The snow is falling, casting a thick white blanket over Michigan and its roadways. Silas doesn’t seem to mind as he navigates the rental SUV with ease. “Is this thing four-wheel drive?” I ask.
“Yep. I looked at the weather and called ahead to reserve it.” He glances over briefly before placing his focus back on the road. His eyes are dark green, so much, in fact, it almost appears if they are contact lenses. They’re not. I asked him when we first met a few years ago.
“I should have thought of that,” I mumble.
“You had no idea your flight was going to be canceled.”
“And you did?” I ask him.
“My flight was due to leave today. So, yeah, I knew that there were delays from yesterday’s inclement weather and took a wild guess that with this”—he points out the front window of the SUV—“things were not going to be much better today.”
“So, where are you coming from?” I ask.
“Thought you’d forgot about that.” He chuckles.
I turn to look at him, and those damn dimples are making another appearance. “Sordid affair?” I ask. My voice is teasing, but my heart squeezes in my chest at the thought.
Silas has always been an untouchable fantasy for me. He’s this rugged, handsome, outgoing guy. I’m just me, plain-Jane Callista. I have mouse-brown hair and brown eyes. Sure, I’ve been told I’m pretty, but the women I’ve seen Silas with, I’m not on that level. I’ve harbored a crush on him since the moment we met about five years ago, when his best friend started dating my sister.
“No. Nothing like that. I was… working,” he says, not giving me any information.
“You’re a firefighter.”
“I am.” He nods.
“It’s the middle of winter in Michigan. There are no forest fires.”
“There are not,” he agrees.
“Come on, Taylor,” I say, calling him by his last name. “You have to give me something.”
“I have a side gig.”
“A side gig?”
“Yep.” He pops the p, keeping his eyes on the road.
“And that gig would be?”
“Okay, no one knows this, so you have to keep it between us. Although, soon, the cat will be out of the bag.”
“The suspense is killing me,” I groan, and he laughs. “Out with it already.”
He holds up his pinky. “I’m going to need some reassurance.” He wiggles his pinky finger.
“You want me to pinky swear?”
“You’re damn right, I do.” He holds his hand out over the console, waiting on me to link my pinky with his.
Not only is it an excuse to touch him, but I get insider information, so of course, I wrap our pinkies. However, he surprises me when he moves our combined hands to his lap, lacing his fingers through mine and resting them on his thigh. I should say something about him needing both hands on the wheel to drive in this storm, but he seems to be navigating fine with one, and he’s holding my hand like I’m his and he’s mine. It’s something I’ve imagined a million times, so yeah, I’m gonna keep my mouth shut.
Chapter Two
SILAS
Her skin is so fucking soft. I’ve done well over the years to keep my distance. That doesn’t mean I haven’t wanted her from afar. It would be awkward as fuck if we dated and it didn’t work out. Her sister is now married to my best friend. Brody and I have been thick as thieves since pre-K. No way am I taking a chance on fucking that up. But here, in this vehicle, just the two of us… I can’t seem to resist her.
“You know what this means, right?” I give her hand a gentle squeeze where it’s resting on my thigh.
“W-What?” she asks, clearing her throat.
“Pinky swears are sacred. You have to take this to your grave.”
“You said the cat would be out of the bag soon,” she reminds me.
“I did. However, until that happens, this is between us. You and me.” My heart does this thing where it feels as though it’s flipping over in my chest at the thought of anything between the two of us, even my silly secret that will soon be out for all the world to know. Right now, though, it’s just a few select people, and Callista.
“Silas,” she moans my name, causing my cock to twitch. Did I mention I’m wearing sweatpants? Thankfully, I’m driving, but all she has to do is glance at my lap, and she’ll see all too clearly what she does to me. “The suspense is killing me. Out with it.” She laughs.
I love to hear her laugh. “I was at a photo shoot.” I don’t look over at her, instead choosing to keep my eyes ahead.
“What? Like a firemen’s calendar or something? You went all the way to Michigan for that? And how weird is it that we were both traveling to Michigan at the same time?”
“Not for a calendar. And finding you today, well, that’s my good fortune.” I give her hand another squeeze, and I can see her squirm in the seat from the corner of my eye. Interesting. Maybe I’m not the only one who’s affected.
“What kind of photo shoot?” she asks, ignoring the second half of my statement. “The photographer in me can’t resist the details.” She chuckles.
“Nosey Nell,” I tease her.
“Hey.” She reaches over and lightly smacks my shoulder with her free hand. “Curious Callista,” she counters.
This time I do glance over at her, and the smile on her face makes her brown eyes sparkle. “Well, curious Callista, I was at a photo shoot for a book cover.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, her head whips around, and she stares at me. I can feel the heat of her stare. I know she’s waiting for me to elaborate. Honestly, it was with Callista in mind that I agreed to do the shoot in the first place.
“Start talking, Taylor,” she says, excitement filling her voice.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Use your words, Silas!” she says, bouncing in her seat. “Who’s the author? What book? Why didn’t you tell me?” She fires off questions.
Callista is a reader. She and her sister are forever going on about the books they read, and the leading men in them. Brody actually gets jealous over a fictional character, and I sit back and laugh at the three of them. However, when an author reached out to me on Instagram, Callista was my first thought. I stalked the author online to see how she presents herself to her readers, and it wasn’t until I heard Callista and Charity talking about the author as being one of their favorites that I messaged her back and agreed to do the shoot.
“Silas.” She leans over the console as much as the seat belt will allow. “You’re killing me here.” Her breath hits my cheek, and all I would have to do is turn my head and lean in just a tiny bit to press my lips to hers.
“Sasha Knight.” I let the name of the author roll off my tongue. Callista gasps, falling back into the seat. She tries to pull her hand from mine, but I’m already addicted to the feel of her skin against mine and hold strong.
“No way. Nope. That’s not funny. Don’t play with me like that. You know she’s my favorite author. You do know that, right? We talk about her. Surely you remember hearing that name?”