She was in jeans and a flannel shirt worn open over a T-shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. He sometimes teased her about the Zoey Uniform, but it suited her. She looked up at him with a wide smile, holding the phone to her ear.

“I promise we’re fine, Whitney. I’m glad the winery is okay. You guys stay warm and safe tonight.” She listened to Whitney’s reply and rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. Mike and I are friends, and I have a spare room. This is not an only-one-bed situation.” Another pause. “I’m hanging up now.” She half sang the words, then put the phone on the table and shook her head. “Now that our friends are all getting married, they’ve turned into mushy romantics.”

He grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the counter and two glasses from the cupboard. Then he joined her at the table and splashed whiskey in both glasses. He held his glass up with a grin.

“I’m not sure I know how to drink with you using actual glasses instead of red plastic cups.” He drained his glass, closing his eyes as it warmed him from the inside. Zoey returned his toast and took a sip.

“Ooh, that feels so good...” The words came out as a coo, soft and sensual.

Damn. He’d done so well not thinking about Zoey sleeping in a bed just one room from his tonight. Now it was the only thing he could think about. Would she wear a nightgown? Pajamas? Did she sleep in the nude? What would that look like? He refilled his glass.

Zoey let out a long sigh. Her cheeks had just a touch of pink by the lantern light. Was that from the whiskey, or was she thinking the same thing he was?

She took a bigger gulp of her drink, then coughed a little as it went down. Before he could say anything, she dropped her feet to the floor and stood, looking determined.

“Speaking of sleeping, we may as well head up and get some.” Her cheeks darkened. “Some sleep, I mean. The power’s not coming on anytime soon, so there’s not much else to do.”

He could think of several things to do, but she was right. It was early for him to go to bed, but the sooner they got themselves into separate rooms, the better. He stood and handed her one of the lanterns, then followed her up the stairs. Zoey’s very fine backside swayed back and forth in front of him, and, well—he was a man, after all. He forced his body to stand down, but it wasn’t easy.