Page 120 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
“What do you want to do next?” she asked. “I’ve still got loads to show you.”
“I think my feet may fall off if we pound any more pavement today.” He chuckled.
She tipped her head to grin up at him, and he slid an arm around her waist. It was torture to be this close and not touch her, so he’d given up the battle. Occasionally he’d even given in to temptation and stolen a kiss.
He’d been trying his best to be a gentleman, not just because that was how she deserved to be treated but because he knew they still had a world of issues to sort through, and he didn’t want to muddle the situation any more than it already was.
But then again…
He leaned down and claimed a kiss that made her gasp, her free hand fluttering up to settle against his chest.
Then again, he needed her to be clear on the fact that he wasn’t looking for friendship. Of course, he’d take it if that was all she could offer. But he wanted more. So much more.
He wanted everything with this woman.
She turned to face him, twisting her hand in his so their gloved fingers snuggled up together. “What do you say we stop walking for a while and grab a bite to eat?”
He nodded, letting her lead the way out of the busy tourist spot. “Do we need to stop home and change?” He glanced down at his admittedly rough-around-the-edges attire. “This isn’t another froufrou place so you can scare me off, is it?”
She flinched as she glanced over at him. “Not scare you off, just… just trying to show you that you wouldn’t like it here if you stuck around.”
He dipped his head, hoping she wouldn’t see how much that stung. Truthfully, he didn’t want to stick around. He was already missing Zion, not to mention his friends on the ranch. Mostly he was missing the fresh air and the wide-open spaces.
A taxi honked, and JJ winced.
Silence. He really, really missed the silence. But even as he thought it, he gripped her hand tighter, loving the little smile she tossed his way.
No amount of noise, crowds, or impeded views would keep him away from this woman—that much he knew.
Just so long as she wanted him to stay.
“No froufrou places,” she was saying as they crossed a busy intersection. “I was thinking tonight we could keep it casual.” The shy glance she cast in his direction stole his heart. “This is where I go for comfort food.”
“It’s not Mama’s Kitchen, is it?” he teased. “Because if we hop on a plane right now, we might be able to—”
She smacked his arm, laughing as she did so. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not hopping on a plane to Aspire with you right this second.”
He smiled and kept his mouth shut. He’d been doing his best not to push the issue, but he was set to fly back out tomorrow afternoon, and he couldn’t put this off forever.
The thought of heading back to Montana without her was unbearable. He at least wanted to have something settled between them. A date for when he’d get to see her again, at the very least.
He let the conversation drop, and soon enough she was dragging him into a warm, delicious-smelling pizza shop.
“Uncle Joey’s Pizzeria,” he read the sign with a grin.
“No other pizza will ever compare. I promise you.”
She laughed as she dragged him into the tiny eatery. Cramped and dirty, it didn’t look like much, but as they took two seats at the counter and she ordered them a large pepperoni, he couldn’t keep the dopey smile off his face.
As soon as they were served, he grabbed a slice, groaning in ecstasy after only one mouthful.
“There’s nothing like New York pizza,” she murmured.
His heart pounded with pure love at her satisfied smile. He reached out and brushed away a string of cheese from her chin, and they both burst out laughing like they were a couple kids.
“Much better than the French place last night,” he agreed.
“That’s an understatement.”
