Page 46 of Stormswept Colorado

“It was. Do you ever karaoke?”

“No, my voice is terrible. I’m not really alate night at the clubkind of guy.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Never would’ve guessed. You’re fun, though.”

“I’mfun? I’ve never been accused of that before.”

“In a relaxed kind of way. The more time I spend with you,the more I see it. Your sense of humor is subtle, but it’s very much alive.” She glanced down shyly, and that nearly did me in.

Ayla Maxwell wasn’t shy, either in her performances or our interactions so far. But right now, when it was just the two of us, she was different. She was letting down her guard.

Was I having heart palpitations? Whatever was happening in my chest, it couldn’t be normal.

“We have a few hours to kill,” I said. “We’ll make the most of it. We have the chips, plus I have MREs in the back with my other winter emergency supplies.”

“It’s getting cold in here already. I’m regretting the mint shake.”

“Are you really?”

She thought about it. “No, not really. Mint ice cream is always worth it.” Another soft smile, like it was made just for me.

I was in serious trouble.

I reached into the back. “I’ve got space blankets and hand warmers.”

Ayla squeezed one of the hand warmer packs until it started to heat. We each wrapped ourselves in the thin, reflective space blankets, settling in as snow collected on the windows, already beginning to block the view outside. I resisted the urge to radio Finn and ask for an update. My department had enough on their hands with that traffic accident.

Nothing to do but sit still. Which wasn’t easy for me. I preferred to be going places and getting shit done. In my Special Forces days, the most trying part of a mission had usually been the waiting before the action started.

Ayla seemed to be having a similar issue. She kept shifting around like she couldn’t get comfortable.

“Hard to do nothing, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Yes, but, um…” She turned two wide eyes on me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Teller, I really need to pee,” she whispered.

I barely kept my smile in. “You do?”

“I wasn’t even thinking about it before, but now that I know we’re stuck here for at least a couple hours, it’s getting urgent. I don’t think I can hold it.”

“Okay, no problem. We’ll act like we’re camping. Come on.” I went to open my door.

“But there’s so much snow! I saw you out there. It came up past your thighs, and you’re a lot taller than me.”

“I’ll help you.”

She covered her face with her hands. “Oh lord, this is ridiculous.”

A laugh snuck into my throat. I swallowed it down. “It’s a basic bodily function. We’re adults. Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“What if I get frostbite on my butt?”

A guttural snort burst out of me before I could stop it.

“You’re laughing at me? What happened to us being adults?” She giggled. “Stop. If I start, I’ll pee my pants.”

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