his eyes did, and my heart dropped, and my lips throbbed, and I wondered if I’d taste the coffee on his mouth if I kissed him.
Stop. I try to stop thoughts like that in their tracks. Samuel’s respected my wish to keep things friendly, and it’s only fair my imagination does the same.
Trusting my feet to guide me down the stairs—I could run up and down this staircase in my sleep I do it so often—I close my eyes and try to imagine what Blue will look like. Granted, I’ve only seen his thighs, dick, and stomach, but it’s obvious he’s in great shape. He had a light brown, almost red happy trail, so maybe his hair will be a lighter shade of that? Or darker? And his eyes, I bet they’re—
“Whoa!”
I bump into something hard at the same moment I hear Samuel’s voice. My eyes fly open and the spicy smell of masculine shampoo fills my head. Suddenly, I find myself pressed against his broad chest with my nose buried in his shirt. He’s close enough that I can make out the different shades of blue that speck his irises—slate, sky, ocean.
“Wow, I am so sorry,” I manage, leaning back.
“Are you trying to break a leg? Or do you always walk down staircases with your eyes closed?”
“I’m, um, practicing. For the time you inevitably challenge me to find a specific bottle down here blindfolded. I refuse to accept another tie, so…”
He smiles. With his eyes and his mouth this time.
An ache unfurls along the sides of my torso, so strong and persistent it makes me short of breath. My heart is popping around again.
I want to put my mouth on this man so very badly.
“Game on. But seriously, I don’t want you breaking those legs, okay?”
“Ha,” I say. But the universe must really be conspiring against me because my left leg buckles.
My knee literally gives out, and I feel myself going down like a heroine in a Regency novel. I didn’t think swooning was a real thing until this moment.
And just like in a Regency novel, Samuel curls an arm around my waist and holds me up—holds me against him—the motion quick and effortless.
“Whoa,” he repeats, brow furrowed. “Emma, I was joking, but if you’re really not okay, let’s sit you down and get you some water. If you tell me this involves a protein bar—”
“No protein bars.” I put my hands on his chest and gently push him away. “Just busy. I’ll see you around.”
I hobble into the cellar and leave Samuel staring after me. It’s rude, and it’s weird, but I’m worried if I stood there one second longer, I would’ve done something stupid.
I almost run into Samuel again upstairs. And again, in the hallway outside our offices when I’m shrugging into my coat after a meeting with our managers to make sure everything goes smoothly tonight. My nose somehow ends up in his shirt again.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re trying to sniff me. I smell that good, huh?”
He’s smiling again, real and warm.
It shouldn’t be this hard, not wanting to strip your coworker naked and fuck him six ways to Sunday.
It shouldn’t be this hard not wanting someone, period.
“Get over yourself,” I mutter and dash out of there like the barn’s on fire. My pulse is hammering, and I feel lightheaded.
I see flurries on my short walk home. It’s also windy. The sky is getting dark, and the smell of cold stone and dampness fills the air. I’ve lived in the mountains long enough to recognize it as the smell before a good snow.
My stomach twists, and I walk faster. I know the worst of the storm isn’t supposed to hit until later tonight. But the weather changes quickly at higher altitudes, and the farm tops out at almost four thousand feet above sea level.
Shit.
I hurry inside my cottage. I throw my jacket, boots, and bag on the bench beside the front door and make a mad dash for the bedroom. I have my outfit picked out, but I didn’t have time to pack an overnight bag in case I get stuck. Truth be told, I also didn’t want to jinx myself. Is packing for a night away bravely optimistic or embarrassingly naïve?
Either way, I didn’t do it yet, so I scramble to throw something together.Protein bars: check. Samuel would not approve, but this isn’t about him. In fact, this is about forgetting him. Plus, if I really do get stuck,