Melting Snow

by Leora Gonzales

  “Ouch.”

  “Why did you just pinch yourself?” Will’s voice was amused as he smiled against her hair.

  “Because you look like Captain America, you’re a hot fireman, and I haven’t been kissed in eight months.” Winter blushed, tucking her face down.

  Will raised his strong hand and lifted her chin so she would meet his eyes. “Some folks have said I look like that guy but I don’t see it, I love being a fireman and I’ll most likely do it until I retire, and I can’t believe it’s been that long since someone stole a kiss.”

  Winter couldn’t help the warm, tingly feeling that came over her at not only his embrace but also the easy teasing they had fallen into. “You totally look like him, I like that you have a job that essentially makes you a hero, and I swear it’s the truth.”

  Will rubbed his jaw over her hair until his lips were tracing the shell of her ear. Snuggling closer to a man who was still technically a stranger but felt like so much more, Winter absorbed as much of the feeling as she could.

  “Say you’ll have dinner with me,” his voice demanded, causing the tremors to tickle her ear.

  “I would love that.” Unable to stop herself, Winter tilted her head until her lips could trace the strong line of his neck. Feeling him swallow hard, she flicked out her tongue to catch a small taste of the skin.

  “You are going to be a handful, aren’t you?” he asked huskily as his hand moved up to cradle her head closer to his neck.

  “Possibly. You think you can handle me?” she teased with a nip at the taut skin.

  Will’s large palm moved up to grip her messy bun in a firm hold. “Sweetheart, that’s not something you will ever need to worry about.” Tugging until she had no choice but to relinquish the warm skin of his neck, he met her eyes. “I want to taste those lips again before the guys come to check on us.”

  Winter licked her lips, smiling when he groaned at the action. “Well, if you insist.”

  As their lips met, tongues tangling, Winter had to wonder what rabbit hole she had fallen into.

  Chapter 4

  Winter finished her cleaning duties as quickly as possible. Her skin was still tingling from the stolen kisses she’d shared with her hot fireman. Part of her was in disbelief. Was she so horny she’d imagined the intensity of their encounter?

  “Hey.”

  Winter dropped the cleaning products she’d been loading onto her cart.

  “Shit!” she yelped, trying to catch the bottle of bleach before it hit the floor.

  “Sorry.” Enrique came forward to help her stack up the items she’d knocked down. “You sure are jumpy tonight.”

  “No, I’m not,” she mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

  “What’s going on with you and the big guy?” he asked bluntly.

  “Big guy?” She scoffed at his words. “He’s not that big.”

  Enrique rolled his eyes. “He looks like that dude in those movies…you know, the guy with the shield?”

  Smacking her friend on the shoulder, she exclaimed, “I said the same thing!”

  “What’s going on?” Enrique’s tone turned serious.

  “He asked me out and I said yes.”

  “Really?”

  Hands propped on her hips, Winter gave him her best skunk eye. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “I didn’t mean it like that…just… I know that you haven’t dated in a while. Besides, I didn’t know that you knew each other.” He patted her on the shoulder, the action softening her stance.

  “I didn’t know him before tonight. He introduced himself while I was cleaning the tables and asked me to be an elf… It kind of snowballed from there,” she explained.

  “This is gonna be interesting.”

  “How so?” Winter wrapped up her headphones and stuffed them into her coat pocket.

  “Rob said that Will hasn’t dated in a while. You haven’t dated anyone since I’ve known you.”

  “And?” she prodded.

  “I could see the heat between the two of you. And that was before he dragged you off into a dark corner.” Enrique gave her a comical leer until Winter smacked his arm.

  “Knock it off, you lunatic.”

  “So, I guess this means that Stella doesn’t need to set you up with someone for Christmas dinner?” Enrique asked.

  “Christmas dinner?” She walked through the door that Enrique was holding open for her and they headed down the corridor. “When did I agree to come to Christmas dinner?”

  “What else were you going to do for Christmas?” he asked in surprise.

  “Well, I had planned on getting some Chinese food and watching cable.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, you are coming to dinner. We won’t make you sing songs or pray. I promise.” Holding up his fingers as if he were a Boy Scout pledging his oath, he waited for her to agree.

  “The atheist thing really bothers you, doesn’t it?” Winter teased him, knowing his Catholic family crossed themselves whenever one of them heard she wasn’t religious.

  “Not anymore. I had to explain to my mother that you didn’t sacrifice chickens to the devil. I’ve also finally gotten her to believe you aren’t trying to seduce her happily married son,” he deadpanned while opening the hall door for her.

  “You tried to seduce Enrique?” Will’s deep voice came from the other side of the doorway as they walked through, laughing at their private joke.

  “What? You aren’t worried about me sacrificing chickens?” Winter asked with a smile.

  Will threw his arm around her shoulder, hugging her close as if they had done this a thousand times before. “Not really.”

  “Is he taking you home tonight?” Enrique interrupted their moment, nodding toward the parking lot.

  “He offered earlier. So if you don’t hear from me by tomorrow, you should call the cops.”

