Stranded with a Hero (Entangled Bliss)

by Karen Erickson

“Got a record and everything. I’m sure you can use your connections to look it up.” She laughed at his stunned expression, then patted his shoulder. “Only kidding. It’s okay, you don’t have an escaped con under your roof or anything.”

  “Good thing. I’d hate to have to arrest you.”

  She got a flash of him holding her against a car, his body pressing against the back of hers, and the warmth pumping through her had nothing to do with the glowing fire.

  Nate glanced down, his cheeks coloring slightly. He must’ve realized what it sounded like. Seeing him flustered was endearing, actually. Maybe he wasn’t always one hundred percent serious. “You want something to eat?”

  Kelsey shrugged. “I’m good.”

  “Drink?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Like drink, or drink, drink?”

  “I’ve got a bottle of tequila,” he said, and her stomach turned. “And a bottle of vodka.”

  “Now that, I can get down with.”

  …

  Nate’s mouth dropped when Kelsey got the quarter in the shot glass again. He’d only made it twice and she was working him over, making five out of eight. “When you suggested this game, you said you hadn’t played it in forever.”

  Kelsey laughed. “It’s been years, I swear. But I used to play it a lot. Now drink.”

  Nate tossed back the shot. The warmth of the fire and alcohol were a nice combination. With Kelsey across from him, her eyes lighting up as they played, warmth was coming from inside him, too.

  He bounced the quarter and hit the rim. “Crap.”

  “We’ll play with rim shots, so you get another chance, instead of an opportunity to challenge.”

  “I get pity rules?”

  She laughed again, the noise lifting him. “Well, if you miss again, you drink, so it’s still a risk.” She raised an eyebrow. “What do you say? Are you going to play it safe?”

  He lifted the quarter and rolled it in his fingers. Then he focused on the cup, tossed it down, and watched it bounce in. Kelsey’s lips curved into a smile, then she lifted her shot glass and tipped it back. Part of him still couldn’t believe she was here in his house, so close he could reach out and cover the hand she had on the coffee table with his.

  Kelsey peeled off her sweater and tossed it aside. The collar of her blue shirt slid down on her shoulder, giving him a better view of the tattoos he’d gotten a glimpse of earlier. There was a star on her collarbone, and then another, trailing down, into her shirt. He couldn’t help but wonder how far down they went.

  Suddenly she shot to her feet. He’d thought the caffeine was wearing off since she’d stopped tapping the coffee table, but she must have caught her second wind. He watched her move around the room, fascinated to see what would come out of her mouth next.

  She stopped in front of the fireplace and eyed the pictures on the shelf above it. “Whoa,” she said, pulling down the one of him, Kaleb, and Connor, his friends from the academy. “That’s a lot of hotness all in one place.”

  That was the reaction most girls had to Connor. “Met those guys in Charlotte, when I was training to become a cop. Kaleb’s married—has a little girl, and I think he’s got another one on the way, actually. And Connor’s…” Nate didn’t even know how to finish that. “Well, he’s Connor.”

  “And then there’s you.” Kelsey glanced at him. “You’re included in the hotness, you know.”

  He stared for a moment, with his head now pleasantly fuzzy from the drinks, wondering if he’d imagined her saying that.

  She set the picture back on the shelf, and continued to circle the room. “You don’t have a Christmas tree?”

  “Nope.”

  “That’s kinda sad.”

  “I think it’d be sadder if I decorated a big tree and was the only one who saw it.”

  She frowned. “I have a little four-foot tree, and no one but me has seen it. But it makes me happy when I see the twinkling lights. It didn’t feel like it could be December without it.”

  Nate nodded, because he didn’t know what else to do.

  Kelsey flopped next to him, propping her elbow on the back of the couch so she was facing him. “Do you have something against happiness?”

  “Yes. Don’t tell anyone, but I moonlight as the Grinch.”

