Troping Through the Snow by Alexa Riley

“It’s probably better to think of them as wild animals.” I shrug as we walk into the kitchen. “You know, so you don’t get mauled or something.”

“Good idea,” Frostie says, and when she turns the corner for the kitchen, she stops and gasps. “What in the—”

“You said I needed a Christmas tree.” There’s about fifty boxes and bags filled with decorations because I wasn’t sure what she would need. “The sales lady seemed excited.”

“You think?” Frostie turns wide eyes on me. “You could decorate your house ten times over. How many trees did you get?”

“Seven?” I guess, scratching the back of my head.

“Seven!” She sounds like she’s mad, but somehow she looks like this is the best news she’s ever gotten in her whole life.

“I just kept saying yes every time she scanned something, so I’m not exactly sure.” I point my thumb over my shoulder. “The rest is in the living room.”

“The rest!?” Frostie takes a calming breath. “I’m sorry I’m shouting, but this is literally my dream come true.”

And there goes the rest of my heart as I hand it over to her. Damn. She didn’t even have to ask for it.

“I thought maybe we could do homemade pizzas tonight since they’re easy.”

“Pizza and cookies it is.” She’s already rubbing her hands together as she gets closer to the boxes. “Oh! Let’s put on a Christmas movie.”

“Okay,” I agree readily, and it seems to make her even happier.

“What’s your favorite?” she asks, and I shrug.

“Don't know. I’ve never seen any.”

“How is that possible?” Frostie gives me a skeptical look like I’m not telling her the truth. So I decide maybe it’s time I give a little since she’s already given so much.

“I, um, I grew up in a kind of a cult.”

She blinks at me a few times and blinks slowly. “What?”

“My mom died in childbirth, and my father was part of a cult. He raised me until I was fifteen and then kicked me out.”

“I have so many questions,” she whispers as she takes a seat on one of the chairs behind her.

“It’s a long story and doesn’t make me feel real good when I think about it,” I say, and she nods.

“Yeah, I can imagine. Never mind, you don’t have to say anything else.”

“How about two questions?” I offer, and she nods, already agreeing.

“Why did they kick you out?”

“Because I wouldn’t marry another girl my age.”

“Oh my god.” Frostie brings her hands to her mouth, and I nod.

“Yeah, it was pretty awful. But the good news is that it broke up a couple of years after I left.”

“What did you do after they kicked you out?”

“I lied about my age and entered the military. I was always twice the size of the other boys, and I didn’t have proof of birth because of the compound. I found someone to help me forge documents, and that was that.” She bites her bottom lip, and I can see she’s still got lots of questions floating around in her head. “One more?” I offer.

“Have you ever seen any of your family since you left?”

“No,” I say, but it doesn’t feel like enough of an explanation. “I saw them in court during the sentencing but chose to go no contact afterwards. That’s not who I am, and it’s not the life I want.”

“I can understand why.” The worry in her eyes does something to me, and I take a step closer to her.

“I’m okay now,” I say to reassure her. “Before the military, I lived my life surrounded by people I hated with nothing of my own. So I knew one day when I finally welcomed someone into my space, it would be because I needed them there.”

Frostie bites her bottom lip, but this time it’s to hide a smile as she nods toward the boxes. “Then let’s cheer this space up.”

“I’d like that,” I agree.





CHAPTER 7





FROSTIE





“Hmm.” My body feels warm and fuzzy, and I don’t want to open my eyes. My alarm isn’t going off yet, but if I check the time, I’ll end up waking up. So instead, I let myself drift back asleep, and I’m almost there when I realize there is a hand on my breast.

The fingers flex and give it a small squeeze. My eyes fly open, and I see pillows and comforters surrounding me. I’m in the middle of a soft cloud that is not my bed, and it’s definitely not my own hand grabbing my boob. I think Clause might be the only man in this town that could hold one of my breasts fully in his giant hand and have it fit perfectly.

Slowly, I try to slip out of Clause’s grip, but it only tightens. He pulls me deeper into his warm body before throwing one of his legs over mine, thoroughly trapping me. Damn, he feels good and smells good too. How the hell did I end up in his bed? I shift, wanting to get a peek at him and see if he’s awake.

“Frostie.” Clause grunts my name, and I still my movements.

His leg presses against my ass, and then my eyes widen. Holy shit, that’s his cock. I know Clause is a big man, so it shouldn’t be shocking that his cock would match the rest of the package, but there’s no way that thing will ever fit inside me. Although no one said anything about it going into me. It’s morning wood and completely normal.