Текст книги "Frigid"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

Chapter 17

Sydney

My body ached in all the right places in a really, really great and unfamiliar way. God, I got why everyone freaked out over sex now. What we’d done had been amazing. I wasn’t so naїve that I didn’t know it wasn’t always that sublime, but I’d never felt that way before, never came like that or felt so—God, I can’t believe I’m thinking this—full and complete.

I had no idea sex could really feel like that.

It took forever for my heart rate to slow down, and I knew it was the same for Kyler, because when he’d pulled out he rolled onto his back and tugged me along with him. I was half on him, half off. One arm and leg were thrown over his body, and my cheek rested over his heart. We stayed like that, his hand moving in a slow circle over my lower back. I was snuggled as close as I could be, more content than I could remember.

Everything seemed unreal. To be lying next to a fire on a snowy day after doing something so wonderful. How many romance novels featured passionate sex by a fireplace? More than I could count. I almost laughed, but…

But Kyler hadn’t spoken yet.

Opening my eyes, I watched the flames wrap around the logs and told myself to not freak out and ruin this, whatever this was. Of course, my brain didn’t listen to me at all and started spewing out questions like an annoying child. Why hadn’t he said anything? Did he regret it? Had he enjoyed it? Did I come across frigid and he couldn’t wait to get the hell out of here? On and on my thoughts went until I was ready to punch myself in the face, but the truth was, Kyler had said nothing, and shouldn’t he have said something? Even Nate had spoken afterward, telling me that he enjoyed it, which had turned out to be a lie, but he still had opened his mouth.

Oh God, what if this had been a mistake?

I squeezed my eyes shut. I’d never see what we had done as a mistake. No way, but Kyler…? His hand stilled along my back, and I realized I’d gone completely stiff.

“Syd?”

Part of me wanted to bury my head, but the blanket was tangled along our hips and that would look real awkward shoving my head down there. I forced myself to lift my head and look at him. His eyes were lazy slits, but I knew he saw me—saw everything.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

Heat swamped my cheeks, and I started to sit up. “Nothing. I mean, I’m just thinking about everything. What we did? It was awesome. Really. And I hope you feel—”

“Hold up.” His arm tightened around my waist, keeping me in place, and his eyes were wide open now. “You hope I thought it was awesome?”

Feeling way too exposed, I crossed my arms over my chest and nodded.

“Are you insane?”

My brows shot up. “Excuse me?”

“Did I think it was awesome? No. It wasn’t awesome. It was the fucking best thing I’d ever felt, baby.”

I gaped at him.

“And that’s the truth. So don’t go filling your head with bullshit. Being with you? Yeah, nothing has ever compared to that.” In one fluid motion, he sat up and pulled me into his lap. “You feel me?”

Gripping his shoulders, I gasped. Oh, I felt him. A ball of molten lava formed in my belly. “I…I feel you.”

“Good, because it’s the truth.” His hands slid to my hips, and my heart fluttered in response. There was a glint to his deep brown eyes and a mischievous tilt to his sensual lips.

He couldn’t be…

Kyler shifted slightly and he pressed against my core, hot and ready. Holy crap, he was inhuman. He chuckled when he saw my expression. “What? You look surprised, babe.”

“You’re ready to…um, go again?”

His lips tipped up in a half-smile. “I’m always ready when it comes to you, but I don’t—”

“You don’t what?” I’d been stuck on the whole “always ready when it comes to me” thing. “Want to do it again?”

He tipped his head back, eyes searching my face. “There’s nothing I want more than to do it again, but we don’t have to.” He cupped my cheek, sliding his thumb along my lower lip. “We can just chill.”

I didn’t think I was capable of just chilling, not when I could feel him and I was a little surprised that I was so ready to go again. And I was ready. I was drenched and he had to know that.

My heart was thumping fast once more as I lowered my lashes. “I want to.”

His cock jumped. “Syd…”

Turning my head, I felt his thumb slide over my lower lip again and, in a move of boldness I didn’t know I was capable of, I sucked the tip of his thumb into my mouth.

Kyler’s entire body jerked and he made the sexiest sound ever. “Damn, baby…”

Fueled by his response, I took his thumb deep into my mouth as I leaned into him. His chest was smooth against my sensitive skin and I moaned around his thumb, my eyes drifting shut as my body quaked.

“Fuck,” he grunted, clenching my hip as he pushed up. “God. I can’t get enough of you.”

