Page 24 of Rooster
She nodded, then stepped over to the edge of the hill and positioned her sled. Once she had it exactly where she wanted it, she sat down and waited as I gave her a gentle push. Seconds later, she was dashing down the hill like a bolt of lightning. She had almost made it to the end of the hill when she hit a rough patch of snow and let out a high-pitched shrill as she flailed into the air—and not in a good way.
She went several feet up, then immediately came crashing down with a hard thud. Panicked, I raced down the hill to make sure she was okay. When I reached her, she was splayed out on her back, staring up at the stars with a goofy smile on her face. “That was amazing!”
“Holy shit, woman.” I knelt beside her. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Did you see how high I went?”
“Yeah, I did. I thought you were a goner.”
“No, I’m fine.” She tried to sit up but didn’t make it far before she laid back down. “Well, I thought I was.”
“You hurt?”
“No, just a little shaken.”
“Don’t worry. I got you.”
I slipped my hands underneath her and scooped her into my arms. When I started up the hill, she protested, “You can’t carry me all the way up this hill.”
“I can, and I will.” I glanced down at her and smiled. “Don’t wanna take a chance on you taking another spill.”
“I’m fine. Really. I can make it back up the hill on my own.”
“Maybe so, but I’m carrying you all the same.”
When we made it up the hill, I was a bit winded, but I’d managed to get her to the truck without any issues. I was about to put her inside when I glanced down at her and found her staring up at me with those big, dark eyes. They drifted down to my mouth, and I knew exactly what she was thinking.
Hell, I was thinking the same damn thing.
Before I thought about what I was doing, I lowered my mouth to hers and kissed her. A light moan vibrated through her chest when I ran my tongue across her bottom lip.
I was treading on a dangerous path, but I couldn’t help myself. Neither of us could. Her hands wound around my neck, and her fingers raked through my hair as I deepened the kiss. It felt incredible to have her in my arms. I didn’t want to let her go—not now. Not ever.
We were both lost in the moment when I heard a car in the distance and pulled my mouth from hers. Disappointment flashed through her eyes as I lowered her into the seat and closed the door. I took a quick breath, walked around, and got in next to her.
“You good?”
She nodded quietly and muttered, “Mm-hmm.”
“Good deal. Let’s get you home and warmed up.”
I glanced back out at the hill, noting our sleds at the bottom. There was no way in hell I was going to trek back down that deep slope, so I grabbed my phone and sent one of the prospects a message, ordering him to come grab them. Once he responded, I tossed my phone down on the seat and started driving towards town.
We hadn’t gotten far when Maggie whispered, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For tonight. The ride and for sharing your secret sledding spot.” She glanced over to me with soulful eyes that got me right in the gut. “I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun.”
“Yeah, it was fun. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”
“I’d really like that.”
When we got back to Maggie’s place, I parked and followed her up to the front steps. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, then turned to me and asked, “You want to come in for a drink and warm up a bit?”
“It’s pretty late.” I thought about our earlier kiss and how badly I didn’t want it to end. I knew I needed to go. Don’t get me wrong. I wanted to stay, especially when I saw the way she was looking at me, but I really liked this girl and didn’t want to cross a line that couldn’t be uncrossed. “I should probably be getting back.”
“Oh, okay.”
