Page 55 of A Very Titan Christmas
Bryce held up his hands as if asking what Parker was talking about.
Parker continued, “The arctic air moving southward from Canada…”
Roman and Cash exchanged looks.
“Parker, man, we don’t need an explanation,” Jax said. “What’s all that mean? Two feet of snow or something?”
Jax lived in Iowa. Two feet of snow on top of what they already had in Vermont probably didn’t sound like trouble to Jax. To Bryce, it sounded like a big fuckin’ security problem.
“A possible nor’easter,” Parker said. “Heavy snow. Gale force winds.”
“Like a blizzard,” Jax shrugged like a Midwesterner well versed in snowstorms. “We can handle that.”
“I’m not a weather guy.”
“Could have fooled me,” Cash said with a laugh.
“But I think the winds are stronger, and the snow is wetter.” Parker let out a frustrated breath. “Nor’easters aren’t common, and for a variety of crappy reasons, we don’t have the NOAA data that we would usually rely on.”
“How does that affect our plans?” Bryce asked.
“We need to be flexible and assist Porter’s security staff if they want help with the senator, but other than that, Bryce, Sugar Plum should be good to go. Just make sure she has whatever she needs before the snowstorm hits. Her cabin, like yours, is already hooked up to a generator. Jax, run point on assisting Snow Queen. I don’t suspect she’ll need anything.”
“Got it,” Jax confirmed.
“Got it,” Bryce echoed, his mind wandering to the possibility of being snowed in with Rachel in her cabin.
Roman gave Bryce a pointed look. “I’d pack a bag if I were you.”
“If it’s between you guys or her,”—he pushed himself out of his chair—“you all will have to fend for yourselves.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Rachel had beenfloating all morning long. She had done precisely nothing on her article and didn’t care. Every time she sat still, a rush of warmth overtook her. Memories of last night cascaded through her mind. The sweet kiss on the carriage ride. The stomach-flipping kiss before dinner. The kiss that could’ve melted the snow off the mountain when Bryce had dropped her off at home.
She should’ve asked him in.
She’d had a moment of hesitation, and he’d read that as a straightforward answer. Not yet. She wasn’t ready. Rachel had to firmly gather her expectations of what spending the night together would mean.
Those expectations remained unboxed, but she no longer cared.
It was barely noon, but the low, dark cloud cover aged the day as she heard Bryce’s car crunch into her driveway. Goose bumps jumped down her spine. Her heartbeat pitter-pattered as though he’d pulled her close instead of simply pulling into her driveway. Her lusties were entirely out of control.
Rachel imagined Bryce stomping the snow off his boots outside the door. Her insides vibrated. The closer he came, the more erratic her pulse became.
The door swung open. “I come bearing lunch.”
“Be down in a second.” In the bedroom loft, Rachel stared at herself in the mirror. “Pull it together. You’ve seen this mannaked before—” God, that wasn’t the right thing to say. She dropped her chin to her chest and searched for composure.
The lights flickered. Well, that was sobering.
“That doesn’t bode well,” he called from downstairs. “The snow flurries haven’t even picked up, though the wind pushed against my car along some of those switchback turns.”
She descended the stairs. Bryce had placedthreetakeout bags from the Maple Fork on the kitchen counter. “That looks like a lot of food.”
“It is.” He shoved a pint of vanilla ice cream into her freezer and eyed the surplus of frozen pizzas and enchiladas. “This is what my freezer looks like all the time.”
She half laughed. “At home, same. I travel so much; it’s just easier. However, I had groceries delivered this morning. The fridge is well stocked. I think I’ll survive whatever the heavens dump on us. What did you order?”
