Page 57 of Stormswept Colorado

Over a year and a half ago, when I ran from all the pressures of my life and came to Ashford for help, he’d set me up here at Last Refuge for a few weeks to rest and recuperate in total privacy. No paparazzi, no media. Nobody but Ashford and Emma and their families had known where I was. The Last Refuge property also featured high-level security because they often housed women who were fleeing from abusive situations.

It had been exactly what I needed. The people here in Hartley had been incredibly gracious to me. So this place would always have a soft spot in my heart.

Yet Teller’s embrace had felt pretty warm and inviting, too.

Grace ushered me to a sitting area in front of a roaring fireplace, her arm around my shoulders. “Are you hungry? Thirsty? Don’t worry about checking in. We’ve got everything handled. Figured you would be exhausted by the time you made it here.”

Piper appeared holding a mug. She placed it in my hands. “Hot toddy. I’m guessing you need this. I hope my brother wasn’ttoo much of a bear to deal with.” Her gaze darted to the coat draped around me. I’d gotten rid of the space blanket hours ago when we switched to Susan’s vehicle, but I hadn’t taken off Teller’s jacket for one minute. I didn’t want to now.

But his sister and Grace were watching me, and it was already toasty in here. I unbuttoned the coat and slipped it off, resisting the urge to press the collar to my nose the way I’d done a few times in the car.

“Teller and I got along pretty well, actually.”

If getting along included making out like fiends, fogging up the windows, and dry humping like a couple of horned-up teenagers. Except I’d never been that turned on before in my life, especially not with some boy when I was in high school. Teller was a fully grown man inallthe ways, judging by what I’d felt in his pants when I was wantonly gyrating my hips.

Okay, now I was overheating.

I took a sip of hot toddy, but that didn’t help with the flush to my skin.

Teller and Callum joined us, setting down our bags over to one side. Teller held out my coat. “It’s dry now.”

“Thanks.” Our hands brushed as I took my coat, and I was probably supposed to give his Silver Ridge PD coat back now. That would be normal. Even though I kinda wanted to curl up with it like a blanket before I went to sleep tonight.

Unless Teller was in my bed already. Keeping me warm himself.

Flutters shivered through my stomach.

I realized I was just standing there looking at him, and he was looking at me, and everyone else was observing this obvious tension. So I held out his coat. “I appreciate the loaner.”

“Anytime.”

“So, what’s the coat switch about?” Piper asked, grinning. “Sounds like a story.”

“A story?” Dane strode toward us, holding a couple more mugs balanced in one hand, a bottle of rum in the other. “I’m upfor a story.” He passed a mug to Teller. The second mug he gave to Grace, followed by a kiss.

Teller nodded at me, gesturing for me to go ahead, and I almost got lost in the wintergreen of his eyes again.

“Well, after we got stuck—” I began.

“Hold on,” Callum interrupted. “You said something before about going off the road.”

“We almost hit an elk.”

There was a collective groan from all the Silver Ridge locals.

We all sat down. I squeezed onto a couch with Grace and Dane, while Teller was on a couch next to Piper with Callum perched on the arm. Nice and cozy, everyone sipping rum-spiked hot toddies, and I pushed aside my annoyance at Teller being so far away.

I told them how we’d narrowly avoided a head-on collision with a thousand pound animal, and then how I had desperately needed a bathroom. “Teller got out and dug me this little snow shelter to do my business in.”

There was laughter all around.

After some prodding by his sister, Teller added to the story, explaining that I slipped beneath the snow on my way back to the SUV. “And then we just tried to stay warm and stay patient until Susan Nichols turned up with Earl and the tow truck,” he finished.

I nodded, perhaps too emphatically. “Yep. That’s pretty much the whole thing.”

Don’t look at him, I told myself. It was mortifying to think of both our families knowing about what else we’d gotten up to in that backseat. Probably because I wanted to do it again, right now, and a whole lot more. If the rest of them found out, they’d never let us hear the end of it.

Remember how you and Teller Landry had the hots for each other over the wedding weekend?Just because you were trapped together for a couple hours in that storm?

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