“Girl, you’ve been holding out. You know those two delicious hunks?” Alana sighed as she leaned against the bar. She wasn’t even hiding the fact that she was ogling the two.

Deja wiped the counter down, needing to keep busy. Since they weren’t busy, she opted to help Luna with cleaning the bar so that it would be done by the time they could leave. Luna had left a message with their manager, and they were waiting to see if they would close early.

“Sort of,” Deja murmured. She wasn’t too far from the truth. She may not know him, but from the little time they did have together, she had memorized every muscular ridge of his abdomen, what made him groan, and what made his body tremble during the heat of passion. She looked up and found his eyes on her. A small smile played on her lips as she returned his gaze.

She knew this was her chance.

She had to tell him about Augie.

Dread filled her stomach at the thought. Would he accept their son? Does he already have a family? She didn’t see a ring on his finger, but knew that really didn’t mean anything.

It didn’t matter. He deserved to know about the son he had helped create. If he chose to walk away, it would hurt, but she would keep on raising her son alone as she had planned to do.

“How? I certainly haven’t seen them around before.” Deja could feel her co-worker’s eyes on her. “I would have remembered them.”

“They came in here a year ago with some friends. That’s it.” Deja pushed her hair behind her ear as she tossed the dishcloth in the sink.

She didn’t want to go into too much detail about how she knew them. She didn’t want the girls to get suspicious and start calculating Augie’s conception and birth. None of her friends knew who August’s father was. She had kept it a secret. She didn’t want to admit that August was a mistake. He was her little gift that Dixon had left her. She had always been an optimistic person and saw August as a chance to have a family. He was her focus.

The girls had been trying to get Deja to go out on dates, but it was a little hard to date a woman who was pregnant by another man. Ever since August was born, Luna, Alana, and Niki had been trying to throw her back into the dating pool.

“Boss said after these two, we can close up. Roads are closing,” Luna announced as she came from the back office.

“What?” Deja gasped. She walked over to glance out the window near the parking lot and could barely see through the flurries. Her car was literally buried beneath a few feet of snow.

There was no way that she would be able to get off the mountain tonight.

She groaned and pulled her cell phone out. She sent out a quick text to Sharon that she would be grabbing a room at the hotel. She hated the thought of Augie being without her for a night, but she knew Sharon was right. It was better for only one night to be away from him than a whole lifetime of absence from a mother because she was foolish enough to try to fight through snow on a dark mountain road.

Her phone pinged a return message, and it was Sharon, wishing her good night. She sighed and brushed her hair from her face as she turned back to Dixon’s table.

Her heart slammed against her chest as she strolled over to him and his friend. She rubbed her sweaty hands on her apron as she approached their table.

“How’s everything?” she asked nervously. She glanced at Dixon, and his intense eyes took her breath away. She had never seen such an eye color before. Augie’s eyes were the exact same as his, and she knew that she had to tell him.

Tonight.

She may never get the chance again, and didn’t want to miss out on it.

“We’re good. Almost done,” Percy announced with a smile.

“How have you been, Deja?” Dixon asked, his eyes filled with concern. “You look tired.”

“I’ve been doing okay. Just working a lot. Trying to make ends meet.” She smiled.

Working and taking care of our child, she wanted to say, but held back. That wasn’t how she wanted to tell him. Her mind raced, trying to figure out how she would tell him that he was a father.

“Have a seat with us.” He waved his hand to the seat next to him. “Doesn’t look like there are any other customers. Rest your feet.”

She glanced over at the bar to find that Alana had disappeared. It wouldn’t hurt her sitting down to speak with them. There was no one else in the bar. She was sure the girls were in the back helping break down the kitchen with the cook, Axel.

“Sure.” She took the seat next to him and had to hold back a sigh as she took in the scent of him. It was just as she remembered. Dixon was all man. “Where are you staying while you’re here? The roads are nasty out there.”

Make small talk with them. She figured she’d find out which lodge he was staying in and meet him there sometime tomorrow.

Dixon placed his fork down, finished with his meal. He leaned back against the booth and placed his arm along the back, putting her in the crook of his arm. She held back a groan, feeling the heat from his body. She ached to lean into him and nuzzle her face against his. She just wanted to smell him. She glanced up at him and saw his eyes darken, as if he knew what she was thinking.

Her body was reacting to his. Her breasts tingled as her nipples grew into hard little buds, pushing against her bra. She could feel moisture collecting at the apex of her thighs. One look was all it took, just as it did a year ago. She swallowed hard as she met his gaze.

She wanted him.

But she couldn’t.

The product of their desire was currently spending the night at the babysitter’s house.

“We’re staying at the Rocky Lodge,” Dixon murmured. A shiver passed through her as his fingers connected with a few strands of her hair. He was staying at the same hotel as last year where they created Augie. Her breath caught in her throat as memories of that night came to mind.

“It looks bad out. Do you have far to go to get home?” Percy asked. Deja finally tore her eyes away from Dixon. Her breaths were coming fast. She was fairly certain he was thinking of their night together as well, and looking into his eyes, she knew he was wanting a repeat.

She couldn’t.

“Um, I live at the bottom of the mountain. Luna just said that the roads on the mountain are closed, so I’m going to have to get a room. Thank goodness we get free rooms when the snow gets too bad in the winter here. I certainly couldn’t afford to stay here.” She gave a nervous chuckle.

“That’s nice of them.” Percy nodded, finishing off his drink. “Are you from here?”

“No, Denver. I moved here to be closer to my job instead of driving almost an hour every day for work. You guys are from Cleveland, right?” she asked with a nervous laugh. “I’ve never been, but I’m told winters there can be just as bad as here.”

“They can be.” Percy nodded and laughed.

“When are you getting off?” Dixon asked, drawing her attention back to him.

“According to Luna, as soon as you two are done, we get to close up and leave.”

“Well, I’m certainly done. That food was fabulous. Please give my compliments to the chef.” Percy stood from the table and pulled his wallet out. He tossed a few bills onto the table. “I got dinner tonight, my friend.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.” Dixon nodded to his friend as he left, leaving the two of them alone. She smiled and waved to Percy as he made his way through the restaurant.

She turned back to Dixon, unsure of what to do next.

“I’ve thought of you this past year,” he murmured, his fingers still playing with her hair. She ached to pull it down so that he could thread his fingers through it. She tried to steer her thoughts away from all the sexy carnal thoughts that were running through her mind, but she was losing the battle.

“Really? You’ve been on my mind too,” she admitted. She shifted so that she could face him, knowing that she needed to pull up her big girl panties and tell him. “Can we go somewhere to talk?”

His eyes darkened, and she knew what he was thinking. She was trying to keep this neutral and find a quiet place so that they could talk.

“Want to go back to my room?” he asked.

She swallowed hard. That wasn’t the best idea, but it would give them some privacy for the talk they needed to have. She would behave herself and not jump his bones the minute they were alone. She was an adult, as was he. They could be in a hotel room and not have sex.

That was her mind talking.

Her heart, on the other hand, was screaming for her to strip him naked and have her way with him.

“Sure.”