“Trust me,” I said. “You did everything right. And under normal circumstances, I might even let youcarryme home.”
I reached up on my toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. When I did, he gently wrapped his arms around my waist and held on.
“No pressure, but I’d at least like to get your number,” he whispered in my ear. “Let me call you tomorrow. Breakfast.”
By now, I was used to letting men go where dating was concerned. Work always came first. I had no time to go out with the girls to the bar, no time to date, dashing from one shift at the coffee shop to another catering gig. Shower, sleep, rinse and repeat, from sunup to sundown. I found it was easier to keep most people—and especially guys—at a distance when I knew I couldn’t make myself available. I suppose I’d gotten comfortable with deprivation.
“It was great to meet you, Charles.” I slipped out of his grasp and headed for the door.
Someday, when I had my feet under me, I’d date to my heart’s content and find someone great. Bring home a charming man with come-hither eyes. Meeting a great guy at the wrong time meant he wasn’t Mr. Right.
Outside, the snow had finally stopped. It had left several inches of perfect, undisturbed powder that blanketed the quaint town and created mounds on top of buried cars. The icy crystals sparkled beneath twinkling lights, and a clear sky of infinite stars.
Back at The Snowdrift Inn, the reception desk was vacant and most of the lights downstairs were off, except for a few strategically placed lamps to light the way upstairs. In my room, I peeled off my clothes and headed to the bathroom to jump in the shower. I put on my pajamas and brushed my teeth. As I rubbed in some body lotion, I heard the door to the next room open and shut, and the sounds of someone rustling around on their side of the wall.
I hurried to finish up in the bathroom and was reaching for the handle on my side of the room, just as my neighbor opened the door on theirs.
“Well . . .” Charles wore a loose T-shirt and plaid pajama bottoms that hung low on his narrow hips. “I think this is a sign, don’t you?”
His eyes smoldered, his smile all mischief and desire.
“This just isn’t fair,” I sighed, utterly defeated.
“Technically,” he said, “you followed me. I’m pretty sure I checked in first.”
“Guess you’ve got me there.”
One-night stands weren’t usually my thing, but there was something about Charles. I didn’t know what. An easy, undeniable gravity that pulled me in from across the room. Like the second I got trapped in this town, I was helpless to escape him.
“So . . .” He leaned over me until I was pressed against the doorframe. “What do we do about this?”
It felt like he could sense my stomach doing flips, nervous acrobatics while he sat in the audience, smirking with a box of popcorn. It almost made me hate him a little. Because I didn’t like feeling out of control, and this guy was making me want to do all kinds of things against my better judgment.
I tried for aloof. “Oh, I’m done in the restroom, so it’s all yours.”
Charles chuckled. “How about a game?”
“A game?” I snorted. “I think it’s a little late for Scrabble.”
His mouth pulled into a teasing smirk. “I was thinking more like cards.”
“You want to play cards?” I repeated, incredulous. “It’s like, 2 a.m.”
“Come on. One game? Maybe I’ll even let you win.”
I scoffed. “Let me? What would I win?”
His grin grew wider. “Lady’s choice.”
I could feel any remaining self-control slipping away. Maybe this was the perfect opportunity for some fun, two people just passing through, never to cross paths again. Clean. Simple.
“Alright,” I said, pulse thrumming. “But you have to call me Elle.”
I’m not sure which one of us leaned in first, but our lips finally met right there in the bathroom doorway. His kiss was gentle as he cupped the side of my face, then combed his fingers through my hair. I lifted slightly on my toes and wound my arms around his neck, liking the way we fit together in this moment, made all the more romantic by the spontaneity. The recklessness. I wasn’t thinking, just reacting to him and the way my body swayed in his direction.
Charles pulled back then, resting his forehead against mine as we stood in the soft glow of the bathroom light. I glanced up into his shimmering eyes as his lips pulled into a slight smirk.
“Huh,” he said.
