That Snowy Night (Into The Fire Book 11)

by J. H. Croix

  I wanted to wrap Delilah in my arms. As she spoke, she lifted her chin, and that steely look I’d come to know entered her gaze.

  “What about your mom?”

  A rueful smile curled her lips. “She did her best under not very good circumstances. I always wanted her to leave him. If it hadn’t been for her having a job the whole time, we wouldn’t even have had food on the table sometimes.”

  “What does she do?”

  “Nothing amazing. My grandmother ran a greenhouse and landscaping business on her property, and my mom helped her with it. That’s where my parents live now. My dad could’ve helped with the landscaping side of things, but he was too inconsistent. So that’s it. That’s my parents and my childhood.”

  Delilah’s mouth twisted with her words, and she looked away quickly, making a show of looking out the windows. I hadn’t even realized I reached for her hand until my fingers curled over hers, and I felt how cold she was. She jerked slightly, whipping her head back in my direction.

  “You’re cold,” I commented.

  “My hands are usually cold in the winter.”

  I supposed that was true, but I could feel the slight tremor running through her. If I hadn’t figured it out yet, her family was obviously a sore spot for her.

  “I’m sorry your childhood kind of sucked,” I finally said, knowing blunt and direct usually was Delilah’s preference.

  She shrugged. “It’s okay. Life isn’t fair, right? Your family sounds nice. I like Holly.”

  My family was pretty awesome, and I knew I was blessed. Even though my twin sister could drive me crazy, I loved her. She’d stop traffic for me, just as I would do the same for her.

  “Maybe I can talk you into coming to visit Willow Brook. I think you’d like it.”

  “Maybe,” Delilah replied, her tone carefully neutral.

  Delilah wasn’t one to let herself get hopeful. Her doubts were practically plastered like billboards on her face, so I let it go.

  Our food came, and it was delicious. We went home that night. Once again, we had the kind of sex that made me forget everything else.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Delilah

  “I know we haven’t met before, but I’m going to hug you,” Shay said as she approached Alex.

  We were having the dinner Dani suggested, except Dani was working, so it was me and Alex with Shay and Jackson. Dani easily rivaled me with her tendency to work all the time. With her fiancé, Wade, on call as a first responder tonight, he had passed on dinner as well.

  Alex shrugged affably. He was an easygoing guy and didn’t mind being hugged by a stranger.

  Shay was Remy’s little sister. We’d gone to high school together, and Remy had been a few years ahead of us. Shay was engaged to Jackson Stone now. As far as I could tell, they were ridiculously in love. Like the fairy tale kind of love.

  “You must be Jackson,” Alex said after Shay stepped back from hugging him.

  Jackson threw his head back with a laugh, and they gave each other a backslapping hug. “Remy’s one of my best buddies. You can tell him that hug was for him.”

  Alex grinned. “You got it, man.” He glanced around the lodge restaurant. “Nice place here. Remy told me you own it.”

  “Let’s get a table,” Jackson said, gesturing for us to follow him.

  I’d been to this restaurant before but not often because it wasn’t cheap. Seeing as Jackson did own it, we had a great table by the windows looking out over the valley. The sun was setting, casting the smoky blue over the mountains with shades of silver and lavender.

  “My sister and I inherited the farm from our parents,” Jackson began once we were seated. “It hasn’t been a working farm for a while, and my dad started up an animal rescue before he passed away. We’ve got a vet clinic in the rescue over in the original part of the farm. This barn is for the guests, and we have lodging upstairs.”

  “Y’all have made an amazing place,” I said, meaning every word.

  “Thanks, Delilah,” Jackson said, dipping his head in a nod. “We’re proud of it.”

  “The Lost Deer owners sure love it. They get to send their wine and beer over here,” I replied, referring to the owners of the bar where I worked.

  “It’s a mutually beneficial relationship,” Jackson offered.