  She giggled, leaning her forehead on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure if it was the caffeine or the alcohol or the combination, but it all worked for her, and with her this close, his pulse rate steadily picked up speed. This was the best night he’d had in a while, which she’d probably think was sad, right along with his lack of a decorated tree.

  She lifted her head and flashed him a smile, making his heart catch in his chest. “You’re funnier than I expected. You were always so serious back in high school—or I guess you weren’t in high school but already graduated, so maybe that’s where the air of superiority came in.”

  He lowered his eyebrows. “I did not have an air of superiority.”

  Her eyes widened and she nodded. “Did so.”

  “Really? ‘Did so’ is your argument?”

  “Okay, so maybe you just didn’t like me.”

  “I liked you.”

  “No, you didn’t.” She shoved his shoulder, a sloppy shove. The fact he bobbed so easily proved he’d had enough vodka for the night. “I remember one time I came over and you were playing that shoot-everybody-up videogame and I thought, I know, I’ll sit down and play with him and he’ll see I’m not so bad…”

  Nate remembered that day. She’d had on really short shorts that showed off her legs, and it was the first time he’d seen the tattooed music notes circling her thigh. He’d wanted to play them. Play her.

  “But you didn’t say a word the entire time,” Kelsey continued. “I purposely shot you, even though you were on my team, to try and get a rise out of you. But you didn’t say anything. Then when the game ended, you got up and walked out. That’s when I knew you didn’t like me.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “It is! But it’s okay. As you can clearly see, I’m super cool, and it’s really too bad for you that you didn’t realize it until now.” She quirked her eyebrow, a haughty look on her face, though there was teasing in her expression, too. “You do realize it, right?”

  He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he found himself lowering his head toward hers. “I always thought you were cool. I…” His thoughts spun and he clamped his lips closed, not trusting himself to say anything more.

  But then she leaned closer and he caught the sweet scent of her mixed with a tinge of alcohol. “Then why’d you never talk to me? Why did you leave a room whenever I entered it?”

  His pulse thumped in his ears. She was so close he could see how her eyes went from dark brown in the middle to an amber color. Close enough to study her full lips, covered in some kind of glittery lip gloss. “Because you were the prettiest thing I’d ever laid eyes on, and I was afraid everyone would notice I was staring.”

  …

  Kelsey tried to swallow, but she wasn’t sure her throat was working anymore. She blinked at Nate, sure she’d imagined the words that’d come out of his mouth. Sincerity filled his eyes, though, and then there was the way he was looking at her.

  Her heart picked up speed, beating faster and faster. Her eyes locked onto his lips and energy crackled through the air between them.

  He suddenly straightened and cleared his throat. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m a little drunk.”

  She wasn’t sure why it felt like she’d just lost something, but a twinge pinched her chest. “So it wasn’t true?”

  He ran a hand over his close-cropped hair. “It’s true. But I shouldn’t have said it, and I’m sorry. I think we better call it a night.” He got off the couch. “We’ll see how the snow is in the morning. And, um, if you need anything, I’ll be in my room.” His face colored, and a flash of desire mixed into the odd combination of emotions swirling through her. “Like blankets.”

  Not sex?
She wanted to tease, but she didn’t want to ruin the nice evening they’d had by making him more uncomfortable. He’d saved her from a crappy night traipsing through snow to a hotel full of strangers. Might as well end on a good note.

  Not that the other option wouldn’t be good, but…well, he was Derek’s brother and that did make it a little weird. Plus, he was Nate Walsh. All-around good guy, upstanding, law-enforcing citizen, and probably not the one-night-stand type. She wasn’t either—not anymore. But if she could make total jerks whine about her hurting their feelings, she didn’t want to know what she could do to a nice guy like Nate. And she was far from looking for anything steady, so she wasn’t even sure why all these thoughts were popping into her head.

  “Night, Nate. Thanks for everything.”

  He nodded and started toward his room.

  But when he reached the hallway he glanced back, and her heart started beating too fast all over again.

  Chapter Three

  Kelsey snaked her arm out of the warm covers, felt around for her cell phone, and pulled it in front of her face. It was already ten, and Mom had sent several texts.

