Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna
THE snow was falling thick and hard, obscuring the view out the front window of his truck. Tate cursed softly under his breath as he tried to keep the rig on the blacktop. There was a truck stop about fifty miles up the road. He really wanted to get there before stopping, but it wasn’t looking likely. Thank God his cab had a sleeper – and a heater! The curses got louder when he saw the car on the side of road at an odd angle, the tail-lights still on. Easing the truck to a stop, he pulled his coat on and jumped out. He wasn’t about to leave someone in a car on a night like this. The wind was bitter on his cheeks, making him wish he’d stopped to dig for his scarf and hat too, but hopefully he wouldn’t be out long enough for it to really matter. He peered in the window, tapping urgently when he saw a man sitting in the driver’s seat. Mason had ignored the first few taps on the window, the sound nearly lost in the thick swirl of wind and snow. He’d given up on trying to back out of the deep drift he’d plowed into after swerving off the road, the ice beneath his back wheels keeping him from gaining any traction. His first instinct upon realizing he was well and truly stuck was to get out of the car and look for help, but he’d thought better 2
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna of that as soon as he’d cracked open the door into the blizzard. He had gotten off the interstate when the snow grew heavier, hoping to find a gas station to top off his tank, but the rural exit led to nothing but empty farmland in all directions. He’d driven on for a few minutes, sure he’d find civilization again eventually, but after passing mile after mile of nothing but snow-covered fields, he decided he’d be better off turning around and getting back on the highway. Which was when he’d hit a patch of ice hidden under the snow and spun out, winding up head-first in a drift at the side of the road. With only a quarter-tank of gas left and no prospect of help anywhere near, he was just beginning to worry when the tapping sounded again, too regular to be the wind. He peered out the snow-encrusted window, making out a vague shape behind the frosted glass. Pressing the button to lower the window, he was hit by a blast of wet snow. Rubbing his face and blinking it clear of his lashes, he saw a man standing beside his car, bouncing from one foot to the other in the frigid air. The stranger bent down to look into the window, his warm brown eyes filled with concern. Mason felt a little of the cold recede just from meeting his rescuer’s gaze. “Need some help?” Mason couldn’t see anything but whiteness all around them, making him think just for a moment of heavenly intervention, when the stranger spoke again. “My truck’s just behind you. I’d offer to try and pull you out, but I don’t 3
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna think we really want to try that in the dark and cold. My truck has a sleeper cab, though, and a heater. You’re welcome to share it for the night, and then we can see how things look in the morning.” Tate didn’t know how much gas the driver had left in his car, but it wouldn’t be enough to last the night, even if it was a full tank, and as bitterly cold as it was, he wouldn’t make it to morning if he stayed in the unheated car. “I promise, I don’t bite,” he added reassuringly. Sharing a warm, dry cab sounded infinitely preferable to a night alone in a cold car. From what he could see of his rescuer in the blowing snow, he looked slender, certainly not as bulky as Mason. If he did turn out to be some kind of nut case, Mason was pretty sure he could fend him off. And no one with eyes like dark melted chocolate could be dangerous, could they? “I’ll take you up on that. Thanks.” Mason killed the engine and pocketed his keys, fighting to push the door open against the drift that had already started forming around the car. He was shivering before the door slammed closed behind him. Tucking one hand under his armpit to keep it warm, he extended the other to his new best friend. “I’m Mason.” “Tate,” the trucker said with a smile, taking the hand and shaking it firmly. “Come on, let’s get back to my truck.
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Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna It’s freezing out here. I don’t know what I have in the way of snacks, but we’ll be warm at least.” “Food is the one thing we won’t have to worry about.” Mason pressed the trunk release, though he had to help raise the hood under the weight of the snow that covered it. The interior was filled with large plastic bins and one small suitcase. “As long as you have a sweet tooth, that is.” “What’s all this?” Tate asked curiously, leaning in for a closer look. “Christmas cookies,” Mason answered, picking up one of the bins at random and slamming the trunk before more snow could fall inside. “We may freeze, but at least we won’t starve.” Tate laughed, a full, rich sound somewhat at odds with his wiry frame. “Betty Crocker, are you, man?” “Hey, I’m secure enough in my manhood to admit I enjoy baking.” Mason hoped the trucker wasn’t going to turn out to be a homophobe; he didn’t fancy spending a night in close quarters with an ignorant bigot. He knew he should just keep his mouth shut, but he’d rather find out now. “Is that going to be a problem for you?” “Nope,” Tate replied with a grin. “I like a guy who’s secure in his manhood.” He nudged Mason toward his truck. “So, what kind do you have in there?”
