I lean against the kitchen counter with my arms crossed—my focus on Kylie. She’s in the oversized chair in front of the fire, her dogs by her feet. I’m holding back right now, knowing that if I tell her I was right—the old “I told you so”—she’d rip me a new asshole. But a part of me wants to say those words anyway because her sass and defiance turn me on like no other.

She holds her arms out, her palms facing toward the flames. She starts rubbing them back and forth, and I know she’s probably frozen to the bone. Even if the trek between our cabins isn’t that long, the weather right now is a son of a bitch. No doubt if she stayed out there any longer than necessary—between falling or running into something in the dark—she could’ve gotten seriously injured.

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” She glances over her shoulder at me, her big ass German Shepherd mix doing the same. I narrow my eyes at the dog, silently cursing him out as I think about all the shit he’s done in the short amount of time he’s been living next door.

He’s a menace—a big ass furry menace.

“Something warm to drink would actually be really nice. As long as you don’t poison it.”

I stand there a minute, our focus locked on each other. I pull back a smug smile at the seriousness of her tone, but I don’t comment on her attitude.

I give a brisk nod and turn away from her. I open the cabinets and grab two mugs. I already had a pot of coffee brewed before she came over, so I pour us both a cup.

“How do you take your coffee?” I shout just loud enough for her to hear.

“Sugar and cream, please.”

I grimace, not having either of those options. “I have milk.”

“No sugar?” She looks over her shoulder.

“No, the last damsel in distress I saved used it all,” I deadpan.

She releases a frustrated breath and rolls her eyes. “Milk is fine.”

“You know…” I begin when I walk over. “If you’re going to live out here you should educate yourself on what country life is really like.” She takes the mug from me, and I can see how she grits her teeth and locks her jaw before muttering a thank you.

“Yeah, I plan to make some adjustments for sure.” She doesn’t look at me as she speaks. I sit down in the chair across from her and stretch my legs out, crossing them at the ankles. For long moments neither of us say anything, our focus on the flames as they lick across the logs. Kozmo is snoring loudly, and I grunt and shake my head.

“I’d start with a fence,” I say behind my mug before taking a sip.

She glares at me, furrowing her brows as she brings the mug up to her full lips.

“How long do you think the blizzard is going to last?” she asks.

Lifting my hand and scrubbing it across my jaw, the days’ worth of stubble scratches along my palm. “Well it’s a bad one,” I say matter-of-factly. “Several days at least. But these types of storms aren’t unusual for being this high up in the mountains.”

She nods slowly and turns back to stare at the fire.

“I just want you to know I sure as hell didn’t want to come over here and ask for help.”

I grin even though she isn’t looking at me.

“I’m sure you didn’t.” I hold back from laughing. “I bet it was pretty fucking painful coming over here knowing I was right and you were wrong.” The fact my words no doubt get under her skin turns me on more than it should.

I can hear her teeth grinding. Kylie leans back in the chair and exhales, the coffee mug resting on her lap, her fingers playing over the rim. I have to give her credit for not snapping back at me. I probably deserve it.

“Maybe I’m not cut out for this type of lifestyle,” she says almost absentmindedly as if she’s speaking to herself. “Because truth is I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.” When she looks at me, I feel my heart pound a little harder.

I don’t know what it is about this woman, but she has everything inside of me coming alive.

Her hair is piled up high on her head; the wisps that have fallen free from the messy bun are damp from the snow that’s melted. I stare at her profile, her nose small and petite, the tip slightly arched. Her lips are full and red—kissable. And her cheeks—painted rosy—has my cock getting hard. But I have willpower, a hell of a lot of it, and I shift slightly, forcing myself to stay in control.

“Refill?” I ask after a moment. She looks down at her mug then nods before handing it over to me.

“Thanks,” she says softly and tucks her feet under her bottom. I think about her ass, those tight little mounds that have my fingers itching and my need rising. It brings back memories of last night when I was in the shower thinking of that ass as I pumped my cock raw.

Clearing my throat, I make my way into the kitchen, refilling both of the cups and standing there a moment. Staring out the kitchen window, I watch as the snow shoots against the glass from the violent wind. I hear one of the dogs up and moving around, but I ignore it.

“You can sleep in the spare room tonight. There are extra blankets in the linen closet that you can use.” I glance over my shoulder at her, but she’s still looking at the flames of the fire.

“Thanks. That’d be really nice seeing as I don’t have electricity, a working stove, or even firewood.” She snorts. “God, that sounds so ridiculous when I say it out loud.”

