Page 9 of Winter's Kiss

I brought my hand to the door, but before I could knock, I heard the loud bark of a dog on the other side. He sounded like a huge wolf. I stepped back from the door, my body shaking. No, I needed to go. I looked like a fool. Some insane stranger showing up on his doorstep. What if the blonde was in there? How would it look? I spun around; my foot hit the first step when I heard the door open behind me. My eyes closed briefly before I turned and saw him in the doorway.

I had never prepared myself for what stood before me. My entire life, I had been with the same type of man. Clean cut. Well-groomed. Skin flawless of ink. No body fat. I had seen other types of men in movies, and on the street, I knew they existed.

Yet it never dawned on me I would find such an attraction toward one. Rowland, was a man.

He stood in a pair of black jeans; his regular boots absent from his feet. My gaze slowly lifted along his body, his slightly toned torso that brought my heart to a faster beat. Naked of clothing, I found myself warmed as I stood feet from him. His left forearm was covered in a colorful half sleeve, a sword down his right side. As my gaze finally met with his, I realized I had stood in awe longer than one normally would.

I parted my lips to speak, yet not a single syllable moved from my tongue. He had brought me to an unspoken woman who stood in a creepy stare. I cleared my throat and took a step forward just as a large dog came around from behind him, a low growl in its throat. Its shaggy black and grey coat, brown eyes, and enormous height caused me to step back.

“Tucker, go lay down.” The dog, without a second of delay, turned back into the house, Rowland with his gaze slowly returned to meet mine.

“What kind of dog is he? He’s huge.” It had been the only words I could speak.

“Irish Wolfhound.” He answered swiftly, as though unaffected by the chill of the wind. “That's why you came down here? Ask what kind of dog I have.” He continued, his tone short.

“No. I, I wanted, I just…” I knew my stutter had caused his brows to arch and wanted to run. We stood in silence for what felt like hours when his expression changed.

His gaze lowered down my body and, at that moment, I felt this heat roll through me.

He made me have thoughts I’d never had before. My tongue stilled even when I had a million things to say. The rhythm of my heart changed as though at any moment it could beat from my chest. My knees felt weak, and my breath hitched so often that I was sure I would pass out. No other man I’d ever known had made me feel this way, not even Andrew.

“Come in before you catch your death.” He moved to the side; his arm stretched up along the side of the door. I felt I could faint at any moment. I pushed myself forward. A smooth step passed him. My eyes closed as his scent hit me like a brick.

I continued forward in a slow stride, my gaze a slow glide around the large, opened, room. Everything rolled together. The kitchen rested in the back of the room with a small round table just off for what served as the dining room. My head turned to the living area, just opposite the entrance, a fireplace with a roaring fire along the far wall, with a wooden coffee table placed between it and a black couch. The sound of the door closing caused me to spin around, and my gaze lifted to his instantly.

“What are you doing here?” He asked in a calm tone. I cleared my throat and fought the urge to take in his body, to charge him like some dog in heat.

An act I would have never thought of suddenly took every ounce of my strength not to complete.

“I wanted to tell you I was sorry.” He remained by the entrance with no reaction to my words. I paused and licked my lips before I continued. “I know I upset you, angered you when I made the comments about you perhaps being a dishonorable man.” I waited for the blonde to make her appearance. Surely, she had to be in the only closed-off room.

He tilted his head slightly before he took a step from the door. One after the other, he grew closer to me. My breathing quickened, and my heart raced. I knew he saw it and noticed the difference in my stance the closer he got. How could he not? I wanted to back up, to keep a little space between us, to keep me as ladylike as possible. Yet, I stood frozen, his stare locked onto me as though he could see through me.

“How do you know I’m not?” His question took me off-guard. How could I answer that? The truth was, I didn’t know. Perhaps he was with this woman, but she was trapped outside the town because of the storm.

“Are you?” I asked simply. His steps came to a final stop just before me. I could feel the heat from his body. His scent, Lord, that scent caused my body to react a soft exhale moved to pass my lips. He knew what he was doing, even his mother had stated how women flocked to him. We stood in silence for what felt like minutes before I busted out in a nervous laugh, my head lowered.

“Do I make you nervous?” He asked. I brought my gaze back to him and wanted to lie, but found myself unable as I stared into his eyes.

“Yeah, among other things.” Had I just blurted that out? I felt the heat in my cheeks, and my gaze lowered with a shake of my head. I needed to go, I thought. I had said I was sorry, nothing else needed to be said. “I should get back to the house,” I added.

I moved around him, our bodies in a quick brush, and made my way toward the entrance door. It took me only a second for my steps to halt at how drastically the weather had changed in the short time. My tracks were covered, and the wind blew with such a violent speed it looked like it could lift me from the ground. The snow continued to fall, the darkness a cloud of a blur. Then I felt him, his presence behind me, separated by a small space.

“You’re not going anywhere tonight.” I couldn’t stay here, I thought. I couldn’t be locked in a house alone with him. This man had me thinking thoughts I’d never imagined I could have. Had me forgetting my morals, ignoring he could be with someone, willing to cross that line. He made me want to lose control, control I had taken this trip to get in my life.

I knew he was right; the walk there had nearly frozen me to death, and the trip back would have killed me. Made the fact he saved me on the side of the road pointless. I remained still, my back towards him while he reached around me and closed the door.

His body brushed against me, my eyes closed, skin erupted in goosebumps. I slowly turned and brought my gaze up to his.

“You can take my bed for the night.” We remained locked into a deep, silent stare for mere seconds when he backed and turned. That’s when I saw it, the tattoo over his right shoulder blade that carried over to the back of his arm. It had to be the most beautiful tattoo I’d seen, an angel wing in black and grey shading.

That night I lay in his bed, unable to sleep. The wind outside rolled around the edge of the house with a sound like a train whistle. His scent surrounded me more than the thick blanket. His pillow, his sheets, the shirt that draped over the chair in the corner of the room. My body could barely manage it, my breathing quickened with the thought of him just on the other side of the wall.

Could I be the person he seemed to wake up inside me? The woman blew caution to the wind and allowed herself to live in the moment. The woman who took what she wanted, no matter the outcome. The woman who dared to take a risk. I closed my eyes, my hands flat on my stomach, and took in his scent. Something happened at that moment, something I could not describe. Had I just woken up?

I made my way from his bedroom, my hand placed on the threshold bedroom door while I took him in.

He slept soundly on his back; a sheet covered just to his waist. The fireplace had died but ambers remained in the bottom, while a single lamp in the corner of the room offered a soft glow on him. I exhaled and paused for the briefest of moments before I started toward him. Tucker lay on his bed in the corner, his head lifted at my sound.

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