Page 23 of SnowBound

“You write your own songs or play covers of other people?”

He took a long pull of the alcohol. “My own. Most of the time. I started when I was a kid. Couldn’t stop. I have books full of songs I wanna record.”

I grinned. “Whoa. You must be talented.”

He shrugged. “I think I am. We’ll see in a few years. There’s nothing else I wanna do in life than play music professionally. For now, I gotta finish my degree. My mother’s only request before I focus on a musical career. One day, I’ll find a way. No matter what it takes.”

“I’m sure you will succeed.” Our gazes fixated on each other for a long minute. I darted my tongue out to lick the remnants of alcohol lingering on my lips. His eyes darkened as he studied me, and the orchestra inside me intensified.

A silence fell upon us, and all I could hear was my deafening heart. My attention drifted between his eyes and mouth. Each time his lips wrapped around the bottle neck, surges of heat washed through me.

I asked the first question that popped into my head, wanting my focus to be anywhere else but on Andy’s mouth. “Name three weird things you like. Don’t overthink it. Just say the first items that come to your mind.”

“Rain. Frogs. Candy apples. Why?”

I shrugged. “No reason.” I paused, deciding on my next move. “Not sure we can find frogs and rain here, but I saw Christmas candy apples earlier in one of the shops. Let’s get one.” I turned to stand but thought better of it. “Frogs, really?”

“Had a few in the pond near my house when I was a kid. I even gave them names. You said weird things, so...” Andy angled his upper body to face me. “I’m still waiting for that badass side of yours to show up.” One of his fingers now drew patterns on my thigh. “Change your mind about that kiss?”

Every time he said it, I pictured his lips on mine and melted a little more inside. I held my breath. “Sorry. Can’t. Before we find treats, I have a question for you. A challenge that will determine if you deserve that candy apple.”

“Spill it.”

“Name the twelve reindeers,” I said, doing my best to lead the conversation away from the kiss that had now taken permanent residency in the fantasy corner of my brain.

“Wait, they have names? I thought it was Rudolph and friends or something like that.”

“Andy, tsk-tsk. They all have pretty names. You guess three of them, and you get your treat.” I lifted a finger. “One hint. Many end with -er.”

“Okay, let’s see. Tumbler. Eleven. Chaser. Grace. How many chances before you call it quits?”

“Until I conclude you’re a lost cause.” I stared at him with a raised brow. “Grace? Really?”

“Shhh. I’m just warming up. Trust the process.”

“Hey, those are my words,” I said, backhanding his chest.

“One more reason to listen to them. Let me think. Huh, what about…what about Copper? Or Vixen?”

I clapped my hands. “Vixen. Yay. One right. Eleven to go.”

“There is a theme here then. Easy-peasy. He named them Foxy, Racy, Teaser…”

“Ohmygod, stop. It sounds like a rollcall at a strip club.”

“Santa named one Vixen, what did you expect? He started this, not me. He says kids are on his naughty list, but we can easily guess who’s the naughty one, no?”

We both laughed as we passed the whiskey bottle back and forth.

Tears from laughing too much formed in my eyes. “The day you have kids, promise me you won’t be in charge of naming them. That would be a terrible idea.”

“What, you don’t like Tractor, Guitar, and Raptor?”

I shook my head, laughing so much I couldn’t utter a word.

“I’m doing my best Santa impression,” Andy said. “Going with a theme here. Would you prefer Kale, Raisin, and Basil?”

“Terrible. You’re making fun of me. You know their names, don’t you?”