  “I’m not a serial killer,” Will said with a chuckle.

  “And I’m sure that is exactly what a serial killer would say,” she replied.

  “I’m parked over there. You guys be careful on the roads. I think they salted, but it’s probably still slick,” Enrique cautioned as he walked to his truck.

  “See you tomorrow!” Winter yelled at his retreating figure.

  Will guided her toward a gigantic black Ford. After helping her into the large vehicle, he jogged around the front of the truck and climbed into the driver’s side.

  “This is nice. Is it new? It smells new,” she gabbled.

  Will flipped the heat to the highest setting and hit the buttons for the seat warmers to start as well.

  “Are you nervous?” he asked, his dimple making another appearance.

  “Nervous? Do I seem nervous?” she blurted out, already feeling the warmth from the truck seep into her skin.

  “A little,” he admitted. “You don’t have to be. I won’t bite.”

  “Unless I ask?” The words came out quickly before she even realized what she’d said. “Shit. I didn’t mean to say that. I’m sorry.” Winter covered her face with her gloved fingers as Will started chuckling.

  Will reached over and pulled her fingers away from her cheeks. “I like it when you just blurt stuff out. It gives me a glimpse into what’s happening up here,” he said, tapping his fingers to her temple.

  “I say weird shit sometimes,” Winter burst out. “Sometimes I say stuff that even scares me a little bit.”

  “I like it,” he said, watching her closely while the truck warmed up.

  “You’re strange,” she whispered in the small space as he moved closer to her side of the truck. The only thing holding him back was the divider in the cab.

  “I’m going to kiss you again,” Will whispered huskily as he dipped his head for a kiss.

  As their lips met, Winter tugged off her gloves so she could feel h
is face with her bare hands. Cupping his cheeks, she raked her nails lightly over the dark hair shadowing his dimple.

  Winter leaned back slightly, disengaging their mouths. “I love this.”

  Her whisper made him smile and ask, “Our kisses? Me too.”

  “No, this dimple.” Tracing her fingers over the dimple in question, she licked her lips to taste his essence on the skin.

  “So you’re a dimple chaser?” His husky voice teased her in the dark cab.

  “I guess so,” she answered honestly.

  “I’m an ass man if we’re being honest.” Running his palm up and down her arm, he moved until it rested on one hip. “And this is one fine ass.”

  “Seriously?” Winter asked, slightly embarrassed at the attention. She knew she had a big ass. She just wasn’t all that used to it getting positive attention.

  “It was the first thing I noticed about you,” he admitted. “You were bent over and listening to your music. There was a definite wiggle that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from.”

  Winter took a deep breath, trying to calm down the frantic beat of her heart. “We should probably get moving.”

  Nodding in agreement, Will shifted until he was facing the steering wheel again and adjusted himself in his pants. Catching the movement out of the corner of her eye, Winter clenched her own thighs together. Damn. The man was like a wet dream come to life.

  Winter tried to distract herself from the sexual tension and started giving him directions to her apartment complex. As he drove them slowly through the now-quiet college town, he asked her questions about random things. Family, favorite foods, pets were all inquired about. In turn, Winter found out that he had bought a fixer-upper house earlier that year that he was working on during his off time. He had a rescue dog named Gimli, after a Lord of The Rings character, and was one of four siblings.

  “So, earlier Enrique said something about sacrificing chickens?”

  “Oh, that. He likes to tease me because I’m an atheist and his family is super-Catholic.” A sad thought came over her. Winter unbuckled her seatbelt and turned slightly to stare straight at him. “Do you have a problem with that?”

  “Why would I have a problem with it?” he asked, confused.

  “The last guy I dated dumped me because his family couldn’t handle the fact I didn’t share their beliefs. It didn’t start out as a problem until later in our relationship when I was asked how I would raise a kid,” she explained, wanting to lay it all out on the line.

  “You were serious enough to talk about marriage?” His voice sounded curious but not judging.

  “Not really, it came up at a family dinner. His mom asked if I was raised in the church and somehow it led into how I would raise my own kids. The result ended up being like a bumper car accident. Every little thing in our relationship worked its way back to religion. Potential wedding, theoretical kids, holidays…you name it and it revolved around how I needed to change to fit in with his family. Where do you stand on the subject?” she probed.

  Winter was happy that her voice came out calm even though her nerves were going crazy with the idea that he would call quits to what was happening before it had barely begun.

  “Well, honestly?” Will asked, thumping his hands on the steering wheel in front of him.

  “Always honest.” Winter nodded and braced herself.

  “I’m not religious either,” he admitted. “I wouldn’t classify myself as an atheist since I think that there may be something out there that has had a hand in our existence but I value personal morals more than judging someone by how often they attend church.”

  “Okay.” Winter nodded, understanding what he was saying.

  “And for the record, I would raise my children to think for themselves. They can be Jewish, Buddhist or Wiccan for all I care. I would love them regardless of their decisions when it comes to their personal beliefs. I just want them to be good people,” he said plainly.

  “I feel the same way.” Winter sighed with relief.