“You have me.” I lowered his hand to my chest, moaning the moment his fingers covered my breast. “All of me.”

He rose up, kissing me. Slow. Deep. An ache pulsed between my thighs, in tune with my racing heartbeat. Sliding his hands down my sides, he moved my legs so I was straddling him, and he prodded at my entrance. I may have started this, but he took complete control. He palmed my breasts and my head fell back, body arching.

His mouth closed over a rosy tip, and I lost the ability to breathe. What he did with his lips, his tongue and his teeth sent stinging jolts of pleasure through me, and in that instant, I knew Kyler could be a lot more raw than he was. And that excited me even more.

I reached between us, gripping his throbbing cock. His answering groan sent a wave of shivers through me. Stroking him slowly, I pressed my forehead against his. “Please,” I whispered, eyes closed.

“Baby, you don’t have to beg me.” He caught my lower lip and nipped. “Just tell me what you want and you’ll have it.”

My grip tightened and I forced the words out. “I want you. I want you to make love to me.” My eyes flew open at the last three words. I wanted to take back those words. Oh God, I shouldn’t have—

Kyler moved so fast it felt like the world was spinning. He snaked an arm around my waist, lifted me up and then laid me on my back. The moment my head hit the cushions, he was on me.

I jerked as he parted me and dove in like a man starving. One hand dug into the blanket and my other threaded through his silky hair, holding on as his tongue plunged in. I thought I’d come apart right that instant. I was close, but his caresses were too breathtakingly soft.

“You taste so good,” he said, working a finger inside. “And you’re so fucking tight. You’re perfect, you know.” His lashes swept up, eyes locking with mine. “And I love when you look at me like that when I’m doing this.” To punctuate this, he hooked his finger, finding a spot I didn’t even know existed, and I cried out. “And I seriously fucking love that sound.”

Beyond words, my head thrashed from one side to other as he licked, swirled and thrust. Then his lips clamped down on that bundle of nerves, wringing a moan from me. Kyler moaned against me as my body started to shake. He worked another finger inside, and I flew apart, shattering into oblivion.

Kyler had a condom on by the time the last cry left my swollen lips. Things seemed to blur around the edges as our eyes locked. His searing stare lit me up all over again. An array of emotions flickered over his striking face as he gripped my hips and pulled me onto my knees. Boneless, I placed my hands on his chest. It moved with each ragged breath.

Holding me to him, he sat back and pulled me above his lap, his legs stretched out behind me. “Ride me,” he said, his gaze on fire.

I moved my hands to his shoulders as I spread my thighs wider. “Another first?”

“Oh yeah,” he said, holding himself ready. “It’s another first.”

That made me all kinds of insanely happy, and as our gazes collided again, I was unprepared for the feral, possessive stare in them. Gripping my hip with his free hand, he guided me down. The initial bite of pain as he slid into me quickly dissipated into a wondrous feeling of pressure and fullness.

It took a couple of moments to catch a rhythm, but soon he was pushing up as I was sliding down, our bodies moving together in perfect sync. He caught my mouth as he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest as his tongue matched the thrusts of our hips.

“Sydney,” he growled, his big body trembling.

I twisted atop him, writhing, but it wasn’t enough. A whimper escaped me, and in one fluid motion Kyler had me on my back, his hips slamming into mine. He gripped my hips, lifting me up as he went deeper and deeper. He got an arm under my waist and placed a hand on my lower belly, holding me in place. I couldn’t get enough leverage to move at all.

It was what he wanted. “Damn, I don’t want this to end. I want to feel this—this right here—” He grounded his hips, and my whole buddy shuddered. “I want to feel this forever.”

“Yes. Oh, my God…” The tension built so rapidly I couldn’t breathe. I tossed my head back, eyes wide and unseeing. Words tumbled out of my mouth. “Faster. Please. Kyler, please. I love—”

He slammed into me, cutting my words off, and I blew apart, shattering so deeply that he shouted and came immediately, his body spasming. The things that came out of his mouth almost tumbled me over again. They were prayers. Curses. Incoherent words that somehow all made sense to me. When he collapsed on top of me, he buried his face in my hair and managed to keep most of his weight on his arms. I wouldn’t have minded if he’d fallen on me.

I realized at that point that my legs were wrapped tightly around his waist still. I eased them down, moaning as it triggered an aftershock.

He mumbled something, and then said, “I don’t want to move.”

I smiled into the sweat-slick skin of his chest. “Don’t.”

His deep chuckle rumbled through me. “How are you feeling?”

