Free Snare (Falling Stars #3) by Sadie Grubor

how much you can eat," he states just before taking a sip of coffee.
    My muscles tighten and my eyes examine his face, waiting for the next remark to follow my eating habits. This is usually when the bastard barista would comment about working out, trying more fruit, or asking if my clothes are getting tight.
    "I'm impressed." His words catch me off guard.
    "By what?" I ask hesitantly.
    "You seem like a city girl." He shrugs. "I wouldn't have guessed you could handle breakfast without electricity."
    He sits back into his chair and rest his arms on his stomach.
    "Camping," is all the explanation he gets as I clean up my plate.
    He nods, and says, "Makes sense. You still go camping?"
    "No," I snort, setting the plate in the sink.
    "Does your water heat with gas, or do I have to heat some on the stove?" I look over my shoulder.
    "There's a generator." He thumbs over his shoulder.
    I turn away from the sink and face him, my mouth gaped open.
    "What?" he asks.
    "You didn't think you could mention that earlier?"
    "What for? You had shit handled." He pushes out of his chair and grins wide.
    "You're such a—"
    "Great guy for telling you we'll have electricity when you thought we wouldn't." He nods. "I know, you're welcome."
    In a normal for me knee-jerk reaction, I grip the handle of the spatula, swing, and slap him in the arm with it.
    "Damn it, woman," he growls, ripping the utensil from my hand. "What did I say about learning my safe word first?"
    The dishes rattle as he throws it into the sink.
    "You're doing the dishes," I toss at him, lift my chin, and stomp by him into the living area.
    "What's your plan for the day?" he asks my back.
    "If you must know," I say with exaggerated inflection, turning to face him again. "I have some business things to work on. Then I plan on reading with a supersized glass of wine."
    "I don't have wine glasses," he states.
    "I'll drink it straight from the bottle." I shrug.
    "You came all the way up here to work?"
    Xavier steps with purpose out of the kitchen area toward me. I start taking steps back.
    "I have things…" I hesitate, thinking of all the things I really need to figure out—like how to get that bastard barista away from my company. I clear my throat, and finish, "Things that need tending and arrangements needing to be planned."
    "What kind of things?"
    He continues his approach, reminding me of a large feline the way his body moves. With all that muscle, you'd think it would weigh him down.
    I take two more steps back and smack into the staircase wall.
    "Hostile takeover," I finally answer, narrowing my eyes at him.
    I attempt to sidestep, but his arms trap me.
    Pursing my lips, I crane my neck to glare up at his smirk.
    "I'm going to go get the generator going and then I'm going to take you on a mountain tour."
    It's not a question. He's telling me what's going to happen. I open my mouth to argue, but he puts his large hand over it.
    "Don't speak. Things are better when you don't speak," he sighs the words, like it's a pleasure to say them out loud.
    I bite his hand and shove at his chest, but he doesn't move.
    "Get off me." I shove at him again. "Don't you have a Viking ship to build or something?"
    This time, I shove and duck, getting out from his trap.
    His laughter follows me all the way up the stairs, only silencing when I close the bedroom door.
     
    Chapter Six
Xavier
    Slipping into my boots from last night and one of the heavy coats from the storage closet, I grab my gloves and shovel before opening the door.
    I dig into the almost four feet of snow, making a path through the snow drift out to the generator. After twenty minutes of shoveling, I can finally reach it.
    It takes twenty more minutes to get the damn thing fired up and then another fifteen for me to get to the storage shed. Inside are three snowmobiles—my large black machine and two smaller black and pink ones belonging to the girls.
    Removing the cover from mine, I go through all the checks and even fire it