I spent the afternoon doing damage control, preparing for the evening. The power company said our electricity would be restored by eight that evening, but I still wanted to make sure each room had a flashlight and that the guests were settled and not worried about anything.
We had storms like this all the time and the power was hardly ever out more than five hours.
It did, however, make me nervous. What was Dallas going to put in his article now? We’d had a nice morning and I truly thought we were starting over, and then the power went out.
He wasn’t getting a very good representation of what Cupid B&B could really be like.
Blowing out a breath, I walked back to the living room off the lobby. There wasn’t anything I could do about that now.
When I reached the living room, I grinned at what Jess had done. The space was covered in candles and she had a fire going in the fireplace. She’d also strung the hearts above the mantle and between the door to the living room and dining room.
We hadn’t planned on putting them out until next week, just in time for Valentine’s Day, but they were festive and fun. They looked perfect in the space. A couple had come down and started a puzzle on the table in the corner, and an older woman knitted in the rocking chair.
It looked cozy. The only one who seemed worried about anything was me. Especially because I hadn’t seen Dallas since the power first went out.
“Just go check on him,” Jess said, walking over. She rolled her eyes when I gave her a blank look. “I saw you glancing up the stairs. I know you’re worried. I doubt he cares about a little power outage. In fact, it’s an adventure.”
An adventure. I wished I could see it that way. But I had seen Dallas’s softer side upstairs. He’d been hurt by love, which made him that much more desirable. I wasn’t sure what it was about that wounded man stereotype that people went for—I thought I wouldn’t ever go for someone like that. But I found myself inexplicably drawn to him. I wanted to show him that love wasn’t something that had to be so difficult. It could be amazing.
But what did I know? I’d never been in love before—truly in love. That sweep-you-off-your-feet feeling like you’re drowning and you don’t want to be rescued kind of love.
“If you’re not going to, I will,” Jess said.
I gave her a withering look. “I know exactly what you’re talking about and sorry to say, he doesn’t play for your team.”
“Which is exactly why you should go up there.”
“He might be working on the article.”
“So give him something to write about.”
I stared at her long and hard and then sighed. “If you insist,” I said, turning.
She chuckled behind me but I didn’t give her the satisfaction of looking back. Jess was right. But then, pretty much everyone else was when it came to my love life. If I didn’t put myself out there, I’d never meet someone.
But I wasn’t supposed to be trying to form a relationship with Dallas, I was supposed to be making a good impression for the B&B. This was business.
I reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner. We only had one other guest on this floor, and I’d seen her leave earlier to get lunch. One less person to worry about right now.
When I reached his door, I lifted my hand and then hesitated. With Jess’s words in my head, I knocked softly.
To my surprise, the door whipped open a moment later. And my throat dried. Dallas stood there, shirtless, with a towel wrapped around his neck.
“I’m—” My cheek burned with embarrassment. Well, mostly embarrassment, because just looking at him was making me hot. “I’m so sorry—”
“It’s not a problem.”
“You weren’t…” I eyed his hair, but it was dry. “Taking a shower?”
He smiled, like he knew exactly what image I had in my head when I said that. Him. In the shower. Every inch of him had to be perfect. Strong shoulders and arms, a chiseled chest and abs, powerful thighs. And everything else…God, it wasn’t even a good idea to think it.
“No. Too cold. Just shaving.”
Of course. No heat for the water. But it didn’t feel cold out here. My whole body felt like it was on fire. Flames licking at inside.
I shook my head, trying to get a hold of myself. “I didn’t mean to bother you. I was just going to see if you needed anything.”
“I’m just fine. And really, it was no bother.”
I swallowed. It was a bother for me, because now I couldn’t even look him in the eyes. Not if I didn’t want to spontaneously combust.
“Sorry again,” I said abruptly and turned to head back downstairs. When I glanced back, he was still standing in the doorway, a grin on his face that said he definitely wasn’t bothered by me or the power outage.
I hurried downstairs and went straight for the kitchen, trying to control my pulse. How long had it been since I’d seen a man halfway naked? Long enough, my body was reacting like it hadn’t had human contact in years. My cock was halfway hard, bulging against my jeans.
Hot cocoa. That’s what I needed. I should make cocoa for the guests—and Dallas, of course, because that was simply polite—and then maybe consider ordering pizza for dinner as an apology to the guests for having to endure no power.
“Lewis.”
I spun around, nearly dropping the mug I was holding. “Dallas,” I breathed, my heart lurching.
“Hey. You okay?”
He was wearing a shirt now, and his face looked smooth and soft. So soft I wanted to run my hand over his cheek, and then touch my lips there, to rub them back and forth and breathe him in.
