Page 35 of Two Weeks in Tahoe

I take a seat in my new regular spot on the barstool and prop my arms up. Cocoa walks up lazily, looking for someone to pet her. I give her a scratch behind the ear. I’ve always been a big, fluffy dog kind of person, I just knew I wasn’t in the right place to take care of one the last few years. Even before my parents’ accident.

I turn my attention back to Liam and watch him, realizing he still looks a little troubled, though he might be trying to hide it.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Ah…well, the snowstorm got worse last night. And this morning. The roads are totally closed right now, and I was supposed to go to my parents tonight to pick up Jackson.”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry. What can we do?” I ask, feeling helpless.

He shrugs. “Nothing we can do. He’s in good hands with his grandparents. I’m just a little bummed because I told him I’d be there, and I have this thing about always being there for him when I say I’m going to…”

“I’m sorry. This is my fault. If my stupid heat hadn’t gone out, then you probably wouldn’t be stranded up here with me.” I sigh. I can’t help but feel like I’m imposing. He must see that on my face because he comes over to me, shaking his head.

“Hey, no. None of this is your fault. It’s really not a huge deal. I wasn’t planning on driving down there until today, whether you came over yesterday or not. So, if anything, you’re doing me a favor by keeping me company. If you didn’t happen to get stranded with me, then I would’ve spent all this time alone here. And you would have spent your days alone too. And that would have been a real shame. Plus, I kinda like having you around.”

I blush and wrap my arms around him again, squeezing tight. “So…I’m stranded here?”

“Fortunately, yes. Don’t worry, I’m a very attentive host,” he says with a wink.

And to think, I was just considering pulling back from this before one of us gets too attached and gets hurt when I leave in a week. And now I’m stuck at his house for another day. Yet, I’m not all that upset about it. “So…how about that coffee?” I question, trying to distract myself and lighten the mood.

“Cream, two sugars?” he turns back to ask me as he reaches for them.

I raise my eyebrows at him, and he returns with a steaming cup of dark coffee for me. “Princess,” he teases, offering it to me with the sexiest grin. Suddenly, an image of him between my thighs from last night pops into my head.

I blush. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, Layla.” I swoon at the way he says my name. This man has a hold on me, and I may be heading for some real trouble.

“So, what does one do all day when they’re snowed in? And they have no change of clothes or any of their belongings, I must add.”

“Well, as far as the clothes go, I personally don’t care if you don’t wear any at all. Please, make yourself at home. As for the other part…I don’t know.”

I give him a playful, scolding look.

“Okay, fine. If you must, we have a ton of extra things in the guest room. Some of my mom’s old things, a couple of Lace’s old things…” at my expression he holds his hands up reassuringly. “It’s fine, I promise. Use anything you need. Or use some of mine. Whatever you want.”

He shows me to a guest room, where I spend very little time picking a few things, not wanting to rifle through their stuff too much. Then I take them to the bathroom to shower and freshen up.

I return to the kitchen dressed in some sweats that fit nicely and a worn navy crew neck sweater with “Lake Tahoe” on it, featuring the mountains and the lake. I find Liam already showered and changed into some grey joggers and a crew neck. His messy dark hair is still wet, and I realize he seems to have a little more stubble on his face today than he did yesterday. It’s sexy. Everything about this man is sexy. How is he so intelligent, handsome, caring, and more? He's too perfect.

He stands in the kitchen waiting for me, holding out a champagne bottle and orange juice. “Mimosas? I know you love them…”

“Sure, why not.”

We make breakfast while drinking mimosas and listening to some music, take our time eating and talking, then cuddle up by the fireplace with a movie on.

We don’t make it halfway through the movie. I start feeling the champagne a little too much, so he heads to the kitchen to whip together some snacks. Even though I insist on helping, he makes me sit while he does everything. I snack on the leftover cookies while I wait.

He’s in the zone making grilled cheese sandwiches and I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy merely sitting here admiring him. He has a baseball cap on now, and as he gets in the zone flipping those sandwiches, he pulls his cap backwards. Immediate swoon. Plus, the shape of his firm ass is showing through those grey sweats nicely.

All I can think as I look at him is,Happy holidays to me.

“Are you checking me out?”

My gaze flicks up to his. I didn’t even notice his head turned back toward me. The alcohol has definitely kicked in. “Maybe,” I admit, shrugging. “Can you blame me?”

He smirks in satisfaction and resumes flipping the sandwiches. “A glass or two of champagne and you unabashedly check me out, huh? I don’t normally drink much, but I’ll have to remember to stock up for next time.” He winks.

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