  “That was a big sigh. Everything okay?” Will reached over to hold her hand.

  “It’s great, I just feel like we’ve gotten ahead of ourselves with all this serious talk.” She cleared her throat nervously.

  “Not if it’s something that broke up a previous relationship. I think we’re on the right track talking about it before we go any further,” Will said, his tone serious.

  “Is this going further?” Her voice came out in a squeak.

  “Winter, the moment I met you I knew I wanted to spend time with you. I’m almost thirty. I’m not one of these college boys who just want to get laid. If that were the case I would pick up a pole bunny from the station or hit a bar. Been there, done that.” His voice was clear and honest as he spoke.

  Turning off the car and taking the keys out of the ignition, he smiled at her as she sat with her mouth open, stunned at his little speech. He leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

  “Now are you going to show me your place?”

  Will helped her down from the truck so she didn’t slip in the slush that had accumulated, holding her arm firmly until she got her footing.

  “What’s wrong?” His voice was gentle as he tugged her toward the apartment building’s awning.

  “I just have never had someone be so honest before,” she mused as she allowed him to hold her arm in his steady grip as they shuffled up the walk.

  “Well, I already admitted that I stared at your ass and I have had my tongue down your throat multiple times tonight. I also want to let you know that I may seem easy but I am not spending the night no matter how much you beg me.” His deep teasing voice caused her to giggle as she pulled out her keys.

  “You’re so strange.” Glancing back at him, she caught his gaze on her ass as she moved in front of him. “And stop staring at my ass.”

  “I can’t help it. It’s begging for me to spank it,” he admitted with a sexy wink, causing her to stumble into her apartment door when her knees went weak.

  “So now we’re onto the subject of spanking?” Shaking her head in wonder, Winter couldn’t help but say, “This is the strangest conversation ever. Dimples, asses, religion, and now spanking…all before the first date.”

  As she unlocked the door and flicked on the light, Will pressed up against her back. Wrapping his arms around her middle, he squeezed her close despite the puffy coat she wore and which was separating them.

  “Winter, I have a feeling we may become one of those couples who has a first date that never ends. It just rolls into a lifetime.” His whispered declaration made her shiver.

  “Really? That’s how you feel after knowing me for the entire sum of…” Winter glanced at the clock on her DVR across the room to check the time. “Five whole hours?”

  “When you know, you know.” Shrugging, he helped her unbutton her coat. “It was the same way for my parents and a couple of my brothers. They met their women and it just happened.”

  “Wow,” Winter blurted out, unsure what to say next. She had never been in a situation like this before. It reminded her of something that only seemed to happen in the movies.

  “I don’t want to freak you out. Let’s talk some more and just relax.” Pecking her quickly on the tip of her nose before taking off his own coat, he glanced around. “Do you have a roommate?”

  “How could you tell?” Winter scanned the room with questioning eyes. How had he picked up on that?

  “There are two sizes of shoes by the door and everything seems mismatched. Cute but mismatched,” he observed out loud. “The shoe trick is something we’re taught early on in training. It helps us figure out how many people we may be looking for when entering a house fire.”

  “You’re right. I do have a roomie but she’s visiting her folks for Christmas.” Winter tossed both their coats over a chair by the doorway,
not bothering to hang them up.

  “Do you celebrate Christmas? I know you agreed to be an elf but I don’t want it to make you uncomfortable either.”

  Winter took a moment to think how to answer. Some people were offended when she explained what Christmas meant to her.

  “I still celebrate Christmas with presents and stuff. I have no problem being an elf for the fund-raiser. Christmas to me is more about celebrating family and home.” Quirking her lips, she admitted, “Santa is a safe zone.”

  “Good, because I’ll be playing Santa and I want nothing more than for you to sit on my lap before people show up.”

  Standing in the middle of her living room, she let Will tug her forward until their bodies were pressed closely together. Winter’s arms looped around his neck as if she’d practiced the action for years, while she snuggled close to his chest.

  “Which bedroom is yours?” he asked suddenly, startling her out of the peaceful moment she had drifted into.

  “That one over there. I thought you weren’t going to sleep with me tonight?”

  “I said no sex. Sleeping is on the table as long as you behave yourself.” Leading her to her own room as if he owned the place, Will walked her to the bed.

  “I’d like to hold you until you fall asleep. You okay with that?” he asked, sitting on the edge of her unmade bed.

  “That sounds perfect actually. Let me get ready for bed. Can you contain yourself if I throw on a T-shirt for bed first?” she asked, reaching for a shirt from her dresser.

  “Get comfortable,” he said huskily, obviously imagining her in just her shirt.

  In the bathroom she quickly took down her hair and brushed her teeth before changing. In the bedroom, she saw that Will had straightened her sheets and comforter while waiting for her.

  Will was lying down on one side of the bed, still clothed but with his shoes and socks off. Winter stared at his stretched-out, muscled form for a few moments before glancing at her nightstand where her present from Jasmine was sitting, still wrapped. Trying to hold back a blush at what the package contained, she walked as sexily toward the bed as she was able.