Troping Through the Snow by Alexa Riley

“The power’s back,” he informs me, and I sit up so quickly I almost knock him over while trying to hold the blanket to cover my naked body. He’s fully dressed, and I wonder what the hell happened. Now that I’m sitting up, I notice more of him leaking out from inside of me. God, he really didn’t hold back.

“What time is it?” I ask, managing to get out a full sentence.

“A little after ten.”

“Morning or night?”

He smirks. I’m not so sure what’s funny because it’s an honest question. “Morning, sweetheart. We didn’t pass out until well after midnight.”

My face flushes with heat as I remember him waking me once in the middle of the night to have his way with me again. He’d been insatiable. Every touch was filled with passion, and it was a side of North I didn’t know was there. It made me fall even more for him, but now that he’s dressed and calling me sweetheart, I’m not sure what to say or do next.

“I should get dressed,” I finally mumble when he doesn’t say anything else.

He’s still just kneeling on the floor and staring at me. The fire is out, but the office is warm, and I guess the power must have come on a few hours ago.

“Yes, I need you to hurry.”

As he hands me my blouse, his words sting, and I snatch it from his hand. I turn and try to find my bra, but then I hear him behind me.

“Looking for this?” I glance back at him, and he’s not smirking anymore. Now he’s full of smiles while he holds my bra between his fingers.

“Thanks,” I mutter, snatching that from him too.

He watches as I dress, and although I want to tell him to turn around, what’s the point? The man has seen and licked every inch of me at this point. Not to mention he seems to like what he sees while he watches me. Still, there’s a distance between us, but it could be me. I have no clue what we’re doing from this point forward.

“Here.” He steps towards me and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear once I’m fully dressed. Including my ugly boots. His fingers brush down my jaw as he leans down, and I realize he’s going to kiss me.

Okay, so this is what we’re doing now. Maybe it’s a farewell kiss, but either way, I close my eyes because I want his mouth on mine.

“North!” Tinsel’s voice echoes through the building, and North steps back as my eyes open. A moment later, the office doors swing open, and her eyes bounce between us. “What the hell is going on?”

“How are the roads?” North ignores her question and asks his own.

“Plowed.” She smirks as her gaze lingers on me in a knowing way. I want to fall into a hole because obviously there’s something giving away what happened last night. I fight not to glance down at myself to see if I missed a button. Not that it matters because my face is flushing, and it’s telling Tinsel all she needs to know.

“Good.” North straightens his tie. “Judge Banks said he'd be down once the roads were cleared.” Both Tinsel and I give North a puzzled look. Why is Judge Banks coming here right now? He’s actually a retired judge, but everyone still calls him Judge Banks.

“Wait.” Tinsel holds her hand up. “First off, why is Donna telling everyone you’re dating Joy?”

“We’re not dating,” North says without missing a beat, and I try not to flinch at the quickness of his response.

“Not dating?” she asks again, and her eyes narrow on her brother. I think she might be getting pissed, but I’m not sure why.

“Nope.”

“Why is Banks coming here then? Is there something I need to know? I am the sheriff in this town.” She puts her hands on her hips.

Tinsel is in full uniform, and it’s so strange. Out of uniform, she can be sweet and unassuming at first glance. In uniform, she’s intimidating because she gets that same irritated expression North can put on. In some ways, they are a lot alike. In others they are total opposites.

“Did you think I called you here without a reason? Where’s Jack?”

“I’m here.” Jack pokes his head in the office like he’s been there the whole time. I guess he wasn’t visible from where we were standing.

“What’s the reason?” Tinsel asks, still glaring at her brother.

“I need witnesses.” North walks over to his desk.

“Bro, when you’re going to commit a crime, you don’t want witnesses or a judge. You’re the worst at being bad. You should leave it to me.” She throws her hands up.

“Tinsel, I’m not sure that’s the way an officer of the law should speak,” a deep, gravelly, familiar voice says as Judge Banks walks in. I glance down at myself to make sure nothing is out of place while everyone else is distracted with his arrival.

“This was a sting operation, Judge Banks. You just blew my cover,” Tinsel responds quickly with a straight face.

“Right.” Judge Banks chuckles as he strolls in. What is happening here? “Joy.” He gives me a warm smile that reminds me of my grandfather.

“Judge.” I smile back.

“Have you got the paperwork?” Judge Banks asks North as he walks over to where he’s standing. North hands him something, and Judge Banks nods. “All right, come on over, dear.” Judge motions to me, and I move toward him as he places the paper back down on North’s desk.