"Oh god," I groan, moving my hand from the beanie to my forehead. "This is my fault."
Liam frowns in confusion. "How is it your fault? It was my idea to drive in this weather."
"No, I called you about Vera and she didn't even come with us and now we're stuck -"
"Hey, it's all right. Don't worry, we can have the car towed tomorrow morning."
"And until then?" I demand, turning in my seat to face Liam. His beanie is pulled tight over his head, his cheeks still tinged pink. Outside our windows, the shower of snow is as rapid as ever. White ice crystals are raining down from the sky as though they don't ever intend to stop. The warmth radiating from the heater makes it hard to believe the snowfall is actually happening outside; it's as though I'm watching it on TV. "We can't have the heater on all night."
"No," he agrees, unbuckling his seat belt. I move to do the same. "We'll crack the windows and keep the heater on for ten minutes every hour. That's what the guy on the phone said. Let's turn off the heater now, okay?"
"Okay," I say reluctantly. Gripping the edge of my seat with my hand, I watch as Liam presses a button to open the windows by an inch.
For the next several minutes, the retained heat keeps us quite comfortable. Liam and I lean back in our seats and stare straight ahead at the snow in silence. But an inch is more than enough space for the cold to come slithering into the car like a vicious snake. Soon, the cold starts to curl around my denim-clad legs. I raise my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them.
"How long until we can turn on the heater again?" I ask, raising my voice to be heard over the wind that is a little louder now that the windows are open.
Liam uncrosses his arms from his chest and looks at his black wristwatch. "Just forty five minutes."
"Just forty five minutes?" I exclaim, shifting my eyes to find him grinning at me jokingly. I let out a short laugh and shake my head.
We lapse into silence again. Every second of it is agonizing because I keep wanting to look at Liam. I can feel his gaze - a soft prickling in my skin every now and then - but I force myself not to turn. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, I steal a glance at him. Our gazes meet for an instant before I hasten to look away.
"I'm hungry," I mumble awkwardly as my stomach lets out a low rumble.
"Me too," Liam says, shifting forward in his seat towards the dashboard. "Let me check if there's anything to eat."
He rummages inside the dashboard filled with papers, pens and other random things. A moment later, he comes up empty and shrugs apologetically. Dejected, I rest my head on my knees and close my eyes. With every passing minute the temperature inside the car drops. The soft seats that held the warmth from the heater are now giving it up and absorbing the chill of the winter night.
I think back to the guy in the purple robe that answered the door. He'd looked at the snowflakes and thought they were Tic Tacs. A wistful sigh leaves my lips at the thought of a box of mints. Or any candy, really . . .
My eyes shoot open when the realization hits.
"Wait!" I shout as I turn around to the backseat.
Liam jumps and looks over at me, alarmed. "What?"
"I have food!" I beam triumphantly, grabbing my backpack and dropping it on my lap. I dig around and pull out the pack of Skittles and the water bottle I'd originally brought for Vera. Holding the candy up high in front of my face, I smile at him.
"You said food," Liam says, his voice light and teasing.
"I'm sorry, your majesty," I scoff, rolling my eyes at him. "I couldn't bring a four course gourmet meal today."
He shakes his head and lets out a deep chuckle. Knowing that I'm the reason he's laughing - eyes closed, teeth peeking from behind his lips - warms my insides in a way that I'm sure is not allowed. I keep my head bowed and focus on tearing open the pack with my fingers. But I end up using too much force; the plastic tears open with a loud rip. Candy flies out of the pack, landing near the gear console.
"Oh my god!" I yell, putting the bag away safely before bending forward. "Find them, quick! The five second rule!"
Liam and I manage to gather six candies together. But there's one stuck behind the gearbox that's a little hard to reach.
"I'll get it," we both say in unison and surge forward in our seats. Sharp pain shoots through my forehead as Liam and I bump heads.
"Ow," I mutter, rubbing my head. I raise my eyes and find Liam doing the same. His face is just two inches away, bent down. He chuckles softly, and I can't help but laugh, too.
"Are you okay?" he asks, regarding me through his eyelashes. There isn't much light inside the car and in this dim glow, his irises are like twin pools of dark honey.
"Uh, yeah," I whisper, flustered. "You?"
"I'm fine," he says with a small smile.
I nod mutely and try to move away, but Liam stops me by wrapping his fingers around my wrist. His touch is cool and feathery like snow. I stay still and look down at our hands as he shifts sideways to retrieve the candy that fell behind the console.
"This one failed the five second rule," he says, dropping the yellow candy into my free hand. "But I don't think we can afford to be picky."
His gaze is so intense, as though our conversation involves a matter far more serious than Skittles. Warm hazel eyes roam my face in search of something. I'm terrified that if he looks long enough he'll discover all that I'm feeling, all that I'm hiding.
I compose myself and say, "We can save this one for the last. If we're really desperate."
Liam grins in agreement. I stare in admiration at the bright smile that lights up his face. I look at him and wonder what I wouldn't give to throw my arms around his neck and kiss him without guilt ripping at my heart. Too busy berating myself for thinking this, I fail to notice Liam gently tugging me forward by tightening his grip on my hand. But all my senses zero in on him when he closes the gap between us, pressing the softest of kisses to the very corner of my lips.
"Sorry, I . . ." I fumble, pulling away and leaning back in my seat. My fingers tremble as I drop the candy back into the open packet and lay it gingerly on the dashboard.
