Honor (Heroes of Big Sky 0.50)

“Ah. Nick.” Just the sound of his name has my blood warming in my veins.

Or maybe that’s the alcohol.

“He’s a hottie,” Sid says.

“Right? Like, why does he look like that? He must have hit the genetic jackpot. He’s kind of my client.”

I explain how I know him, and then cover my mouth with my hand and stare at my cousin in horror.

“You can’t repeat that. It’s confidential.”

“I’m not going to tell anyone,” she says. “So, does this mean you can’t have sex with him?”

“I don’t know. He kissed me.” I shove a chip into my mouth. “And I liked it.”

“Yeah, I can see where that wouldn’t suck, Jordan.”

I giggle and sip my drink. “I would kiss him again. He’s hot. He’s also very grouchy.”

“That’s not hot.”

“But then I called him out on it, and he got better.”

“Did he apologize?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, that’s progress. You should do him. He can be your rebound sex since the odds are you won’t marry him.”

I blink at her. At both of her. “Why can’t I marry him?”

“I don’t know. I mean, you probably could. If you want to. Do you want to? Jesus, we’ve had too much to drink.”

“I don’t know if I want to marry him. He doesn’t like Christmas.”

“Is he a Nazi?”

I grin at her. “I don’t think so. Maybe he had a tragic childhood where his parents died in a fire, and he lived the rest of his life in an orphanage with no Christmas presents.”

“Oh my God, did he tell you that?”

“No, I’m just guessing.”

“You’re so dramatic when you drink,” Sid says. “You could probably talk him into liking Christmas a little bit. What else do we know?”

“Not a lot,” I admit, and I don’t like that realization. “I’m going to get to know him better. He’s my patient, after all.”

“And you can get to know him while you’re naked.”

“Yes. No. Wait.”

Sidney dissolves into laughter. “This is going to be fun.”

I yawn. “I should probably head back. But I can’t drive.”

“I can’t drive either.”

I nod, thinking it over. “It’s not that cold out. I can walk. The snow is nice.”

“Take my flashlight with you,” she says, gesturing to the end table with a drawer. “It’s in there. The bears are sleeping, so you should be safe.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

Sidney’s stretched out on her couch, and she’s falling asleep when I take our glasses and the last of the chips into the kitchen. I shrug into my coat and lean over to kiss her cheek.

“I missed you.”

“Mm-hmm,” she says. “Be careful.”

I let myself out of her condo and take a deep breath. The cold air feels so good. It doesn’t even feel too frigid. It snowed all day today, leaving about six new inches of powder on the ground, but the sky is clear now and full of stars.

I’d walk on the sidewalk, but it hasn’t been plowed. Neither has the street, actually, but I can walk in the tire ruts.

I wore my big, puffy jacket over to Sid’s, and as I walk, I feel warm, so I unzip it and let the air flow around me. I can’t feel my toes anyway, and my nose starts to drip just a bit.

But it feels fantastic.

I love Montana.

I love Sidney.

And I love margaritas.

The air around me is hushed from the snow and well-lit from the moon. It’s an easy walk to the lake house where the sexy-as-all-get-out Nick is.

I want to jump his bones. Bad. Like, I just want to strip myself naked and tell him to come ‘n’ get it. Which is so not like me. I’ve only ever been with Jeremy, and that wasn’t really anything fantastic or worth writing home about.

But I think Sidney’s right. I could totally have sex with Nick. He could be my rebound. It sounds fun.

I walk up the driveway and see that only Nick’s car is here. I have no idea what time it is.

I try to open the door but then remember that my keys are in my purse.

And my purse is still at Sidney’s condo.

“Damn it,” I mutter and ring the doorbell. It’s like deja vu from the day I first arrived.

Nick pulls open the door and frowns down at me. “Oh, my God. Are you okay? Did your car break down?”

“No. I walked. Because I’m drunk.”

He blinks, and then his frown turns into a scowl. “You walked?”

“Sure. It’s not far.”

“It’s the middle of the fucking night,” he says and then takes me in from head to toe. “And you don’t have boots, gloves, or a hat.”

“Nope. Isn’t it great? It felt so good. And you’re killing my buzz, so let me inside.”

He steps back, and I walk past him.

“I have to remember to call Sid tomorrow. I forgot my purse there. She has a condom purse.”

“A what?”

“A purse that’s only big enough for condoms. Because, you know, a girl has to be prepared for anything. Do you have condoms?”