Gizmo squeezed past her, ran into the room with his tail wagging, jumped on the cushioned bench at the end of the bed and then hopped on the bed.
“Arff! Arff!”
“He’s been waiting for you to get up. It seems that Gizmo approves of you, which is saying something because he doesn’t take to many people. Usually he hides.”
Gizmo rushed up to Jackson and before Jackson could move fast enough, Gizmo licked his cheek. “Yes, Gizmo. I like you, too. And it’s okay, sometimes I want to hide from people, too.” After wiping the wet kiss from his cheek, Jackson turned his attention back to Serena. Their gazes met and he smiled. “I don’t even have to ask what happened to you. I can see by that glint in your eyes that the writing is going well.”
“It is. And this screenplay is going to be even better than the first one.”
“It better be.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I was the inspiration, remember?”
Her cheeks grew rosy. “I remember.” And then she pulled a white pastry box from behind her back. “I have a surprise for you.”
His empty stomach rumbled its anticipation. “And what have you been up to besides writing?”
“I drove into the village.”
“Did you sleep at all?”
She nodded. “But I’m an early riser.”
“You couldn’t have gotten much sleep.”
She shrugged. “That’s what coffee is for. And that reminds me. I picked up some more dark chocolate while I was in the village. I don’t kno
w if it’s as good as what you bought at the Christmas market, but it was all I could get at that hour of the morning.”
He arched a brow. “I take it you really like the cocoa?”
“Oh, yes. What could be better? Chocolate and fresh pastries.”
He climbed out of bed. “You don’t have to convince me.” He threw on some clothes and headed for the door. He paused to place a kiss on her lips. “Well, what are you doing standing there? We have some cocoa to make.”
It didn’t take long until he had the milk warmed and the chocolate melted into it. With two steamy cups and a box of pastries, they returned to the great room. Serena had started a fire while he was taking care of things in the kitchen. And she’d thought to turn on the Christmas tree lights. It was a very cozy setting, even if the cabin was quite large.
She turned to him on the couch. “Do you know what the best part of a chilly morning is?”
“There’s a best part?”
She smiled and nodded. “Snuggling together under a blanket.”
He reached for the throw on the back of the couch and snuggled it around Serena before draping what was left over his legs. Gizmo decided it was a good idea and joined them on the couch.
“You know I could get used to this,” she said.
Jackson leaned toward her and pressed his lips to hers. He didn’t say it, but he could get used to this, too. This relationship was so different from the others in his past.
Serena was more than willing to meet him halfway, like her thoughtful trip to the village for breakfast food or her attempt to cook dinner, even though it was a struggle. It didn’t matter to him if she’d burned the food, he’d have still loved it, just because she put herself out there for him.
He deepened the kiss. She tasted sweet like chocolate and it had never tasted so good. His hand cupped her face. He never wanted to let her go.
And yes, he knew that their time together was almost at an end. He had a flight back to New York in less than forty-eight hours. When he’d flown to Austria, he hadn’t wanted to come. He’d been fully focused on his career and he’d wanted to be any other place but the Alps, where no news ever happened. Instead he’d found something more important—happiness.
He pulled back so that he could look into Serena’s eyes. “Do you know how happy you make me?”