Page 86 of The Accidental Honeymoon

I’ll be heartbroken.

When the éclairs are done baking, I stack the trays together on a rolling cart and let them cool. They should be ready for the morning. By the time I look out the window again, the weather has changed pretty drastically.

The storm outside has graduated from powdered sugarto a full-on frosting frenzy, coating cars and sidewalks in thick, unmanageable drifts. I pull on my coat and grab my keys, then trudge to the back door. Am I going to be able to walk? Hopefully the sidewalks haven’t gotten icy just yet.

The alley is a whiteout. It’s the kind of scene that makes you want to curl up with hot cocoa and a sappy movie.

“Damn it,” I mutter. There’s no way I can walk anywhere. It’s not like I have cold weather footwear just lying around. I’m frigging snowed in!

Disconsolate, I head back into the warmth and peel off my coat. I was really excited to see Jay when I got home. With a heavy sigh, I take the stairs up to my apartment. The building is old and full of character, with creaky floorboards and a clawfoot tub. My place is basically a studio apartment with a small divider wall to partially shield the bedroom. I love it, even if it’s a bit drafty in the winter.

I turn up the thermostat and set my things on the kitchen counter. My phone buzzes in my pocket. It’s Jay, responding to the text I’d just sent him about not being able to see him.

“Stuck?” he writes. “Are you sure? That sucks.”

I miss him more than I should. This thing between us is getting dangerously real. “I’ll just have to think dirty thoughts about you to keep warm,”I reply, adding a selfie of me pouting while perched on my bed.

I wait for a reply, but there is none. Mr. Terminally Attached to His Phone has something better to do than respond to my vaguely horny texts?We’ll see about that.I’m about to text him another, more risqué selfie, when the lights flicker and die.

Great.

I fumble in my kitchen drawer for matches and make my way to the living area, where an old, wood-burning stovesits in the corner. It was one of the reasons I rented this place. There’s something romantic about a real fire. Well, that and the fact that it came free with the downstairs’ rent.

I strike a match and coax the kindling to life, then hold my hands out to the growing flames.

Downstairs, I hear the pipes groan. Without electricity, the hot water won’t last long. I dash to the bathroom and turn on the faucet, letting steam fill the room. A bath sounds perfect.

If I’m going to be stuck here in the dark, I might as well enjoy it.It’s too bad that light creeping in through the windows is too dim for me to snap more pics to torture my husband with.

My husband.I need to remember the fakeness of this whole deal. I may have said I love you, but that doesn’t make my situation less temporary.

The tub is nearly full, so I sink into the water with a sigh, letting the heat envelop me. I close my eyes and let my mind wander. It doesn’t have far to go. Jay is there, waiting. I imagine his hands on me, his lips tracing the lines of my body. A soft moan escapes my mouth as I touch my own breasts, wishing my hands were his.

When I slide my hand between my thighs and find my clit, it feels good. I touch myself and think about Jay touching me, Jay sucking my clit.

My eyes flutter open. Though I’m loathe to admit it, Jay is better at touching my pussy than I am. I could probably grab a towel and get out to find a toy. But it wouldn’t be the same.

I miss him.

Giving up, I submerge myself in the water until it cools and I start to shiver. Reluctantly, I pull myself from the tub and pat my skin with a towel.

The fire in the stove casts a warm glow through the apartment.Damn. I feel a pang of loneliness. This is the kind of night made for cuddling.

I wrap myself in a thick robe and pad to the living room. The flames dance in the stove, creating shadows that flicker and sway.

My phone is on the coffee table. I reach for it, then stop. If I call him, I’ll just make things harder.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

A knock at the door downstairs jolts me from my hazy daydream. I rush downstairs and peer through the frosted glass. My heart does a ridiculous little flip. I fling the door open. “Are you crazy?”

Jay is bundled in a parka, his hair dusted with snowflakes, and he's shivering. He shrugs, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. "I missed you."

I throw my arms around him, squeezing tight. The cold from his body seeps through my robe, but I don't care.

He's here. He's really here.

"Come in, you're freezing," I say, pulling him inside. He stomps the snow from his boots. I grab his hand, tugging him toward the stairs. "Come on, let's get you warmed up."

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