Page 11 of Cold Snap

"Rosa dear, are you in here?" Mrs. H. is coming closer. Flinging the window open, I eject myself feet first, then crouch down low.

"I'm right here." Rosa sounds flustered.

"Why is that window open?"

"I always open it for a few minutes between meals, to freshen the air. Every meal has a distinctive fragrance, and—" The window shuts, and I can't hear any more.

I crouch in the snow like a cat burglar for a minute before walking in the back door and up to my suite to change out of my snow-covered socks and jeans.

My feet are chilly, but my blood runs cold for another reason.

I've never been in a relationship. I don't really talk to people at all, especially not women. Now I have to convince the beautiful woman of my dreams that my feelings for her are real and that we are permanent.

And I only have a few days.

This is going to be one hell of a challenge.

8

ROSA

After lunch, my mind is spinning. I have too much to think about at once. The prep for dinner tonight. The extra organizing I was supposed to get done this afternoon. The impossible possibility that Baz is genuinely attracted to me, too-wide hips and all.

Maya comes into the kitchen looking a bit…off. I stir some black pepper into a pot, asking, "Are you okay? You look a little flushed."

She must hear Mrs. H. coming up behind her, because she presses a palm to her cheek. "It's the fireplace." Her laugh sounds forced. "Everything's fine, then suddenly I'm standing right in front of the fire while serving or collecting plates, with that wave of heat right up my back."

I'm not buying it. Maya is totally blushing from being near Dylan. I laugh loudly to draw the attention away from her. "Oh my god, hovering over this stove on and off does the same thing."

Kallie and Maya start scrubbing out some pans, and Mrs. H. turns on some music.

"You girls have been working hard this week." Sometimes when she smiles she suddenly seems more like a mom than aboss. "Even though there are only three guests, I know I've given you a lot of extra cleaning and organizing work. I appreciate it. I think you should all take the afternoon off. Lounge in your rooms, just read or watch movies."

Kallie grins. "With all of the reading those guys are doing in the library, the entire chalet is going to be filled with nothing but bookworms."

"Could be worse," I laugh. "Much better than the loud ski bros last year."

"Glad I missed those," Maya mutters. "Quiet is always best."

We finish up quickly, as I try to figure out how to let Baz know that I have an hour and a half free to chat before starting dinner. Of course I can't let anyone see us, so there are really only two private places – my room or his.

After Maya and Kallie leave, I turn off the main kitchen lights. Normally I'd walk down the servants' hallway past the butler's pantry to get to my room. Instead, I walk through the dining room, and very slowly past the open library door.

There's no way I can peek in for fear of blushing, and I know his friends would see me. So I just keep walking up the staircase and down the back hall. It worked. Nearly silent footsteps follow me to my room, and when I enter I leave the door open.

Baz comes in two seconds later, closing the door behind him. "God, you're so beautiful, Rosa. Look at you. Your hair is glowing in the sunlight and your skin…" He approaches slowly, trailing his fingertips along my cheek. "So soft."

I inhale his subtle, masculine scent as I step into his arms. The feeling of so much muscle and raw power being so gentle for me…it's intoxicating. I want to believe that he really feels this. Yet I can't delude myself: I have years of other voices in my head telling me that's impossible. For now, I'll just let wishful thinking take over.

Baz kneels down to untie and remove my shoes. "I have an idea."

He stretches out on my small bed, taking up most of it. Then he pulls me down to lie with my back against his chest and my ass pressed right on his groin. He sweeps my hair out of the way to nuzzle my neck, sending shivery tingles through me.

His arms wrap around me, hands settling on my stomach. "I need to know more about you. This way, I figure I can snuggle you enough to be close, but not be distracted by your gorgeous eyes."

Looking back over my shoulder, I can't suppress my giggle. "For a guy who claims to not know much about romance, you're doing a pretty decent job so far."

He grins. "Why, thank you, ma'am. Now, where did you grow up?"

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