She heard the water shut off and a few minutes later, Daniel came down the stairs. He was dressed in gray sweatpants and a white tank, his Saint Christopher’s medallion around his neck, hair wet, green eyes shimmering.
“What are you doing on the couch?”
“Not sleeping yet,” she answered, pulling the throw blanket over her shoulders.
“You should be in bed.”
Jessica thought that restraining herself from jumping his bones should be applauded after that line, frankly. She pulled the blanket tighter over her shoulders. “I’m fine. I’m not going to ruin a perfectly clean pair of sheets—hey!”
He reached over the back of the couch, slipped one hand under her knees and the other around her back, and hoisted her against him. For one second, she had nothing to say. She slid against his chest, her hands found their way around his neck, and she held on.
After a moment, though, she found her voice. “What is this? Me Jane, You Tarzan?” she said loudly enough to drown out her rapidly beating heart.
“This is Me Host, You Guest,” Daniel murmured.
His breathing had quickened and his arms were straining to hold her. Great, she was probably as heavy as a heifer. How mortifying. He reached the door to the guest bedroom and kicked it open. The door swung and hit the wall. Mitten yelped from the couch.
Daniel's hands tightened, one around her shoulder and the other around her knees, pressing into her soft skin. She had to brace a hand against his chest. She glanced at the bed and imagined the two of them in a tangle of sheets, those strong hands curving around her hips. All of a sudden she was scrambling her way out of his arms.
“Whoa, hey, whoa.” He let her go and backed away, his hands defensively up at his shoulders. “Careful. You could have hit your head again.”
“I am a grown woman,” she declared.
His gaze traveled up and down her body once, quickly. “I’m aware of that.”
“I make my own decisions!” she added.
“Yup.”
“And I’m sleeping in the couch.” She stormed past him, heart pounding, and dove onto the couch, sending Mitten bouncing up only to settle down and snuggle at her feet. Jessica tried to slow her breathing and closed her eyes.
She waited for him to argue, but there was only silence.
After a couple minutes, she heard rustling. She opened her eyes to see him standing over her, holding a pillow and a blanket. She lifted her head as he tucked the pillow under her neck, then laid the blanket over her.
“Thank you,” Jessica said, feeling slightly silly now for overreacting.
“Night, Jessica.”
“Night.”
He stared at her, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths. Was he out of breath, too? Nah, he was a trained paramedic. He could probably scale the mountain without much effort. “Tomorrow’s a new day,” he said. “A new start. Let’s make it count.”
She watched him climb the ladder to his loft and disappear behind the door.
The real Daniel might not be the romantic hero of her daydreams, but he did know just the right thing to say.
***
Daniel tossed and turned for the hundredth time. He knew exactly how to solve his problem, and it involved going downstairs and finishing what he’d unintentionally started.
He and Jessica Mendez were two grown-ass adults, as she had put it. They could make their own grown-ass decisions about sex.
Still, he meant what he said. Tomorrow was a new day, a fresh start. He knew as well as anyone that Jessica Mendez didn’t belong in Snow Creek. She had dreams that went far beyond this town….
And he couldn’t pretend it wouldn’t be complicated.
Sex with women was usually simple. That was the beauty of it.
But sex with Jessica Mendez wasn’t going to be. It was going to be a sweaty, hot, tangled web that he wanted to get caught up in.
Even now he fisted his hands and flipped onto his stomach, willing himself to stay put.
He jumped out of bed.
A second shower never hurt anyone.
Chapter Four
Tuesday, December 19th
Jessica was sleeping peacefully on her side, knees drawn into her chest, wisps of hair falling across her cheek. Her head was tucked into a sofa cushion.
After Daniel’s second shower, he had felt compelled to check on her to make sure she was still all right, despite the head injury. He’d been relieved when she’d been asleep. Because if she’d been awake and staring up at him with those dark eyes….
Jessica Mendez snored. Not a loud, sawing-wood snore. But a soft, open-mouthed snore like Mitten, who had found herself a nice perch right on top of Jessica’s chest.
Yeah, that’s where he would have chosen to rest his head, too.
Daniel considered himself a simple guy. Life was simpler when you were honest.
He said what he meant.
He did want he liked.
He took what he wanted.
But he hadn’t taken what he wanted yet or said what he wanted, not with her.
He reached out to brush her hair from her face, drawing his finger against her soft cheek. Jessica Mendez had always had something special: a snap, a sizzle, a bit of snark beneath that warm coziness. And the two of them together? He hadn't even made it past that one kiss and his night had been a slideshow of sweaty dreams.
That was the thing about willpower: one only had so much to spare, and he’d exhausted nine hours worth.
Jessica stirred and Daniel walked into the kitchen to avoid getting caught staring at her.
She joined him a moment later, stretching her arms overhead with a yawn. "Coffee?" she asked.
"Putting on a pot."
She leaned against the kitchen counter with a speculative frown. "I haven't slept in another bed in…forever."
"Technically, you still haven't." He grabbed sugar and creamer from his cupboard. "That there is what we refer to in this house as a couch."
