some of the tension that engulfed the atmosphere. “Mind if I watch the news? I’ll keep the volume low.”
Chey shrugged. “Sure. Go ahead. I’ll be in my room.”
“Thanks!” Hunter grabbed the remote and the TV came to life. It was on the same news channel that he and his frat brothers had watched earlier. The snow wasn’t letting up and they were now reporting power outages in the area. The chances of his getting home the next afternoon looked grimmer.
Hunter flopped back on the couch and groaned. With no laptop, books to read or any real entertainment, he felt caged. Letting the TV stay on for background noise, Hunter flipped through his phone, swiping through social media profiles until he got bored. Getting up from the couch, he walked over to examine the bookshelf, sparsely stocked with complimentary reads. After skimming the few titles that were there and not finding anything of interest, he headed to the kitchen to reheat the leftover water that Chey had used to make her tea.
He went back to the couch and flipped through several channels. Nothing on TV grabbed his attention, so he put the remote down once again. Chey hadn’t come out of the room. Hunter wondered what she was doing in there. He flipped back to the news.
Something roared outside the villa. Chey came running into the living room. Hunter stood to his feet.
“Oh my goodness! Was that an animal?” Chey shrieked.
“Actually, I think it was the wind,” Hunter replied as he took cautious steps toward the window. The cover of night had made a stormy sky even darker. Hunter couldn’t see a thing. When he stepped back from the window, he bumped into Chey, who had been leaning over behind him as he peered through the wood blinds.”
“Oopsie.” Chey flashed a sheepish grin.
Hunter knew the sound had rattled her. “Maybe I should take a look outside.” Chey’s evident fear put Hunter in protector mode.
Guardedly, he opened the villa door. The cold wind whirled aggressively as if to push its way inside. Hunter drew back away from the frigid air. He stepped aside, closing the door, and once again bumped into Chey peering over his shoulder. He couldn’t help his laugh.
Chey rolled her eyes as if she was embarrassed by her behavior. “Sorry.”
“No problem. Let me grab my coat and boots.” Hunter stepped around her and retrieved his hat, gloves and coat from the bedroom. “Stay inside,” he instructed as he pulled his gloves on before going out into the piercing cold. Taking a quick look around the outside, Hunter didn’t see anything threatening. The wind whirled again with a loud rumble, rustling the trees and tossing snow into Hunter’s face. Large cold flakes stung his cheeks and filled his eyes so he could hardly see. He felt his way back, and the door opened as soon as he got to it.
Chey stood on the inside. She wiped his face with her hands, helping to clear the snow from his eyes. He felt that spark again. This time he couldn’t write it off as part of his imagination. It was definitely real. Again he wondered if Chey felt it, too.
Chey helped him out of his coat, which had been covered in snow in the short amount of time that he’d been outside. Hunter stomped the snow from his feet as Chey shook the wetness from his coat.
“Looks like it’s getting worse,” she said.
“Yeah!” Hunter blew hot air into his hands and rubbed them together.
“I just hope it passes by in the morning so I can get home.”
“Yeah.” That was Chey’s only response.
For a few moments, they remained close, moving about in an uncomfortable silence.
“Um...here’s your coat.” Chey held it out toward him.
“Yeah,” Hunter said. They danced a few awkward steps around each other as Chey moved one way and then the other trying to get out of Hunter’s path to the coatrack.
“I guess I’ll get back to work,” she finally said.
“Okay.” Hunter walked back toward the couch. He really didn’t want to go back to being bored, but he also didn’t want to bother Chey. “I was going to heat up more water. Would you like more tea?” he asked before she disappeared into the room. It was all he could come up with to make some conversation. The lack of communication was killing him and he was tired of swiping through his timeline on Facebook. He wished he had brought his laptop with him, but he’d insisted on enjoying his vacation and leaving work behind.
“Oh, sure. Let me get my cup.” Chey dipped into the room and reappeared quickly.
Hunter walked over to the island where the cooktop was positioned in the center. “It didn’t whistle yet, but I’m sure it’s hot enough. I’m gonna have hot chocolate. You still want tea?” he said, making a subtle suggestion.
“Hot chocolate sounds good.”
Hunter poured two cups and handed the first to Chey.
“Hmm.” Chey gripped the mug in both hands, sipped and rolled her head back as she took in the savory sweetness.
“It’s good, right?” Hunter said, taking in the lines of her neck.
“Perfect. It’s been my favorite since I was a kid,” she said with her eyes still closed.
“Yes, it is perfect.” Hunter agreed, but he wasn’t just referring to the cocoa. Tearing his gaze away from her, Hunter walked over to the couch, sat and started flipping channels again. “Let me know if you’d like another cup. I’ll bring it in to you.”
“I think I’m done for the night.” Chey sat on the arm of the sofa at the opposite end from where Hunter was parked. “What are you watching?”
“Just torturing myself with all the weather reports.”
“Oh.” She slid down onto the couch. “I can imagine. Bad for you, but I guess it’s good for me since I’m scheduled for a ski lesson in the morning.”
“You’ve never skied before?”
Chey sipped her steaming cocoa and shook her head. “First time.”
“It’s a workout. Look forward to being sore. You’ll definitely want to take a nice soak in that supersize tub they have in the bathroom.”
“Really! I didn’t anticipate that.”
“How long are you staying?” Hunter asked, keeping the conversation going. He wanted her to take her time with the cocoa. Not only was her presence fulfilling, but also, he was enjoying the floral scent that wafted from her body and the way her lips puckered and her eyes closed euphorically as she sipped her hot chocolate.
“A week.”
“Are your friends joining you tomorrow?”
“No. I’m here...alone.”
Hunter noticed her hesitation, assuming that she didn’t really want to share that she was vacationing solo—especially with a strange man she’d just met and invited to spend the night in her villa.
“Cool.
