Snowbound Hearts (7 page)

***

The gentle click of the bedroom door closing sent a chill crawling up Audrey’s spine. It had a finality about it that a violent slam wouldn’t have had. If Stephen had been pissed and needed to cool off for a while, there was a chance he would be back to talk things over. But calmly walking away could only mean that he wasn’t passionate enough about her to get angry that she’d denied him. It was just as well. If things had kept going in the direction they were heading, her vow would have been totally shattered. And what good is a person who can’t keep her word? As it stood, she had danced all over the line but still not crossed it completely.

I’m a total friggin’ saint.
She had used Stephen’s body, played with his emotions, intentionally misled him, and all she wanted to do was rush into the bedroom with him and spill her guts about everything. He was kind and warm and funny and gorgeous to boot. And he
was
passionate about her. She could hear it in the way he swore when she kept him from taking her ring off. He just wasn’t the type of guy to throw an angry fit when he didn’t get his way.

There was nothing but his own sense of morality to stop him from taking what he wanted. She had pushed him beyond the point where some guys wouldn’t have accepted no for an answer, but she knew in her heart that he’d never do anything she didn’t let him do.

She desperately needed to tell him the truth, but that meant taking a risk she wasn’t willing to take. That meant trusting him to be the man that she believed he was. She had known him for less than one day, not nearly long enough to put so much trust in any man. As she had discovered, six years wasn’t long enough to know
one
man well enough to trust him.

And yet, she couldn’t help but feel that something bigger than herself was happening. Fate had intervened in her life, and no matter how bad she hurt, how confused she felt, or how terrified she was about being wrong, she had to go where it wanted to take her. Stephen was there for a reason. Mere coincidence couldn’t account for his presence or the sequence of events that had to occur exactly when they did in order to bring them together.

Every second she spent away from him was another lost opportunity to discover answers. Only one question really mattered at the moment, and she wasn’t sure she’d have the guts to ask, but they couldn’t move forward until she did. If he was involved with someone, that news might devastate her, but if he wasn’t, a world of possibilities awaited her. Either option was equally frightening for totally different reasons. It was like flipping a coin to decide the next phase of her life. Tails and she’d bow her head, forgive Daniel, and live with the hurt. But if it came up heads... Her stomach turned over at the thought of seriously pursuing a relationship with someone new. Despite her fear, she needed to talk to him.

He was behind a closed door a few feet away, and the only way to get to him was to walk over and knock. Even if she couldn’t find the nerve to discuss anything else, at least she could apologize for making him think he was nothing more than a test dummy.

Audrey stood and took a step toward the bedroom, but her trembling legs couldn’t support her. She staggered and found herself sitting on the arm of the sofa. Light spilled out from under the bedroom door.
At least he’s still awake. Go on and talk to him. What’s the worst that could happen? He could send me away. Shit. He could invite me in. Oh, God, what should I do?

She took a deep breath, pushed herself up using the sofa for support, and gave it another try.

Chapter Four

Each page in the novel was more explicit than the last. Just when Stephen decided to ditch it rather than chance the embarrassment of Audrey catching him reading it, the bedroom door opened. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as she poked her head inside and grinned, but her beautiful smile lifted the gloom from his heart.

“What’cha reading?” she asked.

He held the book up so she could see the cover. “Someone left it under the bed. Lucky for me.”

She strolled over and climbed onto the bed beside him. “I’m sorry I can’t give you what you want, Stephen.”

Guilt coupled with embarrassment was more than he could stand. He returned his gaze to the book, unable to look at her face any longer. “Whatever.”

“Hey, I’m apologizing. I know this is frustrating for you, but please believe me, I’m just as frustrated.”

Stephen set the book on his lap and stared at the sexy trio on the cover sandwiched together in a loving embrace. “I’m the one who should apologize. Sometimes I don’t think before I speak. I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you. I know you have your reasons, and I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.”

Audrey threw her arms around his neck and squeezed. “Thank you, Stephen, for everything. There’s something I’ve been wondering about you, but I’ve been afraid to ask. Do you have a girlfriend at home waiting for you?”