When I look over at Liam, my stomach twists at the hurt and frustration written all over his face. But I can't give in to him, not just because a kiss will be yet another sinfully sweet step in the wrong direction but also because I'm afraid of what will come next. A deeper kiss, a more dangerous touch . . . until it's too late to stop.
We spend the next several minutes in tense silence. I pick four Skittles for me and four for Liam, dropping his share onto his open palm. We make the sour candy last as long as possible, patiently savoring its flavor in the hopes that our hunger will dissipate.
Soon, one hour passes and we get to turn on the heater for a short yet blissful ten minutes. But the cold is determined to swallow any heat inside the car. Almost immediately after Liam turns off the heater, I find myself sitting on my stiff hands, rocking back and forth to keep warm.
I turn my head to look at Liam when he inches forward and says, "Here."
"What are you doing?" I say when he shrugs out of his coat. He shifts forward and drapes it over my shoulders. The smooth fabric smells just like Liam, of warmth, citrus and snow.
"You're cold," he says simply before turning around and grabbing the gray sweatshirt from the backseat.
"And you're going to wear that?" I demand incredulously, pulling his coat off me.
Liam presses a button near the radio that causes his seat to recline. "I'm fine, Carmen."
"What are you, crazy?" I say, trying to force the coat back into his hands. But he refuses to budge, eyes closed and arms crossed tightly over his chest. "For god's sake."
I heft myself up and lean across the gear console. Liam opens his eyes when I climb into his seat, resting on my knees clumsily. A few strands of dirty blonde hair fall over my shoulder as I drape the coat on his chest. I remove my hands from the top of his lean, muscular arms and clear my throat.
"Keep this. You'll freeze to death without it."
Liam blinks before looking up at me, and I can't fathom how the simple, natural action of blinking can be so beautifully provocative.
"I'll keep it," he says, and I sigh with gratitude. "But only if you stay."
"Stay?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.
Liam catches the hair dangling in front of my face, twirling the strands around his fingers. He lets go a moment later and raises his arms, trailing the tips of his fingers slowly, so slowly, down my back. I have to concentrate to feel his touch through the thick fabric of my coat. His hands press against the small of my back so I arch into him. When our faces are level, he leans closer and tips his head as though he's telling me a secret. I shiver at the sensation of his warm lips caressing my earlobe.
"Stay here with me," he whispers, causing goosebumps to erupt all over my arms.
The heat from his body, the proximity of his eyes, the comfort of his arms . . . there's no reason convincing enough to resist this moment.
"Okay," I whisper back and Liam pulls away to smile at me. I duck my head to hide the grin that takes over my mouth. I concentrate on lifting Liam's coat - resting on his lap now - and coaxing him to wear it.
"Wait, take this," he says, removing his sweatshirt. The movement causes his beanie to slip off his head and land in the small space between us. I take off my coat and pull his sweatshirt over my top before hurriedly shoving my arms into the sleeves of my dark overcoat again.
"Better?" Liam asks, winding his arms around my waist.
"Yeah, thanks," I smile again, meeting his beautiful eyes.
I grab the beanie squashed between our bodies in one hand before lifting the other to his messy hair. Liam leans into my touch as my fingers run through the lengths of the short, deep brown strands. My heartbeat stutters at the way his eyelids drift closed and lips part slightly.
"You know this isn't right, don't you?" I ask.
"Knowing that doesn't make me want you any less," he replies, calm and casual.
My fingers continue to push the hair away from his forehead as I let out a sigh. "Please . . . don't say things like that."
Liam's eyes shoot open and he raises his eyebrows at me. "You don't want me to tell you the truth?"
"No," I mumble, my voice sounding miserable to my own ears.
He lets out a small, confused laugh. "So . . . You want me to lie and say I don't want you? How is that going to help?"
"It might not help, I mean, I don't even know . . ." I trail off, averting my eyes from the amused expression on his face. Chewing my lower lip, I pick up the beanie with both hands.
I'm pulling the soft gray hat over his hair when he says, "Okay, Carmen, I don't want you. At all. In fact, I find you quite repulsive."
I roll my eyes and yank the beanie further down Liam's head so his eyes are covered. His contagious laughter intensifies as his eyes disappear behind the hat. Impulsively, I lean forward and plant a kiss on his flushed cheek.
Liam draws the beanie away from his face to see me. His mouth curves up in a devilish grin before he groans in mock disgust. "Ugh! It kissed me."
"Oh, shut up." I snort with laughter, pressing my fingers against his chin to push his face away. He tightens his arms around my body even further, his broad chest flush against mine. Suddenly, I don't feel any need for the heater despite the snowstorm raging outside the car windows.
"We should get some sleep before the hour's up again," I say when our laughter finally dies down.
Liam nods in response. We fold into each other, legs tangling until I'm almost sitting on his lap. I rest my head on his shoulder with my hands relishing the warmth radiating from his chest. The last thing I hear before closing my eyes is Liam's deep, smooth voice whispering goodnight in my ear.
❅❅
'Tis the season! I hope you have a very, very merry Christmas and a happy new year! I can't believe 2016 is almost over! I swear, the earth must be spinning faster or something . . .
Anyway, happy holidays everyone! And thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. Press the star to vote and comment! ♡
Hugs,
Amethyst