Snow Storm (Winter Warmers) by Cassie Mint

Author:Cassie Mint [Mint, Cassie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Cherry Publishing
Published: 2021-12-08T16:00:00+00:00

Seven

Quinn

What’s a girl to do when a duke blows her off in the middle of the night and she’s wide awake with jet lag? Explore, of course. I mean, Theo did say I could go anywhere I like. And despite myself, I want to know more about him. I want to wander through his rooms and imagine him there: talking on the phone, reading the newspaper, living.

Does he bring many dates back to the estate? Somehow I don’t think so. I can’t picture it, can’t imagine he’d want the awkwardness with that damn butler, but more than that, I feel like I know him. Like we’re twin souls.

And I’ve never really dated. I’ve just never felt the draw.

Not before I met him.

I nibble my bottom lip as I wander through his estate, the moonlight ghostly where it spills over the oil paintings. My footsteps echo against the tiles, and everything is breathless. Still.

Somewhere far away in the mansion, a door creaks.

It must be kind of spooky living here all alone. Or lonely, anyway. Does Theo ever get to have fun? Does he ever wear a damn t-shirt? I run my palm along an ornate mantelpiece, obsessing over the duke.

God. I need to get a grip. He doesn’t like me, not the way I like him. He sent me away, went off to be a duke, and that’s that. He’s not—

“Quinn?”

Theo’s low voice is like velvet. Smooth and deep, with that gorgeous accent. I wheel around and there he is, leaning against a nearby door frame, watching me with an odd expression on his face.

His hair looks darker in the shadowy room. Almost brown. But his eyes are still vivid green.

“Um.” I wave a hand awkwardly. “Hi.”

Theo’s eyebrows pinch together, and he stays in the doorway, watching me. Am I not supposed to be in this room? I glance around, confused. It looks just like most of the others. A long, quiet gallery with fancy sofas and a decorative fireplace.

“I’d like to spend more time with you,” he says before I can blurt something weird out. Theo speaks slowly, like he’s not sure what to say. “But if you’d rather explore alone, that’s fine too.”

He wants to spend more time together? I press my lips together, excited bubbles filling my chest. The Duke of Collingwood wants to hang out with me?

The feeling’s mutual. Not because he’s a duke, but because he’s Theo.

“Sure,” I manage after a moment, and I’m proud of how normal I sound. Not strangled at all. “What did you have in mind?”

I know what I’d like to do together. And I don’t have a personal frame of reference, but I’m pretty sure it involves bare skin and gasping breaths and his teeth tugging at my bottom lip. But Theo has more control than I do, apparently, because he studies me for a moment, then his mouth quirks.

“You liked those paintings of my ancestors, didn’t you?” I nod. He grins wider. “Come on. I have an idea.”

* * *

“Why do you keep this stuff?” I turn slowly on the spot, gaping around the big walk-in closet.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.