Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
The gloves were a soft knit, a world away from the thick motorcycle gloves I was used to, and the scarf had the same woodsy scent I associated with only Jonas. I waited until I was trailing behind him to inhale deeply, letting myself wallow in the billowy flannel that felt almost like a caress.
Oz ran ahead of us, intent on getting back to the teens who were putting the finishing touches on a snow creature that was definitely not the typical snowperson. I paused at the bottom of the ramp to examine it from a distance. Rather than three stacked balls, this snow thing was long and boxy with a giant plastic horn stuck in what I hoped to God was the head.
“It’s a unicorn,” Rowan called out. He wore a sparkly purple parka with black fur on the hood. “I had a spare horn upstairs, but the rest is snow.”
“I argued for a narwhale, but someone said I lack imagination.” Wren shook a stubby finger at Rowan. Wren wore a green trench coat, equally as unsuitable to the weather as mine but somehow perfect for them.
“Your unicorn is…very impressive.” I searched for words of praise, but my tone came off a bit confused.
“You both worked very hard,” Jonas added as Oz romped around in front of the snow unicorn, digging and flinging snow around.
“Oz sure seems to like the snow.” Rowan and Wren were deep in a discussion about whether or not to attempt to dye portions of the snow, so I focused my attention on Jonas, not that my brain needed much encouragement to shift back to where it had been stuck for days now.
“He does.” Jonas’s tone was fond. “Must have some husky somewhere in his mutt mix.”
“Did you get him as a puppy?” I asked as Oz brought Jonas a stick to throw.
“He was closer to a year when I found him at the local shelter.” Jonas launched the stick away from the snow unicorn. “I asked which dog had been waiting the longest, and it was this chill fellow. He was my present for surviving my second divorce.”
“Pretty nifty consolation prize.” I chuckled, already hating both of Jonas’s ex-spouses.
“Oh, Oz is no runner-up.” Jonas accepted the stick back from Oz. “He’s worth a heck of a lot more than my ex, that’s for sure.”
“He’s a good dog.” I bent to pet him but forgot I was unevenly balanced on my scooter at the end of the ramp.
“Careful!” Jonas grabbed for my elbow as I lurched toward him, but all that ended up doing was propelling us both into a snow drift along the edge of the porch. The snow was likely cold and wet, but I wouldn’t know because all my senses were busy taking note of Jonas underneath me.
“You okay?” Jonas’s voice was a husky whisper against my cheek.
“Uh-huh.” I could barely manage that much speech. He was warm and solid and bigger than me, which I’d known, but now that we were stacked together, it was rather obvious he had a couple of inches on me everywhere. Moreover, his face was directly below mine, and his beard was every bit as soft as I’d imagined. His gaze was as startled as mine, but there was something else in his eyes. Heat.
I’d seen lust before, but this was the first time from Jonas, and that heat warmed me all the way to my toes. Insufficient jacket be damned because I wasn’t moving until spring. Unless it was to move closer. That arousal I’d felt last night was back times a thousand. If Jonas’s eyes were heated, mine must be a fucking inferno because my usual ability to mask my emotions was obliterated by Jonas’s nearness.
I exhaled, feeling his beard ruffle against my lips. Scratchy. Ticklish. Intoxicating. I did it again. It would be so damn easy to—
“Here, let’s get you back inside.” Before I could register what was happening, Jonas sat up, rolling me off him long enough for him to stand. He hauled me up, righted my scooter, and started steering me back to the house, all in a matter of seconds.
“Jonas—”
“I need to get ready for the swing shift I’m covering.”
And we needed to talk, but I was no more eager for that than Jonas, so I let him go. Later, I’d let myself remember what he’d felt like underneath me, and that would have to do. Judging from Jonas’s haste to get away, I wasn’t likely to get a repeat experience.
Chapter Ten
Jonas
My swing shift had been due to end at midnight, but as usual, the clock inched closer to one before I could head home. Probably for the best, I reminded myself as I finished up with my last patients. If the household was asleep when I made it home, so much the better. And, of course, by household, I really meant Declan, who’d been on my mind the whole shift.