“Yes. Fine. I was going to make cocoa—and then order pizza since I know no one wants to get out in the storm. And—”
“Hey,” he said again, taking a step into the tiny kitchen. “It’s fine. Everyone is doing fine. You’ve already made losing power seem like an adventure. I haven’t seen one unhappy guest.”
There it was again. And adventure. Why did it seem like everyone was able to do this but me? Because you have a business to run. It was true. Like the next person, I enjoyed a little fun in my life, but I couldn’t let that distract me from my job. And definitely not from getting the best review for the B&B as possible.
Still, Dallas looked so hot with his forest green sweater and a smile that said having a little adventure might be exactly what I needed.
“I understand this doesn’t put the B&B in a good light for your article,” I started.
His eyes widened. “Seriously? That’s what you’re worried about?”
I folded my arms, insulted. “Of course. Wouldn’t you be? This might be some backwater B&B to you, just one of a million you’ve seen, but it’s my whole life. It’s—”
My breath caught when he stepped forward and gripped my arms gently. His eyes softened, locking on mine with an intensity that blew me away. “Don’t worry,” he said.
My mouth hung open, torn between continuing to argue with him and closing my eyes. Leaning in and pressing my lips to his.
“Your B&B is safe,” he said. His eyes dropped to my lips. “And I know how important it is to you. I can see that in everything you do here. How you take care of your guests. And how you’re just as caught up in the fairy tale as they are.”
I frowned, even though my heart still raced out of control. “I’m not caught up…”
His lips curved. “Then maybe you should be, because it’s working on me.”
“It is?”
“It’s the place, sure, but it’s also you. The magic.”
I mirrored his smile. “Right? You can feel it, can’t you?”
“It’s all around me,” he said, breath touching my lips.
He was right, I was just as caught up in the fairytale right now. Drowning in it, because I’d never met someone I’d connected with so quickly. Someone I’d wanted so badly within moments of meeting him.
His hand curled around my waist, tugging me to him so our bodies pressed against each others the entire way down. “Kiss me,” he said. “You threatened to do it before, but now I want you to do it. Because you want to.”
“I want to,” I murmured.
He bowed his head and our lips pressed together, just a slight brush and a slide that shot fireworks through my body. When my cock swelled, I lost control and wrapped my arms around his neck.
It went from sweet and almost innocent to steamy in a matter of seconds. He shifted his feet, swiveling me so my back was pressed against the pantry. His hips pinned mine and arousal shot through me when his cock hardened between us, sliding against mine through our clothes.
“Fuck,” he murmured. “Lewis.”
My name on his tongue almost drove me crazy.
I’d dreamed about this—about being ravished against a hard surface while my body heated and went crazy with desire.
“Lewis?” Jess said from outside the door.
I gasped and jerked away from Dallas. I would have been amused at the blurriness of his eyes, still clearly dazed by his arousal, but this wasn’t like me. And we’d almost been caught.
Jess rounded the corner and spotted us both out of breath. Her eyes widened and then she held up her hands, like she was trying to block out what was happening. “Sorry, sorry—I just—I’ll come back later—”
She vanished before I could assure her nothing was happening—which was a total lie. I was still rock hard and my body thrummed with need for Dallas.
His lips curved when he glanced at me. “Well. That was close.”
“Too close,” I said, swallowing. I didn’t like being caught off guard.
Dallas took a step closer to me. “Come on. You have to admit, that was fun. That’s what you’re supposed to be doing on a snowy afternoon.”
“You—you’re here to do an article.”
“And you’re part of it.”
My mouth dropped open. “You don’t mean—you’re not going to write about that—”
He chuckled. “I have a little more class than that. But just because I’m here for a story doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy myself at the same time. I’m pretty good at multi-tasking, and something tells me you are too.”
My body flashed with heat again. God, I wanted him. I wanted my lips on his again, my hands traveling the length of his body. I wanted him moaning my name.
And holy fuck, who had I turned into?
“This isn’t like me,” I said, keeping a safe distance from him at the corner of the room. “Not at all.”
“There’s always room for something new.”
My mouth wanted to say yes but my brain was screaming no! I didn’t want a quick fling—especially with someone who didn’t even believe in love. But I wanted Dallas, plain and simple. What was I supposed to do?
“Tell you what,” he said, stepping back. “I’m going to give you tonight to think about it. I want to spend some time with you, but I’ll back off if that’s what you need.” His eyes heated. “Even if that’s the exact opposite of what I want.”
He moved to the door, only glancing back once with a smile that made me want to jump him right there.
And then he was gone, leaving me aching for him and having no idea what to do about it.