  So…?

  It looks like they’re still predicting snow there :(

  I’m getting ready to make Christmas cookies, but it seems sad without you.

  In case you didn’t get it from my first “So…?” I was wondering how things are with Nate???

  Are you still sleeping? WAKE UP ALREADY!!! :P

  Kelsey groaned. Her mouth felt like it’d been stuffed with cotton and someone was definitely playing drums on her head. Note to self: massive amounts of caffeine plus alcohol, not a good combo.

  While Nate had gone to bed, she’d paced around his place. About one hundred laps. She’d finally forced herself to go to the bedroom, but it was so cold she’d huddled under the blankets, her mind sloggy yet unable to shut off. The image of Nate’s face so close to hers kept popping up. It was a good thing he’d pulled back, because she would’ve just gone for it, and she had a goal to not regret kissing guys anymore.

  Only I’m not sure I would’ve regretted it.

  She padded across the icy room to the window and pulled the blinds open. “Ugh, still snowing.” Like it meant to cover the world in white and wouldn’t stop until it’d gotten every inch. Her car was probably now covered in a couple feet of snow, all that icy liquid seeping into the cracked open hood. If it ever started again it’d be a Christmas miracle.

  She texted Mom, telling her the weather was still crap, that she was sad about the cookies, too, and that she and Nate had just talked, but it was nice.

  Mom immediately texted back.

  How nice?

  Kelsey typed,

  More fun than I expected, but talking was all that happened.

  She wondered about confessing to Mom the spark she’d felt with Nate, and what he’d said about why he’d avoided her in high school.

  She heard his voice in her head: Because you were the prettiest thing I’d ever laid eyes on, and I was afraid everyone would notice I was staring.

  Residual butterflies fluttered through her stomach, telling her it was more than the vodka that’d given her that swirly sensation. It was possibly the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her. But there was still the fact that she used to go out with his brother, and that made things weird. Although she honestly hadn’t thought about Derek in years. He’d been a fun boyfriend, always up for an adventure. After high school he’d said he didn’t want to do the long-distance relationship, she’d agreed, and anything more than friendly feelings for him had died a long time ago.

  So she shouldn’t feel guilty for lusting after his brother, right? Especially since nothing happened. Just a nice night by the fire and Nate’s confession, which made him leave two seconds after he’d said it.

  Oh no, what if things are super awkward now?

  Before she figured out what exactly to say to Mom, she needed to find out where she and Nate stood, so she sent the message, ending with TTYL, and eyed the door.

  I’ll just go out and act totally normal. We’ll talk game plan, and I’ll figure out how I can get to Kentucky.

  Suddenly going out there, though, where she didn’t know which Nate she’d be faced with, seemed too intimidating. Would he be super serious today? Would he still joke with her? She hated the thought of going back to strained interactions, so she stalled, hitting the shower first.

  By the time she headed into the living room, her head was at least clear. But so was the house.

  Kelsey followed the scent of coffee and poured herself a mug. The door opened a moment later, sending an icy gust over her, and Nate walked in, covered in snow. His cheeks and nose were red and a black beanie covered his head—it drew her focus to his bright hazel eyes and his strong jaw. Then she was noticing how he took up the doorway with his height and broad shoulders, a body built from long hours of manual labor. Coffee dripped from the mug she’d forgotten she was holding and she quickly righted it.

  “Morning,” he said as he shook out of his coat.

  “Morning.” She wanted to add something else, but asking if it was cold outside was all that came to mind, and it was pretty obvious it was.

  “So…” He glanced over his shoulder at the window on the door and, from the set of his chin, she felt as though she should brace herself for bad news. “The roads are still closed. They sent up plows, but the wind is blowing like mad, creating total whiteout conditions and pushing the snow right back onto the road. Town’s all closed up, too, and everyone’s been advised to stay indoors.”

  “So the first thing you did was go outside? I thought you were a rule follower?”

