Page 29 of SnowBound

I stared at her, at a loss for words. How could everything coming out of her mouth never be what I expected? I thought she would freak out at the idea of our singing together. And here she was, ecstatic at the proposal. I scratched my nape, confused.

“Andy, are you all right? You’re looking at me in a weird way?”

I snapped out of it.

She moved closer. “Are you always zoning out like this?”

Was my mind playing tricks on me, or did her voice get even huskier than before? My body reacted. In a hundred different ways. Why was my cock having an opinion about everything Abby related?

I blinked, breaking the spell, when she took a seat next to me.

“Nah, it must be the late hour.” I angled myself to face her. “Ready?”

It was her turn to study me. Her lips parted, but no word passed through them. After what felt like infinity, she exhaled and nodded.

When she surveyed the little crowd that circled us, a crimson shade tinted her cheeks. At least fifty people sat in the room, ready for us to start.

“C’mon. You danced in front of people earlier. I’m sure you can get through a few songs. Forget all about them and look at me. I’m right here. We’re doing this together.”

I strummed the first few chords and kept my eyes trained on the girl who, in the hours I’d known her, had added colors to my world and cheer to my existence just by being herself.

My miserable night had turned into an event I would remember for a long time. Maybe forever.

As we sang Christmas carols, I zoomed in on Abby’s mouth. An indelible smile had taken root on her face. The sound of her voice, clear and low, sent shivers down my back. She couldn’t reach every note, but she seemed content, and it made up for her lack of technique.

We sang our own version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and I winked as I named every reindeer. Abby mouthed a You dick at me, and I couldn’t help the smile curling my lips when she realized I’d been playing her earlier.

The next hour passed way too quickly. I could have sung with Abby for days, just for the pleasure of seeing those glitters dancing in her blue irises.

We finished our set, and my heart sank deeper into my chest. Our time together was coming to an end. For some reason, I wasn’t so eager to go back home the next morning.

Abby moved to her feet and hugged me. The throbbing of her heart resonated through my chest, matching mine.

Her face shone with glee. “Thank you. It was epic. I can’t believe I did that.”

I held my guitar out of the way and wrapped my free arm around her. We stayed like this for a long minute, neither of us able to break apart. When she stepped back, my body immediately missed the warmth of hers. “Andy, you’re good. One day, you’ll make it big. I can already tell. You have a rare talent. And your voice is something else. I have goosebumps. I’m going to be a future music executive, so I know what I’m talking about.”

“You are not so bad yourself, but thanks,” I said, the ache to kiss those rosy lips of hers growing stronger deep in my core as she looked at me with stars in her eyes. Why did a compliment coming from her mean more than from any other person I’d ever met?

Maybe I had bumped my head after all.

* * *

In complete silence, we brought my guitar back to the café after Abby handcuffed my wrists to the armrests using pieces of garland from my neck.

“Hey, what are you doing? What’s this for?”

“Nothing. I just like you tied up. It ups the kink factor.” She flashed me a smile, and I cursed, in my head, at all the things I wished I could do to her.

Sitting on me, her legs slung over the armrest, Abby fed me whiskey. After the concert, a dark flush had taken permanent residency on her face. The liquor we drank did nothing to dim it. Her eyes shone brighter, and her smile grew with each swallow of the alcohol. Seeing her lips connect with the bottle neck, I hoped I could taste her innocence.

“I don’t feel the burn anymore,” she giggled, moving to her feet and spinning around, her arms thrown wide open.

I lolled my head back and parted my lips as she poured more booze into my mouth. Some alcohol spilled all over my chin.

“Oopsy.” Abby wiped the mess off with her small fingers, giggling as she surfed a drunken high. She looked adorable. I had no other word to describe Drunk Abby. “Open up.” She poured another stream of whiskey between my lips, missing the intended target and once again wiped the liquid running down my chin with her digits. “Ugh.” She winced, shaking her moist hand.

I watched her. “What’s wrong?”