Page 169 of Screwged for Christmas

“Right, because you are were so safe with the attempted rape crew back there at the hotel, right?”

“You sound just like my father. They were just going to dunk me in the pool or some stupid game like that.”

“You’re wrong on both accounts. I know how boys think—they had no intentions ofthatkind of playing.” Gabriel’s scowl deepened as we passed motel after motel with “no vacancy” signs.

“He babies me just like you’re doing, and I think you’re a little out of touch with people my age.”

Instead of answering me, he jerked his chin toward a sign on the roadside. “Look, Christmas, Michigan. Fifteen miles ahead. There’s hope.”

Snow fell faster and the light faded. “Yeah, I don’t we’ll make it another three.”

“I’ll take some back roads.” We cut off the main road leading down the mountain and turned on to a double lane a little less covered in snow due to the overhanging pine limbs.

Wind rocked against the truck pushing us out of our lane.

“I think we need to pull over.” I gripped the doorhandle and held my breath when a branch came down smashing into the side of the truck with a crunch.

“Hold on.”

Another mile of nothing but white later, Gabriel turned off the road and bumped down unpaved roads filled with overgrown pines ladened with heavy snow. This was so far removed from the manicured hotels I was used to. It had a wild, untended feel that made me uneasy.

Gabriel slowed down at a faded and peeling “Snowbound Hotel Suites” sign. Someone propped the fallen sign up against a holly bush. Gabriel turned in the narrow driveway. A row of small neglected cottages nestled among pines greeted us.

He slowed to a stop and killed the engine, taking the keys with him when he stepped from the warm truck cabin.

I shivered, trying to cross my arms over my chest, but the damn cuffs make it hard.

“Your clothes are in the back. Getting something warm on, sweetheart. I’ll be right back.”

I turned to find all of my luggage thrown in the back, and my eye immediately landed on the toiletry case. Crap. I blushed furiously at what I know I left in the bathroom this morning. The other half of my plans for this trip.

“Warm? Something warm?”

I lunged myself over the seat and started digging.

Leaving my bathing suit in place, I pulled on a pair of comfy but thick sweatpants, some Uggs, and a fluffy coat I only managed to wrangle around my bare shoulders since, hello, cuffs.

I didn’t exactly pack for a winter vacation thinking I would be spending all of my days by the heated pool or in my room basking in silence and cheesy Christmas movies.

The door swung open and I got the first real look at my new ‘home’ for the evening.

“Let’s go. It’s only going to get colder.”

“Here, take your jacket.” He slipped it on as he helped me from the SUV and my feet sank into two feet of snow. Great.

He was right. This was no weather to be caught out in and I couldn’t imagine it would be any warmer inside.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” I called after him, but he walked faster than I could keep up with.

This looked like a setting for a horror movie—an isolated dumpy motel during a snowstorm. If we didn’t get murdered in our sleep, my father was so going to hear about this.

Bitter cold wind tore through the trees, raining fresh snow over our heads. A small cabin came into view with a shaky porch roof that looked like it would come down any second. He reached a hand out and I clamped onto it—either that or the snow would swallow me whole.

He pulled and I fell into his arms as we both stumbled into the rundown cabin. Not the kind of door I pictured us falling into, but the warm body and the strong arms were definitely welcomed.

Darkness greeted us.

A single window graced the front of the cabin, and Gabriel yanked open the curtains, flooding the must-smelling place with the remaining light of the day.

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