“Oh, there’s no cell service,” she announced with a chuckle. “I’m guessing it went down with the electricity. But generators can’t fix that. Anyway, it’s not a problem.” She pointed at the wall by the back door where an old-school phone was mounted. “Most everyone has a landline here because of the storms in the mountains.”

  Scowling—not that she noticed since she was adding the last of the silverware she’d washed to a drawer—I grudgingly picked up the phone and dialed the number she rattled off.

  After a short conversation with the manager, I hung up and took a moment to wipe the giant, triumphant grin from my face before turning around. “Apparently, there’s no more room at the inn.”

  Bethenny was putting her teakettle back on the stove, but she turned to look at me with a concerned frown. “They gave away your room? I suppose without you showing up and others stranded...boy, you’ve really hit a streak of bad luck on this trip, haven’t you?”

  Her face was expressionless as she went about collecting the ingredients to make more hot chocolate and dumped them into the milk frother before pressing the button to power it up. When she wasn’t facing me, I let my grin out to play. “Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps all the things that have gone wrong were Santa’s plan all along. They could be leading me straight to my Christmas present.”

  Bethenny laughed and lifted the lid off the frother. “It’s a good thing you just admitted to believing in Santa Claus. I should have warned you yesterday. People who don’t believe aren’t welcome here,” she said with a wink. We both chuckled as she poured the steaming, frothed mixture into two mugs. She had a thoughtful expression on her face as she handed me a hot chocolate, then walked over to stare out one of the windows. “There has to be a way to get you to the Ashleys. I don’t want you to miss any more of your holiday with them. But they live a little far to venture out on my snowmobile in this weather.”

  I mentally sighed in relief. I was good and stuck here. Perfect.

  Chapter 4

  Bethenny

  Having Lincoln stay with me through the storm would take my mind off the fact that I was spending the holiday without my family for the first time ever. Especially since the chemistry between us was hot enough to melt the blizzard—as I’d proved by humping him like a horny teenager. But that would’ve been extremely selfish, so I forced myself to offer him a way to make it to Jake’s parents’ house. Even if it was half-hearted and I was relieved when he replied, “It’s not worth the risk.”

  “Are you sure?” I took a sip of my hot chocolate as I peered through the kitchen window at the whiteout conditions. “The storm is bound to let up at some point, and there will be plenty of snow on the ground for us to ride. I’d hate for you to miss out on all the fun with Jake and his family.”

  He winked at me, his lips curving into a smile of pure male satisfaction. “With how we started the day, I’m damn sure I’ll have a fuck of a lot more fun stranded here with you.”

  Heat filled my cheeks, and it took everything in me to hold his gaze. I wasn’t shy in most situations, but something about Lincoln brought out the lovestruck teenage girl in me. And it wasn’t just because of what had happened between us when I woke up.

  My reaction to Lincoln was far from normal for me. The magnetic pull between us had roused my dormant libido—and the outline of his semi-hard dick in those gray sweatpants was sending my desire to new heights.

  I didn’t have much experience with guys. Growing up, boys had been terrified to ask me out. My brothers had made sure of that. By the time I’d gotten to college, I was too busy to worry about dating. And once I was elected, I didn’t just have a jam-packed schedule to contend with—every citizen of Winter Falls felt as though they had the right to stick their nose in my business.

  Having this time with Lincoln without the prying eyes of my constituents or my family was the best Christmas gift I could have received. I must’ve been on the top of the nice list this year because Santa had been very good to me.

  “If you’d prefer to stay here with me, who am I to argue?” I tried to act nonchalant, but I didn’t do a good job of it.

  There was a teasing glint in his brown eyes. “But only if you want me here.”

  “You’re going to make me say it out loud, aren’t you?” I muttered, setting my mug on the counter and crossing my arms over my chest.

  His answering grin was sexy enough to combust my panties. “Yup.”

  “Fine,” I huffed. His gaze dropped to my chest, where my breasts were now pushed up, and my nipples pebbled beneath his stare. “Please spend your Christmas with me.”