  He cracked a smile, and it brought out the indentations in his cheeks and the adorable crinkles around his eyes. “Had to make sure the cows were okay.” His smile faded and he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m afraid you’re stuck here. At least one more day from the looks of it.”

  Though she’d suspected as much when she’d seen the blanket of snow out her window, the news still made her stomach drop. She’d envisioned a holiday of baking with Mom, catching up on all the time they’d missed. With their hectic schedules and the states between them, it’d been six months since they’d seen each other, and it felt like they were very, very far away.

  “Sorry,” Nate said. “I can tell you’re disappointed.”

  “No,” she said, and he cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, I am a little disappointed. It’s not because I have to be here with you” —there was a weird beat as she met his eyes— “I just envisioned my Christmas vacation going differently. But I’m glad I’m not stuck in a hotel somewhere, with no one to talk to. That’d be really lonely and totally sad.”

  She thought of his lack of Christmas tree, of how silent the house was this morning. She wondered if Nate ever got lonely, or if he preferred the quiet.

  “Well, I did pick you up something when I was over at my parents’ place. You don’t have to use them, but if you want…” Nate dug into his coat pocket, pulled out a yellow bag, and stuck it in front of her on the counter.

  Chocolate chips. A tight band formed around her chest. She’d rambled on and on about making cookies last night, and this morning she’d gotten that text from Mom reminding her of what she was missing. That bag was so much more than delicious little pieces of chocolate. It was part of her holiday traditions, and she couldn’t believe he’d thought of bringing them for her.

  Nate scuffed the floor with his shoe, his eyes focused on the motion. “I should have everything else you need. But like I said, only if you want. I’m not asking you to bake for me or anything.”

  Kelsey stepped forward and hugged him. He smelled like the outdoors and his clothes still held some of the chill. It took him a moment to reciprocate, but then he placed his hand on her back and she couldn’t help notice the way all her blood rushed to that spot.

  “Thank you so much.”

  He simply nodded. Then he headed into the other room, and she fi
gured she’d just have to explore to find everything she needed. Baking seemed like the perfect way to kill some time, though, and bonus, there’d be cookies afterward.

  She cleaned off her hands, found a bowl, flour, and sugar.

  Nate came back into the kitchen, his hair slightly messy from having had the beanie on. The gray thermal Henley he wore gave him a rugged, all-man look that made her heart skip a couple beats. For someone who was the opposite of her type, he sure was hard not to look at. Add the quiet sense of humor she’d seen last night and delivering chocolate chips, and he’d tiptoed into perfect territory.

  One corner of Nate’s mouth twisted up and she realized she was staring. And that he’d noticed. She turned away, heat crawling up her neck. “Where are your measuring cups?”

  “Uh…” Nate opened a few cupboards and then brought out a set that looked like it’d never been used. He went to hand them to her as she reached for them and their hands slammed together, causing the cups to drop to the counter.

  To keep their fumble from growing to awkwardness, she gave him directions, having him measure out the sugar while she scooped out the flour. Within a few minutes, they both had a thin layer of flour on their clothes, but they also had cookie dough. She poured in the chocolate chips and then pinched off a chunk and tossed it in her mouth.

  “Mmm. You have to try this. It turned out great.”

  “Well if I have to…” Nate leaned over her to grab a bite of dough. While he’d been cool from being outside earlier, he was warm now, his body firm against hers. She wasn’t sure why she couldn’t stop thinking these kinds of thoughts about Nate. She glanced over her shoulder and found her lips mere inches from his jaw. Whiskers dotted his chin, the dark hair complementing his strong features.

  He glanced down at her and her stomach climbed into her throat. She was thinking of last night again, what he’d said. She could tell he’d immediately regretted admitting she was pretty, but what did it matter anymore? Her relationship with Derek was forever ago. They were all different people now. Of course, Nate had life all figured out and she was still working on getting hers on the right track. Which meant, even though she was attracted to him and he was currently pressed against her, making her thoughts a bit hazy, she shouldn’t act upon her urge to kiss him.