Page 23 of Snowed In With You

Well, on the one hand, Rob was unlikely to try and kick my ass for sleeping with his sister. Twice. I wasn’t sure how to feel really. My oldest friend had not only betrayed me, but had used information I’d drunkenly provided to control my life. Sure, it had sort of turned out well, but it didn’t excuse his methods.

I was glad Sara wanted to come back to my apartment with me, I’d been half-scared she was going to run at the first opportunity,maybe be the one to leave me a note this time as a little piece de resistance. But she wanted me. Wanted to explore whatever it was that was still simmering between us and considering how often that ache led to me stripping her bare, it was likely a good thing we would be leaving the lodge – and her brother – behind.

I moved around the room I’d claimed as my own for the past few days and gathered up a few toiletries, it felt like I’d barely slept in here when in reality it was only really the one night that Sara and I had curled up together. Soon she would be in my bed, hopefully naked and shouting my name.

I tried to imagine her in my apartment, curled up on my sofa, naked on my kitchen counter... I shook my head to clear those thoughts, as if my brain was an etch-a-sketch to be emptied at will. I found it easy, thinking about all the ways Sara could slot into my life, and hopefully vice versa. Seeing her laugh every day, waking up to red hair in my face in the mornings... I wish we could have enjoyed our first morningtogetherbefore Rob and Tanya had shown up. But there would be time to make-up for that and I hoped it might lead to every morning together. I smiled at the thought as I pushed some errant pyjama bottoms into my bag.Sara Bridges, you’re going to be mine.

Chapter Seventeen

Sara

Our bags were packed in record time and Fletch carried them downstairs and out to the rental Rob and Tanya had driven to the lodge. He cast his truck a mournful look as he walked by and it tugged at my heart a little. Now the signal was back he had someone coming to siphon out the fuel, but in the meantime we had decided to take Rob’s car until Fletch’s was in drivable condition again.

Tanya stood by the front door, her kind eyes worried and her hands clasped tightly together as she tried to persuade us to stay. She looked a little pale but only smiled when I asked if she was alright. ‘I’m okay, just feeling a little sick still, I’m probably just tired from traveling.’ She caught my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘I’m sorry, I should have told you what Rob was planning. He just made a bad call. You guys should stay, we can talk this out.’

I shook my head, ‘I get why you went along with it, but I can’t say it didn’t hurt that you went behind my back. Rob, I expect stupid shit like this from. He hasn’t even apologised, Tan, and his head is perpetually so far up his own ass that I doubt he will.’

Tanya moved a step closer to me and her soft jasmine perfume enveloped me in a soothing cloud, ‘He’s just stubborn, sort of like someone else I know.’ She gave me a pointed look that I ignored as I slipped on my coat and boots.

‘Look, I just need some time, okay?’

Tanya gave a tight but firm nod, her curls bouncing with the movement and my shoulders slumped as I pulled her in for a quick hug before walking away.

Fletch held the passenger side open for me and I climbed in with a flash of a smile in his direction – despite the crazy whirlwind that had been this afternoon, I had still found time to reminisce about last night while I packed. I didn’t know where things with Fletcher would go, but I was excited to find out and to see his place. I was also pretty pleased that the sex was just as good as I remembered, I had been worried I’d overhyped him in my head, put him onto some untouchable pedestal. But no, he really was that good. Or rather,wewere.

The rental was comfortable, the seats were heated and I sighed as I relaxed back into them as Fletcher shut his door, sealing out the cold. Here we were, several days later, trapped in a car together again – except now, I was more than happy to have the alone time.

Fletch seemed inclined to agree, ‘So, my place then?’

I smiled as he reached for the aux cord, ‘sounds good. I feel like I know you so well without really even knowing much about you.’

He raised an eyebrow at me as Taylor Swift came rolling out of the speakers, ‘And you think seeing my place is going to help with that?’

‘You can tell a lot about a person from the state of their underwear drawer,’ I grinned and he let out a chuckle before turning to me with want written across his face.

‘It’s very forward of you to assume you’ll get to see my underwear drawer.’

‘Oh, we’re just going straight to your sex dungeon then?’ I widened my eyes innocently and burst out laughing when he blushed a little.

‘Don’t tempt me,’ he said and I laughed again, falling quiet aswe began driving along the winding roads to take us back to Anchorage. In all honesty, I was worried about what Fletch’s apartment would be like. I knew he lived fairly centrally, so it had to be modern, but was he a secret slob? Did all of his furniture match or did he even have any at all? You just couldn’t tell what you would be getting with people these days.

There was a lot less snow and wind during the journey this time around and the tension present was of a very different kind.Well, I mused as I watched the muscles in Fletch’s arm flex on the wheel,maybe not that different.

‘Sara,’ Fletcher said warningly and I snapped my gaze up from his chest to his face as he smirked at me. ‘If you keep looking at me like that then this ride is going to get a little uncomfortable for me,’ he looked meaningfully down at his pants.

‘I’d say I’m sorry but I’m not,’ I forced down a laugh and turned my gaze to the window instead, letting my eyes rest on the snow-topped trees and the mountain in the distance. It was the furthest thing from the Californian heat I’d grown up with, but I found it calming all the same. There was just something about the snow and ice at this time of year that was endlessly peaceful –

A warm hand landed on my thigh and sent a tingle of anticipation through me, tightening my nipples. I looked up at Fletcher with raised eyebrows and he sighed, ‘The only thing worse than you eye-fucking me is younoteye-fucking me.’

I burst out laughing, ‘I’m not even sure what that means, but know I plan on doing quite a bit more than just looking at you, Fletch.’ I ran a teasing hand over his knee, up his thigh and ghosted across his crotch, laughing quietly when he gave a small shudder.

He sighed, ‘I really wanted to get back before it got dark.’

‘We will,’ I said, looking outside in confusion, it was just aftertwo in the afternoon so the sun wouldn’t be setting for a couple more hours yet.

Fletcher switched on his emergency blinkers and pulled over to the side of the road, I watched him bemusedly. ‘Is there a reason we’re stopping?’

‘Yeah,’ he said as he put on the brake and unstrapped his seat belt, ‘emergency.’

---