"Ha, ha." She scrunched her nose. "I guess tonight will be the first night I sleep in another bed. Or does that not count, either?"
“Depends on the bed and how much sleep gets done.” If it was his bed, there’d be very little sleep. He looked down at her through his lashes, liking how her blush went all the way up her neck. He stepped closer to her and slipped his fingers into her hair.
Her lips fell open as he gently pressed his thumbs into her scalp. “How’s that tenderness?” he asked.
She murmured something that had him drawing closer, until he’d backed her against the counter. This was nuts, he realized. But not as nuts as not kissing her again, so he dipped his head, stopping just short of her lips.
She drew in short, quick breaths as his hands settled at the base of her neck. But then she pulled away quickly. He shook his head, confused about what had happened, until he realized his phone was ringing.
He glanced over to the counter and saw it was his parents. He picked up the phone, noting how Jessica took the opportunity to slip back into the living room. He ran his hands through his hair and forced himself to cool down. “Hi, Mom and Dad. Everything okay?”
“It’s a wee disaster, Daniel,” his father said, his brogue still strong after all these years. “The blizzard’s bolloxed us all up.”
Daniel glanced out the window at the clear skies. “The blizzard blew through here yesterday. We might have a snow bank, but they should have that cleared up in no time.”
“Ye don’t have the market cornered on snow in that town, son. We have a wee thing called snow here in Denver, too. The flight schedules are all messed up and you’ve been delayed again until tomorrow. Oh wait, your mother wants to say a word.”
“Dad, wait—”
“Oh dear,” his mom said, flustered. “I’m afraid the heavens are against us!”
“Don’t be dramatic, Mom.” He sighed. “This happens every Christmas. I’ll just call the airline and figure out something.”
“Not sure
what good it will do,” she said. “The customer service agent won’t be able to see your face, and I dare say you’re only half as charming with only your voice.”
“Mom.” His voice felt strangled.
“Oops, your father wants you back.”
He was pretty sure his parents passed him back and forth to be sure he never got a word in edgewise. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It might be one more day, son. If only the damn snow would stop.”
He heard Jessica clearing her throat and turned to look at her, his own throat going dry. God, she was beautiful. She twisted the tails of her shirt with her fingers.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Uh yeah,” he said into the phone. “It will be all right.”
He said his goodbyes and hung up the phone and walked towards her, not stopping when she asked what was wrong again, not stopping until he had her in his arms and his mouth was on hers.
***
Wake up, Jessica!
Jessica kept expecting to wake up in bed, gasping from her dream: Daniel twisting her hair in his fist and holding her head still; Daniel covering her mouth with his; Daniel’s other hand sliding across her hip and underneath her shirt.
Her knees went weak as she swayed into him.
As long as she was dreaming….
She pressed against him and ran her hands through his hair, stroked his neck. God, he smelled great. There were other smells, too—like coffee. Why was she imagining coffee?
He yanked her shirt over her head and it became very clear, very quickly, that she wasn’t dreaming.
This was real—Daniel Hennessey and her. He palmed her backside and lifted her against him, her legs wrapped around his waist.
It was all happening so fast. He was kissing her and walking toward the guest bedroom. His mouth began a lazy exploration of her ear, sending drowsy sparks of pleasure through her even as his hands frantically stroked her skin.
“You are so soft.” His voice was raspy and rough as his tongue laved her neck. His medallion swung from his neck and he pulled it off.
This was no fantasy. There was no declaration of love; there was only his mouth and his hands and this heat. He gently lowered her to the bed and she pulled him closer and arched against him and tore at his shirt just as his hands found the waist of her pants and he tugged—then stopped.
“Wait—are you sure?” he asked urgently.
She arched against him in answer, but his hand splayed against her stomach.
“I need to hear you say you’re sure,” he said.
She looked into his eyes, earnest and searching. She reached down for him and he groaned, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m sure,” she said.
The words had barely left her mouth when he claimed her lips again, his hands eagerly slipping her pants down her legs.
She leaned back her head and sighed. She didn’t want cool and collected fantasy Daniel anymore.
***
“I’ve got an idea,” Daniel whispered against her lips as he kissed her again.
“Does it involve me sleeping for twenty years?” She stretched out beneath him. God, she was exhausted—how many times was he going to do this? Not that she minded, but she was only human, after all.
“It involves a shower.”
“Oh, that sounds good,” she agreed.
“Upstairs.” He smiled as he stood and pulled her up with him. “You know I have a theory.” He nibbled at her lips. “That sex is more exciting when it’s not in your bed.”
“Like guest bedroom sex?” she asked.
“Want to prove me wrong?” He began to walk out of the bedroom towards his loft.
“More than anything.”
***
Wednesday, December 20th
Jessica bolted up in his bed as inspiration hit. She wanted to do a travel video of best hotel beds. She couldn’t feature this one, of course. She turned to look at Daniel, who had fallen asleep again, one hand thrown over her waist. She gently removed it and slipped out to the living room.
