Page 83 of A Little Jaded
“They could still be watching,” she whispers.
My mouth lifts. “You think?”
“Mm-hmm.” A puff of misty air leaves her lips and swirls between us. “You should kiss me. Just in case.”
“You still worried about keeping up appearances?”
“I mean, we wouldn’t want anyone to catch us in a lie, right?” she argues.
I lift her chin, moving in slowly until I press my lips to hers. The kiss is soft and unhurried. If I don’t overthink it, I can say it’s because I had half a beer when we both know it has nothing to do with the alcohol and everything to do with the tension that’s been building around us for too long with nowhere to go.
But now I’ve tasted her without people watching. Without an act or a reason to perform for anyone but us. I’m afraid I won’t be able to pull away, won’t be able to stop this. Her tongue dips into my mouth, and she tilts her headmore, letting me in in more ways than one until my head spins.
Forcing myself to end the kiss, I shove my hair away from my face. “We should get going. This’ll be a blizzard by the time we reach the mountains.”
With a slow nod, she sucks her bottom lip into her mouth. “Sure thing.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
RAINE
Everett wasn’t kidding. The snow is like a thick blanket falling down on us as we head inside the cabin. My body feels like it’s frozen. From the top of my head to the tips of my toes in my boots. Pushing the front door open, Everett lets me inside. Snow clings to my hair as I drag it over my shoulder and shrug out of his coat, leaving a chill along my limbs I’m afraid will never go away.
“I’m gonna shower,” I announce, hoping the hot water will defrost my already chilled bones.
“I’ll start a fire,” he replies.
“Perfect.”
I undress quickly and step into the shower. As I lather my hair with shampoo, I let the heat from the water warm me when, all of a sudden, I’m blanketed in darkness. My lungs stall, and I look through the glass toward the closed bathroom door, but all I’m greeted with is pitch black. I blink a few times, willing my eyes to adjust to the lack of light quickly as I call out, “Everett?”
Silence.
My heart stutters in my chest, and I wipe the fog clinging to the glass with my hand. “Ev?”
A loud knock against the closed door causes me to jump.
“Raine?” Everett’s muffled voice echoes through the wooden barrier. “Raine, the storm must have knocked the power out. You okay?”
I nod on reflex, despite knowing Everett can’t see me. I clear my throat, answering, “Uh, yeah. Yeah. I’m okay.” I let out a soft laugh. “I can’t see a thing.”
“Yeah it’s pitch black out here, too. Do you have your phone?”
“It’s on the charger in my room.”
“Shit.” He hesitates. “I promise I’m not looking, all right?” The hinges squeak quietly as he opens the door. Barely any light spills in from the fire in the main room, but Everett’s eyes are squeezed shut nonetheless as his phone practically blinds me with its flashlight.
Partially covering my eyes, I peek through my fingers, and ask, “Don’t you need the light?”
“I’ll be fine.”
He starts to set his cell on the counter, but I call out, “Stay where you are, but give me two seconds, okay?”
His movement stops. He drops his head back, looking toward the ceiling while keeping his eyes closed as I hurry to rinse the rest of the conditioner from my hair. Once I finish, I turn the water off and reach for the towel on the hook outside the shower. As I wrap it around my body, I realize how strained the muscles in Everett’s jaw are. My eyes slowly lower, and I take him in. If I didn’t know any better, I’d expect him to steal a peek at my naked body.
He won’t, though. The man doesn’t have a slimy bone in his body.
My attention catches on the bulge in his slacks, and I hesitate. Okay, he might have one bone in his body that’scurious. Or maybe it’s how the little light bit of light in the room hits his pants. Yeah. It could easily be nothing.