  A waiter came by, and Dani waved as she hurried by at one point. We had a relaxing dinner, and I actually enjoyed it. I was so busy that I rarely had extra time to socialize with friends. I saw Shay at the bar when she came by, along with most of my friends, but I was always working.

  “How’ve you been, Delilah?” Shay said as dinner moved along, her green eyes twinkling with her smile. “Seems like that Alaska trip turned out to be a boon.”

  I felt my cheeks go pink, and I shrugged. Shay cast a quick look in Alex’s direction, but he was busy talking to Jackson about his job as an airplane mechanic.

  “He seems nice,” she said, keeping her voice low.

  “He really is,” I said, meaning it down to my bones.

  Having Alex at my side was such a small thing, but it was a strange experience for me. I didn’t date. I just didn’t count on thinking anyone would want to go the long haul with me. More accurately, I didn’t want to let myself count on anyone or anything. Especially not a man.

  “He flew all the way here for you, so he must like you.”

  My cheeks got hotter. Shay smiled. “I just want you to be happy.”

  Jackson asked her something then, and she let the topic drop.

  It was another night that ended with me tangled up with Alex. That man was magic, and I was going to deeply miss falling asleep wrapped in his arms.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Delilah

  “Do you want to meet my parents?”

  Alex was chewing on a bite of a bagel, and he nodded while he continued chewing.

  “I’m not sure it can happen since you’re leaving tomorrow, but if you visit again, I’ll make sure to try to introduce you.” I didn’t say the silent part out loud—that I hadn’t even attempted to coordinate a way for him to meet them. Although I felt a sting of shame about that, it wasn’t as if I saw my parents on a weekly basis. Maybe once a month or so. Alex was gracious enough to let it rest. Whether he spoke it aloud, I sensed he understood how touchy the topic of my parents was and didn’t push. That rankled slightly because it only illuminated how much he understood me. That was what terrified me.

  Nobody ever wanted to meet my parents. But then I’d never really dated anyone long enough that they might ask. It wasn’t as if Alex and I were dating, though. We were having these strange interludes that didn’t feel like my real life. Except this interlude sort of did.

  Alex was here. In my world. He worked in Asheville while I bounced between my shifts at the bar and cramming in my nursing school classes at night. He was even gracious about that. He would watch TV and put my legs over his lap while I tapped away on my laptop.

  I loved it. Too often, I caught myself imagining us being a real couple. That was freaking crazy. Having experienced disappointment and disruption too many times in my childhood, I’d learned to set the bar of expectations low.

  It would be enough just to have a stable income and an apartment I liked. It would be enough to be able to make my own decisions about where I lived and what I did. It would be enough to stay single even if I wanted more because then I didn’t have to worry about anyone ever letting me down. It would be amazing not to live in a household with an alcoholic.

  Almost every day, I caught myself wanting to tell Alex about my father being sick and dying. For reasons I didn’t understand, not even a little, I struggled to tell him. It seemed so personal.

  Um, getting naked with him and having wildly intimate sex every night is pretty personal. My snide and always ready to be critical voice chimed in.

  Tonight was our last night together before Alex flew back to Alaska. I hated how much I was going to miss him. Now, it was going to be wor
se than before. I had a taste of him in my daily life, and I loved every minute of it.

  “Could you practice being just a little bit of an asshole?” I asked.

  Alex looked over from where he was changing the channel on the television. My calves rested on his lap. He was absentmindedly rubbing one of my feet, which he did often. Considering that being a bartender meant I spent hours on my feet, it was a special slice of heaven.

  “Practice being an asshole?” One of his dark brows rose in a slash.

  “Yeah, like leaving a towel on the floor or leaving your dishes on the coffee table.” I gestured toward the empty plate currently sitting there. I knew he would carry it into the kitchen, rinse it, and put it in the dishwasher the next time he got up from the couch. We’d gotten takeout tonight from a Thai place in Asheville. Or rather, Alex had picked it up and brought it home. He knew I had one of my online classes tonight, and he hadn’t even complained about that even though it was his last night here.