“Mmm.”

“Same here, baby, same here.”

Kyler

We went a step up from chips and raw veggies, settling on cheese and crackers for a late lunch/early dinner.

“We’re in the big time, baby.” I placed the platter between us.

She giggled, arranging her crackers in a row of five. “Aren’t we sophisticated?”

Loving the sound of her laugh, I pulled my eyes away from her crackers to her and nearly tossed the food aside and tackled her like an animal. I’d slipped my hoodie over Syd’s head, and she looked so damn edible sitting with her legs tucked under her with the edges of my U of M sweatshirt skimming the soft skin of her thighs, wearing nothing else.

Truth be told? I just liked her in my clothes…and half-naked. Easy access and all—access I’d be using in no time.

And I also loved how her gaze kept dropping to where my sweats hung low on my waist. Every time her eyes fastened on the area between my hips, she’d flush and bite down on her lip or press her thighs together.

I couldn’t believe what Nate had said about her. I wanted to break his jaw all over again, and maybe some ribs. Frigid? This girl was the opposite of frigid—a hot little minx who blew my mind.

She took the paring knife I was using to cut the cheese and carved out mickey ears. Giggling, she plopped them on a cracker and fed it to me.

Yeah, I could get used to this.

After feeding ourselves, she brought the guitar over to me. Stretched out beside me, with her bare legs near the fire, she listened to me play and I played for hours, stopping every so often to just touch her, kiss her, stroke her.

I couldn’t get enough of her.

She was like a drug I wanted to keep going back to. I was addicted to the way she felt and the sounds she made. I thought maybe, just for a few seconds, that things would be awkward between us after having brain-cell-destroying sex, and there had been a moment or two when neither of us seemed to know what to say. Or maybe both of us wanted to say something but couldn’t. Either way, that had passed quickly. Everything was like it normally was, except it seemed brighter and better. Yeah, that sounded completely lame, but it was true.

Every look, every touch, and every word meant something deeper now.

Syd fell asleep as I played the guitar and though I was hesitant to leave her, I checked the doors and windows again. Nothing was amiss. No one was peering in our windows or trying to break through the doors. If it weren’t for the cut wires on the generator, I wouldn’t have been so damn paranoid. Good news was the snow had almost tapered off. Tomorrow I’d dig out the snowmobile and head to the main lodge to find out what kind of condition the roads were in. The plows had to be out on the main roads by now, and I really would need to check my cell to see if I had service, but right now? I just didn’t want to.

I returned to the room and felt my heart do some kind of damn flutter when my gaze landed on Syd. Lying on her back, with the quilt spread across her legs and her rose-colored lips parted, she was the most fucking beautiful and seductive creature I’d ever seen.

Yeah, I didn’t want to think beyond Syd.

Because I had no idea how things would be for us once we got back to the real world and were surrounded by friends and family. Was this the beginning of a relationship, or some fling? I honestly didn’t know. I’d heard what she’d been so close to saying when she came, but I’d been known to spew some crazy shit in the heat of the moment. Whispering sweet nothings during sex could never, ever be taken seriously. You loved just about everyone, including your bio professor, when an orgasm was barreling through you.

And Syd—innocent, lovely Syd—didn’t have a lot of experience when it came to sex. A fact that turned me the hell on, but in reality, it was always hard to decipher feelings once sex was added to the equation.

I knew she cared for me deeply. Obviously, but did she really love me? The kind of love my parents had shared before my dad had passed? The kind of love I felt—

Fuck.

Kneeling down beside her, I closed my eyes. Funny how you think if you don’t finish a sentence in your thoughts, it somehow doesn’t make it true. So fucking stupid because the brain might take a lala-land vacay, but it didn’t change a damn thing.

I was in love with Syd.

Like totally, madly, irrevocably in love with her—had been for years. I thought about the tattoo I’d gotten after high school, the one on my back, and shook my head. Maybe I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it before, and maybe I was a total shitbag for being with those other girls, but I couldn’t ignore how I felt for her any longer.

Reaching over, I brushed a strand of hair off her cheek and my hand lingered as my gaze traveled across her face. Would we’ve gotten to this point if we hadn’t been snowed in together? I didn’t think so. I would’ve kept fucking girls and she would’ve found someone who didn’t parade other chicks in front of her. The guy would have been good to her. He’d have had his shit together. He’d have treated her like she was the most cherished thing in this world. He’d have been one lucky son of a bitch.

I wanted to be that man.

