Thomas grinned and let her pull him to his feet. He glanced at the doors through which Eli had disappeared,
then started in the opposite direction. "This way." "Wait! My bag." Ariana scurried over and grabbed up her
things, then took Thomas's hand again. He tugged her toward an arched exit at the back of the church, and the
rush of excitement that had stolen over her just minutes before seized her again. Outside, they stepped right
into a drift of snow that came just below her knees. It seeped through her pants, melting against her skin, but
she didn't care. She was warm all over. Thomas led her into a small clearing behind the church, where the
canopy of tree branches had prevented the snow from piling too deep. Wind swirled overhead and Eli was
nowhere to be seen. "So ..." He grinned, barely visible in the dark. "You're the boss." "We can't go back to
Drake. Too many teachers around." Ariana tucked her hands into her coat pockets. "A hotel?" she mused. A
sudden gust of wind sent a dusting of white powder into her face, and she turned to shield herself. "The
Driscoll? It's close enough that we could walk, and it probably wouldn't take that long."
The thought of being with Thomas, alone, in a warm hotel room sent a shiver down her spine. "Yeah."
Thomas pulled his cell from his pocket and pressed a single button, holding the phone to his ear "Speed dial?"
Ariana groaned. "I really wish I hadn't seen that." "It's room service," Thomas said, trying to keep a straight
face. Trying, but failing. "They make an unbelievable cheeseburger. Swear." Ariana raised an eyebrow. "You
don't believe me?" Thomas pretended to be indignant. "About as much as I believe you'd read Playboy for
the articles." Thomas held his hand up. "Yeah. Just wanted to book a room for tonight?" He paused, his face
falling. "Okay. Thanks, man." He snapped the phone shut and shoved it back in his pocket. "They're booked.
Guy at the desk said every hotel in town is packed. People can't get out of here because of the snow."
Ariana's heart sank. It was crazy to want to be alone in a hotel room with Thomas. Crazy to be here with him
now. But she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.
"So I guess we only have one option," she said gravely. She nodded at the smooth covering of snow on the
ground. Thomas laughed, backing away from her. "Oh, no. No way. You're crazy." It took every ounce of
bravery Ariana could summon to do what she did next. She lowered her body to the freezing cold ground,
leaned back on her elbows, and looked up at Thomas, her blue eyes tempting. "Ami?" She stopped breathing.
She couldn't believe what she was saying. Doing. Thomas's smile widened. "How could I say no to that?"
Ariana grinned, ecstatic and relieved all at once. He knelt down and buried his hands in her thick, blond hair
before touching his lips to hers. Ariana's heart filled with pure happiness as he lowered himself on top of her.
She didn't care about the cold anymore. Couldn't feel anything but the heat of his body. She turned her face
to let him run his lips along her cheek and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a dark shape in the snow. And