‘Basically, yes.’ She rocked again, and the friction was too good. It had been too long. Things were about to get decidedly less wholesome if Kira kept doing that.
‘But you’re attracted to me?’ he rasped.
‘Mmm,’ she purred against his neck where she was back to kissing him, her teeth scraping gently across his skin. ‘Yes, definitely.’
‘And … you’re attracted to me?’ she asked, her eyes meeting his again and it was an absurd question considering how his erection was pressed against her core, but if she needed him to say it, he sure as hell would.
‘Have been since the moment I met you.’
‘Liar,’ she said with a breathy laugh.
‘It’s true. Scout’s honor,’ he said, with a teasing smile, dipping his head to kiss her neck, wrapping his arms around her.
‘You weren’t a Scout!’ she said between giggles and sighs, as he sucked the delicate skin between her shoulder and her neck. Bennett didn’t typically believe in things like pheromones, but he couldn’t think what Kira smelled like, other than like something he wanted. He breathed her in.
‘Okay, so maybe not since that very first moment, but every moment since.’ He brought his face back to hers and found her with a charming blush on her cheeks. ‘You are gorgeous. You must know that.’
She rolled her eyes like she was tired of hearing it, but a shy smile played around her lips. ‘Still nice to hear every once in a while.’ And the way she said it made him think she hadn’t heard it nearly enough.
‘Those assholes you dated must not have said it enough.’ He kissed her again, unable to stay away now that they’d started. ‘You are fucking beautiful.’
‘Language, Bennett! I’m shocked.’
He grinned. ‘Bet I can think of plenty of other ways to shock you.’
She kissed his smile. ‘I’d like that.’ But even as she said it, she was pulling away, standing in between his splayed thighs. ‘We have all day and night.’ She tugged him up by the hand. ‘Let’s not rush it, okay?’
He might have been disappointed if it wasn’t for the wicked look Kira gave him over her shoulder as she led the way to the kitchen. It wasn’t just a look. It was a promise of all the fun to come.
Bennett had always liked snow. But this was already his favorite snowstorm ever.
Holy crap. Okay, so nice guys could kiss.
Kira welcomed the cool air of the kitchen on her overheated skin. What the hell had just happened? One minute they were watching her favorite crappy Christmas movie, and the next she was straddling Bennett and his mouth was on her neck. And it was good. Like really good. Like toe-curling good, and they still had all their clothes on.
And in a totally uncharacteristic move, she’d stopped him.
It had all happened so fast, she found herself wanting to make it last.
‘Christ, it’s freezing out here.’ Bennett’s voice rumbled behind her as he followed her into the kitchen.
She turned and her breath caught at the sight of him. Hair tousled from her fingers, cheeks pink, his stormy gray eyes on her. He smirked a little, like maybe he knew just how freaking hot he was, like he wasn’t nearly as wholesome as Kira had imagined.
‘The blanket fort isn’t the perfect solution,’ she said with a shrug, turning back to the cabinets, unable to face him for too long, especially not with the visible erection in his jeans. Holy shit. Her storm preparations had not prepared her for this.
‘It was pretty clever, though,’ he said, and she heard the scrape of a kitchen chair against the old floorboards as he sat.
She let out a self-deprecating laugh. ‘Every once in a while, I have a good idea.’
‘I’m sure you have a lot of good ideas.’
Kira snorted. ‘You don’t know me very well.’
‘I think I know you well enough.’ His voice coasted over her as she kept her eyes trained on the cabinet in front of her as though it was taking a long time to choose between chicken noodle or vegetable soup. ‘I know you set this farm up all on your own,’ he went on. ‘I’ve seen plenty of your good ideas out there. It takes a lot of courage to start over––’
‘Stop.’ She spun to face him.
His eyebrows rose just a fraction.
‘You don’t need to make up bullshit compliments to get in my pants.’ She tried to laugh but it came out strained, his kind words doing weird things to her insides. ‘That’s a done deal. You’re in. Okay? Just don’t … do that.’
‘They’re not bullshit compliments, Kira.’
She crossed her arms over her chest. ‘I made some really dumb decisions to get here. Let’s not romanticize it.’
Bennett shifted in his chair, his gaze not leaving hers. ‘Let me ask you this: why haven’t you asked your family for a loan? From your stories, you clearly come from money. I’m sure your parents would pay for a new boiler.’
‘No way.’
‘Why not?’
Kira huffed. ‘You really want to know who I am, Bennett?’
He nodded.
‘I am the reckless, spoiled daughter of an investment banker and his debutant wife. They were already rich because their parents were rich. I’ve spent most of my life assuming I could waltz through life doing whatever the hell I wanted, because I could. My father’s money meant I never had to think or care about anything. I treated people like crap for years because I could.’
