Contradictions (Woodfalls Girls 3)

“Late for what?” I whined, trailing after him as he trudged through the snow.

He didn’t bother to turn around. “It’s a secret.”

I would have complained more, but he was too damn cute. He’d been planning this surprise for a while and wouldn’t let me in on it no matter how I tried to persuade him. The Princess Leia costume had even come out of retirement to help convince him, but he remained close-lipped. At least we had fun while I tried.

“You know, we’d probably have more fun trekking through the forest if we had a little daylight,” I pointed out.

I wasn’t surprised when he didn’t answer. I’d been using ploys like that for a week to get it out of him.

We trudged silently through the woods for at least five minutes. I was beginning to think maybe he was lost. He was more of an indoor kind of guy.

“Almost there,” he finally said, reaching for my hand.

Linking my gloved fingers through his, I stepped out through the thin line of trees, gasping in surprise. We were on a slight elevation, overlooking a large clearing that gave the illusion we were standing atop the world. Far off in the distance I could see the faint lights of Woodfalls. Combined with the bright shining stars in the night sky, the view was absolutely picturesque. I watched in awe as a light that looked like a fast-moving plane streaked across the sky. “Whoa, was that a UFO?” I was kidding, of course, but wondered if he had seen it too. Before he could answer, another light streaked across the black sky, followed by another.

“Nope. They’re meteors,” he said, sliding his arms around my waist to pull me in close. “It’s the Quadrantid meteor shower.”

I tilted my head up to look at him. “Seriously? That’s amazing.”

“Have you ever seen one?”

I shook my head as he rested his head on my shoulder. The quick, streaking lights were like fireworks without all the noise.

After a few minutes he released me and unfolded the tarp, spreading it out over the blanket of snow at our feet. He placed the heavy-duty sleeping bag on top and smoothed out the wrinkles. “I saw a meteor shower one other time before we moved here, but the city lights dulled the experience,” he said, plunking us down on the cushy sleeping bag.

He tugged off his shoes and placed them on the empty space on the tarp. I watched in amusement as he also pulled off my shoes and lined them up next to his before climbing into the sleeping bag.

“Are you planning on sleeping here?” We weren’t exactly in some campground surrounded by other people. There were wild animals in these woods and we were by ourselves.

“Oh, we won’t be sleeping.” He tugged on my hand so I was lying on top of him.

“You expect to get lucky when it’s colder than a witch’s tit out here?”

Our lips were inches apart. His hands moved to my head, removing my stocking hat. “You’ll be warm in here,” he said, pressing his cool lips to mine.

I opened under his persistence, instantly responding to the way his tongue moved possessively against mine. “So you drag me to the middle of nowhere to have your way with me?” I teased breathlessly when we separated. Our warm breath was visible in the cool air. I snuggled closer in his arms, looking up at the occasional flashes of lights that would streak across the sky.

He chuckled, planting a kiss atop my head. “I didn’t know it would take so little effort. Who knew you were so easy?”

I nudged him with my elbow. “Do you want me to start playing hard to get?”

His arm tightened around me. “Hell no. This is much better than having fantasies about you.”

“Fantasies? Care to share?”

“Not on your life,” he laughed, sitting up. He pulled a thermos from the bag and handed it to me. “Want some hot chocolate?”

“You’re cute. You know that?”

“Cute? I thought we had elevated me to stud status.” He tucked the sleeping bag snugly across our laps and removed the cup from the thermos in my hands.

The delicious scent of chocolate-infused steam rose from the container when he unscrewed the lid. I winked at him as he filled the cup. “You’re definitely my stud,” I answered, taking a sip of the rich beverage.

“Good,” he growled, giving me another kiss. “Mmm, chocolate kiss.”

We lay back in the sleeping bag, content in silence as we continued to watch the natural night show. “This is pretty amazing,” I finally said. He tightened his hold around me, pulling me tightly in place. It felt secure. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”

“I couldn’t imagine sharing it with anyone else,” he murmured against my ear, making me sigh with pleasure.