Page 23 of Cold Snap

"Not at all." She grins adorably. "And now I know the secret code to make you stop holding back."

I roll my eyes dramatically. "Are you saying you're making up a recipe for sex?"

Her head falls back as she laughs. "Sure."

She escapes to the bathroom for a minute, then returns to cuddle into my arms. This time she's less shy, placing our limbs exactly how she wants. "Your entire body is hard as rock, but you're still kind of snuggly."

"I'm gonna go with…thank you?"

Rosa falls asleep almost immediately, but my mind is racing. No man should be this lucky. But I still have a lot of work to do getting to know her. Her needs, her desires. My entire life is about to change.

I'd like to think I've shown Rosa that I can be a good lover.

Now I need to show her that I can be a good partner, too.

14

ROSA

Snuggled beside Baz, I wake up after sleeping like a log for a few hours. I'm relieved to discover that his earlier snoring was totally fake. He's silent as a stone while he sleeps.

After a few minutes, my mind begins to churn with worry. He wants me to just come live with him when I haven't even seen the house? I'm not even sure where it is. I appreciate the offer of a job in his hometown, but what if I don't like it there? What if I don't like the owners? He might think they are nice, but there's a big difference between visiting someone as a customer and actually working for them.

Plus…my leg stretches slightly to brush against his firm, muscled thigh…he's a super fit guy. I've lost some weight and I'm healthy enough to be on my feet all day walking endless laps of the kitchen, but I'm not strong enough to go on five-hour hikes with him, or help him move trees or anything.

Eventually I give up on sleep, slipping out of the toasty, warm bed. The fire is down to embers, so I place a small log on it, blowing gently to encourage the flames to take hold.

I get dressed and race back to my room to wash my face, brush my teeth, and put on a clean shirt. It's wickedly cold in my room, so I pull on a second long-sleeved t-shirt.

Enough. I'm going to have to put this budding relationship out of my mind. I have work to do. I have to feed people without a working stove, by the power of my flashlight and candlelight?—

My stomach drops.

In the cold light of day, Baz might change his mind. This is just his vacation. A dreamy little break from his real world. When life gets back to normal, all of last night's intensity could disappear in the mess of reality.

Picking up the flashlight from in front of the mirror, I turn, open the door, and walk straight into Baz's bare chest. His arms lock around me. "Angel." His strong hands rub up and down my back, then he tilts my face up for a perfect, tender kiss. "The second I saw you were gone, my heart sank."

"I have to get ready for work."

He shakes his head, his deep eyes almost glittering in the near dark. "I already know you, angel. The second you were out here in the cold alone, you started to doubt everything, didn't you?"

I blink in surprise. "I've barely been gone for five minutes. What?—"

I'm lifted in the air as he steps into the room, sitting me in his lap on my bed. "Whatever you're afraid of, whatever doubts are rolling around in that beautiful head, we're going to smooth them all out together, okay?"

"I didn't…I mean, I don't expect…all the stuff that was said last night…"

His smile warms me straight through. "Last night I was only focusing on the really good parts. There's going to be some crap as well. There always is. Maybe you hate my kitchen and want toremodel it. Hell, maybe you hate my entire house. No problem. We get a new one."

"No way! It sounds like you love your house."

"The house was fine forme, but maybe not for us. This is an entirely new life." His thumb runs along my bottom lip. "I know I come off as this rough, backwoods guy. And to some extent I am. I'm going to be possessive and jealous, and a total animal around you whenever you're naked."

I can feel myself blush.

"But angel, you're the one in charge. Always. I need you to understand that. I have plenty of money stashed away. Wherever you want to live, that's where we live. If you don't want to work, that's great. If you do, that's great too, and I will drive all over hell's half acre to help you find the perfect spot."

I'm stunned. There truly aren't words.

---