I could be that man, if she’d have me.

It took a hell of a lot for me to stretch out beside her and not wake her up, especially when she turned on her side, thrusting that ass up against me. Fuuuck. But like the night before, I fell asleep pretty damn quickly and woke up before her, strangely refreshed for sleeping on a damn mattress on the floor and rocking a hard-on to end all hard-ons.

I woke her with my mouth between her thighs.

Syd rose onto her elbows, hair tumbling over her shoulders and her chest rising raggedly. “Kyler, what are you…?” Her voice was husky with sleep and arousal. I loved the sound. “Oh, God…”

Smiling against her, I slipped a finger into her hot wetness as I circled her clit with my tongue. I loved the taste, smell, Sand feel of her. Could spend an eternity between her legs. I watched her as I added another finger and sucked deep. Her weight went on her elbows and her head kicked back. The low breathy moan almost had me losing my shit right there. Syd raised her hips and made little rocking movements against my hand and mouth. It was the hottest thing ever.

“Oh…” she gasped out. “Kyler, I’m gonna…”

“You’re gonna come?” I flicked my tongue, and her movements amped up. “Yeah? That’s what I want, baby. Let go.”

And she did.

Syd fell back, her body arching, causing the borrowed hoodie to slide up her stomach. A stream of words came out of her as her inner muscles clamped down on my fingers. Her brows were pinched and her throat worked. I watched her come like a dirty bastard, but I loved it.

Fucking beautiful.

I don’t even remember moving, but somehow I got that damn hoodie off her and my sweats were clear across the room. Lust rode me hard, digging in deep. Gripping her slender arms, I stretched them above her head, pinning her wrists down.

I was inside her in one deep, powerful roll of my hips, all the way in. Her body exploded around me again and I caught her scream with my lips. I pumped in over and over, losing myself in her once more. Something about this time felt so different. Raw. Animalistic. Her slick tightness clenched me like a satin glove as my tongue plunged into her mouth. She was in every pore, soaking through my muscles and bones, taking up a place deep within my chest.

My own release powered through me, lighting me up until my hips pounded against hers and I was distantly aware of her muscles clenching and unclenching again. I’d never felt this before, so goddamn connected and—

Holy shit, the impossible had occurred, something that’d never happened to me before. I’d forgotten to use a condom.

Chapter 18

Sydney

It took me a few moments to realize the reason why Kyler felt so incredibly good inside me, hot and throbbing, and the sensation breathtakingly intense. Every inch of him was a delicious torment and every thrust was a heady tug and pull.

He didn’t have a condom on.

Oh my God…

Shock rippled through me. I believed him when he said he always used a condom. Kyler wasn’t stupid, but he hadn’t this time, hadn’t even stopped to consider it. Panic rose for the briefest moment, but then gave way to an overwhelming tide of pleasure. The knowledge that this was another first for him, combined with the way he held me down, the way he felt with nothing between us…well, it swept me head-first into another powerful orgasm.

“Sydney,” he growled, and he pulled out at what I knew was the last second. His mouth was on mine as he pressed against my stomach, his body spasming. Only then did he let go of my wrists.

Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I held him tight as aftershocks rocked him. He didn’t move until his breathing slowed and his heartbeat returned to normal. Then he eased most of his weight onto one side.

He looked down between us. “Shit. Sorry about all of that.”

I grinned as I turned, pressing a kiss against his chest. “It’s okay.”

“I always use a condom. I just…” He let out a soft laugh. “Hell…”

“It’s all right.” I threaded my fingers through the hair curling against the nape of his neck. “I’m on the pill,” I reminded him. “You could’ve…you know.”

His lips brushed the side of my face. “I remembered, but I’m so used to wearing a condom. Kind of a hard habit to break.” He leaned back, clearing his throat. “Not that I’m trying to break that habit or anything.”

My lips parted, but my mouth was suddenly dry. What had he meant by that? Was he not planning to break the habit because he was still planning on sleeping around? I closed my eyes, mentally stringing together a redneck’s vocabulary of cuss words. He didn’t mean anything by that other than he wasn’t making a habit of not wearing a condom. That was all.

I hoped.

But what if nothing changed once we left here?

God, I couldn’t…

I tried to push the troubling idea away, but it settled in my belly like week-old food. We needed to talk, but every time I opened my mouth, nothing came out. I didn’t know what to say or how to start this conversation. Excuse me, do you plan on being a man-whore still? Yeah, that wouldn’t come out right. Even though Kyler had told me I deserved more than a hookup, I hadn’t asked for more, and he hadn’t offered.

