“You can’t wear that. You’ll freeze.”
I sighed, as though the news devastated me. “I know. I’m as bummed about it as you are.”
He gave me an annoyed look before opening my door and motioning me inside. “Don’t worry. I’ve got just the thing for you.”
The fake in my voice dropped immediately. “What?”
He grinned as he passed by me, striding toward the kitchen. “What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t take care of my woman?”
I stared after him. “The fake kind.”
He ignored me and walked past the kitchen and opened the door that led downstairs. “I’ll be right back.”
I paced the floor, sipping on my coffee, trying to achieve some sort of Zen with deep breaths and warm, caffeinated liquid gold warming my body from the inside. He returned all too soon up the creaky steps, holding a pair of tan, insulated coveralls hooked to suspenders.
My eyes widened as he held them out to me. “No, thank you.”
He motioned for me to take them again. “We had a deal, Oliviana.”
I never thought I liked my name. But the way he said it caused shivers to run chaotically down my spine. It was low and gravelly and made me instantly wish I went by Oliviana constantly.
“I don’t have the right clothes for this.”
“Hence me handing you these insulated coveralls.”
My fingers finally accepted the garment, and I held them up against my body.
“They’ll be a little big, but with the suspenders, they should work. I wore them in junior high.”
“Why do you keep your old clothes here still?”
“My parents still have some random things downstairs in storage.” He flicked his head toward the bedroom. “Go change. I’m on the clock. Gotta meet at the lodge in ten minutes.”
I made my way toward the doorway. “Don’t wait for me, then. I can just meet you there.”
“If you’re not out here in three minutes, I’m breaking the door down and carrying you over my shoulder, whether you’re dressed or not. And I would enjoy every second of that. Don’t think I won’t do it.”
And that was how I came to be sitting behind Miles on a snowmobile, my fingers white-knuckling the rails behind me as we flew across an open field. Apparently, I had dressed quickly enough for a detour on the way to the lodge. My body ached from being bumped and jostled, but I refused to cuddle up against Miles’s back. There had been more than enough unnecessary touching between us already. The last thing I would give him today was cuddles. I could hold onto the machine just fine, thank you very much, COWORKER.
My stomach dropped as I peered over his shoulder. We were flying toward a steep hill, bare of trees.
“Hey.” I pointed toward the right side of the hill, where the trail upward sloped more gradually. “That way is less steep.”
“What?” he called out, pressing on the gas.
“That way is less—" I yelped as we began our climb, the incline forcing me to cling desperately to the side before flinging forward to wrap my arms around Miles. His hand pressed against my hands grasping his waist. Instantly, he slowed and turned our machine around, driving around the base of the hill toward the gentler incline.
“Good thing you caved. That wasclose.”
I tried pulling my arms from his waist, but he held them firm against his body, my heart thumping wildly. “No way. I earned this.”
In retaliation, I squeezed him so tight he gasped before reaching behind to tickle me. I squealed and let out a giggle.
Agiggle.
The sound stopped as quickly as it came. The grown adult woman inside of me blanched to even think about that word. I wasn’t a character in a middle-schoolBaby-Sitters Clubbook. Grown women didn’t giggle. But I could think of no other word to describe the high-pitched yapping that exited my mouth. In a panic, my brain rushed to think of something else to describe it, tapping into the well-used thesaurus in my head. Chortle? Snigger? No. There had been no sarcasm in the sound. My body tensed as I felt Miles still, and the machine slowed to a halt. I knew I would have my reckoning if I didn’t think of some excuse. Desperately, I searched for another word that fit. Chuckle? No. It wasn’t breathy or sexy. It was pure, unadulterated, girlish delight that came barreling off my lips. I knew it. And judging by the satisfied look in his eyes when he turned to face me…Miles knew it, too.
“You’d better watch yourself,” he said, his low voice sending tingles scattering down my spine. “That kind of stuff isn’t helping my case against you.”