Page 34 of Mountain Hero

“Winter, are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Enzo puts the back of his fingers to my cheek. “You look flushed.”

“Yup,” I answer brightly, forcing myself back on topic. “I feel fine. Just… Anyway. I started the casserole half an hour ago. So it should be ready in another forty-five minutes. And I was thinking… we were talking about board games last night. Maybe we could play one?”

“What about your head? Is that too much?”

“I think it’s fine. As long as we don’t play something like Trivial Pursuit. But if we play Monopoly or Life or Jenga… I just thought it would be fun.”

Over dinner last night, we got into a conversation about board games and how I used to play them with my parents when I was young, and how Enzo would play marathon rounds of War and Monopoly with his mom and uncle. It’s just another thing we have in common, like our love of black coffee and classic comedies and being outdoors.

And holding hands. That too.

There’s a pause, while Enzo just stares at me long enough for me to second guess my suggestion.

Then he smiles. “I would love that. Dinner and games and spending the evening with you? I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”

Oh.

Warmth blossoms in my chest. “I would love that, too.”

CHAPTER 10

ENZO

It’s only been a week since Winter moved in, and already I don’t want her to leave.

Well. It’s a bit more complicated than that.

I want Winter to be able to leave and not still be in hiding from her abusive ex. I want Thomas to be in jail, being held accountable for the terrible things he did to her, instead of still successfully evading the police.

But if I put that part of it aside, I selfishly want her to stay here.

I want Winter sleeping in the bedroom next to mine so I can run in there if she has a nightmare. In the morning, I want to sit at the kitchen island and drink coffee with her while we talk about our plans for the day. And I want to look forward to coming home after work, already thinking about what movie we’re going to watch and hoping Winter will fall asleep on my shoulder like she started doing a few nights ago.

It’s the most perfect feeling—her soft breaths on my neck, her silky hair brushing my arm, and the soft weight of her curves as she curls up against me—knowing she’s trusting me to keep her safe when she’s at her most vulnerable.

I have to keep reminding myself we’re just friends.

That’s what she needs. Not a man who’s very quickly developing much stronger feelings for her.

Even though we’ve progressed from hand-holding to hugs, like when Winter threw her arms around me after I ordered that new book I noticed her eyeing on Amazon or when she finally declared victory after an hours-long game of Monopoly.

Just holding her hand is something special. But hugging her? It’s so much more.

I can’t help wondering what it would be like to kiss her. Touch her all over. Peel her clothes off and discover what color her nipples are and if she has any cute little freckles anywhere else on her body.

And late at night, I let myself fantasize about doing everything with her. Sinking into her slick heat, feeling her muscles clutching at me, and hearing her breathy cries of ecstasy.

I wouldn’t tell Winter any of that. Of course. I told her I didn’t expect anything beyond friendship, and I meant it.

It doesn’t mean I can’t think about it, though. Or hope that someday, I might have a chance.

It’s crazy, really. After avoiding commitment for so long, gently letting women down before things could get serious, here I am, ready to throw myself all in.

Not now.

And if I’m being realistic, it could be a long time before Winter’s ready for anything more than friendship. I know Thomas hurt her, but she doesn’t talk about how bad it was. I have no idea—though I have a sickening suspicion—if he violated her.

Shit. Just thinking about it fills me with a rage like nothing I’ve felt before.

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