Holiday Hideout (Polar Bear, Alaska)

He twists a bit in his seat to face me. “So, um, you go to the circus a lot?”

“No,” I answer. “How do I say this delicately? Slay the Vadragon… Release the Kraken.”

“People have sex all winter long? Is that what you’re trying to say?”

I’m mortified. “Yes.” I sneak a peek at him. “Some people do.”

It’s a long-standing joke about people screwing all winter long to stay warm, and with the amount of babies born the next year, I believe there’s validity to the notion people do the horizontal hula continuously.

Not me, though.

I can’t remember the last time I had sex. I remember it wasn’t good, though. It’s fine. Polar Bear is a small town, and there’s a two-to-one ratio of men to women, so it’s not like I couldn’t have my stocking stuffed if I wanted to ride someone’s pole. It’s more the lack of time left in my life between working and taking care of my dad and sister, which is most likely why April and Joanie are my only friends.

“What about you?” Fender asks.

My cheeks flame like lava, and I turn down the heat in the Jeep before I incinerate. “No, like I said, not me.”

“That’s a damn shame.”

I like the way he drew out the word damn, like he could think of all the ways to bend me over and give me the sex I so desperately lack.

“We also plunge,” I blurt out to change the subject.

“What’s that? Some sexual position I don’t know about?” He chuckles, like it’s ludicrous there could be a sex position he hasn’t tried.

I blush again. “No, everyone jumps into the icy waters of a popular lake around here.”

His brow crinkles. “Why would people do that?”

I sneak another glance at Fender as I drive. If I weren’t driving, I could stare at this man all day. “Because.”

He laughs, and this time, it’s a hearty laugh. Not the one from his movies that’s a gruff rumble. Like a genuine laugh. The sound makes my insides turn molten.

“That’s not an explanation,” he says. “There has to be a reason people jump into a freezing lake.”

I shrug. “It’s for charity.”

“Do you plunge?”

I smile and tell him a secret. “This will be my first year.”

I may dip one toe in and chicken out, but I’m going to at least try it.

“Why are you doing it? You don’t look like an adrenaline junkie to me.”

“I’m not an adrenaline junkie.”

“Then why do it?”

I make a right into the parking lot of the General Store, located just outside the city limits of Polar Bear, and park the car, not shutting it off just yet.

“My sister says I’m not daring enough.”

He studies me for a moment. “And you think taking an ice bath will make you more daring?”

I twist in my seat to face him. “I’m hoping. Joanie has been saying for years I stick to myself, work too hard, and never make friends. So, this year, I plan on taking the plunge and diving headfirst into the frigid water with hundreds of other people.”

He breathes in and out, tilting his head a bit, before saying, “I can think of a few ways to make you more daring.”

I blink back the vision of me riding Fender like a cowgirl. “How?”

“I have time on my hands.” He smiles his million-dollar smile. “I can dare you to do outrageous things. It’ll be fun.”

Oh, man, I see why Trinity fell so hard for this man.

“No thanks. I’ll just plunge instead.” I exit my vehicle and rush inside the General Store without waiting on him.

Fender follows me inside, placing a gentle hand on my bicep. “What have you got to lose?”

His touch causes a shiver to race through my body, and I spin around to face his intense eyes. “Well, I should be able to dare you to do things too.”

He steps back, dropping his hand. “What kind of things?”

I shrug. “Oh, I don’t know. Daring things.”

He laughs. “I don’t need to be more daring, remember? We’re working on you.”

I throw his line back in his face. “What have you got to lose?”

He gazes at me. “Nothing. I just need all this paparazzi madness to go away so I can get back home.”

“Then it’s settled.” I remove my glove and stick out my hand.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re supposed to shake it, duh.”

“Did you just duh me?” He chuckles.

“It’s customary to shake after making a deal.”

He removes the glove from his right hand and wraps his fingers around mine. His warmth envelops me in a way I shouldn’t enjoy, but I do. “We have a deal.”

I don’t want to break the contact, but I know it’s for the best, so I drop his hand and face the aisles stocked with groceries and necessities.

“Ready to shop?” I ask.

Fender does a quick sweep through the store, grabbing the essentials one may need if they packed nothing before leaving their house. Toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, hairbrush. It makes me wonder if he left California in a rush.