  His expression turned serious as he answered, “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

  Butterflies swirled in my belly at his forthright admission. I was sorely tempted to climb him like a tree, but it was probably too soon to do that. Again anyway since that was pretty much what I’d already done to him in my sleep. Then his stomach let out a growl, and I realized what a bad host I’d been last night. “Oh, no! I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask if you were able to grab dinner at the airport. You have to be hungry by now. I’m so sorry.”

  Lincoln patted his stomach with a sheepish grin. “No worries there. I had plenty of time to eat at the airport while I was delayed, and I munched on some chips that I grabbed from the vending machine while I was driving. But I could definitely go for some food right about now. If you have groceries, I can cook breakfast.” He tossed back the rest of his drink and set his mug down beside mine.

  I strode across the room and flung open the refrigerator door. “Even if we end up snowed in for a little while, we definitely won’t starve. Since my family was supposed to be in town, I stocked up on all kinds of stuff. But you don’t need to worry about cooking because I already prepped breakfast for this morning before I found out they weren’t going to be able to make it into town because of the weather.”

  His gaze raked down my body, spreading goose bumps in its wake. “I should’ve known when you put on that sexy librarian outfit of yours that you’re the kind of woman who’s prepared for anything.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” I’d always thought my clothes were fairly boring, but I felt as though I was dressed to seduce with the way he was looking at me.

  “Not even close.” He stroked his hand down my side, resting his palm on my hip as he peered over my shoulder into the fridge. “But if we keep talking about your clothes, I’m going to want to rip them off you to assuage a different kind of hunger. Then it’ll be a long time before we eat breakfast because food will be the last thing on our minds.”

  Holy moly. That was the hottest thing I’d ever heard. Twisting around to look up at him, I suggested, “The sausage breakfast muffins I made only need thirty seconds in the microwave.”

  The green in his eyes was more pronounced as his gaze heated. “Are you giving me free rein to do my worst, little one?”

  My answer should’ve been a resounding no. Sleeping with a guy who I’d just met was completely out of character for me. But Lincoln was only visiting Winter Falls, so my time with him was limited. “Yeah, I think I am.”

  The phone rang, breaking the spell between us and making me groan in frustration. For the first time ever, I cursed the fact that I had a landline. “I’m sorry, but I really need to get that. My job is kind of twenty-four seven at times. And with the storm as bad as it is, the call could easily be an emergency.”

  He inclined his head in understanding. “I’m not going anywhere. Go ahead and grab it.”

  Heaving a deep sigh, I walked over and stabbed my finger against the speaker button so I could pull out the breakfast stuff while we were talking. I figured I might as well multitask and get Lincoln fed so he had plenty of energy for whatever we got up—or down—to after I took care of this call. “Mayor Andersen.”

  “Hey, Bethenny. It’s Hayden. We have a row of houses on Sycamore Street that’re without power.”

  Looking out the window, I didn’t bother to ask when their power would be restored. It was bound to be a while, and odds were good that more houses would be hit before the storm was over. “How many homes are impacted by the outage?”

  “Ten, and the power company has us on their list already.”

  “How many people do we need to relocate?” Just about every home in Winter Falls had a fireplace or wood-burning stove to help keep warm in situations like these, so most of the people would choose to stay put for the time being.

  “I already took a couple of people in since I’m just one street over. So there are only six more, which is a lucky coincidence.”

  My brow wrinkled as I wondered what he could possibly think was lucky about having to relocate in the middle of a blizzard. “How so?”

  “They’re around the corner from the house your mom and dad rented for the week. You didn’t mention anything earlier today, but I’m assuming they canceled the trip because of the storm and your brothers stayed back, too.”

  “You’d be correct with that assumption.”

  “Perfect. Thanks, boss.”

  “It’s no big deal. I’ll—” A dial tone blared from the phone, and I turned to glare at it. “I can’t believe he hung up on me. Whatever happened to deputy mayors sucking up to the boss in the hope that we’ll hand over the keys to the kingdom when we don’t want to run again?”

