☽Ⓛ❈Ⓒ☾

Jonah's lips are soft against mine. He doesn't try and push me into the kiss. He doesn't stick his tongue in my mouth or bite my bottom lip. He lets me take control, ensuring that the only place we touch as at our mouths.

I have a rough idea of what kind of guy he is from the 24 hours. I know he is only letting me have control so that I feel comfortable. I can't imagine he is usually passive in the bedroom. This man has control and confidence oozing from him.

My mind catches up to my body and I quickly pull back, breaking the kiss. Jonah takes a step away from me, courteously giving me space since I've obviously just said no.

'I'm sorry,' I blurt out.

I can't believe I kissed him!

Jonah frowns, but his lips are twitching with a resisted smile. 'Isn't that what I should be saying? I'm the one who kissed you first.'

'But I kissed you back!' I protest.

His brows furrow and he lets out a small laugh. 'Let me get this straight, you're apologising for kissing me back?'

'Yes!' I respond guiltily. 'You're my guest and you're injured, I don't want you thinking I'm taking advantage or something.'

Jonah looks at me for a moment, as if trying to work out if I'm serious. Then, he bursts out laughing.

'Take advantage? You're not taking advantage, Nora. I've wanted to kiss you since you first introduced yourself, but I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable in your own home.'

He's been wanting to kiss me this whole time?

'You wanted to...really?'

Jonah laughs and shakes his head with disbelief. 'Yes. I like you, Nora, I think you're great.'

I look at him dubiously. I wouldn't consider a washed-up writer who spends her life in solitude up a mountain, a 'catch'.

'You're probably experiencing some kind of Nightingale effect from me rescuing you,' I reply carefully.

Jonah frowns. 'I'm not. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful you saved me and all, but I don't want to kiss you because of it.'

'Then why do you?'

'Because you're sweet and funny and clever and not to mention, beautiful,' he says softly, like he's trying not to scare me.

My cheeks warm up and I break eye contact, looking down at the wooden floorboards beneath our feet.

'Oh,' I mumble stupidly.

Jonah takes my chin and gently lifts my face. I reluctantly meet his bright eyes.

'Do you regret our kiss?' He asks plainly.

I shake my head. 'No.'

'Neither do I. Now that we've established that, can I kiss you again, Nora?'

Instead of answering, I close the gap between our lips. I lean up my tiptoes and press my lips to his. This time, Jonah's hands grab my waist. He holds me tightly against his body.

This kiss is different. He takes control, having now got my permission. His lips move ardently over mine, kissing me with a confidence that he was withholding in the first kiss. I can only act on instinct, moving my lips in time with his.

I sink into his touch, my hands gingerly coming to rest over his pectorals. His heart thumps fast yet steady under my hand, comforting me with the knowledge that he is just as affected by me as I am by him.

His tongue swipes over my bottom lip, indicating that he wants to deepen the kiss. I react quickly, eagerly opening up to him. Perhaps too eagerly, but I don't care.

In this moment, everything is forgotten; the storm, Blue, the book, everything. Our tongues touch and my whole body comes alive, thrumming with an energy I have felt for years. The feeling is foreign to me until I recognise it for what it is; desire.

My body desires him. Before, my mind desired him, but now, my body is in full agreement with my mind. My nipples harden and my underwear becomes wet in an instant, all from the skilled caress of his tongue against mine.

I press my body closer to his, enjoying his heat and masculine scent. It's not as strong as sweat, but definitely isn't from a cologne. It is pheromones, the pure scent of Jonah's hormones that are making my body crave his with unrestrained need.

Jonah slowly moves me backwards, his lips never leaving mine. His tongue explores my mouth, even as my back hits the wall. My fingers slide up his chest, skimming over his shoulders and his neck to bury themselves in his hair.

Only when we are both breathless, do our lips part. We both breathe deeply, taking large gulps of air, our bodies still pressed to one another.

'Sorry,' Jonah apologises, slightly breathless. 'I'm distracting you from your writing.'

I smile at that. 'Or inspiring me.'

He smirks. 'I guess you could look at it that way.'

Somehow, we both return to what we were doing. We don't discuss what just happened, we carry on as usual.

Every so often, I stop writing and pause. I look over my shoulder and meet Jonah's eyes. We share a smile and then return to our respective creativities.

