Page 24 of Cold Snap

"Rosa, don't think that I'm dropping you into my life as a last puzzle piece. We're making a whole new life together. Understand?"

Nodding, I answer by threading my fingers into his hair, pulling his mouth to mine for a passionate, ferocious kiss that says everything I can't convey with words. My breasts press against his chest as my hip grinds against the unmissable lump in his pajama pants.

"You have no idea how much I want to throw you onto the bed right now and have my wicked way with you." His sexy, gritty voice has me tingling already. "But it's cold, and you're working. Plus there's no power. So I'm coming to help you."

"Thank you." My hand gently circles his chest. "But I'd strongly suggest putting on a shirt. You don't want Mrs. H. falling into a swoon." We laugh together.

"Please. She's too busy swooning over Cooper to look in my direction," Baz chuckles. "Let's go."

We swing by his room so he can throw on some clothes, then hurry to the kitchen to light a few candles. Just as I'm taking a mental inventory of what's in the icebox, the power comes back on.

"Perfect timing," he says, grinning.

"Great – that means coffee will be ready soon. Do you think Mrs. H. will think I'm a slacker if I just do scrambled eggs and hashbrowns?"

Baz kisses the tip of my nose. "Comfort food after a chilly night sounds perfect to me. You'll need the potatoes peeled, right?"

"Thanks, but I've got it."

He scowls. "You're getting a late start and it's cold. I'm not letting you freeze your sweet little fingers off."

I honestly can't believe him. This feeling of being cared for is addictive. I never want to let it go.

There's another click, deep in my gut. A knowing. A sixth sense.

Baz is going to care for me forever. He's going to be super protective, he's going to listen to every word I say, and he's always going to try to make me more comfortable.

I have to swallow hard to clear the lump in my throat before I can speak. "Not peeled. Deeply scrubbed, please."

I set him up with a bucket of russet potatoes and the scrubber and he gets to work as if it were his life's mission. In just ten minutes I've got everything relatively under control. "Why don't you go back to being a guest? Catch up with your friends?"

He kisses the tip of my nose. "You couldalsohave said that you'd like your space back. It's cool." His hand reaches down to squeeze my ass firmly. "You are seriously sexy when you tell me what to do, angel."

He laughs at the shiver that runs through me, kisses me quickly, then disappears out to the dining room. Looking aroundthe kitchen, everything is exactly the same, yet totally different as well.

Because I'm in love with a hulking mountain who loves me back.

Looking down at the colander, I blink and then laugh to myself. Well, I'll be darned.

Somehow, in the middle of a cold snap on a mountain, I've found a man who can scrub potatoes perfectly.

15

BAZ

After lunch, Dylan, Moore and I get settled in the library for a whiskey and a reading session, but after just a minute we all put our books down at the same time.

"I'm really glad we're staying an extra day or two," Moore says.

"Yeah," Dylan agrees. "I think we all need a bit more time to wrap our heads around what's just happened to us all."

Nodding, I stare into the fire. "Here we are, all in love. Yet we haven't taken our wonderful women out on a single date yet." I look up at the others. "It feels…incomplete, doesn't it?"

They nod, just as I see someone walking past in the hallway. "Hey Cooper," I call out. "Got a sec?"

Tonight's dinnermight be a first for Wolfe Mountain Chalet: four small round tables in a semi-circle around the fire. And instead of the chairs being opposite each other, we've seated each couple side by side facing the fireplace.

Moore created centerpieces with candles, so the lights are dim and romantic. Dylan made an incredible salad, as I concocted some fancy fruity wine spritzers. It turns out that Cooper is a skilled pizza maker, and whipped up a masterpiece for each table, based on every couple's preferences.

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