“Today was good,” I said, my knee bumping against Adrian’s. “Really good.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I turned to look at him, noting the way the cold had flushed his cheeks, how his hair was sticking up at odd angles from his hat. He was beautiful, but more than that, he washere. Present and real and mine…
At least for now.
“You’re good for me, Adrian. This… whatever this is between us. I want it.”
Something flickered across his face—pleasure, but also something that looked almost like pain.
“You okay?” I asked, reaching out to touch his cheek.
“Just tired,” he said, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Too much hot chocolate, not enough sleep.”
It was true we hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. Every time we drifted off, one of us would shift and wake the other, and then wandering hands would turn into another heated encounter until the sheets were on the floor and our breath fogged the windows by my bed. It was like we were caught in an unspoken race against time, trying to wring every last drop of happiness from the moments we spent together.
But whatever was troubling Adrian now seemed like something more. Something different.
Before I could question him further, Maya called us back over to help with some finishing touches on our snow sculpture, and the rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of laughter and stolen touches.
Later, we separated only long enough to shower and change before I dropped Maya off at a friend’s and picked Adrian up for his eleventh date, this one for a drinks tasting at Timber.
Alex Marian had come up with several options, including a whiskey flight, several wine flights, and a holiday-themed cocktail flight. The plan was for us to walk over to Timber and for Adrian to come back to my place afterward so neither of us had to drive after drinking.
When he got in the truck, I was shocked to see him wearing one of my flannel shirts.
“Speechless,” he said with a chuckle. “Who knew all it took to get you to stop grumbling was to steal the shirt off your back.”
The wash-worn flannel was a plaid mix of red, green, and cream. He’d rolled up the sleeves, exposing strong forearms sprinkled with golden-blond hair. “You look…” I swallowed. “Holy fuck. Can we go inside for a minute?”
His eyes danced in the dashboard lights. “We can’t be late for the tasting. Alex said he was mixing up something special for me.”
“I’ll mix something special for you,” I teased as I leaned forward and grabbed the back of his head, pulling him in for a hard kiss across the center console. When I finally let him go, I kept him close and leaned our foreheads together. “Not that I don’t want to eat you in that shirt, but I thought you were supposed to wear Nordique stuff.”
“You might not like this answer,” Adrian warned, pulling on his seatbelt. “But one of Nordique’s marketing campaigns is about ‘elevating the everyday,’ meaning you can use a few of their statement pieces to make your regular shit look better.”
“Regular shit,” I repeated, not offended in the least since I didn’t give a single fuck about fashion. “Nice.”
His grin showed he knew exactly how little I cared. “For instance, I’m wearing a Skog henley under your flannel in the perfect Glacier Milk colorway. I’m also sporting Vinter Denim, and when you see how these jeans hug my ass, you’re suddenly going to care very much about my elevated assets.”
I snuck an appreciative glance at him, noticing a few thin leather bands snapped around one wrist, as well as a coordinated leather thong around his throat with a silver pendant hanging just at the dip between his collarbones.
My own jeans were suddenly too snug, so I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. “Oh.”
The warmth of his laughter made me close my eyes and breathe him in. “You okay over there, Sullivan?”
“No,” I admitted. “In fact, I can go ahead and say I appreciate your elevated assets now. But I have to admit I’d appreciate them more if you were buck naked and Nordique was nowhere in sight.”
I kissed him hard again before finally shifting the truck into gear and backing out of the driveway. Despite having a reversing camera, I turned and did it the old-school way with my arm behind his seat and my head turned close to his.
I could smell the fancy cologne scent of him, only this time it was mixed with my own laundry detergent, which made me wonder what my bed smelled like now that he’d slept in it with me.
My voice sounded strangely rough when I spoke. “We make this short and sweet, yes? Try a few drinks and head back to my place? I promise to let you have as many drinks as you want after that.”
The edge of Adrian’s lips curled up. “You gonna get me drunk, Maddie?”
“If that’s what it takes to get you into bed,” I teased. “I’m not above a few dirty tricks.”