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Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna “Not sure until we open it,” Mason admitted. “I make about two dozen kinds in all; it’ll be luck of the draw what we have in this one.” He glanced over his shoulder at Tate as they trudged through the knee-deep snow, his car already lost from view. “Of course, if you have a favorite, we can always strap on our snowshoes and make a second trip.” Tate shook his head and opened the door to the truck. “Not me! Freezing my balls off once in a night is more than enough, thanks! We’ll make do with whatever you’ve got in there.” He couldn’t stop himself from ogling Mason’s ass as the man climbed into the truck, the motion pulling his jeans tight across his backside. He hoped the manhood comment meant what he thought it did. Looking back to answer as he pulled himself into the truck cab, Mason caught what in other circumstances he’d have been sure was a gleam of interest in his rescuer’s eyes. “Definitely don’t want to put your balls at risk,” he agreed, letting his eyes drop to the body part in question for just a moment before sliding between the two seats and setting the bin on the floor, stepping back to make room for Tate to climb inside. Tate joined him in the cab, catching the appraising look. Well, wasn’t that interesting? “Strap in,” was all he said, though. “I need to get the truck out of the middle of the road, and who knows how much ice there is under all this snow.”
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Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna “Quite a bit. That’s what put me off the road in the first place.” Mason watched in silent admiration after climbing into the passenger seat as Tate put the big rig in gear and maneuvered carefully past his abandoned car. The trucker bit his lower lip as he focused on the slick road, and Mason found himself staring, wondering how those lips would feel against his. Get a grip, Mason, he told himself silently. Tate hadn’t responded to his rather blatant comment, not to mention the leer that accompanied it. He’d be a fool to risk getting kicked out into the snow by making a pass at his rescuer, no matter how good-looking Mason found him. Finding a spot where the snowdrifts were low enough not to trap the truck, Tate pulled onto the shoulder, turning on the hazards and leaving the engine to idle. Unfastening his seatbelt, he grinned at Mason. “Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly. And bring that bin. I want to see what kind of cookies we got.” Deciding it couldn’t hurt to look as long as he didn’t touch, Mason took his turn eyeing Tate’s slender ass appreciatively as the trucker clambered into the sleeper. It might not have much padding for long road trips, but it filled out his jeans just the way Mason liked them. Shaking his head at himself, he picked up the bin of cookies and followed his host. “Catch a lot of flies in here, do you?” “Not hardly,” Tate laughed, settling on the double bunk and snapping on the space heater. “I’m not interested 7
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna in what’s on offer at most of the truck stops, and I’d just as soon not get decked for coming on to the wrong guy.” So he hadn’t misinterpreted that glance after all! “I know what you mean,” Mason said as he looked around the small space, not sure where to park himself. He settled for setting the plastic bin on the floor between them and arching to stretch the muscles in his lower back. “I don’t admit my hobby to most guys until I’m sure they aren’t going to hassle me about being the ‘little woman’.” “I’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth,” Tate assured him, enjoying the view as Mason stretched. He was sure the other man wasn’t intending to be provocative, but it was definitely piquing Tate’s interest. “I’ve got a sweet tooth like you wouldn’t believe, so you’re temptation incarnate with those cookies. But why so many?” Mason shrugged. “I come from a big family, and my mom always baked a lot during the holidays. That’s one of my favorite memories: helping her roll out dough and stealing a pinch when I thought she wasn’t looking. She was always looking.” He smiled at the memory, his expression softening. “Mom’s gotten too old to manage that much baking any more, and of all my brothers and sisters, I’m the only one who really enjoys it. So it’s just turned into a tradition. I bake all Mom’s specialties, and I like to try a new recipe or two every year myself, so the number just keeps growing.” His cheeks flushed a little as he admitted, “Since I moved to Atlanta and most of the family is still in Chicago, I 8
