Page 30 of Holiday Haven

Perfect. A slow song. Just what he'd been waiting for. He set down his glass and gently lifted hers from her fingers. “Will you dance with me?”

She smiled and nodded, holding out her hand. He led her onto the dance floor and drew her into his arms. His heart swelled as she nestled against him. He didn't even care when the band played a Christmas tune, it was worth it to hold Krista in his arms.

Her skin was satiny soft as he trailed his fingers over her bare shoulder. Everyone around them disappeared. It seemed as if he and Krista were alone on the dance floor. He willed himself to stay in control but knew he was in trouble because Krista felt amazing in his arms. He fought the desperate need to kiss her and lost.

“Krista,” he murmured, before capturing her mouth with his. He intended to keep the kiss light, gentle, but the moment his mouth touched hers, heat exploded between them.

Oblivious to their surroundings, he lost himself in their kiss. He suspected his feet had stopped moving, giving up the pretense of dancing. Her mouth was luscious, velvety soft and tasted of promises to come.

“Hey, Adam.” Amber and Nick shamelessly bumped into them. “Oh, excuse me, did we interrupt?”

He broke off from their kiss, sending his sister a lethal glare over the top of Krista’s head. “Yeah. Get lost.”

Nick smirked. “Hey, you might want to remember you're in a public place. The heat you guys are generating is enough to radiate through the walls and melt the foot of snow covering the ground outside.”

Adam understood his brother-in-law was doing his best to lighten things up. Because even though he wanted nothing more than to be alone with Krista, they were in the middle of a huge ballroom full of people. Amused glances from other couples on the dance floor confirmed that Nick hadn’t been the only one to notice his and Krista’s embrace. He drew in a deep breath, wondering how many songs he'd missed.

Then Nick’s words sank into his brain. “Wait a minute, a foot of snow on the ground? Since when?”

“Since we got here.” His sister’s knowing grin set his teeth on edge. You'd think a guy could escape his family for one night. “Actually, it's not quite a foot deep yet, but will be soon. Didn't you hear the news? They're predicting at least fourteen inches of snow.”

“Are you serious? That’s a blizzard.” Krista’s eyes widened in alarm. “I had no idea that much snow was in the forecast. I didn't bother listening to the news.”

Neither had he. He'd kept the radio off to avoid the nonstop Christmas music that had the effect of raking fingernails over every one of his exposed nerves.

“Maybe we should go, soon.” He glanced down at her. “Before the worst of the storm hits.”

“We plan on leaving early too,” Amber confided. She tilted her head, gazing up at Nick. “One more dance?”

“Always.” Nick cradled her close as they moved away. His brother-in-law was moving better these days. He’d struggled for months after a serious plane wreck had broken several bones in his body.

Adam didn't trust himself to have one more dance. Krista made his mind spin. Keeping a tight rein on his hormones, he took her hand and walked back toward the buffet tables. “If you're hungry, let's eat something before we go.”

“Sounds good.” She filled another plate, seemingly enjoying herself.

They took some time to finish eating and then said their goodbyes as they made their way to the door.

Fat snowflakes filled the air, the wind whipping them around in a frenzy. By the looks of the dense white flakes, the blizzard had already started. The streets didn't look too bad, he was grateful to see a large snowplow trundling past. He gave the parking attendant his ticket. When his car arrived, he helped Krista inside and then began the long, torturous ride home.

He kept his speed under twenty-five miles per hour. The streets were slick and visibility was greatly diminished. Twice he almost suggested turning around going back to the hotel to spend the night. Only the fact that they were halfway to her apartment convinced him it would be better to keep going. If his condo had been closer, instead of farther away, he might have suggested going there.

The traffic lights up ahead turned yellow, then red. Gently he tapped the brake, but the car didn't stop. Instead, it slid sideways, hydroplaning on the ice. Krista gasped and clung to the dashboard as he fought to keep the car on the road.

“Adam?” Fear tinged her tone as the car kept moving. He wrestled with the steering wheel, but it was useless. He had absolutely no control. The car hit the curb. With his foot on the brake, and the tired wedged against the curb, the vehicle came to a stop.

For a long second he stared through the windshield. If he'd been going any faster, they may have gone up and over the curb, hitting the brick building of a veterinary clinic.

“A little slippery out here.” Krista unclamped her fingers from around the door handle.

“Yeah. Slippery.” Visions of the car accident that had cost him his son's life flashed in his mind. It was almost as if a full year hadn't passed. That the accident had taken place yesterday, it was so fresh in his memory. He closed his eyes for a minute forcing himself to remain grounded. Finally, he turned to look at her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “You weren't going very fast.”

But he’d still lost control. Logically he knew the icy road wasn't his fault. He swallowed hard, shifted into reverse and carefully backed away from the curb. He shifted again and headed back down the street.

This time he crawled at a snail's pace, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his biceps ached with the effort. It took him another eighteen minutes to get to Krista's apartment. He'd never been so happy to see a building in his life.

He threw the gear shift into park and just sat there. Krista seemed to understand, because she waited a minute then reached for the door handle. “You'd better come in.” Her expression was serious in the dim light of the car. “There's no way you're driving home in this weather tonight.”

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