Stephen grabbed his wallet off the nightstand. “Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. I have a naked picture of her. Do you want to see?”

Audrey closed her eyes and flopped backward onto the bed. “Not really.”

Stephen pulled a faded picture of a Holstein from his wallet and held it in front of Audrey’s face. “She’s a real hottie, don’t you think? Check out those utters,
mmmoo.
”

“
Huh
?” She opened one eye and grinned. “Wow, you two make a cute couple.”

He put the picture away and leaned back against the pillows. Audrey sat up, still grinning, and joined him. Stephen slipped his arm around her waist and hugged her. She giggled and sank into him.

“Okay, that was kind of funny.”

“It’s not original. An old buddy of mine used to pull that. He’d walk into a party and say something like, ‘I had a blind date last night, and I got a picture of her naked. You want to see?’ Of course everyone would say yes, and then he’d take out a picture of a cow or a dog or just about any other animal. It got so that everyone knew his joke, but we always went along with it just to see what kind of picture he had. Once he came in and said, ‘My date last night had a great body, but her face looked like Stephen’s mom,’ and then he pulled out a picture of a naked woman that he had glued a gorilla’s head onto.”

Audrey bit her lip but giggled anyway. “I’ll bet you were pissed.”

“Nah, he’s such a nut, nobody can get mad at him.”

“You didn’t exactly answer my question about a girlfriend. All I really know is that you carry a picture of a cow in your wallet.”

Stephen sighed and gazed through the open doorway at the flickering shadows the fire cast across the floor. “I got home from work last Friday, and all of my girlfriend’s stuff was gone. I found a note on my pillow that said she wanted to see other people. So, at the moment, I’m single. I answered your question, now you answer one for me. Why were you afraid to ask me if I had a girlfriend, and why did you sound so disappointed when I said I did?”

Audrey put her hands over her face and shook her head. “That’s two questions.”

“I don’t care. Answer me.”

“What are you doing out here in these woods, in exactly the right place at exactly the right time that I needed you, Stephen?”

He shrugged and shook his head. “I told you why I’m here. I don’t understand what you’re asking me.”

She kept her hands over her face and shook her head. Audrey had avoided giving him answers again. As much as he wanted to sit her in a chair, shine a light into her face, and interrogate her, he deicide to let it go. She had asked him to trust her and was presenting him with another opportunity. Even if it killed him, he was determined that he wouldn’t blow it this time. He believed in his heart that she was worth whatever amount of patience winning her over required.

Audrey grabbed the paperback off his lap. “So, do you always read spicy romance novels?” She started reading the page he had it opened to. “Oh my God, I’m not sure spicy is the right word.”

“Nope, and I’d hesitate to call it a romance novel, although there are romantic aspects to it.”

She elbowed his side. “Scoot over and give me some pillow,” she said, still reading.

“I’ll run grab the pillows from the other bedroom.”

Audrey grasped his hand before he could get up. “Don’t. These are plenty big enough for us to share, if we sit close enough.” She got up and flipped the covers back. “So, this was under the bed?”

Stephen repositioned the pillows and slid up against her. “Yeah, I’m thinking someone was hiding it. They probably forgot about it.”

“I can see why they would have hidden it.” Audrey pulled the covers over them and shivered. “Cold sheets.” She flipped the book back to page one.

Stephen hugged her and rubbed her arm to get her warm. “That’s just the boring stuff,” he said. “I’ll give you a summery if you like.”

“Sure.”

“Okay, girl meets guy, they hit it off. Girl meets other guy, and
they
hit it off. Girl accidentally invites both guys to her apartment on the same evening. Guys show up and start beating the hell out of each other, and then girl stops them by doing”—he turned several pages and pointed to a line of text—”that right there, to both guys at the same time and you’re up to speed. And your hands are trembling.”

“Yeah, so they are. That happens when I’m nervous or excited—or both.” She held the novel where they each could see it.

***

“Whoa, hang on, flip that page back for a second, I didn’t quite catch that,” Stephen said.

“Okay, I kind of want to read it again anyway.” Audrey turned the page back.

“All right, I thought that’s what it said.”

