Page 14 of The Fun Part
Cal
After shoveling the front walk, I put some rock salt down to keep the ice away. Being from Minnesota, dealing with snowand ice is second nature for me. I’m finishing up when my eye catches on Mackenzie marching straight for me. She doesn’t look happy. Were the flowers too much? I just wanted to give her a gift like she gave me by turning my day around. And if she’s open to it, I wouldn’t mind another night like that.
I meet her halfway. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she says tensely, looking anywhere but at me. “I live right there.” She stabs a finger in the direction of her house.
“I know. I looked you up for the flowers. Did you like them?”
She waves that away and finally meets my eyes with a hard look. Damn if I’m not drawn in again. Angry, happy, in the throes of pleasure, doesn’t matter. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. Her light gray knit hat frames her face—the color is high in her cheeks, her sky blue eyes bright, her lips pink. Her long dark hair is just as soft as it looks.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she snaps.
“Like what?”
“Like, you know.”
I feign innocence. “I don’t know.”
She presses her lips in a flat line. “Cal, let me be very clear. No more contact between us beyond a friendly wave from a distance. Call it the law of the one-night stand.”
I suppress a laugh. “The law of the one-night stand, huh? I must’ve missed that class in law school.”
She crosses her arms. “Obviously.”
I shift closer, lowering my voice. “I had a good time that night. I—”
“Do you remember what we talked about before our hotel time? Because I sure do. I’m not looking for anything serious in this phase of my life, and you just got out of a live-in relationship for not being able to commit, which isfine. Great, actually. That’s why I moved forward with you, but I’m getting the distinct feeling—”
“Hey, relax. It was fun.”
She pulls fuzzy white gloves from her pockets, and one falls on the ground. I pick it up and offer it to her. She ignores me, pulling on the other one. “Exactly. It was fun. Past tense. Glad we understand each other.”
I take her hand and carefully slide the glove on. She stares at my hand. Once the glove’s on, I hold her smaller hand in mine and dip my head to catch her eye. “If we both agree this isn’t serious, what’s the harm of a repeat?”
She slides her hand from mine and looks at me suspiciously. “Like a friends-with-benefits situation?”
I lean down, my lips a breath away from hers. “Without the friends part.”
Her breath hitches in anticipation. I can’t disappoint her. I kiss her, tender and then deeper. She kisses me back with complete abandon, her arms wrapping around my neck. That kind of lusty abandon is rare. I fucking love it.
She pulls away abruptly, seeming embarrassed. “I have a work meeting.”
“Stop by tonight.”
“Maybe.” She shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
I snag her by the waist of her coat, drawing her close for one last, lingering kiss. “Think about it.”
Her expression is wary with a hint of longing and, underneath all that, vulnerable. Does she know how her emotions show on her face? She’d be terrible at poker. I watch as she walks away, the cute pompon on her hat bouncing in time to her rapid steps.
I hope longing wins out because I can’t forget the night we had together. Maybe I’ll suggest strip poker. Ha.
4
Mackenzie
We meet up at midnight. I tiptoe into his room, careful not to alert anyone I know at the inn to my presence. Let’s just say—
