Snow Bound (13 page)

Shock
held her immobile for a moment;
then she swung a sharp elbow and made contact with his ribs.

“Ow! What’s that for?”

She twisted around in the suddenly ample space. Teeth clenched and jaw set, she glared at him for a moment before she could answer. “Do I look like some kind of easy piece you can hit whenever you feel like it?”

Laughter sputtered from his lips, eyes widening in shock. “I didn’t know you could talk like that, Victoria
Jane
.
”

“Don’t call me that!” she said, surprised that he’d remembered her full name.

He sauntered closer, braving the ran
ge of her deadly elbows. “Now, P
rincess, what do I have to do for permission to call you by your full name? Because I’ll do it. I will.”

Stick around.
Her throat ached with the need to say the words, but she held them back. She wasn’t sure she hid the message as he stared into her eyes.

“Princess, I’m not here because I want a one-night stand.”

“No?”

“No.”

Though she knew she should—
th
at it made her a contradiction—
she could feel no relief.
Only trepidation at what was coming.

“I’m
here for something even better,
”
he said.

A weekend? A month? She took a deep breath and asked,
“What’s that?”

“I’m hoping my princess is lookin’ for a prince.”

Shock jolted thr
ough her, but his gaze held steady
. He wasn’t kidding, was he? Her mouth opened, but no words would come. Damon reached up, rubbing his thumb along the curve of her lower lip, igniting sparks beneath her skin.

“I tried to tell myself it wasn’t what I wanted. That the need would die if I simply stayed away.” His lips twisted. “You can see how long that argument lasted.”

“I though
t you weren’t the marrying type?
”

“Clichéd as it is, I apparently hadn’t found the right woman yet.” He came forward one careful step at a time until her breasts barely grazed the front of his shirt. One long finger rose to trace the sloping neckline of her sweater. Back and forth, his skin brushed against hers, raising gooseflesh along with anticipation. “But then I found a woman who
is sexy
and sassy,
who stands up for herself and doesn’t let what anybody else thinks change who she is. But most of all…”

Her voice was husky and hesitant as she asked, “What?”

“She wears
a thong
u
nder her formal princess dress
.”

Their laughter mingled in the silence of the store, encroaching dusk darkening the rooms
around them. “So,” he asked, “w
ill you give me a
chance to prove I can be a one-
woman kind of man?”

“On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“That you understand,
if you don’t prove to be a one-
woman k
in
d of man, I’ll have to take a heavy
flashlight
to you
r
noggin
.”

He pulled her close, the steel of his erection trapped between them. His mouth brushed against the sensitive skin of her neck. “Well, I’ve always loved a woman with a weapon.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“And now, Victoria Jane, I have a fantasy I simply have to see in action.”

She swa
llowed hard as his hands slid
under the hem of her sweater. “What’s that?”

“You, me, and that gorgeous staircase over there. What do you say?”

With a short reach of her arm, she flicked the lights off.
Slipping past him, she sauntered around the counter
, locked the door, and strolled
toward the center of the downstair
s floor where the black wrought-
iron staircase with its gleaming wood steps was protected from sight of the front windows by a
series of bookcases
. Ever so slowly she peeled her sweater set off, then her bra, watching as
his gaze
devoured her naked skin. Her fingers found the button on her skirt, popped it, then paused at the top of the zipper.

“Did I mention—
” she
waited until his
hungry eyes raised to her face—
“that my thong today is pink?”

The End

Author Dani Wade started her writing journey in a childhood spent in the rural south where her favorite form of entertainment was imagining herself in the roles of romantic heroines. She now juggles her writing obsession with a patient hubby, two lively kids, and a day job. Life is crazy, but she attempts to navigate the potholes with her trusty To Do List and half a brain.

Dani Wade loves to hear from her readers
!
She can be contacted via email (readdaniwade @
 
gmail.com
) or through her website
http://www.DaniWade.com
 
.
For more information about her books, check out her website at
www.DaniWade.wordpress.com/books/
.
She also enjoys blogging weekly at
www.DaniWade.wordpress.com/blog/
.

She can
be found on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/dani.wade.1?ref=tn_tnmn
and Twitter as @daniwade1
.

Acknowledged Trademarks

Piggly Wiggly

Nacho Cheese Doritos

Cool Ranch Doritos

Maglite

Novocaine