Page 24 of Stuck Together

As soon as we stepped out on the sidewalk, both of our feet slipped. The ground beneath the snow was covered in a thin layer of ice. On instinct, we grabbed for each other and our hands locked. Her body fell into mine for support and a warmth spread through me, pushing against the cold of the night.

“You okay?” I asked once she found her balance.

She nodded and tightened her grip on my hand. “The walk to our cabin looks twice as far with all the ice and snow. How much you wanna bet we fall on our asses before we make it back?”

I threw my head back and laughed. I wasn’t sure if she meant for that to be funny. Her delivery deadpanned, but it made me laugh, nonetheless.

She gave me playful punch in the arm. “Stop laughing or you’re going to make us fall.”

“Sorry.” When I looked down at her, there was a light in her eyes that wasn’t there when she looked at me before. She looked happy and relaxed. It gave me hope that we could figure out how to work past our mistakes and be friends. Maybe even more than friends. “Come on before we turn into popsicles. Your hand is already starting to feel like ice.”

She was right about one thing, our short walk back to our cabin took twice as long as what it should have. Trying to slog through the snow on top of a sheet of ice was challenging to say the least. But at least we didn’t fall.

I opened the cabin door and warmth wrapped around us. But it wasn’t enough to take the chill out of our bones. “I’ll start a fire. See if you can find some extra blankets.”

She nodded and disappeared into her bedroom while I piled the logs in the fireplace.

“I can’t believe how cold it got and how fast the snow keeps coming down.” She returned with a couple blankets right as I lit the kindling. It took up in a roaring blaze. I just hoped it burned long enough to catch the logs.

“Yeah, it’s a hell of a storm,” I said as I stood next to her. “If I had known it was going to get this bad, I would have canceled this trip. Sorry I dragged you into this.”

She wrapped one of the blankets around herself with a shiver. “There's no need to apologize, Logan. There was no way you could’ve known it was going to get this bad.”

“Maybe not, but still.” When I glanced on her direction, I winced at how cold she looked. Her lip quivered and her fingers had lost all color. “You’re freezing. Give me your hands to help warm them faster.”

She shook her head and shrugged. “They’ll warm.”

I reached over and gently wrapping my hand around hers. They felt like ice against my warm skin. Mine weren’t nearly as cold having just lit the fire.

I rubbed her hands between mine before I lifted them up to my lips and blew warm air across her fingertips. She nervously shifted on her feet, keeping her eyes firmly placed toward the floor. I half expected her to pull away—it was what I should’ve done—but instead she leaned into me.

“Is that better?” The question came out rough and husky. Being this close to her was dangerous. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her close until the warmth of my body pushed away her chill.

“A little.” Her voice was shaky, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or closeness to me. I really hoped it was the latter.

“Yeah, I don't believe that for a second. You're shivering, and your lips are turning blue. Come here.” I gave into my wants and pulled her into my arms. She stiffened beneath my grasp, but only for a moment. Then she let herself sink into my hold and buried her face in my chest. She felt so damn good next to me. Jesus, what I wouldn't do to go back in time and change that one decision that set our paths in opposite directions. What would’ve happened if I hadn’t left the next morning? Or even if I’d picked up the damn phone and called once over the next few months. Would she have forgiven me for leaving?

I held her close and didn’t loosen my arms until she stopped shivering. Only when her body stilled did I lean back and look her in the eyes. “Better?”

“Yes,” she said a little breathless.

I expected her to pull away and leave me standing there but she didn't. She held her eyes on mine as she lifted her head. The seconds ticked on and we held each other’s gaze. Maybe it was only mere seconds, but it dragged on for what felt like several minutes.

I don't know what came over me. I had no control of my actions. My brain was telling me to back away and to not to do what I was about to do, but my desire took over and my brain had no control of my body. I leaned down and brushed my lips across her sweet lips. I kissed her, soft and gentle until she let me know my lips were welcomed.

When she looped her hands around my neck and pulled me closer to deepen the kiss, I groaned. But when her tongue made a pass along my bottom lip, it ignited my desire into burning flames. Suddenly there as way too much between us. Between the blanket and our clothes, I couldn’t get close enough to her.

Whatever warnings my brain was giving me earlier were gone. There was just her and the feel of her mouth against mine and our tongues exploring each other like it was the first time.

The blanket fell to ground in a puddle at our feet, no longer needed. The chill we both carried with us from outside was long gone and replaced with the burning desire building between us. Her fingers inched their way up my neck and threaded into the back of my hair. When she fisted a clump of my hair, I lost it.

Holy fucking hell.This moment was amazing.

I slid my hands around her waist and found the separation between her shirt and her pants. She trembled when my hands slipped under her shirt and found her bare skin. She shuddered under my touch and sank closer to me.

The next thing I knew we were backing up to the sofa. The back of my legs hit the cushion and I fell back into a seated position with her straddling my lap. All without breaking our kiss.

I could feel her heart pounding on my chest against the beat of my own heart. She rolled her hips into me, pressing her center against my hardened cock. Any more of this and I’d lose it in my pants. My hands inched their way under her shirt across the bare skin of her back until I gripped her shoulders and pressed her closer to me.

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