We had a past. Not much of it good. But some of it had been hot as hell.
I spied tire tracks that were rapidly disappearing from the snow and ice and figured she’d been dropped off. She rattled the door again and swore. Then hiccupped. Then swore again.
“Hold on,” I said gruffly. I took the stairs and plowed through the snow, shoving past her so that I could try the door. She took at least three steps back, which for some reason irritated me. “I don’t bite.”
“I call bullshit on that.”
She had me there. Aggressive sex was something I enjoyed. A smile sliced across my face. From what I remembered, so did she.
I tried the door. Tugged on the handle. And nothing.
“I already told you it’s frozen.”
Ignoring Echo, I put my shoulder into it with force, but it didn’t give. My skin was slick with melted snow, and I rubbed my hands on the front of my track pants. With one more heave, the door gave way, splintering and shuddering open. I walked inside and flicked on the switch I knew was located to the left, but nothing happened.
Faint light from outside fell into the room, and I headed for the kitchen and looked around. The water was turned off and so was the hydro. This wasn’t good. Mr. Davis, the man who ran the bed-and-breakfast, was long gone and wouldn’t be back for at least a week. He’d stuck around long enough to let me into my cabin and then split. I didn’t have keys to the main house, and this cabin wasn’t liveable until he got back.
“Why the hell isn’t the light working?” Her voice was just as I remembered. Way too husky for a girl, like whiskey over ice.
“You can’t stay here.”
Moonlight enhanced her sultry features and those big eyes of hers settled on me, the expression a cut above dismissal, but not by much.
“I’ll stay where I damn well please.” Echo walked past me and tossed her bag onto the kitchen counter. She still had that attitude. The one that needed adjusting.
“The hydro’s off.” The good guy in me couldn’t give up that easy.
“I don’t care. I’ll build a fire.”
I moved quickly and saw the surprise that lit up her eyes as I came to within a few inches of her. She was small. I’d forgotten that detail. In her heels, she barely reached my shoulder. Her long blonde hair hung in messy waves that reached halfway down her back. I’m sure she’d spent a small fortune to get them to look that way. Perfect makeup emphasized a cute-as-hell upturned nose, full, bowed lips, and killer cheekbones. Hazel eyes that were more golden than green watched me warily.
She was stunning. And she knew it. I saw the subtle shift in her eyes. The way they widened and then narrowed. No way was I getting caught up in her games again. Echo and I were like oil and water. We didn’t mix. For a lot of reasons.
“There’s no running water.” I tried to be the good guy again.
“I can melt snow.”
She was still prickly as fuck. “What about food?”
“I don’t need your help, Boyd. In fact, if you were the last man on the planet and I was dying, I wouldn’t need your help.” She arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Once morning comes, I’m gone.”
“You sure about that, sweetheart?” Her nostrils flared. I knew she hated it when I called her that.
“Why are you here?” she asked instead.
“Why are you?” I shot back, suddenly more than willing to stick around and hear her answer. She tugged on the small leather jacket she wore and pulled it closed over her breasts.
Her eyes fell away, and her teeth started to chatter. “Can you just leave? I’m too tired to fight.”
“You’re going to spend the night in a cabin with no heat or electricity or water.” It wasn’t a question.
“Sure am.”
“You’re crazy.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
Okay. This girl was starting to get under my skin. “You could freeze to death. You do realize that, right?”