"Freaking vegetarians," Kathleen mumbled as she turned away.
"Maybe we'll just eat each other," Jack said flippantly.
Mike kicked him under the table, and a look passed between them. With horrifying clarity, she realized normal food wouldn't keep them satisfied. They had been counting on going to the ski resort, meeting people, and intermingling. "Crap," she said.
Mike gave a barely discernible shake of his head. Jack's eyes narrowed as he studied her. Danielle paused with her coffee cup halfway to her mouth as she cast Sera a questioning look. "What?" she asked.
"Oh, uh, nothing, I just hate it when the power goes out." She grabbed her plate off the counter and made her way over to where Kathleen was washing dishes. "The eggs were delicious, thanks."
"No problem," she replied as she took the plate from her hand.
Sera pulled a pot out of the cabinet and grabbed some packages of rice. She began to cook as Kathleen scrubbed enthusiastically and hummed under her breath. The screen door on the porch opened, she listened as Liam and Doug stacked the wood they had found.
"What a mess!" Doug cried as he shook the snow off his jacket and head.
"There's well over a foot out there now, and some of the drifts are over four feet high." Liam rubbed his hands together as he blew into them. His eyes twinkled when they landed on her. She smiled back at him, suddenly feeling a little shy as she recalled everything that passed between them during the night. Her skin was starting to burn as he walked over and kissed her. "Good morning, sleepy head."
"Good morning," she murmured.
He chuckled as he tugged on her ponytail. "You think you're a little shy now, wait till you see what I do to you tonight," he whispered in her ear.
Sera's face flamed redder, even as her body began to tingle with anticipation. "I'd suggest everyone take a shower now," Kathleen said. She closed the freezer and turned to them with a chicken in her hand. "While there's still hot water."
"I'm first." Danielle stood and hurried out of the room.
Liam leaned casually against the counter and folded his arms over his chest as he turned to face Mike and Jack. The heat radiating off his body was enough to get her flustered. Sera frowned as she eagerly attacked the rice and stared at the white world surrounding them to distract her mind from the yearnings of her body.
"What is that?" Sera's attention was pulled away from the window, but she was too late. Kathleen had already grabbed her turtleneck and pulled it down. She jerked away from her and pulled it up to protect her neck. "Nice hickey," Kathleen teased.
Sera turned and looked at Liam, but he was staring at Mike and Jack. Jack's eyes were as large as saucers as they darted back and forth between him and Sera. Mike's eyes narrowed as he stood suddenly. "Can I talk to you?" he said to Liam.
A sinking feeling began to form in her stomach as she frantically stirred her rice. Liam glanced at her, but she hastily averted her eyes. She was scared to meet his gaze, afraid she would only see accusation there. "Yeah. I suppose you want to talk too," he said to Jack.
"I think we should all talk," Mike replied. He looked over at Doug who remained by the door, looking extremely uncomfortable as he shifted from foot to foot.
Sera listened to their footsteps as they headed upstairs. "What was that all about?" Kathleen asked as she slid the chicken into the oven.
"Boy talk," Sera replied with a shrug that belied the anxiety filling her body.
"So, you obviously had a good night," Kathleen taunted.
Sera couldn't help the grin spreading over her face or the blush. "Kathleen—"
"Oh, come on, it's written all over your neck and now your face," Kathleen replied laughingly. "I'm just glad you're happy. You love him, don't you?"
"Yes, I really do."
Kathleen put a pot of water on to boil. "I can see he loves you too."
Sera grinned at her, unable to keep the stupid smile off her face. "What about you? Did you have a good night?" she asked, trying to keep her voice as casual as possible.
"Slept like a baby."
"Alone?" Sera asked teasingly, even though her heart hammered with apprehension.
Kathleen grinned at her and pulled out a potato peeler. "Are you insinuating something?"
"Maybe."
Kathleen laughed happily and pulled out a potato. "I slept alone. All night. Well, unless you count Danielle in the next bed."
Sera felt a huge sense of relief as she turned back to her rice. "Do you like Mike?"
"Yeah, I do. However, I also like him as a friend, and I don't want to ruin that."
"What are you going to do?"
"Just see how things turn out. Go with the flow."
"Sounds good." Even though it didn't.
Liam stood by the window in the room Mike had slept in last night. Mike's clothes were laying across the small chair in the corner, and scattered on the floor. Doug stood by the other window, Jack sat on the bed, and Mike was pacing restlessly back and forth. "I don't even know what to say," he finally said.
"Then don't say anything," Liam replied coldly. "I don't see how it's any of your business anyway."
Jack snorted and leaned forward. "You know why it is. What is going on, Liam? Because the last time I checked, no one was supposed to know anything about us. Anyone who found out was supposed to be killed."
"First of all," he growled as he turned to face them. "She didn't find out, I told her. Second of all, if you even think about laying a hand on her, I'll kill you myself. Understand?"
Jack stared at Liam. "Are you serious?" he demanded in disbelief.
Mike snorted and stopped pacing to look at him. "He's serious."
Jack sat back. "We weren't supposed to tell anyone, unless we changed them," Jack finally said. "Which we agreed not to do without consulting each other first. Since
