Read Snow Bound for Free Online Page A

to bed together… and not just for the warmth. He wasn’t a saint, so he had no intention of laying next to her like a brother all night long. He had much more interesting plans for those hours.
    He’d take care of her, in more ways than one.
    “I’ll funnel the air from the fireplace upstairs,” he said. “But we’ve done all we can for now.” He kept his gaze carefully away from the window as he continued. “I did find some evidence of a visitor outside—“
    “What?”
    “Footprints. If I hadn’t gone out when I did , I might have missed them. The s now is coming down heavier now, covering them up. So while we need to be alert, I’d rather not be in a place where we can be viewed.” He cast a pointed glance at the thin fabric of the curtains.
    She nodded, though it was slow enough to indicate reluctance. No doubt. She’d had enough time for second thoughts, but they wouldn’t last for long. Of that he was sure . Her response spoke volumes .
    God, he was a cold-blooded SOB to stand there plotting this. Though he preferred to think of it as practical, something he knew would fly right out the window the minute he touched her. Better to make plans while he had a brain cell left.
    “Why don’t you head on up and I’ll get things ready down here?”
    “No, I’ll help.” Making the decision seemed to settle her. She retied the belt at her waist, a little tighter this time, then walked over to recheck the locks on the front door.
    Damon banked the fi re in the fireplace before turning back to Tori. “Do you have a blanket we can use to cover this doorway?” he asked, gesturing to the double - wide archway into the kitchen.
    She nodded, reaching into a small door under the stairs to pull out a handmade quilt.
    “Are you sure you want to use that? It might get messed up.”
    “No problem,” she said. With quiet efficiency she handed him the bla nket, then retrieved some heavy- duty tacks from a kitc hen drawer. They had the quilt hung in no time , and Tori led the way up the stairs. Working beside her felt natural. More so than it should have.
    At the landing he closed off all the other rooms, creating a natural pathway for the heat to rise up the stair s, along with additional chances for an intruder to make noise. Tori walked ahead into the bedroom , and he could hear her pulling the drapes tight over the windows. Already the temperature was rising, from more than just the closed- off areas. He knew the minute he walked through that door, Tori would know his intentions.
    He si mply hoped she took pity on him instead of leaving him to cope with an aching groin all night.
    * * *
    Tori froze in the middle of her bedroom, struck by the fact t hat she was about to share her mahogany sleigh bed with a virtual stranger. And she had no delusion s about them sleeping. Damon might have bolted after that first kiss, but the heat in his eyes held no reservations upon his return.
    She’d never share d this bed with a man . The few relationships she’d had always seemed to end up with her going to their place. Maybe because she’d still been viewing this as her parents’ house until she redecorated a few yea rs ago. This was her bedroom ’s inaugural event.
    Pressing a hand to her stomach to quiet the nerves , she listened to Damon’s movements on the landing, then as he made his way into the room. The door remained open behind him, allowing a warm draught of air to rise from the fireplace below.
    She glanced over the rumpled sheets and remembered when she’d left them after h earing a noise earlier. Oh no —
    Solid heat met her back, Damon’s arms circling around her middle. He bent close, speaking right next to her ear. “Ready, d arlin’?”
    As his hands pulled smoothly on the tie at her waist, all thoughts fled the premises. For once in her life she stopped thinking and gave herself over to feeling. Damon’s actions could have been construed as helping her get ready for bed. After all, he was simply