She grabbed her laptop, settled on the couch, and let Mitten snuggle next to her. She did a few quick searches for great honeymoon sites, and compiled a list of contenders. She’d have to email the lodges and hotels, ask for video and then….
Her fingers stilled. She didn’t have to email anyone.
She could just go.
She. Could just. GO. And see the lodgings for herself.
She slammed the laptop shut. What was she thinking? How could she just leave Snow Creek—her parents’ home—especially now? Especially after what had happened?
The bedroom door flung open. Daniel looked down from the loft, eyes wild. They settled when he saw her. He scratched his head as he climbed down.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, setting down her laptop which disrupted Mitten enough to move off her lap and settle at the far end of the couch.
“Yeah.” He walked into the kitchen and poured two cups of coffee. “I’m just hungry.”
“We did forget to eat.”
“And…I thought you’d left.”
“And just walked away?” she asked with a smile, nodding outside, where snow covered the streets.
“I was half asleep,” he said in his defense. “And you do have a head injury.” He handed her a cup of coffee and leaned against the arm of the couch. “So, how long are we going to do this?”
“Not talk about what happened?” she teased, blushing as she remembered everything that had happened yesterday and last night. She could still feel Daniel’s touch all over her body. After spending years wanting him, after spending a year obsessing over him, he finally wanted her in return. In her fantasy, though, they were always together while she ran the bookstore. Just thinking about Books and Crannies, she felt herself tear up.
“Oh, hey.” Daniel slid down on the couch and his arms went around her. "It's okay."
“No, it’s not that,” she said. "I'm not crying about you or us or anything we did."
“Consider me put squarely in my place,” he murmured as he kissed the top of her head.
“I just meant, I was thinking about this assignment I wanted to do for a travel article and how now I could actually travel there, not just write about it from afar. And I was so happy. But what does that say about me? How can I be happy about what happened to my parents’ store?”
“You can be sad about your parents’ store and still be happy you get to have your life back. You fought the good fight, Jessica. You gave a year of your life, but now it’s time for you to move on.”
Jessica stilled as she considered his words. “What do you mean, move on?”
Daniel pulled back and studied her frankly. “Since you were a little girl, you’ve always talked about traveling to other places. It’s the thing I remember most about you. You were Most Likely to Conquer the World in high school—and I should know, because I voted for you.”
She blushed, but beneath her pride and embarrassment was a tingling sensation of something wrong that she couldn’t quite place. How long had Daniel been paying attention to her when she wasn’t paying attention to him?
“My YouTube channel is just a hobby, though.”
“Are you sure?” he said. “You have half a million viewers—that pretty much rivals the travel channel.”
“How did you know….” Then it hit her. That tingly sensation of wrongness finally made sense. “You always thought I was leaving.”
He shifted away from her an inch, as if sensing the change in her tone. “Jessica?”
“This.” She pointed between them. “Us. It was always a meant to be a one-time thing for you.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” He ran his hand through his hair, then cleared his throat. “I just know you’re meant for something other than Snow Creek.”
“So you thought you’d take advantage of a sure thing that you’d never have to deal with.” Jessica pushed off the couch, but there was nowhere to escape
inside the cabin. She paced in front of the couch.
“Jessica, come on, sit down.”
Was this the tone of voice he used to calm panicked people? Jessica felt the burn of resentment. The Daniel Hennessey in her mind would never do this. “Don’t. Just don’t.”
“I like you, Jessica—but this isn’t about me. This is about you. Did you really want to stay in Snow Creek with me instead of experiencing the things you write about?” He stood and crossed the floor to her. “I’ve read every article you’ve ever written, and I’ve watched every video on your channel. When you talk about traveling, the way it lights up your face—I haven’t seen you like that. Not even here with me. Did you really think that even if you saved the bookstore, you were going to be happy sticking around here?”
“Yes,” she said in a broken voice. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at his feet, because she couldn’t bear to look at his face. “You say you remember me when I was a little girl, and then you leave this wreath on my door—and you even watch my videos—and then tonight we….” She shook her head. “After all of that, how can you still want me to go?”
“Do you know what you’ve given me, Jessica? I was a going-nowhere, ski bum hack. And that night you locked yourself in your parents’ store? That was the night I knew I was wasting my life. I enrolled in the paramedic program the next week, and—everything I’ve done since then? All the places I’ve gone and seen because you wrote about them? You talk about this larger-than-life me—the only parts of me that are larger than life are because of you.”
She wanted to launch herself at him. Hold him tight. Never let him go. The man had just told her she made him. That she'd molded him. “How can you say that and not want me to stay?” she asked.
He scowled, his eyes darkening. “I don’t want you to stay. Not like this. You’re using me to hold onto the part of your fantasy where you save your parents’ store and—and we get married and have children and a dog.” Mitten barked and Jessica turned ten shades of red because he'd pinned her right. But what was so wrong about that? What was so wrong with that fantasy? “But you’ve been so worried about what you think your parents wanted for you that you haven’t figured out what they actually wanted.”
Let It Snow (Snow Creek Book 1) Page 4