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna bought special stacking tins and these big plastic tubs to transport them all. Sounds kind of silly, I guess.” “Not at all,” Tate replied quickly, unaware of the wistful look on his face. “I think it’s fabulous that you’d carry on a family tradition that way.” He didn’t tell Mason that his own family hadn’t spoken to him since the day he told them he was gay. “Do you need to call and let them know you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere for the night?” he offered. “You can use my cell.” “They aren’t expecting me until tomorrow anyway. If my mom knows I’m stuck, she’ll just worry, even though there isn’t anything she can do about it.” He smiled, a little confused by the expression in Tate’s soulful eyes. “You know how moms are. No matter how old you get, you’re still their baby.” “So tell her you found some gorgeous stud to screw you silly,” Tate suggested with an exaggerated leer, deliberately sidestepping the comment about mothers. He wished his mother still thought of him as her baby. “She’d demand I bring you home so she could meet you.” Mason settled on the bed beside Tate, reaching out to rest a hand on the trucker’s knee. “How about you just screw me silly instead, and we’ll call her later?” Tate grinned. “I can do that.” He reached for Mason’s coat, sliding it off his shoulders and tossing it aside before 9
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna shrugging out of his own winter gear. Leaning forward, he captured the soft lips in a hungry kiss. “That okay?” he asked, knowing not all guys liked to kiss their one-night stands. “More than okay.” Mason ran his tongue over Tate’s full lower lip before capturing it in a gentle kiss. “You know you bite this when you’re concentrating? Made me want to do this while you were driving, but then we’d both have wound up off the road.” “You can do it all you want now,” Tate husked, his hands sliding over Mason’s chest, searching for the hem of the other man’s sweatshirt. Finding it, he burrowed beneath it, seeking skin. It took digging under another two layers, but he eventually reached his goal, finding hot, hard flesh, lightly dusted with hair. “Cold hands,” Mason murmured against Tate’s lips, wondering if he could be lucky enough for the second half of that proverb to hold true. He arched into his rescuer’s touch, the skin rapidly warming as it skimmed over his, finding all his hot spots. His own hands burrowed under the trucker’s quilted flannel shirt, exploring the smooth flesh with equal zeal. “Sorry,” Tate apologized, but he didn’t move his hands away. Mason moved too eagerly beneath his touch for him to mistake the comment for a true complaint. “I’ll just have
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Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna to warm them up.” He focused on the other man’s reactions, zeroing in on the spots that made him gasp and writhe. “Oh, you’re getting me plenty warm.” Feeling emboldened by Tate’s dominant caresses, he placed a palm over one of the trucker’s hands and slid it lower, over the bulge swelling beneath his jeans. “In fact, I’d say I’m pretty damn hot.” Tate grinned and squeezed gently. “Good.” Nimble fingers quickly undid the buttons, sliding inside to find the soft cotton of Mason’s briefs. He slid his hand beneath them, circling the hardening shaft and sliding it out into the cool air. “Looks good enough to eat.” “Ah, fuck.” Mason groaned at the provocative words and even more inflammatory touch. “Be my guest. I’ve already brought the dessert.” Grin widening, Tate lowered his head and licked lightly at the shining tip of Mason’s cock. “Oh, I don’t know,” he disagreed. “I think I’m the winner in the dessert lottery.” Not waiting for a reply, he closed his lips around the head of the thick shaft and worked it deeper into his mouth, his tongue pressing against the sensitive vein. Any clever rejoinder he might have made flew right out of Mason’s head, along with any conscious thought other than how fucking good Tate’s mouth felt around him. He wound his fingers into the trucker’s long dark hair, fighting 11
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna the urge to thrust up into the sensual heat. When one of Tate’s hands palmed his balls through his briefs, he groaned wordlessly, giving himself over completely to the best blow job he’d had in longer than he could remember. Only when he felt the tightening ache in his groin that told him he was near to losing it did he pull away slightly. “Close,” he gasped, realizing he’d forgotten to breathe while Tate was sucking him. “Not sure if that’s what you want. I’d be happy to return the favor, or if you’d rather….” He trailed off, not sure how to ask if Tate would rather bottom or top. “What do you want?” Tate asked, lifting his head just enough to talk, his breath rushing across the heated flesh. “Do you want to come now or when I’m balls deep in your ass? Or both?” “Shit! Both!” Mason didn’t care if that made him sound incredibly greedy. At the rate it was snowing, he’d have plenty of opportunity to return the favor. Tate didn’t seem to mind, sucking him deep again and rolling his balls in his hand until Mason’s entire body seized in bliss. Throwing his head back, he moaned Tate’s name as his release poured out of him, leaving him trembling while his new lover licked him clean before sliding up beside him. Mason let Tate’s weight carry him back on the bed, bringing Tate with him as he tasted himself in a deep, passionate kiss. Tate returned the kiss, grinding his aching cock against Mason’s hip. Feeling the heater finally winning its 12
