Stranded With a Hero by Karen Erickson, Cindi Madsen, Coleen Kwan, Roxanne Snopek

locked away together in her house, snowed in for the last two days. They’d become closer and closer, talking and laughing and trying to help each other to make things work while the power was still out.
    But the weather had miraculously cleared. Though it was still gloomy, the air was warmer and the snow had started to melt. Josh figured they could get out by tomorrow.
    She was both thankful—considering tomorrow was Christmas—yet sad. She liked staying here in their own romantic bubble. What if things changed once they had to face reality again? What if Josh left her? He could. This could be his way of finally getting revenge on her after the way she treated him back in high school. She’d deserve it, too.
    “Hey.” He dragged his finger between her brows, tracing the slope of her nose and gently tapping the end. “You’re frowning. You look worried.”
    “Josh…” She broke off and she shook her head. She shouldn’t complain, shouldn’t express her worry. She had no business doing so; she hardly knew him. This entire thing had happened so fast and she felt so comfortable, so right with him, yet it also was exhilarating and exciting and new.
    To express her concerns would be throwing a damper on everything between them.
    Leaning in, he kissed her. His soft, warm mouth set her head spinning and she wondered if she would ever grow used to Josh’s kisses.
    God, she hoped not.
    “Be honest with me, Min. Don’t hold back.”
    She sighed, smoothing her hand down the front of his shirt. His heart pounded furiously beneath her palm, and she shifted her head back to meet his gaze. “Things aren’t going to change once we leave my house, are they? I mean, I know my life is still sort of complicated and I have excess baggage as in my ex and my kids. It won’t be easy, being with me. And oh my God, I’m talking like we’re going to get married, which I know isn’t the case because I’m really jumping to conclusions aren’t I?”
    “Min. Sweetheart.” He pressed his finger over her lips to silence her, then gently traced the curve of her bottom lip. His touch made her tremble, every single time. “You’re rambling.”
    “I know,” she whispered against his finger, wishing she could lick it. They may have spent a lot of time together, but they hadn’t taken it any further than heavy kissing sessions and wandering hands. Not that she wanted to take it further. They needed to get to know each other again and take it slow.
    Lies. All lies. She would love it if Josh stripped her naked and made her his in every sense of the word. Just thinking about making love with Josh sent a fresh rush of pleasure through her, making her tremble.
    He dropped his finger from her lips and she felt the loss keenly. “I want to be with you.” The sincerity in his voice, glittering in his eyes, made her heart soar. “I can’t wait to meet your boys again and get to know them. And I don’t care about Marty. I’ll show him respect as your boys’ father, but I don’t need to be his friend.”
    She smiled. “I don’t expect you two to be friends.”
    “Good,” he said with a grunt. “We may be taking this too fast but, Min, I’ve known you forever and then I lost you. Now that you’re back in my life, I’m not that same kid who gave up so easily all those years ago. I’m going to fight for you. I can’t stand the thought of losing you again.”
    “Fighting won’t be necessary,” she murmured, curling her arms around his neck and bringing his head down to hers. “I surrender to you completely, Josh.”
    He kissed her, long and deep and with plenty of tongue. “Words like that make me want to push this between us even further,” he admitted when they broke the kiss.
    She feathered his jaw with tender kisses. “That was my plan.”
    Josh slipped his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face up so her gaze met his. “You mean it? I’m trying to go slow here, even if it’s killing me. You just got out of this