Page 26 of Snowed Under

“Appreciate it,” he says as I reach out to grab his wrist and proceed to drag him by the arm across the gym toward the infirmary.

The halls are exactly how I remember them as we pass the lockers and classrooms. Not much changes around here, and a blast of nostalgia washes over me.

“Did you hang out here much as a kid?” Cole asks. When I open the door to the infirmary and we walk in, he immediately plants his ass on the cot with a thud.

“Hardly ever. I wasn’t a crybaby like some of the kids in my class.”

“Know the feeling.”

I open the first aid cabinet and pull out the box. I don’t know what I’m doing, but being alone with him after what we just did, it’s making me dizzy. I head over to the fridge and pull out an ice pack from the freezer. I wrap the pack in a hand towel and walk back to him, then press it against his hand. “This’ll help with the swelling.”

“He isn’t made of steel.”

“No, but you hit him pretty damn hard.”

“Trust me, if there weren’t kids present, I would’ve given him two black eyes to go with his new nose.”

I shake my head. “You didn’t have to do that. But thanks,fake boyfriend.”

He laughs. “You’re welcome, but for the record, I like the fact you kissed me. And there wasn’t anything fake about that, not from my side, anyway.”

“Not from mine, either.” My eyes flick up and he thumbs across my cheek. I still can’t believe I did what I did, and he liked it. “You’ve got glitter on your face.”

He nods as his lips quirk. “I can only imagine. Molly has a glitter wand.” Did he only just get this adorable or have I been too blind to see it?

“I shouldn’t have done that without your consent.” I stare at him.

“You have my consent anytime where those pretty little lips are concerned.”

I look down at my feet. I don’t know why it’s hard to accept compliments from him. Ever since the breakup, my confidence has been shot. “It was nice.”

“Nice? I don’t think I was doin’ my best if it was justnice.”

I can’t disguise my smile, evenwhen I’m hiding from him… and why would I want to? It may have been brief and our lips only touched for a few seconds, but it was the sweetest kiss I’ve ever had in my life.

??

Cole

As I glance at her angelic face and her peachy skin, it looks like she’s struggling with something. Her forehead holds a frown, her eyebrows furrow, and her cheeks are slightly pink. When she finally meets my gaze, she sweeps me away when she says, “It was epic. And since we’re supposed to be faking it, I don’t think I’m much of an actress after all.”

I pull her by the hips as she shuffles forward, her body coming to a halt between my legs. I settle my hands on either side of her waist, my eyes never leaving her. “We could practice. I mean, there’s a lot that goes into faking anything. Practice makes perfect, or so I’m told.” I cup her face with one hand.Fuck. She’s so sweet. “Would you kiss me again?”

Her sweet pink lips part, and my eyes dip. I want to suck that pouty bottom lip into my mouth, tug on it and make her whimper. But this has to be her call.

Again, she stuns me when she says. “Yes. I like your lips on me, your hands, too.”

I swallow hard. My throat feels like sandpaper, I only just manage to croak out, “I do, too.” I brush my thumbs back and forth over her hip bones. My dick isn’t just standing to attention, he’s begging for me to make a move. But he will have to wait.

It’s early days and I want Ainsley tofeel comfortable.I’m not a rebound guy…

She leans up on her tiptoes, and I close the gap. Our lips meet again and I do exactly what I promised myself; I tug on her bottom lip and a moan escapes her lips. I’m so hard, I feel things getting a little tight in my boxer briefs. I want her. I want this sweet little librarian to climb aboard and ride the shit out of me. But I also know as much as I wanna grab her throat and talk dirty to her, she may not quite be ready for that yet. If Drake was her last lover, it leaves little to be desired. Not that I wanna think about her with another man.

“I think I might love a man taking charge and looking out for me,” she breathes, shocking the crap out of me.

I swallow the lump in my throat. “You…you do?”

“Uh, huh.” She pulls on the lapels of my shirt as my body hums in appreciation of her touch. “Does that shock you?”

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