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“Did you get the snowmobile started?” she asks.
“No. It’s dead.”
The word slips out. The snowmobile isn’t the only thing that is dead.
“Great, so we’re stuck here,” she complains.
“I don’t know about that,” I tell her. “We might have to get back to the plane.”
“What? Why? Are we going to walk back there?”
“I think we should.”
She groans, stomping through last year’s leaves. “Why don’t you walk back, and I’ll stay at the cabin.”
I laugh. I have to admire her willingness to sacrifice me without a second thought. But I can’t leave her alone in the cabin. I would gladly hike back to the plane if it meant getting us out of here. Even though the sun is out now, it will likely freeze tonight. My plane is old and doesn’t have all the fancy de-icing gizmos and gadgets.
“Thanks for volunteering me,” I say. “Let’s just get back to the cabin.”
“I’m going,” she snaps.
She’s cranky. I get it. I’m not in a great mood myself. Thankfully, the cabin appears through the trees. Just before we step into the open, I grab her arm and pull her back.
“What are you doing?” she hisses.
I look around, searching for any sign that we might have visitors. “Looking for bears,” I tell her.
“Do you see one?”
“No, but let’s wait a second and make sure there isn’t one waiting for us.”
“Why would there be?” she questions.
“Because we’re walking meat bags,” I snap. “You don’t think every animal in a twenty-mile radius has picked up on our scent. I told you to stay close to the cabin. You just broadcast our presence all over the place. If a cat or bear didn’t know we were here before, they do now.”
“Gee, thanks. You really know how to compliment a girl. You’re so stinky animals will smell you from miles away.”
I drop my head, slowly shaking it. “You know that’s not what I mean.”
Mia rolls her eyes and walks into the cabin without another word. I follow her, still scanning the rooms for any signs of intruders. I walk to the window, peering outside to see if anyone emerges from the opposite tree line. I lock the door. I know how sturdy that door is, which is a good thing. But it isn’t going to stop someone from shooting the place up.
Mia shrugs out of her coat and hangs it on a hook before her hard gaze lands on me. “What is your problem?” she snaps. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I know how to handle myself. I wasn’t going to charge the damn thing. I know how to be quiet. I was just fine.”
I sigh, feeling the tension between us. “I’m sorry, Mia. It’s just…”
I don’t know how to tell her Eric is dead. She’s going to freak out.
She crosses her arms, clearly not in the mood to listen to my apologies. “I’m not stupid, Noah. I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can—”
“No,” she steps toward me, jabbing her finger in my chest. “You don’t know me at all. Just because we slept together, it doesn’t give you power over me. I’m my own person. I decide when and where I’m going to take pictures!”
Suddenly, without thinking, I reach out and kiss her. For a moment, she stiffens in surprise, but then she melts against me, returning the kiss with a hunger that matches my own. The kiss deepens. Our lips move in a passionate embrace. The tension is replaced by arousal that leaves us both breathless.
As we pull away from each other, Mia’s eyes search mine, filled with a mix of surprise, confusion, and a spark of desire.
She swallows hard, her cheeks flushing with color. “Noah…what was that?”
