She was beautiful, sitting there on my couch. Her long black hair fell down her back, covering a delicate neck. She had deep blue eyes that seemed to match the warring storm outside. Her short stature brought her only to my chest but, even underneath her bulky coat, I could tell her body housed curves that could make a man salivate. My fingertips burned with electricity while I made her a cup of coffee.
“I made some coffee. Want some?” I asked.
“That would be nice, thank you. My hands are still really cold,” she said.
“I don’t have cream, but I do have sugar.”
“That’s fine. I’m not picky.”
Reaching for the sugar, I craned my neck back to take her in. She was nestled into the cushions of the couch as the kids continued to play. Her voice was light and innocent but held a confidence beneath it. The contrast between her small stature and her slightly aloof nature burned me to my core, and I had to take deep breaths to quell the urges rising in my pelvis.
“Here you go.”
I walked her coffee over to her and she gracefully took it. I sat beside her on the couch as she brought the cup to her lips and I watched the way those plump beauties curved over the edge. My attraction to her was undeniable, but I had to shake myself from it. I had two children that were depending on me during what was looking to be one of the roughest snow storms Montana had ever experienced.
“What the hell were you doing out in this storm?” I asked.
Her eyes slowly panned over toward me, and she regarded me with a cool look that said she didn’t appreciate me questioning her.
“I met a friend for breakfast and didn’t quite make it back in time. Not that I owe you an explanation,” she added, with a hint of annoyance.
I bit back a smile. She was definitely an odd creature. At times, she seemed nervous and guarded, then she became indignant and confident. I was beyond intrigued.
I studied her, trying to keep my eyes off the parts of her my hands wanted to touch, while her gaze moved back over to the kids. There was an untamed sparkle in her eye as she watched them play, and it made something in my gut twist. For the briefest of moments, I allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to have this beautiful woman here with me and the kids. She seemed taken with them, her demeanor immediately changing when she turned her attention to them.
Liam climbed out of the playpen, leaving Hadley squalling in his wake. As I went to stand, Melanie beat me to it and strode over to pick up the crying baby. She bounced her on her hip and make soft cooing noises that had Hadley soon giggling instead.
I stood rooted to the floor as I watched how instinctually and easily Melanie calmed my niece, and I was entranced. As Hadley quieted and Melanie bent to put her back in her playpen, Liam reached his arms up and asked “Up?”
Melanie turned to him and smiled before lifting him onto her hip and doing a funny little dance that sent a fit of giggles erupting from the boy. It was equal parts heartwarming and sexy as fuck. After a few moments, Liam shoved his face into the crook of her neck. She bounced him around just like she did Hadley, cooing in his ear as she cradled him close. Her eyes closed as she pressed a kiss on the top of his head, and I started wondering if I was enough for these kids.
If I could ever be enough, given what they’d been through.
“They’re my niece and nephew,” I said. “I’m watching them for a while.”
Her eyes met mine again and she nodded. I wasn’t about to tell her the entire truth, but I knew she was curious about them nonetheless.
“Do you have kids?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t, but I’ve always loved kids,” she answered. She bent over and deposited Liam back into the playpen with his sister and the two began to play once again.
“You’re really good with them,” I said, motioning to the kids. “I haven’t quite gotten the knack of getting them calmed down quite so quickly.”
She smiled as she looked over at them. “They’re like tiny little animals; they sense fear,” she chuckled. “If you act like you know what you’re doing, they will feel safe and will trust that you can take care of them.”
I nodded. “Sounds easy enough, though I’ve never been that great of an actor.”
She let out a soft laugh and stifled a yawn. I looked outside and realized that it was getting dark out.
“If you’re tired, I could show you to the guest bedroom and you can rest,” I said.
A quick look of suspicion clouded her beautiful blue eyes for a second and I held my hands up in front of me in a gesture of mock surrender.
“There’s a lock on the inside of the door and I haven’t been able to find the key for it,” I said to reassure her.
That seemed to get through and I noticed her shoulders relax.
“What I really need right now is a phone charger or a phone so I can call my father and let him know I’m okay,” she said.
I rooted around in one of the drawers in my kitchen and found a spare charging cord that I handed over to her. The look of relief that washed over her face made me wonder if she truly was afraid to be here with me.
“Thank you so much,” she said, taking the cord from me.
“No problem, why don’t you head into the spare room and plug it in? You can have privacy for your call and rest for a while if you want. I was going to make a little something for dinner here soon if you’re hungry.”
She nodded and headed down the hall toward the bedroom I’d directed her too. “That sounds nice, thank you, Evan.”
The way my name rolled off her tongue, set a fire burning low in my gut. A flash of her writhing underneath me and screaming my name had my dick twitching. Good God, I needed to get ahold of myself before this poor woman thought I was a complete whack job. Something told me she didn’t trust me all that much to begin with, and I didn’t want to give her any more reason to think she was in danger from me. Walking around with a giant hard-on was not the way to reassure her.
“Here’s the room,” I said. “If you need anything, mine’s all the way down the hallway on the opposite end. This snow should stop soon and, when it does, we can figure out how to get you back home.”
“Thanks,” she said.
I watched her walk into the room before she shut the door behind her. I stood there, staring at the wooden door, listening to the sounds she made as she shuffled around the room. I placed my hand upon the door, feeling the cold barrier that separated me from this intriguing woman. I wasn’t sure what to make of this entire situation, but I knew one thing for sure.
I wanted this woman more than I’d wanted anything in a long time.
CHAPTER 6
MELANIE
I woke up with my body curled up into the blankets of a huge bed. My hair was splayed across the pillows and I was finally warm. I lay there with my eyes closed and listened to the silence of the home, which struck me as odd. If the kids were up, shouldn’t there be some sort of noise?
Rolling over, I spotted a clock next to me. The red numbers flashed 5:32, and I groaned as I flopped back down onto the bed. Holy hell, I’d slept through dinner.
And through the night, at that. After the adrenaline of the accident and being forced to stay with a complete stranger – hot though he may be – left my body beyond exhausted. At least the charging cord had worked enough to let me call and talk to Dad.
I’d been pleasantly surprised that he’d sounded better than he had in a while. I’d reminded him to take his meds and stayed on the phone with him until he did. He had made some oatmeal while we talked and I had promised to call him again in the morning to check in on him.
I battled for a while between staying in the warmth of the bed and getting up to tame the hunger rising in my gut. My stomach was growling, but the blankets of the bed were so warm and soft against my skin. I was loathe to leave the coziness of my little cocoon.
Nevertheless, I finally got up and stretched. I’d slept in my clothes the previous night, just in case Evan hadn’t been telling the truth about not having a key to the room. Though I was reasonably sure I could trust him, my guard remained mostly up.