Total pages in book: 218
Estimated words: 209489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1047(@200wpm)___ 838(@250wpm)___ 698(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 209489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1047(@200wpm)___ 838(@250wpm)___ 698(@300wpm)
I tipped my head back, closed my eyes so a flurry wouldn’t blind me, and stuck out my tongue. It took a minute but eventually a couple flakes landed in my mouth. I smiled. It didn’t taste like anything.
A few more flakes hit my cheeks and landed on my eyelashes, and I smiled even wider. I took a deep, deep breath full of cold, clean air and held it in my lungs, relieved I was finally feeling so much better. Then I did it again a few more times. I scooped some into my hand and pressed it to my cheek.
And just like I’d imagined myself doing my entire childhood, I waddled a little farther away from the door, and I started making snowballs.
Well, tried to. There really wasn’t more than a few inches, and the snow was too fluffy, and I hadn’t realized there was a right and wrong kind of snow, but I tried my best, making a few tiny ones that fell apart, and then figuring out how to make them slightly better. I managed to make two bigger balls and stacked them on top of each other, cackling to myself over how small and cute they were.
I was in the middle of attempting to make another tiny snowman when one of the front doors opened and Alex stepped out, wearing a brown jacket that didn’t look thick enough, a light pair of jeans, and dark winter boots.
“What are you doing?” he called out, closing the door behind him.
“Fulfilling my childhood dreams of making a snowman.”
His gaze swept toward my two figures. “You call that a snowman?”
“They’re mini on purpose, okay,” I muttered. “And I’d like to see you try to do better.”
Was that a kind-of grin? “I can’t. It’s something with my skin. They melt almost instantly.”
I blinked. “No shit.”
He nodded.
An evil little thought climbed into my head. Another thing on my list of things I’d always wanted to do. But he was literally one of the last people in the world I could do it with.
“I don’t like that look on your face,” he said warily, stopping just to the side.
I shrugged. “I had an idea, but it’s a stupid one.”
He tipped his head to the side, interested.
I went back to trying to form another small snowball. “It’s pointless.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“Well, I thought about throwing a few snowballs at you, but I forgot that you’re super fast so none of them would actually land,” I explained. “See? Dumb? And you’d probably fracture my skull if you threw one back at me.”
He didn’t say anything for so long that I glanced over to see why.
Were his shoulders hunched up? It seemed like they were. He had a thoughtful expression on his face as he met my eyes.
“What?” I asked him.
“I’ve spent my whole life moving like a human.”
What was that supposed to mean?
And did he suddenly look kind of excited?
Was he… interested? Really?
“Did you want to…?” I gestured toward the small collection of snowballs beside me, trying not to look like I was on the verge of being over the moon. I was probably failing big-time though.
That incredible gaze lingered on mine, and his hands slipped into his pockets. “I’ll count to ten before I come after you.”
Would it be worth it? Eating some snow if I could peg him a couple of times?
Yes, yes it fucking would. When the hell would be the next time I’d get a chance like this? I had no idea where I would be a month from now. Fuck it.
I yelled before jumping up to my too-big feet and crouching in front of my small mound of snowballs. Then I attacked. The first one I threw far to the right, the second and third landed closer.
He barely moved to the side to avoid the fourth, letting his guard down with a smirk aimed at me like he’d thought he’d gotten away with it, when I threw two back-to-back, fast as I could.
He batted the first away, and bless his soul, he purposely let the next one hit him in the forehead when I knew in my heart he could have dodged that too.
What I did know for sure was that I was way too excited and threw two more at him before he said slowly and breathily, “Time.”
Yeah, I knew I was in for it.
I tried to run, I really did, but my main problem was the shoes. My foot slipped out of one of the boots on the second step I took trying to get away, and it was over pretty much instantly. His hand caught me by the back of my pants, and he was suddenly holding me up by them, by my pants, leaving my body parallel with the snow and the ground.
Alex lowered me back down, and I was on my hands and knees, about to try and crawl away, the cold sneaking in through the thin material of my pants, when I felt the waistband get tugged again. My ass went freezing.