Page 70 of Out of the Cold

“Come over around six for dinner,” she said.

“Deal.” Moving around the counter, he set a plate of fluffy yellow eggs and buttered toast in front of her, then sat down across from her with his own.

She snuck glances at him as they ate, wondering at this new, relaxed Gabriel. He seemed lighter, more at ease with himself and her. The only way to account for it was that he’d needed to unburden himself.

“What are your plans for the day?” he asked.

“I don’t keep to a schedule on Saturdays, but I’ll write for a bit.” She looked out the window at the driving snow. “A walk is out, so I’ll probably cook or bake. It’s a good thing I get so much exercise. I seem to be able to eat anything and get away with it.”

“Between the weight of all this snow and the wind, branches and trees are going to be coming down all over the place. It won’t be safe to walk in the woods for a good few days after the storm stops.”

“That’s depressing. I guess I’ll have to find another way to work off the calories.”

The second it was out of her mouth, she heard how it sounded. Her face hot, she grabbed his empty plate. “I’ll clean up,” she said, and headed to the sink to hide her face.

He disappeared into the bathroom, where she heard the water run, then came back out a few minutes later.

“I’ll see you tonight.” He bent down to give Hilde’s ear a rub, exactly the way she liked it, then headed out the door.

Lucy looked at Hilde in dismay. “We like him, don’t we?” she whispered.

Hilde thumped her tail.

She cleaned up, then sat down at the table and tried to focus on her characters, but thoughts of Gabriel kept intruding.

She wanted him here. She already missed him, and he’d only just left. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to fall hard for him. The only thing that had kept it from happening before now was the distance he’d put between them. With that gone...

Then again, he was mercurial, and his mood might be entirely different when she saw him tonight. God, she hoped not.

***

Gabriel knocked onthe mudroom’s inside door shortly before six o’clock. He was holding a lantern and had already discarded his winter coat and boots.

“Come on in,” she said, stepping back and trying not to show how happy she was to see him.

Hilde had no such compunction. She rolled over onto her back, showing her belly to him, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth.

Lucy laughed. “Now that is embarrassing.”

Gabriel bent over to rub Hilde's stomach. “You think? This is what most females do when I come around.”

She gave an involuntary snort of laughter.

He stood up with a smile. “Some females have more restraint than others.”

“No doubt.”

“I’m not too early?”

“Not at all.”

“Mind if I shower? I’ll be quick.”

“Go ahead. And feel free to use the hot tub, as well. I bet it would still be hot, right? You certainly earned it.”

His eyes heated, and for several long moments he didn’t respond. “Maybe another time,” he finally said.

As soon as he was out of sight, she sagged into a kitchen chair. The shower came on, and now she was picturing what he looked like with water streaming over all those muscles. Her entire body went soft with wanting.

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