Page 63 of Snowed In with Four Firemen
He just grins. “Not trying to.”
“Okay, okay,” Ben cuts in, raising his hands again. “No more jokes. This is serious. We have to figure out how to handle this…because I guarantee you, Jace is going to lose his shit.”
I scoff. “No shit.”
“But it’s not like we have much time with her,” Tanner says. “The wedding is tomorrow and after that, everything ends and we part ways with her.”
“I need time to figure stuff out,” I say, grabbing the handkerchief from Ben before walking towards the door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Tanner asks.
“Not sure yet.”
I push through the bar doors, needing some space and to clear my head before I end up punching another wall. The cold air of the hallway hits me, but it does nothing to cool down the fire burning inside.
Hell, we must sound like a goddamn joke. But there’s nothing funny about the way it’s tearing us apart. And Jace—when he finds out, it’s going to get a hell of a lot worse.
I glance up as I reach the reception area and spot Collie standing there, flipping through some papers with a deep frown etched on her face.
“Are you sure you don’t need help getting that cleaned up?”
“Been through worse,” I tell her.
“You boys having a brawl I should know about?”
“Just a disagreement,” I mutter, touching my jaw absently. “Nothing to worry about.”
She doesn’t look convinced, but she doesn’t press. Instead, she sighs, tossing the papers back onto the desk. “Well, if that’s the case, I’ve got more bad news for you.”
“Great,” I mutter, crossing my arms. “What is it now?”
Collie leans back, propping her hands on her hips. “Looks like all of you are stuck here for a week.”
Her words take a second to sink in, and then I straighten, staring at her. “What do you mean, a week?”
“The storm isn’t letting off,” she says, her tone resigned. “We’ve already had an avalanche on the lower roads. Unless there’s some kind of miracle, there’s no way in or out of this place for at least seven days. No deliveries, no transportation, nada.”
“Seven days?” I repeat, my voice tight. “You serious?”
“Dead serious.”
“Perfect,” I mutter, dragging a hand through my hair. “Just perfect.”
“Hey, could be worse,” she says with a dry smile. “At least you’re stuck in a luxury resort with a fully stocked kitchen and decent booze.”
“Yeah, great.” I glance around, the weight of what she’s saying settling in. A week. A full goddamn week of being stuck here, with Ben, Tanner, Jace—and Emily.
A week to make things even more complicated.
CHAPTER 19
EMILY
I blink awake slowly,my mind drifting up from the fog of sleep, warm and content beneath the covers. It’s only when I feel the weight of Jace’s body pressing against mine, the soft rhythm of his breathing mixing with mine, that I realize I’m not alone.
My heart skips as a soft moan escapes me, the sensation of him moving inside me slowly pulling me fully into consciousness. I shudder, his name tumbling from my lips in a sleepy whisper, “Jace…”
He’s already watching me. He leans closer to kiss me. “Good morning, Emily.”
