Page 13 of Snowed in with the Bodyguard

“What are you thinking about?” I murmur.

He stares off into the distance, his gaze lost in some unseen place. “Trying to figure a way out of this mess,” he says, his voice laced with fatigue.

The gravity of our situation settles over me. We’re trapped, hunted, with no clear path to safety. But here we are, side by side, finding solace in each other’s presence.

I lean closer, seeking comfort in his warmth, in the solid strength of his arm against mine. He tenses at first, but then he surprises me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer, a gesture of protection that stirs something deep within me.

“I’ve been thinking about this too,” he murmurs, gesturing between us. His gaze meets mine. Intense. Raw. “I shouldn’t … It’s against every rule, against everything your father stipulated. But damn it, Holly… I want you. I’ve wanted you since I first laid eyes on you that day in the front hall. And when I saw you curled up in a chair in the chair in the library, you looked untouchable, out of reach, and I told myself that’s exactly where you had to stay. But no matter how hard I’ve tried, I can’t get you out of my head.”

His unexpected confession sends a shiver down my spine, and my pulse races as his words sink in. I search his face, finding no hesitation, only unfiltered desire and a vulnerability I never expected to see in him.

“I thought I imagined it,” I whisper. “That I was reading too much into the way you looked at me.”

“I didn’t want to admit it, even to myself,” he says, his jaw tightening as though fighting an internal war. “But now, with everything that’s happened today… Fuck”—he rakes a hand through his hair—“you’re all I see. All I think about. Keeping you safe is everything.”

His words linger between us, along with the reminder that our time might be short, that the men chasing us could close in at any moment. But his confession breaks something open inside me. The pull to him is as powerful as the fear that pulsed through my veins earlier.

My life has been upended. My father made Jack my bodyguard, and since then, we’ve been running, fighting, struggling to stay alive. And through it all, Jack has stayed by my side, never once faltering. Those lingering glances I once dismissed now come rushing back, filling me with a longing I haven’t allowed myself to acknowledge.

For so long, I’ve tried to ignore him, tried to convince myself he’s just another of my father’s employees. But now, the barriers between us are as flimsy as wet paper.

I look into his eyes, acknowledging the weight of the moment, the culmination of everything that’s led us here. My heart pounds, each beat echoing in the silence. This may be our only chance, the one opportunity to seize what we both want without fear or hesitation.

Electricity fills the space between us, charged with an intensity that leaves me breathless.

He cups my cheek, his thumb pulling my bottom lip away from my teeth. “I can’t stay away anymore, Holly.”

“Then don’t.”

His breath hitches, his eyes searching mine one last time as if to ensure I mean it. Then he moves, closing the gap between us.

And as our lips meet, the world around us fades. All that remains is us.

Chapter 6

Jack

With a groan of defeat, I kiss her. And, fuck, it’s glorious.

Holly sighs as my teeth tug at her bottom lip, and she parts her lips with a muffled moan. I deepen the kiss, my tongue tangling with hers, stroking and tasting her with sensual greed. I haul her closer, leaving the temptation of her lips to kiss along her jaw and neck, inhaling deep—citrus and snowy air and a scent that’s intrinsically Holly.

This woman is forbidden. Not only because she’s twelve years younger than me but because her dad is my employer. He’d have my balls if I fucked his daughter, not to mention my head. That knowledge has kept me away from her for two years, kept me from making the mistake of my life.

But how can it be a mistake when she feels so damn right in my arms? When it feels like fate. Providence. Like every choice, every moment, every breath has led me here—to her. I don’t know if we have an hour of life left or fifty years stretched ahead of us, but I can’t stop. I won’t.

My hand trembles as it brushes her cheek, her skin soft and warm against my calloused fingers. Her breath catches, her lips parting as her wide eyes search mine. She knows. She feels it too. This pull, this gravity drawing us together, defying all logic, all fear.

Her body is finally warm, snuggled against mine. It’s fucking freezing outside, and we’re both exhausted, but my lust for her—a lust I’ve carried for way longer than I should—sets my body on fire. We aren’t out of danger, but we’re safe for now.

“I shouldn’t do this,” I murmur, my voice raw, even as I lean closer, the space between us disappearing like it was never meant to be there at all.

“Don’t think,” she whispers, her voice trembling but sure. “Just be here. With me.”

That’s all it takes. The last thread of restraint snaps, and I capture her mouth again. It’s not a gentle kiss this time. It’s fierce, desperate, full of everything I’ve held back, everything I’ve wanted to say but couldn’t find the words for. She melts into me, her hands clutching at my shoulders, anchoring me to her as if I’m the only thing keeping her afloat.

The world outside could freeze over. It probably already has. But here, in her arms, I’ve found something I never dared to hope for—something worth fighting for. Worth dying for.

When we finally break apart, her forehead rests against mine, both of us breathless. Her lips are swollen, her eyes dark with emotion.

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