At lunch, we don't discuss the kiss. However, Jonah sits next to me, instead of opposite me. The change in seating might not be so poignant, except that he's been sitting opposite me for the last four meals. There's no coincidence that he has moved closer after our kiss.

In the afternoon, Jonah finishes the sketch. He begs for something do. I understand it, people get restless up here and need something to keep their hands busy.

There are plenty of things I can think of that will keep Jonah's hands busy, but unfortunately, all of them involve my body.

The wind has dropped down, so I suggest that we get the front door open and assess the surroundings.

For the first time, opening the door isn't followed by the onslaught of blasting winds and fighting to get the door closed. The air outside is cold as hell and completely still.

The only problem?

The snow is four foot high against the door. Jonah lets out a curse, followed by a laugh.

'This is crazy!' He comments, clearly never having experienced this before.

'Less than last year, thank God,' I respond.

I assess the porch. It's not too bad. The wind has pushed a lot of it against the front of the house, so it shouldn't be four foot deep everywhere, just at the door. It will still be about two-three foot deep though, meaning a snow-plough is going to be needed to clear the roads.

Going down on foot would be lethal and takes two hours on a clear day, will take twice as long in this snow.

'We're stuck until the snow plough comes. Might be tomorrow, might be the day after,' I tell Jonah.

'Have we got enough supplies?' He asks.

It makes me smile that he uses the term 'we'. I know it makes sense in this situation, but I still like it.

'Yeah, don't worry. Wanna see my freezer?'

A childish part of me is excited to show off my freezer. It's one of those industrial, walk-in ones that you get in restaurants.

Jonah is suitably impressed at my collection of frozen food. There's enough to keep me going for two months, one if Jonah is here, too.

Although, he won't be staying a month, obviously. There's a pang of disappointment in my chest and I foolishly hope to see him again.

Perhaps we could have lunch when I next come down the mountain?

'You still want a job?' I ask him and his eyes perk up the same way that Blue's do when dinner is mentioned.

'We could put the snow chains on the tyres in preparation,' I suggest.

Jonah loves the idea. Something different to do.

In the garage, I get the chains and

We lay each of them out on the ground, straightening them out until there's no twists. Together, we lift the first one and lay it over the front right tyre.

We straighten it up and position it evenly over the rubber. I give Jonah the keys and he rolls the car forwards a tiny bit, moving the chains to the bare bit of the tyre.

He jumps out and helps me click them into place. We tighten the fit and then attach bungee cords to hold taut.

We repeat this for all four tyres. I wouldn't usually think that four were necessary, but after a big storm like this, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Once we're done, we go back into the house. I help Jonah change the bandage on his arm. It's looking better than yesterday, the redness around the wound has gone down.

He offers to make dinner and I am not going to refuse. I give him free rein of the kitchen and pantry, telling him to use whatever he wants.

I write for the next couple of hours, on a roll for the first time in months. The words flow easily from my brain down to my fingertips. I tap away with renewed vigour, bashing out three chapters. My editor will love this.

In the evening, I light a log fire for us. I knock some of the snow down and go out with Blue, but we don't stay long because, even though the wind has dropped and the snow is no longer falling, the temperatures are still well below zero.

I strip off my layers, dropping down to my top and leggings because the fire has heated the cabin nicely. Mouth-watering smells are coming from the kitchen.

I poke my head in and offer assistance, but Jonah only allows me to set the table for us. I suggest a glass of wine tonight and he happily joins me.

Shortly after, we eat at the table together. Jonah has roasted a beef joint for us, complimented by a selection of vegetables and roast potatoes.

It's delicious. I never would have put this much effort into a meal if I were alone, it's a real treat having a guest. Especially when that guest does the cooking for me!

When we've cleared away and washed up, I collect some chocolate from my stash. We hunker down in the living room, eating chocolate and drinking wine.

It's the perfect indulgence and I can't remember the last time I felt this at ease. Blue sits at our feet, dozing by the fire.

'I think you're going to have to stay longer, that roast was incredible,' I tell Jonah jokingly.

He smiles at me. 'Well, I had to give you a reason to come down that mountain and visit me, didn't I?'

His words make my breath catch in my throat.

He wants to see me after this?

I don't answer, but my eyes drop to his lips. Jonah puts down his glass of wine and takes mine from me. My brain moves to autopilot as he reaches for my waist and pulls me onto his lap. I straddle him eagerly, putting my arms around his neck.

Our lips meet in a warm kiss, sweetened with wine and chocolate.

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