Snowbound by Kristianna Sawyer Page A

it into its
spot, she said, “You were a cute kid.”
    He turned to walk back toward her, grinning.
“I’m still cute.”
    Her lips twitched. “I’d concede that.” She
lifted the tray from the nightstand to put on her lap. “You’re
spoiling me.” Something unpleasant flickered across his face, as
though he wanted to make a snide remark, but he didn’t comment. The
aroma of the leftover stew teased her nostrils, and she inhaled
deeply before taking a big bite. It was even better than the first
day.
    “So, who’s the girl in the album?” she asked
as she chewed the bite of stew.
    Reed frowned, but finally answered. “My
sister.”
    “Older or younger?”
    “Older.”
    He was just a font of information. “Where
does she live?”
    “Don’t know.” He had that surly look again
and spoke with a finality that transmitted he was done discussing
his sibling. His eyes practically dared her to ask why he didn’t
know where the other woman lived.
    Beth decided to try steering the conversation
down a different track. “You don’t have any pictures of your
parents?”
    His mouth curled. “Why the hell would I want
those, girl?” Reed practically snarled, “Waste of space.”
    “In the album?”
    He nodded. “Album and life, they was both a
waste of space.”
    “Are they still alive?”
    Abruptly, his expression darkened. “What’s
with the interrogation?”
    Beth drew back a bit. “Sorry. I was just
trying to get to know you.”
    He shook his head. “You don’t gotta get to
know me. All you gotta do is eat your food and get your ass outta
my bed.”
    Moisture pricked her eyes, but she didn’t let
it fall. Silly of her, but she’d thought they had made headway
earlier in the day, that intimacy was a foregone conclusion.
Getting better acquainted had seemed a good way to facilitate that,
but he’d practically slammed the door shut in her face.
    Setting the spoon back in the bowl, she put
the tray on the nightstand. Anger spurred her from the bed. “I
don’t need to finish my dinner first. You’re welcome to your bed
right now.” Waving at it, she added, “I don’t even know why you put me in it to start with, Reed.”
    His cheeks took on a ruddy hue, and he
couldn’t seem to meet her eyes. “Was closer is all.”
    She scoffed and marched past him, trying not
to show she was a bit intimidated to be clad only in the satin
camisole and matching white panties. Her pants were MIA, and the
sweater had a hole in it. Since she was too angry to even consider
asking him to borrow a robe, or go get some of her clothes, she’d
just have to make do with her underwear and be grateful she wasn’t
bare-ass naked.
    “You forgot your food.”
    Beth was too annoyed to feel even a bit
hungry right then. With a rude gesture in his direction, she
stalked from his room, slamming the door behind her, and hurried to
the room she was using in his house. If she hadn’t been surrounded
by snow and darkness, she would have packed her bag and left right
then. He could go screw himself. That was as close as he was going
to get to any action while there were just the two of them in the
house.
    She didn’t bother to change as she slid into
bed. Huddled under the thick covers in the guestroom, she stared at
the screen of her e-reader without actually absorbing any of the
words. The harsh sound of the wind gusting outside only deepened
her misery and left her feeling more alone than she’d ever been. A
peek out the window showed snow coming down so thickly that she
couldn’t make out anything but a blur. It seemed like a blizzard
out there.
    Disappointment left a bitter taste in her
mouth. She’d really misjudged Reed, thinking there was a softer
side to him. The flashes of sweetness that occasionally shone
through his surly exterior had misled her. That, and her own
hormones, which still clamored for him—though she was so angry that
her mind wanted nothing to do with him.
    She glared at the foul weather, guessing