Blissfully Snowbound (Blissful, #1) (2 page)

“Yep, can’t wait.” Dan put his hands next to the fire, rubbing them together vigorously.

Fear gripped Jenny as they sat there all warm and cozy. “You don’t think they are stuck out there do you?” Tears threatened to run down her cheeks when she thought of Ryan freezing in his car.

Dan walked over and put his arm around her. “No. I am confident both are fine. Thankfully, we have enough supplies to wait out the storm. There’s no need to worry, Jenny.”

She hesitantly pressed her head on his chest. For just a moment, she allowed herself to receive comfort in Dan’s embrace. Then Jenny grabbed a hot pad and poured the boiling water into two cups, stirring in the instant coffee. “Here you go, made fresh by me.”

“Nice.” He cupped the mug in his hands. “Nothing like a cup of hot coffee.”

“Agreed.” Jenny took a sip and cried out. “Hot! Too hot!”

Dan got up and opened the door. He came back with a handful of snow. He broke it in half, plopping one in her cup and handing her the other. “For your tongue.”

Jenny took it gratefully, stuffing the icy snow into her burning mouth. “Aww…bewwer.” she mumbled.

They spent the afternoon chatting about random stuff, trying to pass the time. After a few games of poker using pretzel sticks as money, Jenny started a more personal conversation. “So, when are you and Kelly planning on tying the knot?”

“Not sure it’ll ever happen.”

“Why not?” she asked, taken aback by his answer. She naturally assumed the two of them would get married.

“I talked about marriage once but Kelly told me it isn’t her thing. She doesn’t want to ruin what we have going.”

“Oh, well I guess I can understand that. Her parents’ divorce did a number on Kelly. I suppose it is not too surprising she is scared to give it a try.”

“What about you guys?”

“Ryan wants to wait until he makes junior partner. You know him, gotta have all his ducks in a row before we can officially announce an engagement.”

Dan nodded his head knowingly. “That sounds about right. He does like everything planned out.”

“Yep, that’s my Ryan!” Jenny got up and brought back a bottle of wine. “I think we deserve to drink after such hard work this morning.”

“Sure, pour me a glass while I throw another log on the fire.” When Dan came back, Jenny had taken over the couch. She lifted her legs to make room for him. When he sat down, she put her feet in his lap. “What’s this, couch hog?” he asked with amusement.

“Just wanted to put my feet up. Got a problem with that?” She lifted her glass and took a sip of merlot.

“You sounded suspiciously like Kelly just now.”

Jenny choked on her wine and sputtered, “After years of being friends, I guess she’s bound to rub off on me.”

Dan asked casually, “You ever wonder what would have happened if you and I had met when we were single?”

“Um…no.” Jenny quickly took her feet off Dan’s lap and sat up. “Why?”

“No reason.”

“You aren’t getting off that easy. You brought it up, so speak.”

Dan gazed at her with his dark brown eyes shining in the firelight. “I don’t know. We seem to click, don’t you think? I’ve always thought we’d make a good couple.”

“Where’s this coming from, Dan? We’re both taken.”

“Yeah, I know. Still, I’m attracted to you.”

“Are you making a pass at me?” she asked incredulously.

“No, just stating a fact. It’s obvious the attraction is one-sided. Don’t give it another thought.”

After that revelation, what else
could
she think about? Jenny jumped off the couch and stood next to the fireplace. Her face was flushed and she didn’t want Dan to see it. Of course, she thought he was attractive. Who wouldn’t? Kelly had great taste in men and Dan was her crowning glory.

At six feet five, Dan was a striking hunk of manhood. Although he didn’t have a muscular frame, he was definitely fit. Jenny liked the adorable way his blond hair fell in his eyes when he got excited and the cute way he brushed it back with his fingers. Up to this point, she really hadn’t thought about him romantically. Well, that wasn’t quite true. She had fantasized about a Dan a couple of times, but nothing serious. He was Kelly’s guy.

“Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Dan said from the couch.

“That’s okay. Like you said, we’ll just forget it. So, how long do you think it will take before the bulldozers come to rescue us?”

“I don’t know. All depends on if this blizzard was local or widespread.”

“But you said we’ll be okay.”

“Yes, Jenny. Of that I have no doubt.”

She turned back to Dan. Even though her face was still flushed, he’d assume it was from the heat of the fire. “Okay, then I’ll try not to worry… too much.”

“Up for another game of poker? I’m ahead of you by five pretzels.”

Her competitive streak took over and she joined him in a four-hour battle. Unfortunately, she was still behind at the end, but vowed total annihilation the next day. “I think I’ll sleep out here tonight,” she told Dan as they readied for bed.

“Okay. If you can, keep the logs on the fire so we don’t freeze during the night.”

“Not a problem.” Jenny gathered her blankets off his bed and wrapped them around her as she lay on the couch. Things felt different now. After Dan’s declaration, she needed to stay clear of him. Being close would only ignite something neither of them needed.

Naturally, Jenny slept so soundly that the fire went out. She woke to Dan starting it back up. She rolled off the couch wanting to help. “I’m sorry, Dan.”

“No problem. Go back to bed. I was just freezing and figured you were asleep.” He got a roaring fire going and headed back to his room. She knew he was cold and took pity on him. “Wait.”

Dan turned around, “Yeah?”

