ANNIE

The man knows how to win over a girl’s heart, I’ll give him that.

He’d shown up packing a bottle of wine and a warm thermos of hot chocolate, and that was enough to make me swoon. Add on a plate of cheese and crackers, and it’s the perfect picnic. Mr. James earned bonus points when he pulled out the bag of marshmallows as an accompaniment to watch darkness fall over a nearby lake.

“It’s been two hours?” I look at the clock on the dashboard of his car. “How?”

We’ve been alternating between sitting in the car with the heat cranked up and bundling up against the cold outside. There’s a scenic little overlook near the sledding hill, and we decided to stop and watch the sunset with the goodies in his grocery bags. Then the temperature dropped, and we retreated to the heated car.

“Time flies, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” I agree, swaying toward him with a quick grin. “Too fast.”

That’s probably the wine talking, or maybe the sugar high from the marshmallows. There’s a bit of a warm, fuzzy sensation happening in my stomach, and as I lean across the center console, I catch a whiff of Cohen’s cologne. It’s delicious.

I want to kiss him, even though I’ve been avoiding it these last couple hours. We’ve been getting to know each other, and it’s been fun—comfortable. Too comfortable, maybe. His hand closes the gap between us, guiding my head to rest against his jacket. I nuzzle in, enjoying the quiet peacefulness in this moment.

“Are you happy to be back in Minnesota?” I ask, punctuating the question with a kiss to his chin. “Or do you miss Los Angeles?”

“The sunshine, sure, but there are plenty of nice things about being here, too.”

“Like what?”

“Like this.” He tilts his head so that his mouth meets mine. The kiss is a delicacy, a tiny treat that promises so much more. “God, I love the taste of you.”

“What do I taste like?”

“I’m not sure, actually.” He pauses a moment. “Let me check.”

Dipping his head, he goes in for another round, this time more urgent, pressing. My body arches in the passenger seat as trickles of warmth skitter across my skin.

When I finally break the kiss, his eyes linger on my lips as I whisper to him, “Any conclusions?”

“No, there’s no way to explain it, except that you taste...” He pauses, runs his tongue over his lips. “Familiar. When I kiss you, it’s like I’ve kissed you a million times before.”

I wrinkle my nose. “So... I’m boring?”

“Did that kiss feel boring to you?”

“Well—”

“Be honest.”

“No.” I sigh. “I loved it. I sort of want to do some more kissing.”

Cohen laughs, and the sound is a jolt of bright in the fading light. “Lucky thing I can accommodate that request. Can you swing your leg over?”

I maneuver the best that I can, but we’re shoved into an incredibly uncomfortable position as I’ve sort of half-straddled him, and my groin is on fire—not in a good way. “Yeah, this isn’t working.”

He winces. “Dare I ask where the shift stick ended up?”

“You’re horrible, and you’re ruining the kissing mood.”

“I can think of some place better to do this.”

“Where?”

“My place.”

“Cohen...” My voice changes, cracks with nerves, even as I try to keep it strong. “I’m not ready for that.”

“That’s fine, there’s no pressure. I was just offering to warm you up with a shower and cook you dinner.”

“You? Cooking me dinner?”

“Does ordering a pizza count?”

“I like pizza.”

“Does that mean you’ll come home with me?”

I slide off his lap, giving the shift stick a glare for ruining a potentially fabulous make out session. “I don’t know.”

“Come on, Annie. A chance. It’s just dinner.”

“Fine. But no hanky panky.”

“Hanky panky?” His eyebrow crooks up in amusement. “Okay, then. We’ll only go as far as you want.”

“I mostly just want to use your shower. My dorm room never has enough hot water.”

“I see how it is. You’re using me for my facilities.”

“And your lips.” I bring my mouth a centimeter from his. “And, for the record, I know what you mean.”

“About?”

“You taste familiar, too.”

He groans, the sound causing a whirl of pleasure through me. I’ve never made a man moan with need, and I like it. It’s empowering, in a way, to know that someone as experienced, as worldly as Cohen James might want someone like me. Even if only for a little while.

“Cohen,” I say, this whole train of thought dredging up the dreaded questions that I’ve been trying not to ask. “What are we doing here?”

“I think we’re about to make out.”

I roll my eyes, but he’s looking so adorable with those big, puppy-dog green eyes that I can’t bring myself to have a serious conversation with him. Instead, I let my lips pull me toward him, magnetized by that elusive sense of familiarity.

He smells like rain, or like freshly cut grass—the first snow of the year. Like something I’d always known existed, even before we’d met. It was like coming home.

When we connect, the need is stronger for both of us. His fingers curl through my hair, teasing out the hairband I’d used to toss my locks in a bun. He pulls the strands tight against my scalp in a way that has me letting out a moan that’s completely involuntary.

“You are perfect. You know that, don’t you?”

“Shut up, Cohen. Kiss me.”

One of his hands runs all the way down my hair until it reaches the base of my neck. He stills, looking me in the eyes, the moment frozen. “I’m getting to that.”

The gentle kisses start on my forehead. Soft touches at first, and then more on my cheek. He continues the trail down past my chin to my neck, and when he brushes my skin it sends an involuntary shiver down my whole body.

“Cold?” He reaches past me to adjust the heat.

I rest a hand on his and shake my head. “Not at all.”

The green in his eyes darkens, turning into that wild jungle I’ve seen on precious few occasions. “Well, damn.”

He resumes the trail of kisses after unzipping my jacket, pressing one to either side of my collarbone, and all the way down my chest. His hands are grazing up my body until they come to rest on the sides of my breasts, and his thumbs slide over to toy with my nipples through my shirt. I feel them harden at his touch.

“Interesting,” he says.

“Yeah?”

“I’d like to get my hands on you,” he murmurs. “And then my mouth.”

I suck in a breath. “What did you say about using your shower?”