Page 61 of A Very Snowed In New Year
I immediately get a text notification.
SHAY:OMG she hung up on me. Tell her to leave. Call the police if you have to.
ME:I’m the one who hung up on you. I will reimburse you for everything. HNY, Shay.
I silence my phone, put it back in my pocket, rest my hands on my hips, and look back at Piper. “You were saying?”
SEVENTEEN
Holden
INDECENT PIPERPOSAL
“Are you sure you can’t leave?” Piper asks, dreamily, as she wanders over to the window beside the front door. “Oh…” she says as she sees how much snow has accumulated. “Gosh. It’s really coming down, huh?”
I shake all thoughts ofcomingandgoing downout of my head, but I cannot stop staring at her bare thighs. From the hem of her short skirt to the top of those over-the-knee socks. That is where I want to be. Between those thighs. “Yeah. I mean, if wereallyneed to get somewhere nearby it would still be possible if we drive really slowly and if it isn’t downhill. But there’s a severe weather alert on my weather app, so it wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“So…” Without turning away from the window, she says, “You don’twantto go anywhere nearby?”
“I don’t. Do you?”
She shakes her head.
“Did you bring anything? For an overnight stay? Besides charcuterie for Shay?”
She turns to face me, grinning. “Lainey packed me a weekender bag. In case I decide to stay with Journal Guy.”
“And you’ve decided to stay with Journal Guy?”
She nods, staying over by the window.
I clear my throat for effect, cross my arms in front of my chest, and say, “You mentioned something about a lot of things you want to do? Are these New Year’s Eve related activities, or…?”
And there are those pink cheeks again. “Ummm…” She self-consciously buttons her white blouse all the way up and smooths the fabric down at her waist. “I would propose…” she continues as she looks all around the room, everywhere except my face. “I would propose that we do the things I haven’t done yet. I mean…” She laughs at herself. “I mean, I haven’t donemostthings yet. With a guy. But what I would like to do tonight is all the things that lead up to the main thing.” She waves her hand around. “Y’know. All the bases. Starting with the basics.” She wrinkles her nose and finally meets my gaze. “Would that be lame and boring for you?”
“No. I’m in. When do we start?”
She covers her face and giggles. “Um. I don’t have anything else to do, so…now?”
“I accept your proposal.” I clap my hands definitively and then go over to the big screen to change the cable channel. “Should we put on a movie? I like a good thriller or horror film in the background when I’m trying to get to first base.”
“I have gone to first base,” she clarifies. “I’ve just never really gone through the whole sequence, you know? With one guy.”
“Got it. Well, like I said: I’m in.”
“Not until we go through all the bases,” she quips. “Wocka wocka.”
I slowly look over my shoulder at her.
She’s scrunching up her adorable face and grimacing. “Please tell me you didn’t hear that.”
“I definitely heard you quote the catchphrase of my favorite Muppet.” I findScreamon a movie channel, which is perfect. I turn the volume way down. Rolling up my sleeves, I turn around and find Piper sitting on the sofa, crossing her legs and tugging her skirt down. “Can I get you anything? You good?”
“I’m good. I do kind of like this movie.”
“Great.” It’s the middle of the afternoon and I don’t expect anyone to walk by the cabin, but I close the living room curtains anyway. There’s just the one table lamp on in here, dim enough for movie watching and a make-out session. Then I mosey on over to take a seat next to her, leaning back to stretch my arm across the back of the sofa.
Piper shifts around a little, leans back for a second, then gets up to grab the open bottle of champagne and takes a pull. “Ahhhh.” And then she takes another pull and smacks her lips together. “Did you want a glass?” she asks sweetly.