  “It sounded to me like he was just calling to confirm the rental house is available. Not for you to fix the situation from here when he can do it much more easily since he’s in the thick of things.” Lincoln pushed the speaker button to hang up on our end. “That’s what deputy mayors are for, right? He was elected to make your life easier. Let the man do his job.”

  With my take-charge attitude—and also my tendency to be a bit of a control freak—that was easier said than done. “Well, yes, but—”

  My words broke off when Lincoln cupped my cheeks with his palms and lowered his head to capture my mouth. My lips parted on a gasp, and his tongue swept inside to tangle with mine. I tended to have tunnel vision when it came to my job, but his kiss was one heck of a distraction. All of my attention was laser-focused on Lincoln, and I wanted it to stay there. Forever if it was up to me.

  Chapter 5

  Lincoln

  My first taste of Bethenny’s mouth sent a shockwave of pleasure through my body. Chocolate mixed with her own sweetness was my new favorite flavor. If her mouth was this amazing, I couldn’t imagine how fucking delicious her pussy was going to be. I’d definitely have to grab some chocolate sauce for that decadent treat.

  My hunger shifted, and I suddenly didn’t give a shit about food. The only breakfast I wanted was the woman fisting her hands in my shirt while I kissed her.

  Before the phone call interrupted us, she’d basically given me a blank check—the currency being her body. But I couldn’t help wondering if it might have been a split-second impulse decision, and she might change her mind after being given a little time to think.

  I wasn’t going to chance it. If I didn’t get inside her soon, I was going to lose my fucking mind—no pun intended.

  So I glided my hands from her cheeks, down her neck, to cup her breasts for a beat, then moving on until I was palming her round ass. I boosted her up until our centers were aligned and ripped my mouth away. “Legs around my waist, little one,” I commanded.

  She complied immediately with a soft moan, which made my blood pound in my veins as a rush of power and lust crashed over me.

  I held her snug against me, feeling the proof of how much I wanted her, and my lips dragged along the silky skin of her neck and jaw as I started moving. “Bedroom,” I growled before sucking hard enough to leave my mark on her. Her head fell back, but she pointed, and I headed in that direction.

  My experience with sex was severely limited, but I knew I was a dominant motherfucker. Despite how easygoing I was at any other time, I wanted control in the bedroom. And I had a feeling Bethenny needed that—someone to take away the choices and just care for her. Let her mind relax so she didn’t have to be anyone’s anchor.

  There were so many little things I’d learned about her in the limited time we’d spent together, and all of them cemented in my mind what I knew in my heart. We were perfect for each other.

  Once we reached the closed door to her room, I used my foot to kick it open and stalked over to the bed. I captured her mouth again as I lowered her to the mattress. My fingers made quick work of the buttons on her blouse until I hit one in the center that was snagged and wouldn’t go through the hole. My cock was bursting, and my sanity was hanging by a thread, so I didn’t have the patience to keep trying. Grasping both edges of her shirt, I yanked it apart, sending buttons flying everywhere.

  I drew back and looked down at her chest, licking my lips at the sight of her generous tits practically spilling out of her pink lacy bra as she panted heavily. “So fucking gorgeous,” I murmured before using my index fingers to draw down the cups until the round globes were fully exposed. Her hard nipples made my mouth water, but I wanted her naked before I feasted on her.

  Bethenny grabbed the hem of my T-shirt, and she tried to pull it up, but I stopped her by wrapping a hand around her wrists. I stared directly into her glazed hazel eyes when I spoke. “You’re not in charge here, little one. I’ll tell you when you can touch me. You don’t do anything until I give you permission. Is that clear?”

  She tensed, her eyes widening and her mouth forming a little O. After a few seconds, she frowned and tried to wriggle her wrists from my grip. “I don’t—”

  I tightened my hold on her hands and pinched her chin with my free one, cutting her off. “Don’t fight me, Bethenny. Just think about it for a minute, feel what you want. Because the second you do, you’ll realize this is exactly what you need.”

