Break Down by Tori Ross

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SKU 978-0-3695-1559-9
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Romance on the Go 

Jeremiah Thomas takes great pride in the cabin he built for himself, even showing it off when gorgeous Jenna Walters literally falls into his arms one day during a blizzard. With Jenna thawing next to his fire, he quickly warms to the thought of having someone else around. Soon, Jeremiah has ideas about this woman finally chasing away the darkness, a darkness that’s consumed him, and starting a life with her.

Jenna’s hiding her own secrets. There’s a dead abuser in her trunk, and the radio keeps broadcasting annoying reports about missing men, a possible serial killer on the loose, and rewards. A girl can’t get a break and just enjoy the hot lumberjack she’s stumbled upon without hearing about her own crime and the big reward on her head.

When all secrets are brought to light, can their relationship still bloom, or will Jenna need to run and take her dead man with her?

 

Excerpt:

The walkway around the cabin is fully clear, and I help Jeremiah sprinkle salt on the patio, making it easier to come outside for morning coffee or to get more wood. Once we’re done, he takes my shovel from me and sets it against the wall next to the firewood.

“When do you think I can get to my car?” I ask, wanting to stay with him but also wanting to get back to what I need to handle.

He squints and looks at the surrounding woods. “Depends. It’s going to warm up in the afternoons enough to melt, but it may refreeze at night. It will take two or three days to have a good path to the road to dig you out.” He runs his eyes the length of my body, and I tremble under his gaze. “Are you tired of wearing my clothes and eating my cooking?”

I look down at the waterproof hiking pants and the ill-fitting boots on my feet that are two sizes too big. They’re starting to hurt after stomping around in them all day, but it was nice that he let me borrow them.

“You’re kind of the best guy cook I’ve known.”

He steps closer to me and uses his index finger to tilt my chin up so I’m looking into his eyes. “That’s pathetic as fuck.”

He bends and kisses me, and I flinch from the coldness of his lips. They were so warm yesterday, and I wonder if mine feel like that for him, too. His tongue whispers against mine as we deepen the kiss and work against each other. His fingers find their way to my hair. My hands find their way down the front of his shirt. He deepens the kiss, and my throat lets out a small sigh without being able to help it.

I don’t know how long we kiss. It could be minutes. It could be hours, but I lose myself in him. For the first time all day, my body warms since it’s snug against him. When he finally pulls back, the cold air rushes between us, instantly making me shiver.

He rests his forehead against mine. “Can I ask you something?” he asks.

Please don’t ask me if I’ve ever killed someone.  

Why did my mind go there first? I guess I’m not relaxing on this little detour at his cabin after all. I give a small nod.

He inhales deeply. He must be asking something important. His jaw is set, and his eyebrows are furrowed.

“When,” he begins and then pauses. He looks deeply into my eyes. “When was the last time you made a snow angel?”

I sputter a laugh, and he gives me a small kiss.

“Not for a very long time.”

He slides his hand into mine, pulling me a little toward the pile of snow the snowblower made. “Time to fix that.”

I laugh as he pulls me down to the ground with him. I land on top of him, making me giggle even more. “I don’t even remember how to do it,” I say.

His eyes darken, and I wonder if he’s thinking what I am. I’m not sure I’m talking about snow angels anymore. I can’t remember the last time I was with a man. A year? Two? My body suddenly hums to life. His does, too, because his cock hardens against my stomach. Even with our clothes between us, he throbs against me.

I push off of him. We can’t do this out here anyway. We’ll freeze.

He playfully rolls me to my back, kisses my cheek, and then gets on his own back. “You just get totally flat and then raise and lower your arms like this,” he says, making angel wings in the snow. He brings his legs out, opening and closing them quickly. “And you have to get the legs.”

“Why do we need legs? All angels I’ve seen only have the wingspan thing.”

He bites his bottom lip, thinking about my question. “Good point, but it’s just the way it is.”

“Like most things in life, right?”

He stops moving and stares at the sky above us. “Yeah.”

He seems so sad that I instantly want to cheer him up and see him smile again. “Hey, what about halos?”

“What about them?”

“We need one.”

I get up and stand in the snow, wobbling a bit in the deep drift and being careful not to step on my new wings. I walk around the snow angel and draw a simple, curved line over the place where my head was a moment ago.

“See. Simple,” I say.

He stands up and looks at his snow angel, hands on his hips. He blows out a breath. “What if I don’t think I deserve a halo?” he asks with a wry grin, like there’s something he wants to tell me, perhaps about why he left society and lives in the middle of nowhere.

I look down again just as the radio on the firewood crackles. “More updates on William Telling, now missing for four days,” the male journalist says.

My body stiffens, and I turn to look at the radio, squinting.

William Telling. The name rattles around in my mind, making connections and still reaching for something. A missing man.

“Mr. Telling’s mother is now offering a reward of ten thousand dollars for any information regarding the disappearance of Mr. Telling that results in finding him. Please contact the Tark County Sheriff’s Office with any information or possible sightings. Law enforcement is asking for even the smallest tips. Any information could help.”

As soon as the report is over and the boring-ass weather report comes from the radio again, I look at my own halo and cross it out with my foot. “Some of us probably don’t deserve them.”