Page 26 of All I Want for Christmas Eve

Chapter Ten

I try working for a few hours, but at some point, the power goes out again. I curse softly, grateful to know that at least Mary is headed to the airport to catch a flight home. I think her flight is only about four hours, when mine would have been around nine, so it eases my mind to know that she will be in Minnesota, with our parents by morning.

Saving and closing my work, I turn off my laptop to save precious battery that I might need later. Moving toward the bedroom, I smell something delicious again, and I sigh with annoyance. Did Adam use the tiny bit of power we had to cook something, and in doing so, kill the power again?

Food is good, but I think our situation is a little critical to be indulging in luxuries.

When I reach the bedroom, I open the door intending to yell at Adam, but then I see what he has prepared.

“I swear, it wasn’t my fault,” he says, lifting his hands in innocence. “I cooked these on the fireplace.”

“A likely story,” I say accusingly.

“The storm has passed,” he adds. “So hopefully the roads will be cleared by the morning and we can head over to Fairbanks. The power should also be fixed soon. I took a few items from your fridge and freezer that were in danger of melting, and stuck them outside in the snow. Natural refrigeration!”

“Okay, fine,” I say, relaxing as I study him. “That was thoughtful.”

Adam is shirtless, wearing only his boxers and lying in bed propped up with pillows. His leg is also elevated and wrapped up with bandages. I can see that it has gotten considerably more swollen than earlier, and I feel bad that he’s been moving around so much on his injury. But ignoring him, I see that my favorite food is lying on a platter in the bed.

“Are those… nachos?” I ask, with breathless excitement.

“I know that I’m probably not very sexy right now, with this messed up leg. But I figured that I would try to seduce you with nachos in bed. What could be sexier, right?” He gestures to the delicious looking platter in a manner that is, in fact, very sexy.

“You win,” I say simply, moving over to sit with him and popping a chip in my mouth. When the flavors hit my tongue, the perfect combination of cheese and crunch with seasonings and spice makes me swoon. Yes, this is the sexiest thing possible. Adam gets me.

“I have been successfully seduced,” I say as I take more chips, and this time, dip them in the little jars of sauce he has prepared. “Oh my god. It’s so good,” I say with a moan.

“I read an author interview you did on someone’s blog,” he explains. “You said that nachos were the key to your heart. Is it working? Have you fallen in love with me yet?”

“Maybe like 3% in love with you,” I say thoughtfully, pressing a finger against my lip. “Like 28% in lust with you. 69% just curious to know more about who you are.”

“You haven’t Googled me?” he asks with disappointment.

“No. I want you to tell me about you, the old-fashioned way,” I say, munching on nachos.

“You wouldn’t believe me,” he grumbles, taking some of the nachos. “Or you would be upset at me for not telling you sooner. I sort of don’t want you to know who I am, because it would actually prevent you from getting to know the real me.”

“That’s interesting,” I say, between chips. “So youarea murderer? A serial killer?”

“No,” he says with a laugh. “I’m just kind of… famous. I have a bit of a reputation, and everyone thinks they know who I am before they’ve even met me. So it’s been refreshing to meet someone who treats me like a person instead of a caricature.”

“Famous? Reputation?” I ask munching chips compulsively. “That sounds complicated. And rich. Are you rich?”

“Well, I suppose I’m not broke,” he responds, chewing a nacho carefully.

“That sounds like something a rich person would say,” I accuse, pointing a chip at him.

“Perhaps,” he responds, with a grin. “I promise that there will be no unpleasant surprises, going forward. I don’t want to murder you, Eve. I just want to feed you delicious food, make sweet love to you, and go wherever you go. Is that cool?”

“I guess… that sounds pretty cool,” I say cautiously. “But a little too good to be true.”

He feeds me a chip with the perfect amount of dip on it. “You need to stress out less and trust me,” he says with a teasing smile. “You need to just chill out, Eve.”

“Hfow canf I not be chillfed out, Adam,” I say with my mouth full. I chew and then swallow. “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s extremely chilly around here, and we have no heat, so in a few hours we will be very chilled out.”

“But we have each other to keep warm,” Adam says. “We already survived one night without heat. We’ll manage. And we have our tummies full of nachos, so that will help. I know you’re excited to go home to Snowflake Creek—maybe we can catch a flight later tomorrow, weather permitting.”

“And after you see a doctor,” I add.

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