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna battle against the chilly night, he worked his hands beneath them, peeling away layers of clothes until he could get at Mason’s body. “So what’ll it take to get you hard again so I can make good on my offer?” he asked, his hand running up and down Mason’s side. Bending his head, he nipped at the other man’s nipples. As wonderful as that felt, Mason wasn’t a selfish lover, and Tate’s attentions had been pretty one-sided up until now. Doing some undressing of his own, he bared the chest he had explored with his hands, using his superior weight to flip Tate onto his side. “You’re not the only one with a sweet tooth,” he answered, bending to lick at a toffee-colored aureole. “Delicious.” He lapped at the other side as well, alternating back and forth in his own personal taste test. Tate tensed as Mason rolled him to the side. Despite his slender build, he was used to being the one in control, but he thought maybe, with this man, it might be worth giving up control for a bit. Consciously relaxing, he lay back and let Mason lick and kiss to his heart’s content. Once he’d proved to his satisfaction – and Tate’s – that both nipples tasted equally sweet, Mason moved lower, nuzzling his way down the trucker’s toned abdomen. He dipped his tongue into the dent of Tate’s belly button before his attention was caught by a flash of color peeking from under the waistband of the other man’s jeans. Popping the button to ease them open revealed a brightly inked phoenix adorning one hip. Mason paid it the attention it deserved, 13
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna tracing the outline with his lips while his fingers toyed in the fine trail of dark hair disappearing beneath the elastic of Tate’s boxers. “Nice tat.” “Thanks,” Tate gasped. “Got it just before I started driving a truck.” He didn’t want to talk about the symbolism of it, though, so he shifted around until he could reach Mason’s cock with his hand, stroking it firmly to distract his new lover. Mason was already hard enough for round two, but he wasn’t ready to give up exploring his rescuer just yet. Easing his hands around Tate’s lean backside, he slid jeans and boxers down below his hips. Tate’s cock bounded up proudly, a long, perfectly shaped shaft anchored in a nest of dark hair. Mason bent to nip playfully at the wiry curls, then ran the flat of his tongue up the underside of the sensitive rod, circling the base of the flared head and lapping at the creamy fluid leaking from the tip. “Tastes as good as it looks.” “Don’t do too much of that,” Tate groaned, his hips rocking against the exploring tongue as his climax threatened, “or I won’t be able to fuck you the way you deserve.” “Don’t know what I did to deserve you,” Mason admitted, leaning up from Tate’s cock with reluctance, “but that’s a treat I don’t intend to miss.” Working his way out of
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Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna his jeans, he dropped them off the side of the bunk, sure Tate would find a way to keep them both warm. “It’s Christmas,” Tate quipped, shimmying out of his own jeans so they were both gloriously naked. “Good will to all, and all that.” He rolled to sit up, reaching for condoms and lube in the cabinet next to the bed. “Come on, stud. Lay back down so I can screw you silly.” Dropping back beside Tate, Mason wrapped his arms around his lover’s waist, pulling him close to conserve their warmth. “I’ll settle for sharing my good will with you,” he retorted, preferring not to think about Tate doing this with anyone else. He drew Tate into a fiery kiss instead, determined to drive thoughts of anyone else out of the other man’s head, at least for this night. Letting Mason control the kiss, Tate took control of the rest, slicking his fingers and rolling Mason to his back. When the bigger man’s legs parted, the trucker urged him to lift a knee, opening himself further to the probing digits. Tate found the puckered entrance, playing around the outside edge. Since he’d graduated from college and gotten some sense, Mason hadn’t fallen into bed with anyone this quickly, but he’d never felt as immediate a connection as he did with Tate. It was more than the dynamics of their circumstances or the warmth of the holiday season; there was something here that he hoped would have the opportunity to develop 15
