Page 1 of Snowed In Sucker
Chapter One
Landon
As I step outsidemy house, I look up at the sky. There are a few clouds and the wind is cold, letting me know we’ll be getting snow in the near future. I swear, snow is coming sooner and sooner every year. It’s the beginning of October for crying out loud. I shouldn’t have to think about snow yet! Despite the clouds forming, I go ahead with my planned run. Even if it does snow today, hopefully it’ll just be a dusting.
Even in winter, I love to get outside and get my body moving. Thankfully, the trees do an excellent job at keeping my running trail mostly dry, leaving it safe for me to use for now.
I’m sure we’ll get a dumping of snow soon enough, but for now, I’m content to keep my snow shoes tucked away in the closet for just a little bit longer.
I stretch my arms over my head before leaning down and touching my toes. Once I feel like my body is loose and ready, I pop in my headphones and start my run.
As I breathe, little clouds form around my mouth. It’s cold outside but it’s a crisp chill. I love mornings like this. They help clear my head while keeping my body healthy. The perfect way to start my day. With my job, I’m sitting at my desk all day. This is a great way to make sure I get outside and touch some grass.
As much as I want a clear head while I’m moving through the woods, I can’t stop thinking about everything I have to do when I get back home. My parents are supposed to be flying in on Monday which means I only have this weekend to clean my house and get everything ready for their visit. On top of that, I have a manuscript I need to finish reviewing and get all the edits sent over to the author.
I have a handful of clients but one of my favorites is a man named Jonas. He writes these really fun and sexy monster romance stories. The things he comes up with are brilliant and I always find myself smiling as I read. It’s a joy to have him as a client.
I’ve only got two chapters and the epilogue left to go through. It shouldn’t take me that long, it’s just the matter of sitting down and doing it. If I can check that off my list as soon as I get home, I’ll be able to focus on getting my house in order after that.
My steps crunch on the gravel before they click against the wooden path I constructed myself, making a foot bridge over a little creek that runs through this area. Then my steps go back to crunching over gravel.
I push myself, running just a little bit harder. The cold air burns my lungs but I love it. My legs ache but I’m used to it. Wind continues to whip against my skin which keeps me cool despite how hard I’m pushing myself.
I break through the trees into an open field. A few snowflakes drift down from the sky, making me finally slow down.
I’m so lost inside my own head that I don’t even realize how far I’ve gone. One second I’m running through my land and thenext, I’m pretty sure I’m close to my neighbor’s house. He lives around five, maybe six, miles away from my place. How the fuck did I not notice how far I’d gone sooner?
My steps continue to slow until I’ve completely stopped. I turn around and suck in a sharp breath that has nothing to do with the running I was just doing.
While I was running, the sky has turned a dark gray color. If we were in fall, I’d have assumed a storm was about to hit. I can handle rain. Except we’re not in the middle of winter, we’re at the beginning of October. The weather has turned cool. Cold enough to produce snow apparently. I’d been foolish to think the snow would hold off until after my run.
I watch as snow begins to fall in the direction of my house. I can see that it’s coming down hard, in thick white sheets. This is more than a dusting. Much, much more.
Fuck.
There’s a choice before me. I can either turn back to my house and start running, hoping to make it through that snowstorm, or I can run towards my neighbor’s house and hope that he’s home.
I’ve only spoken to my neighbor once. The creek that runs through my land feeds into a wide river that runs along the backside of both of our properties. One time I went to the river and found him swimming. That normally wouldn’t be much of an issue. The issue? He was completely naked.
Gods, I still remember it. His skin was a beautiful golden hue that shone in the sunshine, a sharp contrast compared to the dark lines of ink that covered most of his body. He had a very distinct farmer’s tan, giving me the impression he works outside during the summer. He’s built so strong, with shoulders so wide I’m positive he’d be able to scoop me up in his arms without even breaking a sweat. His eyes were this pretty gray shade that shone in the sunlight. I was hard in an instant.
The problem was that we were both embarrassed as fuck. I ran away before I could really say anything, leaving him there probably thinking I’m some sort of weirdo who likes watching people bathe.
As much as the idea of actually speaking to him leaves me mortified, my options here are slim. Possibly freeze as I run through that snowstorm, or buckle on my big boy panties and speak with my neighbor.
Freezing seems better and better the more I think about it.
I let out a long sigh before turning in the direction of my neighbor’s house and running. I still have about half a mile to run before I make it there. Thank Christ I picked this because even with the short distance, the storm catches up to me. One moment everything is fine and the next the sky is turning impossibly dark. Snow blasts against my back, practically pushing me in the direction of my neighbor.
My shirt is completely soaked as I make it into my neighbor’s backyard. My teeth are chattering and my glasses are completely fogged. What an utter disaster. Fuck.
I make it to the backdoor and knock, waiting for my neighbor to open the door. As I wait, an awful thought hits me; what if he’s not here?
I’m about to start second guessing myself and debating how hard it’ll be to trek all the way back to my house when the door opens up.
“Uhh? Hello?”
I turn to my neighbor and my mouth runs dry all over again. Jesus fucking Christ. I assumed my memory of that day had been exaggerated. Surely my neighbor wasn’tthathot, right? Wrong. He’s even more attractive than my memory supplied.