We really needed to talk.

Opening my eyes, I tilted my head back. Kyler was watching me with a slight smile on his face. He looked so… so relaxed. More so than I’d ever seen him before, and now would be the perfect time to say something.

“I need to shower,” was what came out of my mouth.

Kyler’s gaze dropped to my belly. “Yeah, sorry about that. I made a mess of you.”

That was so not what I wanted to say. My cheeks burned, especially when his grin spread. “It’s alright. I mean, sex can be messy sometimes and these things happen and…I really need to stop talking.”

Kyler chuckled deeply and then he kissed the tip of my nose. “Have I told you how adorable you are?”

Adorable? I’d been aiming for sexy or hot. I shrugged one shoulder.

“You’re fucking adorable.” Dipping his head further, he kissed me. It was quick and soft, but it curled my toes nonetheless. “I think we both need a shower. It’s going to be cold, though.”

Remembering the icy drenching I’d gotten when the generator had gone off, I winced. “Yikes.”

“I guess it depends on how badly you want to shower.”

I considered it and decided I wanted a shower that badly. Sighing, I wiggled free and sat up. Grabbing for the blanket, I held it to my bare chest. The flames were low in the fireplace, almost out. I listened for a moment and realized I didn’t hear the wind. My gaze went to the thin slit in the curtains and I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or sad about the fact the blizzard was over.

Kyler’s lips brushed my bare shoulder, and I turned my head toward him. His hair flopped over his forehead, a complete mess. My heart tumbled over when he gave me his lopsided grin. “Shower?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“Together?”

Heat pooled in my lower stomach. “Yeah?”

That boyish grin turned wicked. “Maybe we won’t even notice the water is cold.”

A minute later, we noticed that the water was ice-cold. No amount of sexy Kyler nakedness could change that fact.

“Holy shit,” he said, dunking his head under the stream of water. “Holy shit balls.”

I laughed as I hobbled in front of him, arms wrapped around myself. He was taking the brunt of the icy deluge and I was just getting sprayed every few seconds by it. Little bumps covered every square inch of my flesh, and as crazy as it was, I was freezing but I was also oh-so hot.

Kyler had lathered up, and soapy suds traveled down that impeccable stomach of his, following the ropey muscles and disappearing between his legs. I couldn’t stop staring. It was embarrassing. It was thrilling. He turned at some point, and I was staring at the tattoo down his spine. What language was it in? Then he faced me again.

“Okay,” he breathed, shaking his head. “You ready for this?”

I dragged my eyes up and nodded. “Not really.”

“I’ll try to make it as fast and painless as possible.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me up against the front of his body. His skin was warm in some areas, cold in others, and I knew he could feel how hard my nipples were against his chest. I wasn’t sure if it had to do with the cold or Kyler.

Mostly Kyler.

“Get ready,” he murmured, turning slowly.

I jumped as the water hit my back, almost climbing straight up him. Keeping an arm around me, he grabbed the soap. My teeth chattered as he helped wash me. I couldn’t stay still, and all the movement was not lost on Kyler. I could feel him thickening against my belly. His chest was rising and falling pretty fast and even though my skin felt like an ice cube, heat simmered in my veins. When his hand slipped between my thighs, I bit down on my lip. He really took his time there.

It was the coldest and hottest shower I’d ever had.

Afterward, he wrapped me in a fluffy towel and plopped me down in front of the dying fire. He changed quickly and went into the garage, bringing back wood. Once he had the fire crackling again, he turned to me. Tension had seeped into him after the shower. He hadn’t said much and when he looked at me, his eyes were as dark as shards of obsidian.

I squirmed, uneasy.

“I’m going to head down to the lodge and see if they know anything about the main roads.” He crouched in front of me, his damp hair curling around his ears. “I shouldn’t be long. Okay?”

I nodded, already starting to stand. “I can go with you. Just let me—”

“You should stay here.” He put his hands on my shoulders, gently pushing me down. “And stay warm. It’s not snowing anymore, but it’s way below freezing out there. I’ll be back before you even realize I’m gone.”

I felt like he was already gone.

But I said nothing as I watched him bundle up like he was going snowboarding. He didn’t kiss me before he left, and even though I was sitting in front of the roaring fire, I felt inexplicably cold.

Kyler stopped at the door leading to the basement, sliding his cell into his jacket pocket. “Don’t go outside while I’m gone. Okay? I know nothing has happened since the generator, but I don’t want to risk it.”

