up my throat. Why was I trying to scare myself?
“Hmm. We know you don’t like loud noises. But a friendly ghost like Casper?—”
“How far is your cabin?” I finally blurted, holding onto the doorknob, my fingers stiff from the cold.
“It’s about three kilom… two miles, I think.” He bit back a smile, gazing down the street, into the darkness that continued beyond the row of streetlamps. “No, three miles. Three and a half.”
“Is it moving away from us?”
He huffed an awkward laugh. “It’s a blimp. Did I no’ mention that?”
Okay. He clearly didn’t want me in his cabin.
The air felt colder, nipping at my cheeks. The snow on the ground had crystallized into a blanket of diamonds. I could only hope the office had some sort of central heating. My toes, which had thawed nicely during our dinner, were going numb again. There was no way I could walk to his cabin in them, even if he invited me.
He took a step back in his sensible winter boots, rubbing his hands together. He didn’t have gloves, either. They were probably in the car, just like the scarf he’d been knitting. “Well, I better get on the road. Good night.”
