Snowed In With You

Chapter Twenty-Two

Fletcher

I just think you’re so amazing and I love you –

She loved me.

Sara Bridges.

Loved… me?

My heart was pounding like it wanted to jump right out of my chest and meet hers, my tongue felt too big for my mouth and, fuck, was I sweating? I’m pretty sure I was sweating, the heat flashing through me increased the longer Sara’s eyes held mine and I wanted to grin, to sweep her into my arms, to kiss her, to laugh – except I couldn’t do that last one, out of context it would have looked really bad.

So why wouldn’t my damned mouth work?

Sara was growing paler and still all I could do was stare at her stupidly, this beautiful, crazy woman who, for some reason, loved me.

I opened my mouth but no sound came out, my eyes were beginning to hurt from how wide they’d become but panic began to make my breaths burn and Sara’s eyes became wet and her mouth curled in that way that meant she was holding back tears.

Before I could get my body back under some semblance of control, Sara turned and ran straight back down the corridor towards the main entrance.

Adrenaline made my stomach churn and I knew that if I didn’t catch her, I would lose her for good this time.

She’d made herself vulnerable to me again and I’d been an idiot… again.

I just hadn’t expected it.

I was pretty sure I’d been half in-love with her ever since she threw my jumper at me in the snow but I’d known for sure when she hit her head in the basement – those had been some of the scariest few minutes of my life, seeing her prone and utterly silent on the floor.

A breath juddered out of me and I walked a few halting steps, shock making my body slow at first.

I made it to the main entrance and dashed out.

Red hair whipped about in the air and I caught another flash of it slipping inside a deep blue car .

‘Sara!’ I called as I ran, but she either didn’t want to talk to me or didn’t hear me.

But I didn’t care either way, she had to be heading home and this time I wasn’t walking away or moping.

I was going to get her back, because I loved her too, damn it.

I frantically patted down my pockets as I made my way to the rental car at a brisk pace.

Crap.

Sara has the keys.

I groaned, throwing my arms up to cradle my head as I stared at the sky, it was threatening to rain and I spared a thought to how terrifying an experience it would have been in the car with Sara on slick roads.

It had been bad enough driving to the hospital, I was fairly sure Sara had been a racing driver in a previous life or something with the way she’d taken the turns.

The tires had screeched and I could have sworn the back wheels had lost contact with the road several times.

Rob had called it her ‘oh-shit’ driving and to be fair, it made a lot of sense.

I could have got us here safer, but nowhere near as fast.

Luckily, I had my wallet and was able to snag a taxi after only ten or so minutes waiting.

I wanted to go straight to Sara’s, but decided instead to go home and collect her stuff.

I would have loved for to come back to mine with me, but she was likely already at home and getting her to even let me in was going to be challenge enough.

I thanked and paid the driver quickly when we pulled up to my apartment building about twenty minutes later.

There had been some traffic and every second of delay had made my hands clench tighter together.

At least Rob had driven my truck down from the lodge after it had been fixed, it was a small comfort though.

I knew as soon as I got in it that Sara would be at the forefront of my thoughts, the way she’d looked curled up in the leather seats as she’d tried to focus on her book, her fruity scent filling the air.

She was already on my mind now as I dashed up the three flights of stairs, remembering her disgust when she’d realised there’d been an elevator, I snorted but my amusement faded quickly.

I couldn’t lose her now.

Tibs meowed loudly as I walked in and I bent to give him a quick scratch under his chin before collecting Sara’s stuff.

Somehow, in the space of two nights, she’d managed to spread things out everywhere – her hairbrush on top of my drawers, her toothpaste by the sink, a book on the sofa, little touches of her that I collected up and replaced into her bags before crashing back out the door again.

My truck purred to life and I breathed a sigh of relief, now for the hard part – convincing the woman who loved me that I loved her back.

The journey to her apartment was a blur and I took it as a good sign that the earlier traffic had cleared up.

Except, I hadn’t had nearly enough time to figure out what I was going to say to her yet.

I didn’t want to wing it but I thought maybe I’d know what to say when I saw her.

Or I’d freeze up again.

No, that was just the shock.

You’ve got this.

I took several deep breaths as I pulled into her driveway.

I was sweating again, I didn’t get it, I’d never been a nervous sweater – just another way that Sara had turned my life upside down.

Should I play something on the aux to calm myself down first? I needed to be at my best and could have used a little Adele right about now.

I winced, the aux was in the rental.

I guess there’s no more delaying.

I pushed open the car door, humming Rolling in the Deep under my breath to hype myself up a bit as I rang the bell.

No answer.

I rang it again and then realised I’d left her stuff in my car, should I go and get it? What if she opened the door while I was gone and thought it was a prank? I hesitated but when no footsteps approached I jogged back to the car and pulled out her bags.

She had to answer.

If I had to annoy her into it then I would.

Now I understood why the guys in movies used boomboxes – if you had to annoy someone into talking to you, it was better to serenade them with music than the sound of a doorbell.

I placed her bags on the doorstep and leaned on the bell, a mixture of apprehension and dread curling in my throat when I heard the rapid patter of footsteps and Sara opened the door.

Her red hair was in disarray and she had chocolate ice-cream smeared on her mouth, a grey tee fell to her mid-thigh and her hands curled on the hem when she saw me at the door.

Her eyes dropped to the bags on the front step and her voice was croaky when she spoke, ‘Oh, you brought my stuff back.

Thanks, that was nice of you.’

My heart ached at the puffiness of her eyes and the wetness clinging to her lashes.

God damn I was an idiot.

‘Of course.

I’m sorry, I should have brought flowers or whisky or maybe a rifle, I don’t know, but please let me in so we can talk?’

She bit her lip, indecision clearly warring within her as her body still blocked the doorway even as her eyes scanned me from head to toe.

‘What is there to talk about?’

Time to wing it, I guess.

I looked into her face and took a slow step forward, she stayed where she was and I felt my hands loosen.

I cupped her face, ‘How about how I’m the biggest idiot to have ever walked the Earth? Or how ridiculously lucky I am to have someone like you in my life?’ I took a breath, looked deep into her bright green eyes and said what I needed to.

‘Someone who loves me just as much as I love them.’

In another situation I might have laughed at how wide her eyes became.

‘You love me too?’ she whispered the words as if worried that I might freeze again and I wiped the chocolate from her face with my thumb, bringing it to my lips and tasting it.

‘Yes,’ I said, moving closer so that I was almost inside the door, our bodies were so close I could feel the warmth rising off of her as I lowered my lips to hers, ‘I love you, Sara.’

She sighed against my mouth and I let my tongue twine around hers, revelling in her moan as I swept her up and into my arms.

Her legs wrapped around my waist and I would have taken her right then and there if not for the fact that the door was still open, her bags outside, and goosebumps were running up and down her calves.

I stroked a hand over one leg and slid her down my body and back onto the floor.

I grabbed her bags and closed the door, setting them down on the floor before I turned back to her.

The smile on her face made my breath catch.

I took her hands in mine, ‘Tell me again.’

She smiled as I leaned in for another kiss, ‘I love you, Fletcher.’

‘No more running,’ I mumbled against her and she gave a laugh that warmed me right to my bones.

‘No more running,’ she agreed and I lost myself in our kisses and the feel of her skin.