Page 30 of All Snowed Gin

“Yup. Best way to make sure it all combines properly,” I tell her, reciting Gram’s spiel. “So, get ready to manhandle that meat.”

“Oh, I’ll manhandle your meat…” she mutters under her breath.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuck….

It just got a thousand degrees hotter in here. The semi I had been sporting, well…there’s nothing semi-hard about my dick now. It’s full-on hard.

Rose blushes, realizing she said that out loud. I smirk back at her, wanting her to know that I liked it. A lot. Because despite how this all started, I like Rose. A lot.

The kind of like that twists you up inside. That makes you want to be around them, no matter what they’re doing. The same kind of like that I first admitted to while making meatballs with Gram. Only, this goes deeper than a crush. Rose is exactly the kind of woman I could see myself with. That in itself is a wild, borderline-unsettling thought. Because settling down has always been a someday thing. Something far away in the future.

Then again, that was before Rose Adler walked into my life.

Giving me a quick smile, Rose turns back to the bowl. I lean against the island, watching as she sucks in a deep breath, her chest rising as she inhales, my eyes glued to her. My insides go mushy, more emotions than I’ve let through in a while surfacing. Not all of them are sad though. In fact, most aren’t. More than anything, they’re warm, fuzzy, and are all about Rose.

“I’m going in!”

True to her word, with all her effervescent energy, Rose dives in, almost attacking the ground beef in the bowl. Squishing her hands through it, she scrunches her face, then lets out a giggle that bounces off the walls, settling in my chest. I watch, still unable to look away, as she continues to mix, indeed manhandling the meat.

“Go gentle,” I say.

“You want me to be gentle with your meat? Not how I had you pegged,” she quips, throwing a flirty look over her shoulder.

Oh, two can play this game.

I push up from where I’m leaning and turn to face her, extending my arm. Before Rose can react, my hand connects with her ass, the smack ringing into the air, same as her giggle had just done. Rose gasps, half turning to look at me. She glares and I return her look, one eyebrow quirked up, inviting her to retaliate. I know she can’t though, since her hands are currently occupied.

What I get is the most Rose response there is. She sticks her tongue out at me.

And fuck, does it make my insides do somersaults.

“Gentle…” I repeat, this time in a softer, less playful tone.

Sliding up behind her, making sure her back is flush with my front, I wrap my arms around her. I take a moment to revel in the feel of her against me—her curves, her soft skin, her warmth. If there is a heaven, this might just be it. I run my hands along her arms, slowly, gently, not wanting to rush the moment. When my hands reach hers, I cover them, sinking them into the mixture. It’s cold and gooey, a sharp contrast to my overheated skin, taking me a moment to get used to. Once I do though, I start to move, guiding Rose’s hands in time with mine.

“See, gentle,” I whisper into her ear. “Combining the ingredients is an act of love. It’s not sharp, or harsh, but delicate. They should mingle together, each maintaining their own unique flavor, while bringing out the best in each other.”

Rose relaxes into me, letting out a sigh. My cock twitches against her ass, earning me a wiggle. I tighten my arms around her, wanting to be as close as possible.

“You make it sound so…”

“So…”

“Euphoric.”

“I dunno about that,” I reply, placing a kiss on her neck. She shivers from my touch, so I do it again and again, moving my way up to her ear. I nip at her earlobe, then whisper, “But done right, it is an experience.”

I no longer have any idea if I’m talking about cooking or something else. But it doesn’t matter, because the breathy gasps and sighs from Rose let me know that she’s right here with me. That our hands intertwined, covered in gooey goodness, is the start of something. The furthering of a connection. One that I don’t want to break. Potentially ever.

Turning my focus back to her, I work my way down the other side of her neck. She lets out a low moan, her breathing picking up, body pushing into mine with every inhale. I’m so turned on, my rock-hard dick begging to be set free. My mind flashes with a series of dirty thoughts—all the things I could do to Rose right now. Sit her on this counter and feast on her glorious pussy. Bend her over and fuck her until we’re both screaming. Splay her out on the table, pouring my latest batch of gin all over her body and licking her clean.

But none of that seems right.

No, what feels right is holding her close. Enjoying the moment. Staying caught in the spell she has me under, committing this to memory, so that I can remember for the rest of my days.

Because my time with her is limited. I don’t know when I stopped counting down until the de Baers called, but now I’m starting to wonder if I can put it off. Or find a way to convince her to stay. She’s a salve for my soul that I didn’t realize I needed.

“Pierce,” she whispers, arching her back, pressing her shoulders into my chest.