Free Snowed In by Teodora Kostova Page A

again, he found everything about Nate sexy.
    “Quinn!” Nate said, his eyes wide with disbelief. “What the fuck is going on? Why did you wake me in the middle of the night and now you’re spacing out on me?”
    “Sorry.” Quinn shook his head, trying to get his thoughts back on track. “Brandon texted me just now saying they said on the news there’s a storm headed our way. We need to leave right now before it hits Interstate 15 or we’re fucked.”
    “Shit,” Nate grumbled, getting out of bed. He headed for the bathroom, closing the door behind him, and Quinn heard the shower start a moment later.
    By the time they both showered, dressed, and packed their bags, it was 6 AM. They grabbed breakfast and coffee in the hotel, and were on the road by six thirty. Warnings about the snow storm sounded from all radio stations in the car, and Quinn hoped they’d manage to outrun the worst of it and make it home today.
    Nate drove the first stretch until they stopped for gas two hours later. The cold seeped through Quinn’s skin when he got out of the car. The temperature was much lower than usual for this time of the year in Utah. The sky was dark, the sun barely breaching the thick curtain of cloud.
    The storm was coming, and fast, if the huge, black clouds in the distance were any indication. The wind was getting stronger, too, making Quinn shiver as he pumped gas into the car.
    “Fuck,” Nate swore when he opened the door and stepped out of the car, stretching his arms above his head, then immediately wrapping them around his body. They both wore only thin cotton shirts, the heating in the car keeping them warm. “Looks like the fucking apocalypse is coming,” he added, jerking his chin towards the sky. “I’m going inside to get us coffee and snacks. Do you want anything specific?”
    “Whatever you get is fine.”
    The weather got even worse when they hit the road again. It was Quinn's turn to drive and he had to grip the steering wheel harder than usual to keep the car steady on the road against the strong wind. They were passing by Cedar City when it started to snow.
    Not the fluffy, festive, making-kids-happy snow either. The snow that was hitting the windshield was vicious. Pieces of ice flew into the car, hitting it in every direction, making a sound so loud that Quinn worried they’d take Brandon’s car back to Denver full of tiny holes.
    The wind didn’t let up, either. Handling the car grew more and more difficult. Quinn's heart clenched with fear.
    “Fucking hell,” Nate said, looking out the window. “This isn’t good, Quinn.”
    “No kidding,” Quinn murmured, not daring to lift his eyes off the icy road for a second. Despite the strong wind the snow was already piling on the road.
    “What are we going to do? We can’t make it to Denver in this weather.” Nate sounded worried, his knee bouncing up and down in Quinn's peripheral vision.
    “We need to find somewhere to spend the night, maybe even a couple of nights.”
    According to the latest weather report on the radio, the storm was coming faster than initially anticipated, and it was growing in strength. Blizzard warning was issued for several states, including Utah and Colorado.
    “Emery is about two hours from here. I think we can make it that far.”
    Quinn felt Nate tense beside him. He knew he wouldn't like the idea. After all, they’d spent their first and only night together in the cabin, and Quinn had left without even saying goodbye. Not the ideal set of memories anyone would want to come back to.
    But he also knew they had no other choice. Looking for some seedy motel in this weather would be a nightmare.
    “Fine,” Nate said, his jaw clenched so tight that he barely got the word out.
    “We’ll need supplies, though. We don’t have any food with us and we don’t know how long the storm will last.”
    Quinn also hoped there was no damage to the cabin’s heating or water supply. He had no idea if the storm had already