Page 78 of Out of the Cold

He frowned down into his coffee, his strong throat working as he swallowed.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No, I’m glad you did.”

They ate without talking for several minutes. Gabriel smiled at her, but it was obvious he was thinking about something, and she didn’t want to intrude on it.

She grabbed her phone and checked the weather. “It’s supposed to start clearing up tonight,” she said, hiding her disappointment.

She wasn’t ready for all this to be over. What if this magic ended with the storm?

“Should I come over tonight and make you dinner?” he asked.

She grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed. “You should definitely come over. The dinner part is up to you.”

“It won’t be anything fancy, since I can only work with what I’ve got in the cabin, but I’ll figure something out.”

“You can use whatever I have here,” she said, standing up. “Do you want to shower before you go?” she asked, remembering that his cabin wouldn’t have hot water.

“That’s probably a good idea.”

That seemed to remind him why he needed a shower, and the look he gave her nearly curled her toes. She was almost sure he was thinking about inviting her in with him.

But that was so intimate, something true lovers did.

“You go ahead, I’ll clean up,” she said, standing and grabbing the plates.

A few minutes later she heard the shower turn on and went still, once again imagining the water sluicing over him, pooling in the defined hollows of his muscles. Only now she knew the heat and texture of his skin.

She only had to get through the rest of the day, and then she’d learn him all over again.

Fifteen minutes later, he came out fully dressed, his damp hair curling against his forehead.

“Did you have enough hot water?” she asked.

“Plenty. Enough for a longer one if you want to join me next time.”

Giving in to the urge, she wrapped her arms around his waist. He was big and hard and warm, and she could have stood like that for days. “Yes, please.”

Later that morning, she dutifully sat down at her laptop, but for the first time possibly ever, her own life was more interesting than what she was writing. Gabriel was as sexy and fierce as she remembered, but warmer and more affectionate, funnier than she’d expected.

Thinking about last night left her languid and slow, like a cat in the sun. She could have sat and stared out the window all day. She managed to keep to her schedule only by reminding herself of her inescapable deadline.

When she took Hilde out later in the afternoon, the snow was lighter and the wind had stopped. Snow rose higher than her head in some places, and Hilde’s valiant attempts to bound her way through it ended with them back under the deck.

Lucy refueled the generator while she was at it, then headed back inside.

“What do you say we make some fudge?” she said, grabbing the ingredients from the cabinets and fridge. “It’s the least we can do when he’s making dinner, right? Also, it’ll keep me from going crazy with nerves and lust.”

Would it be impolite to jump him the second he walked in? Was it presumptuous even to assume they would have sex tonight? Surely not, when he’d suggested they would shower together.

Yes, she definitely needed to keep busy, and making fudge entailed paying close attention to the temperature. She was putting the fudge in the fridge to cool when Hilde went to the door and began emitting sharp yips of joy.

“Come on in!” Lucy called.

Gabriel entered carrying his duffel bag and a shopping bag. He set both down to give Hilde pets. “It smells amazing in here.”

“I made chocolate fudge.”

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