Christmas Ever After (Puffin Island 3)

“What an amazing position. How did you find this place?”

“The owners moved back to the mainland and Brittany mentioned that it was empty. She knew I was looking for somewhere around here.”

“It’s remote.”

“That’s the idea.” He sent her a look. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“No. With any luck we’ll be snowed in. We’d have to stay in bed and rub our naked bodies together to keep warm.” She leaned forward and looked at the cottage, intrigued. “You converted it?”

“I did some of the work, not all of it.” He pulled up. “I’m glad they cleared the snow, otherwise we would have been facing a few hours of hard labor before we could reach the front door.”

She looked at the banks of snow and the steep narrow road behind them. “This place is perfect for tobogganing.”

He switched off the engine. “I’d never thought of it.”

“Seriously? You are surrounded by slopes, and you don’t immediately want to slide down them? Now I know what I’m buying you for Christmas.”

“I own cross-country skis and a snowmobile.”

“I’ve never been on a snowmobile. Let’s do that. But first I need to buy a thicker jacket.” She slid out of the car, her teeth chattering against the bitter cold. “Better unlock that door fast, Hunter, or it’s going to be like having sex with a icicle.”

He hauled their cases out of the car and paused to empty the mailbox. “Do you ever think about anything other than sex?”

“Hey, that’s what you brought me here for, remember? I’m simply sticking to the job description. Think of me as an eco-friendly heat source.”

He tucked a wedge of envelopes under his arm and gave a faint smile. “I’m starting to hope we’re going to get snowed in.”

“Yeah, me, too. We should have dropped in to Harbor Stores and stocked up on emergency supplies.”

“I keep a good stock of emergency supplies, keep the car filled with gas and have studded snow tires.” He carried the cases to the cottage and then delved in his pocket for the keys. “There’s backup power and I always have at least one cell phone on charge. It pays to be prepared. Learned that lesson after my first winter here.”

“What about condoms?”

He dropped the keys in the snow. “Sorry?”

“Do you have emergency supplies of condoms? If we’re snowed in for several days, demand would be high.” She watched with a grin as he found the keys. “I hope we’re not going to disturb your neighbors.”

“My nearest neighbor is a mile away.” He opened the door. “She’s eighty.”

“So we can abandon the whole silent sex thing?” She stepped onto the flagstone floor of the entryway and paused. “It’s not two cottages, it’s one.”

“It was two. The person before me knocked two of them together. I made a few changes to let in more light.”

She walked around, enchanted. “It’s wonderful, Alec. It’s original and beautiful and the view—” She explored without being invited and almost drooled when she walked into the garden room. Floor-to-ceiling glass flooded the room with light and beyond the windows there was nothing but the sea and the sky. “North light. It’s north light. I might never leave.” She spoke without thinking and winced, wishing that her mouth didn’t run away from her. “It’s perfect for painting. Don’t be freaked out. I’m in love with your house, not you.”

Was he freaked out? It was impossible to tell because his handsome face revealed nothing.

“Most people find it too isolated.”

“By ‘m

ost people’ do you mean your ex-wife?”

“No. She never came here. I bought it after the divorce.”

To escape from the world. “It is isolated. But that’s part of its charm. I can’t wait to get out there and explore. Shall we do that right now before we unpack? It would be fun! You can show me around. We can build a snowman. Maybe toboggan—”

“If we’re going over to Castaway Cottage later we should probably unpack first.” He strolled back through to the kitchen and put the mail down on the counter. “The bedroom is upstairs. And the bathroom. Make yourself at home.”