"Good try, playboy." I pulled my legs up in the seat and wrapped my arms around them. "Do you miss your mom still?"

"All the time." He turned the radio down and pulled into a short driveway. A quaint log cabin sat at the end of the drive ahead of us. It stole my breath. It was unassuming and personal, peaceful and serene. "You?"

"Yeah. So much." I smiled over at him. "Please tell me this is your place."

"It is. I don't bring anyone here. Ever." He shrugged. "Only me, my Dad, and Brian have been inside. Feel special."

I reached for the handle, wanting to see the inside as if I might discover something new about the beautiful man next to me. "I do."

He moved to the front of the truck and walked ahead of me to open the door. The snow was thick and where he'd done a great job of shoveling my father's driveway, his was heavy with snow.

I walked in behind him and breathed in deeply at the smell of his cologne and shampoo mixed with Vanilla. The studio was only two room, one being the combination kitchenette, small living room and two person table. The other in the back was a bedroom big enough for the queen-sized bed Finn had and the bathroom.

"It's only big enough for one person, but it's mine and I love it." He leaned against the wall near the kitchen.

I brushed my fingers by his hand as I walked through, picking up various pictures and trinkets. He didn't say a word, but let me explore until I was content.

I picked up the copy of Moby Dick next to his bed and held it up as I snorted. "You're reading a classic?"

"What, Moby Dick? Naw...that's about growing your penis to massive proportions. Silly girl. A classic?" He rolled his eyes and the laugh that came out of me was deep and far warmer than anything I remembered feeling lately.

I wanted to ask him to not wake me up. Something inside of me was warming again and the apathy that had settled over me years before was cracking. It was frightening and exhilarating all at the same time.

"Show me this pond and then I need to get home." I moved toward him with a smile on my face.

"Anything you want." He moved back and opened the door, letting me go through first.

"Looks like the sun's going to set soon." I wrapped my arms around my middle and looked back at him. "It gets so cold when the sun goes down."

"Agreed. That's why you need a friend to go out and play with you. Otherwise you'd freeze your ass off and they'd never find you in this wasteland." He put his arm over my shoulders and I snuggled into him as we walked into the woods.

"Have you really lived here your whole life?" I asked, enjoying his comfort far more than I should.

"I sure have. I'll die here too."

"Yeah? Not interested in being anywhere else? Just love the snow too much or what?" I couldn't imagine living in a cold climate my whole life.

"Well, for starters, it's all I know. My Dad's here, which is a big deal, too. I don't have brothers or sisters, and though he's an ass most days of the week, he's my ass." He chuckled. "Well he's not my ass per se."

I laughed. "I've seen your ass, and your Dad looks nothing like it."

He blushed and took a deep breath. "I want to build a lodge where families can come. My Dad's worked so hard his whole life that we've never gotten to go anywhere. Seems like every time we tried, it was too expensive, or he had too much work to do. So, I want to have a ski resort that's reasonably priced and welcomes large families. Just loads of activities for the kids and then some for the couples, you know...to reconnect."

"I love it. I think it's brilliant." I wrapped my arm around his back and rubbed softly, not realizing what I was doing, but simply going with the desire to be closer to him.

"It's not going to happen, but it's all good."

"Why not?" I pulled him to a stop, confused at his reasoning.

"Dreams take money to build. I have a lot of heart and loads of passion, but money has never been something we've had." He smiled so authentically that I was stunned into silence. I'd judged him all wrong. He was nothing like I thought him to be. "It's okay though. If it's meant to happen, it will."

I stepped back and lost my footing, wanting to respond, but rolling down the small hill behind me. I landed on my back and laughed so hard that tears sprung to my eyes.

"Chloe!" He ran after me, skidding to his knees as he bent over me with fear in his face. "Are you okay? Were you hurt? Can you move?"

I swatted at him. "Yes. I'm just stupid levels of clumsy."

"I'm aware." He smiled and offered me a hand.

I took it and turned, pulling him down with me and rolling us until he was on his back and I was laid out across the top of him. He reached up and pushed my hair back before consuming my mouth with another hot kiss.

I moaned deeply in my chest and gave myself over to him. I opened my mouth and sucked gently at his tongue as it darted in and out of my mouth. He rolled it against mine and I groaned again at how good of a kisser he was, the slow sensual way he made love to me left me with no doubt that one night in his arms would never be enough.

He broke the kiss and brushed his nose against mine. "Such a bad girl."

"You've no idea," I whispered, kissed him quickly and got up.

"Well, damn you for making me want to know."

I offered him a hand and he took it, pulling hard and causing me to fall back down. We rolled around in the snow playfully, laughing and tossing small handfuls of the soft white stuff at each other.

"How can you not love it here?" He asked as he sat up and brushed his hair.

"I guess it reminds me too much of my mother." I shrugged and sat up. I worked to brush his back and shoulders off and then he returned the favor. It was fine until he ran his hands over my hair slowly, gripping lightly and tugging a little.

"You're so fucking beautiful. I honestly haven't ever seen a woman more intriguing, more naturally stunning than you." He touched the side of my face as his eyes moved along my face, leaving me to feel treasured.

"You're just being sweet." I forced a chuckle and got up, using his shoulder.

"No, I'm really not." He got up and pointed just behind us. "There's the pond. Looks like we had a sense of direction that worked in our favor today."

I looked back at the pond and smiled. It looked like something out of a hallmark movie. "Can you ice skate on it?"

"I'm sure you can, but I've never tried. We should try sometime. The damn thing is frozen like that most of the year." He moved in behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

I relaxed against him and asked a question that kept bouncing around in my mind. "Do you know what's up with our Dad's?"

"They're anal-retentive?"

I chuckled. "No. My Dad can't seem to stand your Dad, which is so weird. They have a lot in common. Know the story behind it?"

"Not a clue. I had no idea there was an issue."

The wind picked up and I shivered, getting so cold all of a sudden. I turned in his arms and looked up at him. "Let's go back to your place. Do you have anything to eat?"

"We can whip up a stew or something. I have potatoes and meat."

"Can you cook?" I asked, moving up beside him as he wrapped me in a side hug and kissed my cheek.

"Yep. Way better than any of the men in my family."