She closed the book and set it on the bed. “My eyes are all blurry. I’m too tired to read anymore, but maybe, if you want, we could read more tomorrow.”

“Yeah, it was fun. I’ve never read a book with anyone before. Especially this kind of book with a beautiful woman.”

Audrey grinned at him. “Thanks.
Um—
do people really do those things like it says in the book?”

“Probably only in books like this and a certain type of movie, I guess.”

Audrey gave him a sideways glance and leaned into him as her cheeks flushed bright red. She lowered her voice nearly to a whisper. “Reading that made me feel all funny down there.”

“Yeah, you and me both.”

Audrey squeezed his thigh. “Hey, you don’t have any whipped cream, do you?”

“Why, do you want to try some of that stuff in the book?”

She elbowed his side. “No! I’m just craving whipped cream after reading that.”

“Yeah, me too, among other things.”

Audrey hung her head where he couldn’t get a look at her eyes. “Okay, confession time. I sort of want to try it, but that doesn’t change where we stand. Do you have any or not?”

“No.”

“What about bananas or cherries or chocolate syrup or honey?”

“As much as I hate to say it, no. I’d kill for a banana right now.”

Audrey rolled over, threw her leg across Stephen, and hugged him. “Oh yeah? What would you do with it?”

Stephen sighed as her thigh came down heavily across his crotch. Given the abundance of stimulation he had received since Audrey showed up at his door, it didn’t take much to get him aroused. “Be happy that I don’t have one because if I did, you might find out,” he said with a sly grin.

“Thanks for being so sweet. Another guy might have taken advantage of the situation. I feel really comfortable. I know I can trust you.”

“If you keep pressing me right there with your thigh, I don’t think I’ll be able to trust myself. I’m just about to nut up after reading, and lying on the sofa with you, and letting you sit in my lap—for hours.”

“Trust me, Stephen, I’m feeling the same effects.” She slid over a little farther and pressed down harder.

Stephen grunted, barely able to resist dragging her onto him. “Unless you want to feel a lot more effects, you’d better get up now.”

She kissed his cheek and sat up. “I hate to ask, but do you have anything I could wear to sleep in? I don’t think this flannel shirt will be comfortable.”

He puffed out a long, hard breath. “I’ll go get your suitcase out of your car, if you want.”

She sighed and clutched his hand. “You’d do that for me?”

“Yeah, sure. Did you lock the door?”

“I left all my stuff back at the cabin. I was in such a hurry to get out of there I didn’t bother packing. I figured I’d go back in a few days and get everything.”

“I have a T-shirt and long johns you could wear.”

“A T-shirt will be fine.”

“I’ll give you a pair of long johns anyway. They’re comfortable, like pajama pants. It gets cold in the bedrooms. I should talk to the cabin’s owner about installing stoves. I doubt he’d do it. He has the place up for sale. Who knows if the new owner will rent it out? This might be the last time I stay here.” Stephen went to the dresser and opened a drawer.

Audrey strolled over to him. “As long I have plenty of cover, I’ll be fine with just a shirt. I like getting into a freezing cold bed at night. It feels great against my skin.”

***

A tapping noise woke Stephen from a dead sleep. He cursed the wind under his breath, rolled over, and slapped a pillow onto his head.

“Stephen, are you awake?”

He glanced toward the voice to see a silhouette standing in the doorway. The faint amber glow of the dying fire shone through the periphery of her hair, around her supple curves, and between her legs. A knot formed, constricting his chest and making the mere act of breathing laborious. “Audrey, what’s wrong?”

“I’m cold. The heat isn’t making it into my bedroom.”

Desire arose into his pounding heart as he gazed at the sensuous sight before him. “Yeah, it’s going straight up to the ceiling. It’ll be warmer sleeping on the sofa in front of the stove. I’ll come throw on another log and stoke it up for you.”

She took a step forward. “Would you mind if I got into bed with you?”

Stephen groaned loudly, unable to contain the animal passion she stirred within him. “What planet are you from, Audrey? I mean, seriously? Guys lie in bed at night and dream about a woman asking them something like that. God, you’re so beautiful and sexy and sweet. I’d love nothing better than for you to get into bed with me. You want sex, right?”