  I raised her arms above her head and kissed her deeply while she did a little soul-searching. Finally, she relaxed, and I raised my head to meet her heated gaze.

  “Are you going to listen and do as you’re told?” I asked with an arched eyebrow.

  She nodded, and even though her mouth was curled down in a frown, I didn’t miss the curious excitement in her chocolate orbs.

  “Say it out loud.”

  “Yes,” she rasped in a sexy, passion-filled voice. “I’ll do what you tell me.”

  “Good girl. Now, leave your hands up there until you’re told otherwise, or I’ll stop what I’m doing, and”—I grinned wickedly—“believe me, you don’t want that to happen.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  Her body moved restlessly, and I drew a single finger down from her throat to her pussy. Finding her swollen little nub, I pressed on the bundle of nerves for just a second. She bit her lip to hold back her moan, and I scowled. “There is no one here, and a snowstorm is raging outside. Don’t muffle the sounds of pleasure you make, little one. I want to hear what you moan when I have my hands all over your body, hear you cry out when my mouth is on your pussy, and hear you screaming my name as I push you over the edge with my big cock in your tight little pussy. Is that clear?”

  She nodded, and I stared at her, again with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yes,” she croaked.

  “Excellent.”

  After taking a few steps to the side, I bent over and unbuttoned her slacks, then yanked them down along with the panties that matched her bra.

  “Fucking hell,” I grunted as the rest of the blood in my body rushed straight to my groin. She wasn’t bare but very neatly trimmed, leaving me a perfect view of her glistening pussy. I needed to taste it. Now.

  “Open your legs as wide as you can.” She obeyed, and as soon as I shed my own clothes, I climbed onto the bed, settling on my stomach between her legs. “Give me your hands.” She brought them down, and I placed them over her center. “Hold yourself open for me,” I ordered.

  Her body trembled, and I glanced up to make sure she was okay. Fire raced through me at the need and desperation in her eyes. She opened her folds, and her hips bucked involuntarily, her body seeking relief.

  Resting my elbows on her thighs, I stared at her pink, wet center for a moment before leaning in and dragging my tongue from bottom to top. Her flavor burst in my mouth, her cream the sweetest nectar I’d ever tasted.

  She was already drenched, but when I licked her again, making sure to flick her clit, she moaned, and even more of her juices spilled out. I suddenly felt unbelievably parched. Dropping my head down, I began to eat her pussy like she was my first sip of water after a lifetime in a barren desert. Perhaps that wasn’t so inaccurate. I couldn’t remember anything before I met Bethenny because it had practically been a lifetime, and now, there was no room for anyone but her.

  Bethenny moaned, and each time, I rewarded her with a little nip or suck on her bundle of nerves. I speared my stiffened tongue into her channel and fucked it the way my cock would be soon. Her muscles clenched so tight that I had my first doubt as to whether my long, fat cock could fit inside her. But I shook away the thought. Bethenny was made for me. It might take some practice, but we’d get there eventually.

  To help the process along, I replaced my tongue with one finger, then slowly worked in a second. Damn, I couldn’t believe how fucking tight she was. Almost as if—once the thought entered my mind, I became obsessed with it. I pushed the fingers as far as they would go and sucked in a breath when they hit a thin barrier.

  Raising my eyes up to her face, I growled, “Are you a virgin, little one?”

  Hesitation flashed on her face, and I stilled my fingers, making her whimper and try to rock her hips to drive the digits deeper. I withdrew them and lightly slapped her pussy, making her stare at me with shock as flames of desire burned in her eyes.

  “Answer me.”

  “Yes,” she panted. “Is that a problem?”

  “A problem?” I grunted. “Are you fucking kidding? Knowing I’m the first man to see you like this, taste you, feel you is hot as hell and makes me feel like I’ve conquered the fucking world. It might make me a Neanderthal, but damn, Bethenny, I want to shout from the rooftops that you’re mine, wave the sheets that are about to be marked by your virgin blood like a flag I’ve planted to claim my territory. You have no idea how fucking close I am to coming just thinking about how I’m the only man who will ever be inside this pussy.”