Page 8 of Taylor

His gaze then fell to the living room below. Sitting on the couch next to a big bowl of popcorn was Alice.

Her feet were tucked up underneath her, and she was curled up with a small soft pink-and-purple blanket. From up here, he could look down her tank top, but he wouldn’t. Well, not for long, at least. But as his eyes took in her body, they continued up to her face, up to her full soft lips pulled into a big smile, then to her bright eyes fixed right on his.

And his fucking heart skipped a beat. He was in so much trouble.

4

Alice

Alice watched as Taylor headed up the stairs to take a shower. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She tried not to let her eyes linger on his utterly perfect round ass. She’d grown up around hockey players, and their ass and legs were the stuff of legends, and even in his khakis, she could tell his ass was amazing.

Shaking her head, she disappeared into the kitchen. After pouring her freshly popped popcorn into a big bowl, she dumped in two bags of M&M’s. It was the best. She then took the big bowl and the two mugs of hot chocolate to the coffee table, where she waited for Taylor.

Sneaking a glance out the window, she could see the snow was really coming down. It looked like there was already over an inch out there. She wouldn’t fantasize about being snowed into a remote cabin over Christmas with a hot hockey player... but it was looking like reality.

She was getting carried away.Calm down, she told herself as she snatched two red M&M’s from the popcorn bowl, even if she was in the same situation many heroines often find themselves in romance novels.

This was not a romance novel. She was not like those girls. Romance books weren’t written about girls who were too much. Too big. Too loud. Too flighty. Too sensitive. Too much of a fuck-up. She’d heard it all. And she wished she could brush it off. Maybe there were times she could have, but the problem was, she was starting to believe it.

Nothing in her life ever worked out, and there was one common denominator in all the situations. Her. She had had countless jobs, career ideas, friend groups. Nothing stuck. The only thing she had never tried was sex. So here, she sat, a jobless, virginal, fuck-up.

That thought spiral was blessedly stopped by Taylor’s reappearance.

There he stood, at the top of the stairs. His wet hair was slicked back. He wore a plain tight white T-shirt that stretched over his biceps. And she would not stare at the bulge underneath those red-and-black plaid pajama pants. But when her eyes connected with his, her heart thudded away in her chest. Fuck.

“You ready?” she asked cheerfully, trying to mask her lust and depression, and both were fighting for top billing in her mind.

It’s a good thing masking her inner thoughts was something she had lots of practice at.

“Let’s do this,” he said as he made his way down the rest of the stairs.

She pushed play, and the opening credits toWhite Christmasstarted. Taylor stopped by the window and took in the blowing snow.

“Wow, it’s accumulating pretty quickly out there. I’m so glad I’m not driving,” he said as he made his way to the couch. “Thanks again for letting me stay the night.” He sat on the other end of the couch, the big popcorn bowl between them. He took a handful. Tilting his head, he gazed at his hand. “M&M’s?”

“Salty and sweet,” said Alice. “Can’t beat it.”

The level of comfort was not what she was expecting. Alice wasn’t very comfortable around many people, but she was comfortable around him.

They came to the part of the movie where the sister sang their song, and she couldn’t help but sing along.

“Seen this movie a time or two?” he asked, with no judgment.

“Every year. I was so excited when my mom married my stepdad. I thought having a sister would be just like this. I talked her into singing it with me one year.”

“Somehow, I can’t imagine Isabelle Wagner singing,” he said with a smirk.

Alice couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up. “Yeah... I don’t think she would do it anymore, but when we were kids, she could be pretty fun. They all grew up... but I stayed the same.”

He turned to her with a look she couldn’t quite read. Respect and possibly fondness, but neither made any sense.

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t change,” he said, with their gaze still connected. “I’m pretty sure I’ve been this way since I was a kid, too. When something works, why change it?” He grinned.

“Are you saying something about me works?”

“Lots of things about you work, Alice.” Her mouth fell open, and a slight crease appeared between his brows. “Sorry if that was too forward,” he said quickly.

“Are you flirting with me?”

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