“All right.” I twisted toward him, wanting to say something—anything—but the ability to form sentences was completely gone.

He turned and stopped once more. Looking back at me, he opened his mouth, but then he gave a little shake of his head and disappeared downstairs.

I don’t know how long I sat there staring at where he’d stood, telling myself not to overreact, but I was, like, the queen of overreacting. I should have had a crown for it. In the short period of time between when he left and I heard the snowmobile fire up outside, I’d already wanted to punch myself several times for not talking to him about everything.

I realized then that I really didn’t have my shit together like I’d previously thought. I was twenty-one years old and I couldn’t have a serious, heart to heart conversation with Kyler and speak the truth. If that was the case, then I probably shouldn’t be having sex with him.

I needed to grow up.

Telling myself that it would be the first thing I did when he got back, I stood and hurried upstairs to get clean clothes. Once I was changed, I tugged my boots on over my jeans and sat on the couch, tapping my fingers off my knees.

Okay. Maybe the first thing I would do when he returned wouldn’t be jumping on him about our questionable relationship status. I’d let him tell me about the roads first, and then we were going to talk.

Unable to sit, I left in search of my cell phone. It was still in the bowl of rice in the kitchen. Taking it out, I brushed off the rice and put the thing back together with high hopes. It powered on, but the screen was nothing more than pretty waves of green and blue.

“Shit,” I moaned, fighting the urge to toss it across the kitchen like a football.

I glanced at the wall clock. Half an hour had passed since he’d left and I was already going stir crazy. I wanted to get out of this house. Without him here, I was developing a mad case of cabin fever.

Stopping by the Christmas tree, I huddled down in my sweater and stared out the large window. I felt…different. It was strange that only a handful of days had passed since we’d arrived in Snowshoe, but it felt like a lifetime ago.

A small smile pulled at my lips and I closed my eyes as I remembered telling Kyler that I wanted him. I did a little wiggle out of residual embarrassment, and then laughed, because seriously, I never in my life had thought I’d have the courage to put myself out there like that and until that moment I really didn’t realize how afraid I’d been. That wasn’t any way to live, I realized sort of dumbly.

It didn’t have anything to do with the sex—the different way I felt. Well, I did ache in a wholly pleasant way in areas I didn’t think I could ache in, but it was more than that. I never really went after anything I wanted. I’d always been too cautious, and ever since the way things had ended with Nate, I’d been even more afraid of letting go—of not being in control and doing things that could potentially end in a world of hurting.

In a way, it was like a childish security blanket that I’d wrapped around me. Telling Kyler I wanted him was like shedding that blanket. Now I just needed to follow through and tell him everything.

I needed to tell Kyler that I loved him.

My heart skipped a beat even thinking about doing that. I was going to be afraid. It was going to be painfully awkward, and I’d rather kick myself than do this, but I would.

When I’d been alone with those thoughts for an hour, I couldn’t take the waiting anymore. I made up my mind without really thinking about it. Pulling my coat on along with gloves and a hat, I headed down to the garage.

Dragging the other snowmobile out into the heavily packed snow was a huge pain in the ass. Since the power was out, it took a few moments to pull the garage door down by hand, and I didn’t close it all the way, leaving a gap a couple of inches high, so I could open it when I got back. I climbed on the red and white snowmobile and let out a happy sigh when it kicked on with no problems. Temps were brutal cold, so I hurried as I slid the helmet on.

I wasn’t a pro at driving a snowmobile, but there was so much snow, it glided smoothly, kicking up a fine dusting. Even with the gloves, my fingers felt like frozen fish sticks by the time I slid to a stop in front of the main lodge.

People stood in front of their businesses along the street, shovels in hand, starting the massive dig-out process. In some areas, snow drifts covered cars and only thin slices of metal peeked through. It was amazing and crazy to see what Mother Nature was capable of when she was pissed or bored.

Many snowmobiles were parked by the shoveled walkway, and I couldn’t tell which one belonged to Kyler. They all looked alike to me. As I headed up the pathway, I could hear machinery off in the distance, most likely plows.

The main lodge was all kinds of nice and toasty, powered up with lights and TVs. It was like paradise as I pulled my helmet off and looked around. They obviously hadn’t lost any power here. Lucky bastards.

But honestly, I couldn’t be that upset about the power thing. Cuddling with Kyler totally made up for eating crappy food and freezing showers.