weather worsening by the second.
“That’s where I’ve been instructed to deliver you, yes.”
“How will I get to the slopes?”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Call a cab, Athena.”
She huffed, then fell silent.
The roads grew eerily quiet the closer I edged toward Belleayre, the snow falling thickly, reducing my vision dangerously close to zero. I considered myself a very competent driver, and even I experienced a sense of immense relief when I finally nosed the car into Elliot’s driveway. Athena ran on ahead to open up while I fetched her bags from the car.
I placed her things by the door and brushed snow off my shoulders. The wind whipped up, the sound whistling through tiny gaps and cracks in the wooden structure. The journey back wasn’t going to be fun.
“You can’t drive in that,” Athena said as though reading my mind. “You need to wait it out and hope the weather improves.”
Reluctantly, I nodded. “I hope the storm passes quickly so I can return to Manhattan.”
She snorted. “I bet you do.”
Snatching her bags from the floor, she disappeared into the bedroom.
I followed, propping my shoulder against the doorjamb. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She unzipped her case and scooped out her clothes, tossing them haphazardly into the dresser drawers. When she’d finished, she spun around, hands on hips. “It means, Ryker, that of course you want the weather to improve so you don’t have to spend a second longer in my company than is absolutely necessary. What are you so afraid of? That I’m going to jump you?” She snorted again, then jabbed her finger in my direction. “You jumped me in that car, then left like a complete wuss, and have refused to even look at me, let alone discuss it ever since. And you accuse me of behaving childishly? I suggest you take a good, hard look in the mirror. It’s about time you were honest with yourself, even if you’re not honest with me. Oh, and you might want to let poor Lissie know you’re a cheating asshole.”
She snatched her red ski jacket off the bed and stomped past me, returning to the main living area of the cabin. Shrugging into the jacket, she marched over to the front door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I demanded. “It’s a blizzard out there.”
“I’m going to the store. I need a few things.”
“I’ll come with you.”
She glared at me with enough fire in her amber irises to set me alight. “No, you won’t. Not unless you want to risk my knee connecting with your balls.”
She pulled the door closed behind her so hard, it almost came off its hinges. I crossed over to the window, watching as the snow gradually enveloped her until she completely disappeared. I wasn’t worried. The store was literally five minutes away, and she’d been coming to this cabin for years. She could find her way there with her eyes closed. As soon as she returned, I’d sit her down and apologize for kissing her, as I originally intended to. She had a point. I’d behaved like a complete prick, and I owed her an explanation.
I connected to the Wi-Fi and checked the weather. The storm seemed to be heading east. Forecasts showed it should pass through Belleayre in the next hour or so which meant I’d be able to set off for Manhattan by ten at the latest. At least the slopes would have had a fresh dumping of powder. Better for skiing.
Twenty minutes passed, then half an hour. I paced the room, glancing out of the window every few minutes. No sign of her. Worry gnawed at my gut, my palms slick with sweat, and a feeling of trepidation caused a prickling sensation to shoot down my spine. Where the hell had she gotten to? Five minutes to walk to the store, ten minutes buying a few groceries, five minutes back. Even if she’d passed the time of day with the store owner, she should be back by now.
The snow was coming down so heavily, the visibility had been cut to a foot or two. Shit. She could easily have wandered off the pathway and become lost. In these temperatures, she’d freeze to death.
I grabbed my coat and headed outside. The wind whistled and swirled, and the cold bit into my face. By the time I reached the end of the driveway, my lips tingled, and I couldn’t feel my fingers or toes. I slipped on a patch of ice and saved myself only by