The flames of the fire licked at the wood, crackling and popping every once in a while as it burned. Michelle snuggled closer to Evan as she watched the mesmerizing dance of flames. Outside the snow was still falling but she wasn’t worried about getting back to her parents’ house. Her parents may not have been thrilled about the idea of her spending so much of her holiday break with Evan but ever since they’d met on Christmas, they couldn’t seem to get enough of each other. She’d managed to sneak away to spend at least an hour or two in his arms the three days since Christmas and those three days had been the most erotic and sexually satisfying of her entire life. She couldn’t even remember why she’d been so reluctant to board the plane in Chicago and come back to Pennsylvania to spend time with her family for the holidays. At the time, she had felt as though her entire life was falling apart. Now she felt the stirring of new beginning. This time of year held a truly magical charm about it. The beginning of a new calendar held the promise of a fresh start in life. She was certain now that Evan could be a part of that. They had been drawn to each other at a point in life when they both needed someone to fill a void. Not only did he have a way about him in the bedroom but it turned out that he was very easy to talk to as well. She couldn’t find a single thing about him that she didn’t like. It sure didn’t hurt that he was drop-dead gorgeous either. Every time she looked into his dark, lusty eyes, her heart melted and she felt the warm tremors all over her body. She’d never get enough of running her hands over his rippled chest. He was perfect in every way, all man, all confidence, and all sex. She wanted to consume every part of him. They relaxed together with his hand draped casually over her shoulder holding her to his side as she snuggled into him. Her dark curls were tucked behind her head in a loose ponytail and they had a fleece comforter draped over their naked bodies as they sat on the couch enjoying the warmth of the fireplace. They’d already had sex twice since she’d walked in his front door and she doubted they were finished yet. As the snow continued to fall, making the roads outside dangerous for passing cars, the hope lingered that she’d have a plausible excuse for spending the night. Even as an adult, she still felt a little funny about making her activities with men obvious to her parents. She wasn’t naïve enough to think that her parents didn’t know what was going on behind closed doors but that didn’t mean she had to rub it in their faces either. She’d mistakenly assumed at first that her parents would look at Evan as a good thing. After all, they’d been suggesting she move home from Chicago ever since things went south with her soon-to-be ex-husband. Evan would give her reason to move. As it turned out, however, her parents weren’t so quick to warm up to Evan. Part of that may have been the family upset that she’d caused when she’d basically stolen Evan right out from under her cousin Maxine’s nose on Christmas Day, but she supposed mostly it was the fact that they were still coming to terms with the fact that she and Steve were no longer a couple. Michelle may be ready to move on with her life but her parents were not. It was going to take some convincing before they were ready to accept that Evan may be the new man in her life. If that was in fact what he was. Even though they’d been spending so much time together and she was deliriously happy, she was still resistant to trusting again so soon. Evan clearly liked having sex with her but they had yet to go on a regular date. Perhaps she was nothing more than a good time before she disappeared back to Chicago? He’d never brought up her return ticket so she didn’t have much reason to think he cared about the fact that she wasn’t sticking around forever. Then again, she reasoned,