Free Unexpected Gifts by Bronwyn Green Page B

stealing her breath. She couldn’t believe Sam was kissing
her. She’d fantasized about this moment more often than she cared
to admit. Actually, her fantasies never ended with a kiss. They
didn’t end until he’d fucked her so hard she could barely remember
her own name, and she came imagining that her fingers were his.
    His free hand settled at her waist, and he dragged
her closer. Her hands lifted and clutched the front of his jacket,
damp with melting snow. The chilly wetness against her skin brought
everything rushing back—skipping out on family Christmas, Sam
showing up on her doorstep… This wasn’t one of her fantasies. This
was Sam. Actually kissing her. Trying to prove a point.
    Turning her head to the side, she broke the kiss and
pushed at his chest.
    He tried to lift her chin. “What’s the matter,
Cassie-girl?”
    Positive she didn’t want to take this even one step
further, she backed away from him and glanced at the clock. “Thank
you for bringing everything by. You should probably get going. The
way the snow’s coming down, you’re going to have a long drive back
home.”
    He continued to stare at her, his expression
concerned. “Cass? What is it?”
    “Nothing,” she lied, crossing her arms over her
chest and fixing her gaze on a spot over his left shoulder. “I’ve
got a bunch of paperwork to go through for work. I’ll see you
around.” Doing paperwork on Christmas Eve for a school library that
would remain closed until January was probably the lamest lie she
could have come up with. Without waiting for him to respond, she
walked to the front door and opened it. “Merry Christmas,” she
choked out.
    Sam looked as confused as she felt. “Wait. We need
to talk.”
    She shook her head. “There’s nothing to talk
about.”
    “Yeah, there is.”
    She finally met his gaze. “No. There isn’t. Now, get
going. It’s snowing like crazy.” A sharp stab of guilt pierced her.
“Text me when you get home so I know you made it okay.”
    He nodded but said, “This isn’t over.”
    She pushed him into the swirling snow and quickly
shut the door behind him. Through the window, she watched as he
ducked his head while making his way into the blowing wind. He
trudged through the drifts that covered her driveway. Shaking the
snow from his dark brown hair, he got in the cab and started the
engine. The headlights illuminated the thickly falling flakes as he
backed toward the road.
    The farther away he got, the greater the urge to
call him back. Which was stupid. He’d been placating her. Trying to
make her feel better. Pity was the last thing she needed.
    She peered through the wildly blowing storm, nervous
worry building in her middle. Maybe she should have insisted he
stay. It looked treacherous out there, and blizzards blowing in off
Lake Michigan were nothing to mess around with.
    Without warning, the bed of the truck fishtailed and
slid partway down the embankment that bordered the driveway. The
tires spun wildly, kicking up dirt and snow as he tried to regain
purchase. She sighed. There was no way he was getting out of there
without a tow truck. She knew—she’d slid down that same hill more
than once.
    Cassie pulled on her boots and stepped out into the
biting cold. The frigid air took her away breath as she slipped and
skidded her way to Sam’s truck.
    He rolled down the window. “Get back inside. It’s
freezing out here, and you don’t have a damn coat on.”
    “You might as well give it up,” she called out
through chattering teeth. “You’re not getting out of here without
help.”
    He pushed on the gas again, and the tires continued
to impotently spin. Finally, he thunked his head on the steering
wheel. “Fantastic.”
    “I’d just tell you to take my car, but I don’t think
we can get it out around the truck.” The other side of the driveway
dropped off just as steeply.
    Sam looked at her and growled. “Get inside before
you really do get sick!”
    Ignoring his