Once Upon a Snowball Fight

CHARLOTTE

I stared at the man who was being a complete ass to me. Now I knew why. He was Jackson Forbes, the boy who had been my pain-in-the-ass neighbor.

I stood up and shook the snow off before stomping over to where he was. The embarrassment flooding me was twofold. One, he was holding my panties, and two, he was incredibly sexy, causing heat to rush through parts of my body.

The way he looked at me as I snatched them out of his hands made me blush even harder. As quickly as I could, I gathered up my stuff. Jackson tried to help, and I batted his hands away.

These were the same hands that had been caressing my leg moments ago, and I had been enjoying it. Shaking off any thoughts of his deliciousness, I couldn’t imagine how the start of my holiday could be any worse than it already was. The case wouldn’t lock; it just wasn’t happening, and I became frustrated.

A pair of hands came over the top of mine. “Here, let me.” His voice was soft and caring.

I watched as he ran his fingers around the edge of the case, stuffing any bits sticking out and then clipping the buckles shut. “Is this the same case you had when you were younger?”

I couldn’t believe he would remember it. He had always teased me about having a ‘posh’ case at the time. He was right though, I still used it, although the clips hadn’t been shutting properly lately.

Normally, I had straps around it to secure it, but I was in a rush to leave and get out of where I was. “Yes.” I glanced up at him, waiting for him to mock me for still having it.

“I might have a bungee cord in the back that will secure it for you. If you would like?”

Jackson stood up and held out a hand for me. He pulled me up, then rummaged about in the back and came out with two cords.

He tied them to secure the case before he picked it up and placed it carefully on the back seat. “Is that everything?”

“I’ll just check.” I gave him a sweet smile. Checking my car gave me a chance to compose myself.

Damn, he is sexy. I took the keys and locked it. Not that anyone would steal this piece of shit.

We got in his truck and he turned the key. It made some grinding noises, and I looked over at him. He gave me a smile, and we both held our breaths as the car turned over.

He slapped the steering wheel and smiled as it started and kicked into life. He was so goofy I rolled my eyes at him, but hid my smile. Snow had started falling heavily again as we started the drive home.

It was a small town where we were from. Our families were so different, though. Mine, my mom, upheld an image, and his, well, his was full of fun and laughter.

The snow was falling heavier. “How safe is this truck?”

“Perfectly fine. Never let me down yet.” The smile he threw at me said he was lying.

All I could hope was that it got us back. He had to slow down the speed even more as the snowfall had thickened and it was becoming difficult to see where we were going. Subconsciously, I chewed my lip.

“Stop doing that.” Jackson glanced over at me. “Keep your eyes on the road.”

I snapped back at him. My nerves were through the roof. He smiled.

“Are we still on the road?” He raised an eyebrow. “Is that a joke?”

I couldn’t tell if he was. My heart raced as panic took hold, causing my breath to quicken, and I nervously peered out of my window, desperately searching for any sign of the road. Jackson laid a hand on my leg.

“I was joking. I know where we are.” I started chewing on my fingers.

Jackson stopped the truck. Leaving the engine running, he turned to me and took my hands in his.

“You are safe with me. I know where we are and the road. Believe me when I tell you I have driven in much worse than this.”

His words were sincere, and he had a calming touch; made me feel safe in his presence. I gave him a brief nod. He reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

I stared into his eyes, wondering why I was feeling like I wanted to hug him. He let me go and carried on driving. It was a slow crawl along as it had become blizzard-like conditions out there.

Jackson glanced over at me. “So what brings you back here, then?”

I was clinging onto the seat of the truck, feeling uneasy about the drive. There was something about being in control of the wheel.

I was not a good passenger at all. Every time Jackson slowed up with the brakes, I pressed my foot down in the footwell. He asked me the question again, as I hadn’t answered him.

“Oh, well, I’ve not been home in a few years actually, but I’ve had a bit of a breakup, so I came home for Christmas.” I don’t know why I told him I’d broken up with my boyfriend.

“So what happened?” I started chewing my bottom lip again, unsure if I should tell him.

He would probably just laugh at me or say I was stupid. Sensing my reluctance to talk, he carried on driving.

“He used me.” I didn’t move my head, but glanced across at him, watching, waiting for some smart-ass comment coming from him.

Instead, he turned his head slightly toward me. “I’m sorry.” He gave me a little half smile.

It made my heart flutter for him. Surprised by his genuine answer, I smiled back at him. “He was an idiot, anyway.”

It felt good to say those words. Scott was an asshole. Jackson gave a little chuckle, and it made me feel a little less nervous around him.

“So what did he do?” he added. I sighed loudly.

“Asked me to marry him.” Jackson’s face was now baffled by my answer.

He looked at me, a frown etched on his forehead. I shifted in the seat slightly to face him fractionally more.

“He asked me to marry him, but it wasn’t for love. I found it out when I overheard him talking once. I don’t think he ever loved me, so when he asked me, I told him no. We argued. He went off to work, and I packed my things and left.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“So, you have all your stuff in the back of my truck?” He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“I was always careful with my money, Scott, that’s his name. He thought we had to buy everything. He wanted to be like all the others in his department. You know, show off, if someone had, let’s say, a really good sound system, he would want the next one better than it.”

I ran my hand through my hair, trying to understand why I was revealing all this to him. When I glanced at Jackson, he didn’t react, so I continued.

“I didn’t realize he had accumulated so much debt until I overheard him discussing it with a friend who suggested marriage. He knew I was careful with my money, but it was my money. I contributed to our lifestyle, but material possessions meant nothing to me. So when he proposed, I declined.”

“And here you are, running back home.”

There was a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“Just for Christmas and New Year. I’ll figure things out afterward.” I rested my arm on the back of the seat next to Jackson.

“So what about you?”

“It’s been hectic, so I was hoping for a quiet Christmas and New Year.”

He emphasized the word ‘quiet.’

“So here you are, running back home.”

I echoed Jackson’s words, eliciting a smile from him.

In the few seconds that he turned and looked at me, I felt myself melt under his gaze. His deep brown eyes flickered down to my lips and back up.

He moved his hand off the steering wheel and his thumb brushed across my lip, pulling it out of my mouth. I’d been chewing on it again.

This time, it was because I was nervous about him. The feelings that were exploding inside of me.

How was it possible that the geeky guy had turned out to be so darn sexy, and I wanted to kiss him?

A thump sounded, and I yelped.

Jackson pulled the truck to a stop and swore.

Holy hell, what just happened?