“Come over until your room gets warm.” She sat up and lifted the blankets. Dan walked over and she threw the covers over him. They sat there in the dark watching the fire. Jenny was exceedingly aware of his body being so close to hers. Even though they weren’t touching, she could feel the cold radiating off his skin. She moved over and pressed against him, giving him some of her warmth. It was the least she could do after letting the fire die.

“Thanks,” he said, not moving a muscle.

The crackle of the fire was soothing. The way the light shifted and flickered over the walls had a hypnotic quality to it. “Dan?”

He turned his head towards her. Jenny felt the sudden urge to kiss him. She lifted her chin so that their lips met. Jenny felt an exhilarating thrill course through her when he pressed his mouth against hers. She pulled away in shock having never felt that before.

“Wow,” he murmured. After a few seconds he asked, “Was it good for you?”

“Yeah, like scary good.”

“Likewise.”

They sat staring at the flames again. Jenny was unsure what to do. A kiss was excusable. Not good, but excusable. More than that and they were asking for trouble.

“I think my room is warm enough,” Dan said, quickly getting up and moving away. She noticed he walked stiffly.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Jenny called after him.

Dan waved his hand without looking back. He closed the door, effectively shutting out any chance of warmth. Why would he do that?

She lay back down on the couch, trying to forget the way his kiss made her feel. The growing wetness between her legs belied her attempt. Maybe Dan was in that room jerking off while thinking of her. The thought completely turned her on. A short time later, he cracked the door open and went back to bed.

She was jealous of a man’s ability to do that. Just a simple hand motion on their hard member and they could find release. Her? Masturbation never worked, but tonight she was desperate. Jenny fumbled with her clit, getting her fingers all wet in the process. She rubbed it this way and that, but all it ever produced was more tension, not blessed release. Finally, she gave up in frustration. She squeezed her legs tightly shut and forced herself to think about work. It was hours before she was able to fall back to sleep.

It seemed like a couple of minutes later when she heard Dan moving logs onto the fire. “Morning Sunshine.”

“What? It’s morning already?”

“Yep, got you a cup of joe on the counter there if you want it.”

Jenny wiped the sleep from her eyes and was assaulted with her musky smell. She put her hands down quickly, blushing. Jenny washed her hands in the melted snow in the kitchen sink. Then she grabbed the hot mug and drank its warm goodness. “Just the right temp,” she purred.

“Good.” Dan walked over to the counter and picked up his own mug. “So how did you sleep?”

Jenny wasn’t about to tell him the truth, so she answered, “Probably as well as you.”

“Not well, huh?”

She crinkled her brow. “You didn’t sleep?”

“Not really. Couldn’t get you off my mind.”

Jenny’s pulse increased. Knowing he spent the night thinking about her was hard to take. “You probably shouldn’t tell me that.”

“Why?”

“We are stuck here, Dan. We need to be adults about this.”

“I was thinking about that, actually. You know as well as I do that both Ryan and Kelly are going to assume something happened no matter what we say. It’s just the way things are. Two attractive people stuck in a cabin for a week…it’s bound to happen.”

“What’s your point?”

“Well, if we are going to be accused of it anyway, why not enjoy the experience?”

Jenny shook her head. “You just won’t give up, will you?”

“After last night’s kiss? No way.”

She blushed, thinking back on the experience. “It was a fluke. It’s the whole stolen kiss thing. That’s all it was.”

“Wanna prove it?”

She scoffed at him. “Yeah right.”

“No, seriously. If we kiss and both of us don’t feel something, I’ll stop hounding you. Cross my heart.” Dan made a cross motion over his heart and smiled charmingly.

“You’re pathetic, you know that?”

“I think you’re chicken because you know I’m right.”

“Don’t start with me. You know I hate being called a chicken.”

He nodded with a grin. “Yes, I do.”

Jenny rolled her eyes and walked over to Dan. Here in the daylight with no romantic fire things would be different. He tried to put his arms around her, but she stopped him. “You said nothing about hugging, mister. A kiss. That’s it.”

A smile played across his lips. “Fine.” Dan put his hands behind his back and waited.

She tried to calm the butterflies as she tiptoed up to kiss him. For a second she hesitated, afraid that he might be right - but no. She knew better and needed to prove it. Jenny gently pressed her mouth against his firm lips. He snuck a hand around and grasped the back of her neck. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and she felt fireworks go off. The desire she felt all night instantly reignited. She unwillingly moaned and had to pull away. It was disconcerting.

Dan’s hair fell in his eyes and he brushed it back all cute-like. “Well?”

Jenny turned from him. “Didn’t feel a thing.”

He snuck up behind her and growled softly in her ear, “Yeah, I’m buying that.”

Her heart raced when she felt the warmth of his breath on her neck. “Please don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Dan asked, as he moved her hair and gently kissed the back of her neck.

She felt an electric jolt travel straight to her groin. “Don’t make me want you.”

Dan chuckled warmly, “But you already do.”

Jenny closed her eyes. Her body was desperate for more, but they couldn’t. It wasn’t in the cards for them. She pulled away and pretended to straighten the kitchen.

Dan let out a frustrated sigh. “Okay, you win. I’ll stop hounding you.”

She felt almost disappointed. “Good, why don’t we finish our poker game?”

“Fine,” Dan grumbled. Then he added condescendingly, “I don’t see the point. You are so behind now you don’t have a chance of catching up.”