Page 45 of Snowed In with the Runaway Bride

Penny stood there for a moment with her head cocked to the side, contemplating him, before a wicked grin spread across her face. “Yes.”

The next snowball struck him directly in the face. With a growl, he scooped up his own handful of snow and began to pursue her while she shrieked with laughter, careful to keep his steps measured so she was just out of reach. After all, what fun would it be for either of them to end the pursuit too early?

There was not much cover in the small garden of the inn, but he did the best he could, ducking behind thin leafless trees and low walls as Penny aimed for him, retaliating with loosely-packed ammunition that could not hurt her.

At last, she stopped and turned to him with a smile, one hand outstretched. Her face was flushed and her breath came quickly with the exercise and cold air. A few strands of her dark hair tumbled down from her bonnet despite the warm wool cap she had put on beneath it.

She had never looked more beautiful.

“Pax?” she said.

He looked at the snowball in his hand, ready for use, and let it drop to the ground. “Pax.”

With two strides, he was in front of her. He pulled her close and kissed her until she strained against him, one of her hands clasping the nape of his neck to keep him there.

Then she pulled back a few inches and looked him in the eye.

“I win,” she said.

And stuffed a handful of snow down the back of his neck with her other hand before fleeing back towards the inn, glancing over her shoulder to make sure he followed as she laughed in triumph.

“You little devil!” Unable to control his own laughter, he pursued her inside, dodging around a few stray Robsons as she clattered up the stairs, still laughing.

When she got to their door, she turned to press her back against it, her chest heaving with the exercise as she grinned at him. He approached her slowly, feeling like a predator seeking its prey as he moved closer and closer until he pressed her against the door. Her grin faded and her eyes half-lidded with arousal as he loomed over her. Her tongue reached out to moisten her lower lip.

Unlocking the door, he walked her backwards into the room as he kept his gaze fixed on hers. Her skirts brushed against the foot of the bed as he closed the door without looking and locked it again. With deliberate motions, he unbuttoned his greatcoat and threw it aside, followed by his jacket.

“Do you yield?” he asked, and stepped even closer. With each breath, her breasts brushed against his chest. She gazed up at him as though mesmerized, lips parted.

“Yes.”

He cupped the nape of her neck with his icy-cold hand and she laughed aloud, trying to squirm away as he held her head steady for his kiss.

She was so vibrant. So alive, even with her limitations.

He could not bear losing her.

The thought made his desire for her even more urgent, and he swept her back onto the bed in a shower of giggles that quickly turned to moans of pleasure.

And then Hugo held her as tightly as he dared afterwards, fearful of what the future might hold.

He must ask Penny to marry him. He could pretend to himself that it was for practical reasons—to save her reputation, or to keep the Montgomery money in the family—but that would require him to lie to himself.

The true reason was the simplest. He loved her. He had loved her since they were children, and time had not changed that for him. Now that they had spent so much time alone together, he knew it never would. Even if they parted tomorrow, he would never stop loving Penny Montgomery.

That only made the prospect of asking her to marry him more terrifying.

She stirred in his arms and he looked down at her as her eyes fluttered open. She blinked, and then smiled at him as her gaze focused on his face. His heart squeezed for a moment as he caressed her cheek.

Her heart.

“Penny.” He cleared his throat around a sudden constriction, and her brows knitted. “Did they talk to you... did they tell you... do you know about your heart?”

Her expression shuttered, and she sat up with a scowl, forcing him to sit up as well.

“Who told you?”

“Everyone knows. Oliver told us.”