Page 118 of The Mating Game
Hunter
“Eventually I haveto take off this towel and get dressed.”
My arms wind around her a little tighter, pulling her closer to me under her bedsheets. “I’m okay with one of those things.”
“I’m just glad that wecanlounge around in towels without freezing to death.”
“You Californians and your working central heat and air.”
“We aren’t too keen on the cold where I’m from.”
“Mm.”
I’m only half listening now, my body lax and warm against her as my breath huffs into her hair. She curls her fingers around my forearms as she nuzzles closer, and I close my eyes and enjoy the quiet in what might be the last few hours of our little bubble. Since Jeannie has already called to make sure we’re alive, I assume it won’t be long before she comes to check for herself. Not to mention Tess’s brothers will be back tomorrow,andI have the most important interview of my life to deal with.
“Oh my God,” she says suddenly, jolting up so fast she jostles me as she lets out a surprised sound.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Ada probably thinks I’m dead,” she groans.
“I think your phone is over there on the dresser,” I tell her, sitting up.
She swings her legs over the side of the bed and runs for it, snatching it up in a hurry, then padding back across the room to wrestle with her charger, which has been plugged uselessly into the wall outlet by the bed all weekend.
“Do I need to worry about a visit from the FBI?”
She rolls her eyes. “Ada would probably trek this mountain by herself if she actually thought I was missing. I’m sure she’s already badgered my brothers about why I’ve been MIA so long.” She props her fist on her hip as she turns to eye my stretched-out form clad only in a towel, wiggling her eyebrows when I catch her looking. “Now, that’s a shot for the website.”
“I will toss you into the snow,” I warn.
“Wow, rude.”
I take a moment to just look at her as she powers on her phone, taking in her soft curves and her wild, towel-dried hair that falls carelessly against her shoulders. She looks so sweet like this, and her scent, which is still tinged with the last remnants of her heat, is so sultry that it makes me want to grab her by the waist and throw her on the bed to try to squeeze in one last round before it all ends—but I know she must be sore, so I refrain.
Still, if I stay in the same room with her for much longer when she’s in nothing but a towel…there’s no way I won’t maul her again. Not with her smelling so sweet. With that in mind, I roll off the bed to root around for my discarded pajama pants.
“I’m going to go downstairs to check on the pipes,” I tell her, needing an excuse to get out of this room. “Are you hungry?”
She shakes her head. “I’m okay right now.”
I pull my pants up over my hips, then cross the space between us to give her a quick peck on the lips after shrugging into my shirt. “Okay.”
“What was that for?”
My lips curl. “Just wanted to.”
Her answering smile is brilliant, and I can’t help but press another kiss to her lips, one that lingers this time.
“Pipes,” she murmurs against my mouth.
I grin back. “I’m going.”
She shoves me along with a nudge to my hip, and I begrudgingly leave her behind to go make myself busy. It’s warmer now in the rest of the lodge, thankfully, so I don’t have to worry about making sure Tess keeps herself bundled up while the old ducts try to catch up to the waning snowstorm outside.
The snow comes down in soft flakes now, the sky clearing up to let the sun shine through, which tells me the roads are likely being plowed as we speak. I’m not sure how I feel about the idea of giving up the little bubble Tess and I have made for ourselves, not quite ready to share her with others—even her family. I can honestly say I’ve never felt so possessive of another person, not even Chloe, and that thought should probably scare me. It should have me reevaluating things. But right now…it just brings me a sense of peace I’ve not had in a very long time, and I decide to enjoy it for however long I have it.
Because the idea of losing it is something I can’t bring myself to think about right now.