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna beyond this chance encounter. Tate’s slick finger teasing around his hole brought his attention firmly back to the here and now. “Oh, yeah,” he groaned, planting a foot on the mattress to arch up into the frustratingly insubstantial touch. “Right there, right now.” Tate obliged, his finger sliding slowly into the tight heat until he couldn’t go any deeper. He crooked it, massaging the walls of the passage until he found the bump that made his new lover squirm and cry out. It was music to his ears, so he settled to play, running his fingernail back and forth over the spongy node until Mason’s moans grew desperate. Mason wasn’t sure where Tate was getting his patience from. He was nearly wild to feel the other man buried inside him, and he’d already come once. Arching his shoulders up from the mattress, he grabbed Tate and pulled his lover on top of him, kissing him roughly. “Want. You. Inside. Now.” He punctuated each word with a hard, deep kiss. Tate grabbed a condom and tore it open, rolling it down the length of his shaft and running a slick hand over the latex. He wasn’t convinced Mason was stretched enough for this to be comfortable, but he’d just go slow and hope the other man would tell him if it hurt. “Want to turn over?” he offered. “Not if it means I have to stop kissing you.” Not sure what else he could say to convince Tate he was ready, he 16
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna grasped the sheathed shaft in his fist, stroking a few times before guiding it to his entrance, lifting his hips to ease the way. Deciding that was an invitation if he’d ever seen one, Tate mated their lips as he slotted his cock between the taut cheeks of Mason’s ass. The muscle resisted at first, but Tate kept bumping against it until it relaxed and the tip of his erection popped through. He felt Mason gasp into the kiss, so he lifted his head. “Okay?” “Yeah,” Mason panted, relaxing around the blunt intrusion until the discomfort eased. He rocked his hips, urging Tate to press deeper. “More.” Rocking as slowly as his strained control would let him, Tate started working his cock deeper into the snug ingress, pushing deeper each time before withdrawing almost completely, letting the still-tight ring of muscle work his entire length. The slow, gentle in-and-out tantalized Mason, the head of Tate’s cock massaging the walls of his sheath without reaching deep enough to grant him the sensation he craved. His heels wrapped around Tate’s thighs, urging him closer, deeper. “More. Fill me up.” Giving in, Tate thrust as deep as he could go, stopping when he reached bottom, gasping and grunting as he fought
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Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna not to come on the spot. good.”
“Fuck,” he groaned.
“You feel
“So do you,” Mason moaned. He rocked under Tate’s weight, the pressure rubbing him in just the right spot. “We fit together just right.” A jolt of pleasure shook through him, and he pulled Tate’s head down into a hard kiss, trying to spear his tongue as deep into his lover’s throat as Tate was filling his ass. Tate couldn’t reply with Mason’s tongue claiming his mouth, but he echoed the sentiment in the silence of his heart. He’d never clicked with someone sexually the way he’d clicked with Mason, an instant flare of attraction that wouldn’t be denied. He only hoped that carried over into other areas of their lives, because the idea of letting Mason slip through his fingers was already anathema. Mason could feel his second orgasm creeping up on him, but he wasn’t going to come again without taking Tate with him. Tightening the muscles he’d just convinced to relax, he squeezed around the shaft impaling him, canting his hips in as much motion as the weight of the body atop him would allow. His hands roamed over Tate’s back, filling his palms with the lean buttocks before slipping a finger between the cheeks. Tate reared back into the probing finger. “Oh, fuck!” he gasped, grabbing Mason’s cock and shunting his hand up and down on it rapidly. “Not ... gonna ... last.” 18
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna “Don’t,” Mason rasped, bearing down on Tate’s cock and pressing on the wrinkled pucker, not wanting to push inside with a dry finger but hoping the touch would send Tate over the edge. “I’m ... right ... behind you....” “With me,” Tate begged, his hand flying faster over Mason’s cock, his hips stuttering against his lover’s ass. The tremors started, filling the reservoir at the tip of the condom, spurt after spurt of hot creamy fluid. He threw his head back, his eyes rolling wildly in their sockets as he climaxed. The instant Mason felt Tate tremble against him, he let his own control slip. His first orgasm had been powerful, but this one was even stronger, the stretch of Tate’s cock, the warmth of the release he could feel even through the condom, the weight of his lover’s body shaking against him all combining to send him flying. His cock pulsed between their bellies, come slickening their skin as they collapsed together, panting raggedly. Mason ran a hand down Tate’s back, silently wishing the connection he felt uniting them could last. Tate didn’t want to move, but he could feel his cock softening, and that meant pulling out and dealing with the condom. Groaning in protest, he rolled to the side, grabbing a tissue to dispose of the used latex, then another one to wipe Mason’s stomach off tenderly. He kissed the other man gently and curled up against him. “You’re not allergic to snuggling, are you?”