  “Come to think of it, you could complain that I had a class tonight.” I closed my laptop and shifted it onto the coffee table.

  “School is important to you. I knew I’d be eating and relaxing and packing, so that’s what I did. No biggie,” he said easily.

  He studied me quietly, getting that piercing look in his eyes that he had sometimes. It made me want to squirm a little bit. A part of me savored how well Alex seemed to understand me. Another part of me, a pretty loud and opinionated part of me, wanted to run for my life when I felt his understanding.

  I’d spent my whole childhood waiting until I could be an adult and didn’t have to count on anyone, yet I found myself wishing I could count on Alex. But I lived here, and he lived over four thousand miles away. He had a life there and a family—the kind of family anyone would want.

  My mother’s comment—Don’t be afraid to take a chance—dashed through my thoughts, so surprising, it was like a nude streaker at a public event.

  Even thinking about moving to Alaska scared me because then that meant I was hanging my hopes on something. Or more specifically, on someone—Alex.

  “If you want to know annoying things about me, just call Holly. She’ll give you a long list.” He offered a mischievous grin with that comment.

  I laughed. “I bet she would, but she’s your sister. She’s biased, both good and bad.”

  “I checked prices. I can get you a ticket to Alaska over your break from school. It’s about six weeks out, right?” Alex asked, his tone carefully light.

  See, that was exactly what I meant about him. He understood me. He knew this would make me feel squirrely, so he offered it up as casually as if he was mentioning the weather.

  I swallowed, willing my heart to calm down. My heart was having none of that and rioted in my chest. It was as if a flock of small birds in a tree took flight together, all calling at once and filling the sky with a cacophony of sounds.

  “I don’t know,” I said, nervously catching the edge of the throw blanket draped on the back of the couch and rubbing the soft fabric between my fingers.

  “I know you don’t know. Think about it. Please. I know you’ve seen Alaska, but I’d like you to come to Willow Brook. You can see where I grew up and see Holly. She’d love that. Just let me know by next week, okay?”

  “Okay.” I was relieved he didn’t press further, yet on the heels of my relief came a twinge of disappointment. See, I wanted him to beg. Good Lord. It wasn’t enough that he was offering to buy me a freaking plane ticket. I knew they weren’t cheap.

  After Alex did exactly as I knew he would and took his plate to the dishwasher, he even rinsed the dishes I’d left in the sink. When I was coming out of the bathroom, I saw him turning the dishwasher on. Crossing the kitchen, I leaned my hips against the counter and curled my hands on the edges. “See, you don’t know how to be an asshole.”

  Alex turned. Inside of a nanosecond, his eyes darkened, and heat coiled inside me, suffusing me from head to toe. Moving quickly to me, Alex was lifting me and sliding my hips on the counter before I even realized what was happening.

  Stepping between my knees, he tugged me against his arousal. I could feel the thick, hard length of him pressing against me. I became acutely aware of the slick heat at the apex of my thighs. I was already wet. Alex made me feel like a ridiculously needy girl. Aside from the muddled confusion I felt at the depth of how much emotion he elicited, I felt even more vulnerable at the shocking force of my desire for him.

  The only relief in all of my internal tumult was that I could simply forget myself the moment he kissed me. Thank goodness for that. Before Alex, I was used to having my brain halfway on whenever I had sex.

  I wasn’t complaining about other men specifically. It’s just that no one else captured my attention thoroughly enough to wash my thoughts away in the current of passion. I found myself wondering about homework assignments for school, or trying to remember my work schedule, or worrying about bills. The mundane could always puncture what was supposed to be a moment of desire. Except with Alex.

  I looked into his dark chocolate eyes, and my heart gave a sweet twist in my chest. My breath hitched when I tried to get some air. I could hear the rush of blood in my ears with the thundering beat of my heart as Alex stared at me. It was hard to look at him because tomorrow he was leaving.

  He saved me from myself by dipping his head and pressing a hot, open kiss on my neck, just behind my ear. That spot was so sensitive it sent a shiver through my entire body, my skin prickling with goose bumps and liquid need spreading like lava through my veins.

