“Ah, shit.” Noah’s words came out only seconds before the plow barreled closer, right about the time distances and positions clicked in Julia’s head, and she realized an avalanche was headed straight for her.
She made a sound in her throat, hunched, and turned her back on the inevitable. Noah’s arms closed around her, and pulled her off her feet. Before a cry of surprise exited her mouth, her back hit something hard, and her lungs emptied in a heavy whoosh. Then Noah’s body hit her front, sandwiching her against something hard and cold, and hard and warm. He jerked her close and curled around her, dropping his head to her shoulder and pressing her face to his chest with a hand on the back of her head.
Ice poured over them in one giant wave. Noah swore in her ear, his hot breath bathing the side of her face, trickling down her neck.
In seconds, it was over, the heavy spray gone, and the snow falling from the sky didn’t seem so harsh anymore.
“Jesus Christ,” Noah bit out, lifting his head, his gaze following the plow. “Asshole.”
But he continued to hold her tight, and now that the alarming moment had passed, all Julia’s senses came back online—to the way they fit together, the feel of their thighs intertwined, the fullness of his package low on her belly, his heartbeat beneath her ear. And, God, he smelled good—incredibly masculine and musky and real. Only a hint of cologne and…perfume? Yes, Samantha’s perfume.
Reality check.
“You okay?” he asked without letting go.
She pulled from his warmth and glanced around to get her bearings. Snow layered her hair, stuck to her back, and covered her to the knees. They were standing close to the car in the next parking spot, where Noah had
used the vehicle to shield them from the heaviest hit.
“Yeah,” she said, still stunned by the event, by how quickly Noah moved, by the way he’d taken care of her. Admittedly, there was more to this guy than she’d initially seen.
“That guy’s getting reported.” He stepped back, hands gripping her arms, and looked down at her. “Are you steady?”
She nodded and pushed off the cold metal, concern for his ankle growing now that the incident had passed. “Is your leg okay?”
“Hasn’t been okay in months. Nothing new.” Noah brushed snow off her hair and shoulders, and her loose ponytail fell from the elastic band. Reaching around her, he cleared the snow from her back and shoulders. “Get this off before it melts. Let’s go back inside so you can warm up.”
She pried her boots from the snow and shook herself off. “No. I’m done with this. I’m going home.”
“Uh, actually…” he said, rounding the back of her car in a limp. “You’re not going anywhere. Your car isn’t leaving this parking lot. At least not today.”
She turned to ask him what that meant—but the words died in her throat. Her gaze held on her car…where it was covered—as in buried—in snow. “Oh my God.”
“All part of living here.” Noah made a face and shrugged, looking appropriately regret-filled for the first time since she’d met him. “Damn, I’m glad you weren’t on the road when this hit.”
“Can’t we…I don’t know…tow it out or dig it out or…something?”
“Not now. Tow trucks go into triage mode on days like this. Accidents and dangerous situations get first priority. And with the snow falling this fast, digging would be like bailing out a sinking ship.”
She fisted her hands at her sides. Tears of futility and fury burned her eyes. “Goddammit.”
“Hey,” he said, voice soothing as he wandered toward her with a grimace and a limp. “It’s no big deal. We can come back and get it tomorrow when the storm breaks and the chaos dies down. Until then, you can just stay with me.”
No. No. No. “I’ll get a hotel.”
“No, you won’t. Not in a storm like this. They’ll all be sold out. Guaranteed.”
Julia ground her teeth. Tears spilled over her lashes, mixing with the melted snow. Which just made her angrier. She hated feeling helpless. Hated depending on others. Nothing but disappointment and betrayal came from believing or relying on others.
She tried to pull herself together and think straight but ended up only gesturing vaguely to her snow-covered car. “All my stuff’s in there.” The cold finally seeped in and covered every inch of her body in gooseflesh. Her jaw froze and her teeth chattered. “My clothes, my t-toiletries…”
“Trunk or backseat?” he asked.
She shivered hard. “T-trunk m-mostly.”
Noah pivoted and pointed his key fob at his SUV. His precious Maserati had escaped the spray where Julia had parked it away from the street and next to the building. The vehicle’s lights beeped and the engine turned over, purring like a satisfied kitten.
“Get in and turn up the heat,” he ordered. “I’ll dig open your trunk and get your stuff.”