Free A Snowy Night by Layla Skylar Page B
Authors: Layla Skylar
it would take this long to get there. Guess I ’ m going to be a day or so late. ” He shoved his fingers through his hair again, in a motion that was becoming familiar despite the fact Anna had only known the guy ten minutes.
“ Do you think it ’ s going to keep snowing? ” Joshua asked.
“ I ’ m not a weather girl. I ’ m a photographer. ”
“ Really? ” he asked. “ So am I. ”
“ You ’ re kidding. ” Maybe that was the reason for the feeling of camaraderie she ’ d so far chalked up to the snow.
“ No, I ’ m not. I ’ m a photographer for the Seattle Times . ”
Anna groaned. “ So you are a city boy. ”
“ Completely, ” Joshua smiled. “ Come on. I know your business isn ’ t up here. ” He gestured expansively.
“ My studio is in Tacoma, ” Anna admitted. “ You gotta go where the money is. ”
“ Ain ’ t that true these days? ”
The commiseration helped.
“ What do we do about the snow? ” he asked.
“ We? ” Anna said.
“ I deserve that, ” Joshua admitted. “ What do I do about the snow? ”
“Well, you could walk northeast along the highway for about three miles until you get cell service.” She paused and sipped her tea, fighting with herself. What did it mean that a hot stranger had shown up now , stranded, right on her doors tep? “ Can I ask you a question?”
“ Sure.” He raised his eyebrows as his gray eyes locked onto hers again, in that friendly but piercing way he had.
“If we were to reach your friends, what would they tell me about you?”
He grinned. “That I’m a perfect gentleman, of course.
“ Will you be a gentleman if I let you stay here tonight? ” Anna wasn ’ t sure why she asked . Her blood pounded in her ears, and she regretted the offer just a little, but she didn’t seem able to help herself. For some reason, she felt like taking a chance on this man. Maybe it was the back and forth of the conversation...the banter was leading, she just wasn ’ t sure it was leading him to the same place it was leading her. Or maybe it was the stupid promise she’d just made fifteen minutes ago to let g o. I t probably wasn’t a good idea. Of course it wasn’t a good idea. Her forehead crinkled as she tried to sort out why she trusted this guy.
“ I ’ ll be a gentleman. ” Joshua smiled convincingly. Anna had to admit there was a part of her that hoped he wouldn ’ t follow through on the promise. He seemed too good to be true. A hot guy to pass a snowy night with? When had she gotten the power to make her dreams come true? Because this was definitely straight out of her fantasies. She’d just always figured it would stay there.
Anna threw caution to the wind. He was cute; he was already providing more stimulation for her imagination than that romance novel could hope to. For once she was going to let go. “ Then you can stay. There ’ s another bedroom. ” She paused. “ You know this is totally creepy, right? You ’ re going to have to tell me more about yourself. I ’ m second guessing my decision already. Prudent woman, you know? ”
“ Completely understandable. ” He took a drink of his tea. “ More about me? ”
“ More about you, ” Anna agreed.
“ I grew up in Philadelphia. ”
Anna groaned. “ Total city boy. ”
“ But we get snow there, ” Joshua assured her. “ I ’ ve driven in snow before. ”
“ I ’ ll let that one slide, current situation notwithstanding. ”
“ You ’ re cruel, ” he told her, his eyes narrowing.
“ You ’ re in my house, completely unprepared, on a snowy night, ” she helpfully pointed out.
“ Yes. I ’ ve noticed. ”
“ Have you eaten? ” She didn ’ t know why she asked, besides that she suspected he hadn ’ t and she had an odd urge to take care of him.
“ Not since a sandwich before I left town. ”
“ Do you mind if I tell you you ’ re an idiot? ”
“ I ’ m already suspecting that ’ s true, so why not? ”
“ You ’ re not
“ Do you think it ’ s going to keep snowing? ” Joshua asked.
“ I ’ m not a weather girl. I ’ m a photographer. ”
“ Really? ” he asked. “ So am I. ”
“ You ’ re kidding. ” Maybe that was the reason for the feeling of camaraderie she ’ d so far chalked up to the snow.
“ No, I ’ m not. I ’ m a photographer for the Seattle Times . ”
Anna groaned. “ So you are a city boy. ”
“ Completely, ” Joshua smiled. “ Come on. I know your business isn ’ t up here. ” He gestured expansively.
“ My studio is in Tacoma, ” Anna admitted. “ You gotta go where the money is. ”
“ Ain ’ t that true these days? ”
The commiseration helped.
“ What do we do about the snow? ” he asked.
“ We? ” Anna said.
“ I deserve that, ” Joshua admitted. “ What do I do about the snow? ”
“Well, you could walk northeast along the highway for about three miles until you get cell service.” She paused and sipped her tea, fighting with herself. What did it mean that a hot stranger had shown up now , stranded, right on her doors tep? “ Can I ask you a question?”
“ Sure.” He raised his eyebrows as his gray eyes locked onto hers again, in that friendly but piercing way he had.
“If we were to reach your friends, what would they tell me about you?”
He grinned. “That I’m a perfect gentleman, of course.
“ Will you be a gentleman if I let you stay here tonight? ” Anna wasn ’ t sure why she asked . Her blood pounded in her ears, and she regretted the offer just a little, but she didn’t seem able to help herself. For some reason, she felt like taking a chance on this man. Maybe it was the back and forth of the conversation...the banter was leading, she just wasn ’ t sure it was leading him to the same place it was leading her. Or maybe it was the stupid promise she’d just made fifteen minutes ago to let g o. I t probably wasn’t a good idea. Of course it wasn’t a good idea. Her forehead crinkled as she tried to sort out why she trusted this guy.
“ I ’ ll be a gentleman. ” Joshua smiled convincingly. Anna had to admit there was a part of her that hoped he wouldn ’ t follow through on the promise. He seemed too good to be true. A hot guy to pass a snowy night with? When had she gotten the power to make her dreams come true? Because this was definitely straight out of her fantasies. She’d just always figured it would stay there.
Anna threw caution to the wind. He was cute; he was already providing more stimulation for her imagination than that romance novel could hope to. For once she was going to let go. “ Then you can stay. There ’ s another bedroom. ” She paused. “ You know this is totally creepy, right? You ’ re going to have to tell me more about yourself. I ’ m second guessing my decision already. Prudent woman, you know? ”
“ Completely understandable. ” He took a drink of his tea. “ More about me? ”
“ More about you, ” Anna agreed.
“ I grew up in Philadelphia. ”
Anna groaned. “ Total city boy. ”
“ But we get snow there, ” Joshua assured her. “ I ’ ve driven in snow before. ”
“ I ’ ll let that one slide, current situation notwithstanding. ”
“ You ’ re cruel, ” he told her, his eyes narrowing.
“ You ’ re in my house, completely unprepared, on a snowy night, ” she helpfully pointed out.
“ Yes. I ’ ve noticed. ”
“ Have you eaten? ” She didn ’ t know why she asked, besides that she suspected he hadn ’ t and she had an odd urge to take care of him.
“ Not since a sandwich before I left town. ”
“ Do you mind if I tell you you ’ re an idiot? ”
“ I ’ m already suspecting that ’ s true, so why not? ”
“ You ’ re not