Page 25 of Small Town, Big Storm

But I know my mind is going to be filled with lists as I drift off the sleep, so I pause behind the bar, jot down the items, and since I’m already jotting, I do the same for the liquor we’re low on.

Mind sufficiently empty, I turn for my apartment…

Just as there’s a knock on the door.

Maybe the smart thing to be would ignore it.

But this is Cedar Hollow.Someone might be in trouble or have forgotten their wallet.Hell, Gerald may be on the rampage again.

So, I head down the hall, unlock the door, and?—

Know in an instant that I should have just gone up to bed.

Because standing on the other side of that metal panel is Storm.

And his thunderous expression…

Well, it spells trouble.

Eight

Storm

“St-Storm,”she stammers, her fingers clenching on the door like she wants to slam it shut.

And considering the storm—no fucking pun intended—that’s been brewing in me since this afternoon, that’s not a surprise.

“Don’t,” I growl, slamming my palm onto the metal panel.

“It’s late,” she says, fire sparking in her green eyes.“And we’re closed.”

“I’m not here for a fucking drink, Pop.”

Those fingers tighten even further, until her skin stretches tightly over her knuckles, turning them bright white against the soft golden pink of her skin.“Then why are you here?”she asks, like she doesn’t know.

“Now’s not the time to fuck with me, sweetheart.”

Her eyes go wider, her knuckles tighter, but she doesn’t step back to let me in.

Instead, she lifts her chin, straightens her shoulders.“It’s late,” she repeats firmly.

I grind my teeth together, try to summon some fucking patience.

But with each heartbeat that’s passed from the moment I realized what I fucking realized, it’s become harder to grasp.

Until I was practically vibrating with impatience.

Until I couldn’t stay away any longer.

Until I needed to hear the fucking truth from her fucking mouth.

“I’m not leaving,” I grind out.“We need to talk.”

Her voice wavers, those shoulders slumping just the slightest bit.“We can do that in the morning.”

“No.”I hold her eyes.“We can’t.”

She exhales, gaze drifting away.