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Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna “I majored in snuggling in college,” Mason answered, tangling his legs with Tate’s and draping an arm over his waist. “Besides, we probably ought to conserve body heat and all, given the storm.” Tate laughed again, that rich, hearty sound that tugged at Mason’s heart. “Oh, we should definitely conserve body heat.” He shifted a little to pull the covers over them, throwing his leg over Mason’s thighs as he put his head back against his lover’s shoulder. “Warm enough?” “Mmnnn, toasty.” Mason rested a hand on Tate’s dark hair, their nestled position feeling as intimate as when they’d been making love. “I may not move until the spring thaw.” “How many cookies did you say you had in your trunk?” Tate joked, hiding his earnestness beneath teasing words. “We could just stay here until they’re gone.” “Just the two of us? They’d probably last until next Christmas.” That sounded just fine to Mason; he was beginning to realize he wanted his new lover in his life even longer than that. Tate hesitated as if calculating in his head. “I don’t think the diesel would last that long, but we could try.” “I have a better idea,” Mason offered hesitantly. “What if whenever the snow lets up, we load all the cookies into your truck and drive up to meet my family?” He hoped Tate would understand the commitment that offer implied. 20
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna Tate would have liked nothing better, both because Mason had asked and because it had been years since he’d been part of a family at the holidays. “I’ve got to make this delivery,” he groaned, “or I’ll be out of a job, and I have another three months before I’ve paid off the truck. I’m sorry. I’d like nothing more than to go with you, but I’ve got to be deep into Montana by the day after tomorrow.” His arms tightened as if he could somehow keep Mason with him. “I could, well, if you’re still in Chicago, I could stop on my way back through. We could meet up for New Year’s.” “I’d like that.” Mason usually headed back home before New Year’s Eve, the parties where most of his family and friends were paired into couples uncomfortable reminders of his single state. “I’d like to ring in the New Year with you.” Tate’s mother had always said, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” He’d hated that saying growing up, but now it came back to him and he knew he had to take the risk. “And maybe a little more than just the New Year?” he suggested quietly. Mason’s heart soared at the quiet words. Running off the road had just become the best luck he’d ever had. “If you don’t mind a cookie-baking Betty Crocker warming your kitchen.” “I don’t mind that if you don’t mind a trucker’s dirty boots under your bed.” This was crazy. They barely knew 21
Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna each other, but Tate just couldn’t get past how right it felt to be here like this. “I work crazy hours, I’m demanding at the best of times and I’ve been known to be quite a bastard at the worst of times, but I’ve never felt anything like this and I want to see where it goes.” “You’re a warm-hearted man who stopped to help a complete stranger and offer him shelter,” Mason corrected. “Maybe it was more than chance that brought us together, but either way I feel it too, and I’m not about to let it – or you– go. I just wish you didn’t have to drive away from me so soon.” Maybe Tate would interpret his concern as clinginess, the way his ex had done, but Mason had to be honest about what he felt. “I’ll worry about you, especially in this bad weather.” Tate shrugged. “I’ll be extra careful now,” he promised, tilting Mason’s head toward his for a kiss. “I have someone to come home to.”
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Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna ARIEL TACHNA lives in southwestern Ohio with her husband, her daughter and son, and their cat. A native of the region, she has nonetheless lived all over the world, having fallen in love with both France, where she found her career and her husband, and India, where she dreams of retiring some day. She started writing when she was 12 and hasn't looked back since. A connoisseur of wine and horses, she's as comfortable on a farm as she is in the big cities of the world.
Growing up in Chicago, NICKI BENNETT spent every Saturday at the central library, losing herself in the world of books. A voracious reader, she eventually found it hard to find enough of the kind of stories she liked to read … and decided she needed to start writing them herself.
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Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna Other titles from Nicki…
Other titles from Ariel…
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Weathering the Storm Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna
©Copyright Nicki Bennett & Ariel Tachna, 2008 Published by Dreamspinner Press 4760 Preston Road Suite 244-149 Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Cover Art by Dan Skinner/Cerberus Inc.
[email protected] Cover Design by Mara McKennen This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ Released in the United States of America December, 2008
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