Page 6 of Puck Me for Christmas

For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. I felt the strength of his arms braced on either side of me, his weight pressing down, not crushing but inescapable. He lifted his head, and our eyes met, we were only inches apart. His cheeks were flushed, his hair slightly disheveled beneath his beanie. My heart clenched with old memories.

I parted my lips, searching for words, but nothing came out. Logan’s gaze flicked to my mouth, and a jolt of heat shot through my veins.

He cleared his throat softly, voice husky. “You okay?”

I nodded, swallowing. “Yeah. Just…slipped.”

In the distance, I could hear voices calling our names, Sasha’s shrill tone, Holly Joy’s concerned chirp. But here, concealed behind the pine, we still had a moment of privacy

My breath formed small clouds between us. Logan’s arms caged me gently, his body heat radiating through our coats. He didn’t move to stand yet, as if uncertain. I could feel his heart pounding—or was that it mine?

I clenched my hands into fists, snow crumbling beneath my gloves. “Logan…” I began, voice catching.

A shadow passed over his face, something that made my chest ache. “Emberleigh,” he murmured, “I…” He stopped, his teeth worrying his bottom lip.

For a split second, I wanted to close that scant distance, to taste the warmth of his mouth, to rewrite the narrative of our past. But pride and hurt held me back. Before I could decide, muffled shouting broke the spell. Sasha’s voice, calling Logan’s name. Reality intruded harshly.

I pressed my palms against Logan’s chest, pushing gently. He hesitated, then rolled off me, both of us scrambling to stand. The snow parted with a soft crunch. We stared at each other, breath steaming, eyes brimming with everything unsaid.

“Later,” he whispered, dipping his head, eyes dark with meaning. Then he turned and headed back toward the courtyard, calling out something reassuring to the others. I followed a few steps behind, my knees shaky, pulse thrumming in my ears.

When we emerged from behind the pine, Sasha rushed up, phone in hand, ranting that she missed a perfect shot. Dante hurried over to me, panting, relief flooding his face. Holly Joy demanded to know if we were hurt. Pearl and Norman sniped about how we vanished without warning, nearly giving them both heart attacks, and the newlyweds exchanged confused glances.

I said nothing, just forced a grin and assured everyone I was fine. But inside, a wildfire of confusion and longing raged. The snowball tournament had ended in an unexpected tie—or maybe we lost or won, I couldn’t care less. I only knew that Logan and I had collided in more ways than one and despite my best intentions, I found myself falling for him all over again.

Chapter Four

Logan

The cold air slapped my cheeks as I trailed behind the group returning from the snowball tournament, my thoughts still tangled with what had happened out there in the courtyard. A few minutes ago, I’d all but collided with Emberleigh in a tumble of snow and racing hearts, leaving me breathless with old longing. Now, as we stepped into the relative warmth of the chalet’s lobby, an awkward buzz of tension hovered over all of us. Our boots squeaked across the tile, snow dripping from our jackets, the aftermath of the day’s “friendly” competition melting around our feet.

I tried to catch Emberleigh’s eye. She avoided me, fussing with her camera bag and fiddling with the strap on her coat, hair still dusted with flakes. The memory of her being pressed against me behind that snow-laden pine flickered in my mind, and heatcoiled in my belly. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to focus on our immediate surroundings instead of the electric moment we’d shared.

Holly Joy hovered near the reception desk. Normally, she would’ve been bouncing on her toes, rallying us for more holiday cheer, but her brow furrowed at the screen of her phone. A loud vibration buzzed in her palm, and her expression darkened further. She pasted on a thin smile and waved us over.

“Hey, everyone,” she said with forced brightness. “I just got an update from Nicholas Klauss—Nick, our maintenance man.” She paused, swallowing. “He says the roads are still impassable. They won’t clear until after Christmas, at least two more days.”

A collective groan rose around me, echoing across the chalet’s stone walls. Jenna let out a small whimper, clinging to Tyrese’s arm. Pearl frowned so deeply that it felt like the temperature dropped another degree. Even Holly Joy—who was the poster child of relentless optimism—looked genuinely disappointed.

Dante, standing beside me and fiddling with the strings of his apron, cleared his throat. “Well, on the bright side…we have enough supplies in the kitchen.” His attempt at reassurance met only stony silence. Not even a half-chuckle, I noted wryly.

Emberleigh shifted, letting out a measured breath. Without glancing my way, she slung her camera over her shoulder and turned toward the main staircase. “I need to make some calls,” she announced flatly, disappearing before anyone else could react. Sasha, phone clutched in gloved hands, muttered something about lost viewership and needing to come up with a new angle, and then she, too, slipped away. Pearl and Norman grumbled about missed family obligations and ambledoff to the lounge, leaving behind a vague tension that felt thicker than the snowdrifts outside.

Jenna and Tyrese trudged upstairs hand in hand, murmuring about hot showers. Raul peeled off toward the reading nook. Celestia Moon quietly glided in the direction of the spa, her robes flowing. Holly Joy offered us a quick, half-hearted wave and disappeared through a door behind the reception counter. Only Dante remained at my side. He sighed, rolling a kink out of his neck.

“Guess we’re all stuck here for a while,” he said with a small shrug.

“Yeah,” I agreed, my gaze drifting to the staircase Emberleigh had climbed. “At least until after Christmas.”

“Seems that way,” Dante murmured, face clouded with worry. Then, as if shaking off a bad dream, he squared his shoulders. “Well, I need to prep dinner to be served at 7 pm in the dining room. We’ll see if we can lighten the mood, right?” There was a hopeful note in his voice, and I managed a nod hoping the gesture of reassurance came off as sincere.

I lingered near the front desk for a minute, unsettled by the day’s turn of events. My mind kept replaying that near-collision with Emberleigh; the way her breath had tangled with mine, the fierce spark in her eyes, our faces inches apart. The memory burned hot under my skin, along with regret that we hadn’t said anything—hadn’t resolved anything—before stumbling back into the chaos. Pressing my lips together, I decided that once I’d showered and changed, I’d try again. It was obvious there was still something between us, and I was sure Emberleigh felt it, too. She deserved an explanation. And I was determined to give it to her, whether she liked it or not.

At precisely seven o’clock, I found myself entering the chalet’s dining room, scrubbed clean from a long, hot shower. The day’s tension still knotted my shoulders, and I tried to ease it by rolling them back, taking a steadying breath. The dining room was set with long tables, each lined with crisp linen tablecloths and understated centerpieces of pinecones and flickering candles. Dante had pulled out all the stops for dinner, as if hoping a feast would mend the group’s sour spirits. Considering the waves of frustration and resentment swirling through the chalet, it would take a miracle of holiday proportions.

People filed in at different intervals, all looking subdued. First came Pearl and Norman, followed by Jenna and Tyrese, who weren’t holding hands this time. Sasha strolled in next, phone aimed at the lavish spread, face twisted in a half-pout. Raul settled into a corner seat, sighing as he unfolded a napkin. Celestia drifted to a spot near the far end, giving everyone a serene nod. Emberleigh arrived last, crossing the threshold with her usual poised grace, but I noticed faint shadows under her eyes. She avoided looking directly at me, and my heart panged.

Holly Joy, stationed by the buffet, tried her best to recapture her cheerful tone. “Dante’s been working hard on this dinner, folks. Let’s give him a warm welcome and enjoy!”

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