“We should just go to sleep, so we can get an early start tomorrow,” I say, annoyed by the whole thing.
“It’s five o’clock.” He looks amused, and I kind of want to kick him.
“So?”
He snorts and then flops down on the couch but doesn’t bother to remove his coat or shoes. I’m freezing, but I don’t want to show it. I don’t want to be here, and maybe that makes me a spoiled brat or a shithead, but I really don’t care.
I quickly shoot a text to my brother, trying to keep the snark out of it, but letting him know I’m stuck here for the night.
“You might want to get comfortable,” Hunter says, his eyes looking out the window. It’s already dark. I kind of hate this time of year. I mean—I love Christmas. It’s my favorite, but it getting dark so damn early and the unexpected blizzards? Not my thing.
“Why’s that?” I ask, not liking his tone.
“Because it’s snowing like a motherfucker, and the ice is going to take a long time to melt away. You know these roads don’t get much attention. They’ll get to it when they get to it.”
I scrunch up my face, not liking the sound of that at all. “They have to do it. It’s their job.”
“The roads out here can be rough on a normal day. They’ll do it, but it might take time.” He hops up off the couch like he’s not bothered at all. “Better turn on the heat before the power goes out.”
“W-what?” I stutter. “The power?”
Again. Not bothered. He doesn’t look bothered in the slightest. What is it with this guy? He just shrugs before going over to a thermostat and pushing buttons. “Power goes out when the ice piles up on the lines. It’s no big deal.” He looks over to where I see an elegant grand fireplace. “We at least have a heat alternative, and each bedroom has one.”
I think I’m sweating now. I’m still freezing, don’t get me wrong. Being snowed in, in a cabin alone with Hunter is bad enough. But no electricity? No, thank you. I might not survive.
“Don’t worry, Little Sharpe. I’ll keep you warm.” He waggles his eyebrows at me just as he removes his coat and shoes, flopping back down on the couch.
Orhemight not survive.
I glare at him, but he’s totally unbothered as he picks up the remote control and turns on the huge television that’s mounted above the fireplace, flipping through channels without a care in the world.
“You really might want to get out of your wet shoes and settle in.” I frown at him, but then I really don’t want my feet to fall off, so I do what he suggests. I slip out of my shoes and my wet socks, leaving them by the door. Thankfully, it does feel a lot warmer in here already, so I strip out of my coat.
But I don’t want to just accept this, damn it. I want to go home. I want to decorate the Christmas tree with my family and have hot chocolate and talk about the wedding. I don’t want to be stuck here.
“I know what will cheer you up.” He definitely doesn’t, but he hops up from the couch again, leaving the remote control behind. “Come on.”
I begrudgingly follow him into the large, stainless-steel, immaculate kitchen, and he points to a row of wooden stools at a bar.
“Take a seat.”
I listen to him, but I’m wary about what he has planned. I watch as he shuffles around the kitchen, placing two large red mugs in front of me and opening the fridge before frowning, looking pretty disappointed by what he finds in there, which appears to be a whole lot of empty.
“Damn. No milk.”
I raise an eyebrow but don’t say anything as he searches through the cabinets and gets pretty excited when he finds a couple of packets, which I now see are hot chocolate. He places them in front of me and then goes to the stove, grabbing a kettle and filling it with water before turning the stove on and placing the kettle on the burner.
He walks to stand in front of me across the bar. “It’ll only be a moment.”
“Hot chocolate?”
He looks behind me, I’m assuming out the large windows. “Yup. What else could you want on a night like tonight?”
I feel a strong urge to be a dick and remind him that all I really want is to be home with my family, but he’s trying really hard here.
And he really doesn’t have to do that.
So I think I can be civil for one night, at least.