  “Alex.” I gasped when he trailed his tongue along my collarbone.

  “Yeah, sweetheart?”

  His hand snuck under my shirt, cupping one of my breasts and teasing the already hard nipple to an aching peak. “I need…” I couldn’t even cling to a train of thought, and my words ended on a moan. What did I need? I had no idea. I just needed.

  “I’ve got you,” he murmured.

  He did have me—body, heart, and soul.

  Our clothes came off in a rush, and somehow, we stumbled into the bedroom. Something about Alex saying he needed to take his time.

  I was naked and restless, my skin dewy. I shifted my legs, feeling the juices of my arousal on the inside of my thighs.

  Alex had kicked his jeans off and was standing at the foot of the bed. His hungry gaze swept up and down my body. I literally felt it on my skin, little licks of fire everywhere his eyes landed.

  The mattress dipped under his weight when he brought one knee down. Curling his hands around my ankles, he moved his touch upward in a smooth, sure path as he pushed my knees apart. He muttered something. I didn’t even know what it was, but I felt it, dirty and sweet at once. He dropped hot kisses on the insides of my thighs, and my hips rocked into his touch the moment his fingers trailed lightly through my folds.

  “So wet,” he murmured.

  “Alex,” I pleaded.

  He gave me what I needed, sinking two fingers into my channel. When he drew them out, I whimpered in protest. But then he licked the very core of me, and I let out a long moan.

  My fingers tangled in his hair, and I gripped the sheets with my other hand. Alex made love to me with his mouth, taking me to the edge and pulling me back again and again. It felt as if I was made of pleasure, every cell tightening and tightening, begging for more.

  Finally, he rose, just when I cried his name again. “Sweetheart, I want you to come all over my cock,” he said.

  Pulling my eyes open, I looked up to see him fisting his cock. He dragged the head back and forth through my folds, and each time the thick crown teased over my clit, I almost toppled over the edge.

  “Alex,” I begged. I had no shame, and this man made me plead like no other.

  “Right here, sweetheart,” he murmured, just before notching his cock at my entrance and sinking inside in one slow slide.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Alex

  Delilah’s hot, sil
ky core sheathed me. I nearly came instantly, but I gritted my teeth and clung to my control. Her dark hair was a tangled mess on the pillows, and her eyes held mine.

  I eased over her, resting on one elbow as I brushed her hair away from her face. Her legs curled around my hips, and she arched against me. “Alex.”

  My heart felt cracked open. I loved it when she said my name. The only time she was this unguarded was when we were having sex. We were so, so good together.

  Drawing back, I felt her begin to ripple around my cock when I sank inside her again, her channel clenching me tightly. One more slow slide and her entire body trembled as she cried out.

  The heaviness in my balls tightened, and everything sizzled before my release slammed through me. I came so hard I collapsed against her. I practically saw stars. When the edges of my vision cleared, I rolled over, bringing her on top of me. I felt the rapid beat of her heart thundering along with mine.

  I didn’t want to let her go. I didn’t want to leave tomorrow. I held her and stroked my hands through her hair, knowing if I pushed too hard or too fast with her, it would ruin everything.

  Chapter Twenty

  Delilah

  I turned along the road that led to the airport, feeling a little sick inside. I’d tried to make this morning normal. We had coffee, and I made omelets for breakfast. Alex insisted on helping me clean up, which annoyed me.

  He’d returned his rental car two days ago after I insisted I could take him to the airport. I was now regretting that choice because I felt like a foolish girl. I was going to miss him, and this impending goodbye was bearing down on me at warp speed. I wasn’t ready to take the hit.

  As I got farther down the road to the airport, it felt as if the signs were even pressuring me. I had to decide between short-term parking and just dropping him off at the curb. The decision felt ominous. I didn’t know which choice to make. If Alex hadn’t been in the car with me, I’d probably have driven a few loops while my thoughts went to war with themselves.