“You’re just not used to this way of living. You’ll get the hang of it.” I try to comfort her though she’s right. It is ridiculous how unprepared she is.

I start making us some sandwiches because I need to keep busy—keep my mind off of Kylie and what I’d like to do to her. I mean this is the perfect setup, really. Girl can’t stay at her place, has to come to the burly mountain man’s cabin for warmth and food. Ambience, isolation—sounds like the perfect fucking setup to a cheesy romance story.

I’m the one to snort now.

Once the sandwiches are made, I add some chips and pickles to the plate. It’s nothing fancy, but it’ll do the trick since I doubt she ate dinner. I set the plates aside and continue keeping myself busy by grabbing the extra blankets from the closet. Next, I head into my room and grab a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, knowing they’ll hang off her slender form. I can’t help the possessive part of me that rises up at the very thought of her wearing my clothing, of my scent covering her body.

This sound leaves me, one that’s a mix between a growl and a grunt. I need to control myself, need to realize that this woman and I are never going to happen. We’re on opposite ends of the spectrum. It’s best if she stays on her side and I on mine.

But that doesn’t stop me from wanting her like a fiend.

After placing the extra clothes and blankets on the dresser of the spare room, I head back into the kitchen, grab the coffee refills, and head over toward her and hand her the mug. I set mine down on the table between us and go back into the kitchen for our food. Once I’m standing in front of her again, I hand her a plate and sit back in my chair.

“Thanks,” she says softly, and I grunt in response.

I start eating, the sound of the fire crackling overly loud. I look over at the smaller of the two dogs lying by Kylie’s feet. She’s sound asleep, snoring lightly. I glance over to where the “destroyer” should be and see he’s not there. My body goes ramrod straight as I sit fully up in the chair and look around the room. I don’t want him on my property let alone in my house, but if he’s wandering around who’s to say he won’t shit all over the place?

I don’t see him at first, but I certainly hear his ass. Over by the front door, slightly hiding behind the bench that’s stacked with extra boots and my winter jacket, I can see his furry ass tail sticking out.

Setting the plate aside, I stand and turn to face him, noticing on the other side of the bench is part of my boot, slightly moving around, as he’s no doubt making a meal out of it.

“Motherfucker,” I grind out and stalk toward the bench. Looking over, I see Kozmo chewing on the heel of my boot, the leather torn up from his sharp ass teeth. He looks up at me. If dogs could talk he’d be screaming, “Fuck you and this boot, Luke.”

“What’s wrong?” Kylie asks.

I turn and face Kylie, who’s already standing and walking toward me. When she sees what her dog did, she exhales and reaches down to pry the boot away from Kozmo. She hands it to me with this sympathetic look on her face, but I can tell it’s not genuine. I snatch the boot out of her hand, dog slobber covering half of it, leather piece hanging on by a thread. I make another disgruntled sound. “Your dog is a fucking menace.”

She rolls her eyes and places her hands on her hips. “He’s a dog, and he’s scared too. That’s the kind of shit they do.”

I feel my eyes widen at the angry tone she’s throwing my way. She’s mad at me? For pointing out the obvious—that her dog is fucking destructive?

This woman has to be certifiably insane.

“You have got to be shitting me.” For a long moment, we just stare at each other, this silent standoff between us. Finally, I huff out and wave my hand between her and Kozmo. “Look, you’re welcome to stay here, but you better keep your dog under fucking control. I don’t want my shit destroyed because you can’t handle him.”

She narrows her eyes at me and takes a step back. “Come on, Kozmo.” She pats her hand on the side of her thigh, all the while staring right into my eyes. “I’d leave you in peace if I knew I could last in my own place in this damn weather.” Her eyes are narrowed again. “And as much as I’m thankful you’re letting me and my menacing dogs crash here, you’re kind of an asshole.”

I snort and cross my arms over my chest, knowing she’s got more to say.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be out of your hair soon enough.” The dog sits beside her leg and makes a soft whining noise. All I can do is shake my head and walk away.

“You and your damn animals are gonna be the death of me,” I mumble under my breath as I head toward my room. “I’m calling it a night.” I don’t bother looking over my shoulder at her. “I think going to bed now is probably the best option, for both of our sanities.”

If I didn’t walk away from her, no doubt World War III would erupt in my living room. That or I’d end up letting my desire for her consume me, and that’s just a disaster waiting to happen.