Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 103(@200wpm)___ 82(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 103(@200wpm)___ 82(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
Until she’s begging me to do more than just keep her warm.
I lean against the tree, arms crossed over my chest, watching as she struggles with the wood. She’s got no idea what she’s doing, and it’s almost amusing to watch. Almost. But there’s something about her, something that makes me want to step in, to take over and do it right. Hell, if she were mine, she wouldn’t be out here freezing her sweet little ass off. I’d have her wrapped up in my bed, those legs tangled with mine, those full lips gasping for breath as I showed her exactly how a real man takes care of a woman.
I shake my head, pushing off the tree. I’ve got no business thinking about her like this. She’ll either figure it out or go back to the city where I’m guessing she came from. But the thought of her shivering in that drafty cabin, all alone with no one to keep her warm, twists something deep inside me. I can’t just leave her like that, no matter how much I tell myself I should. There should be smoke coming from the chimney by now, but there isn’t a hint of it. Looking up at the sky, I see gray, ominous clouds sweeping in. I frown, remembering the weather report I heard on the radio earlier today. A big rain and thunderstorm is predicated to come in tomorrow, and it is always worse up here in the mountain.
I knock on the door, the sound echoing in the stillness. My cock is still hard, and I take a deep breath, trying to get my shit together before she opens the door. When she does, her eyes go wide, and fuck, that look... it’s enough to make me want to push her up against the wall and take her right then and there.
“Looks like you could use some help,” I say, my voice rougher than I intend, but I don’t give her a chance to respond as I step inside.
She’s staring at me, a mix of relief and something else in her eyes—something that only makes me harder. “I was doing just fine,” she says, but there’s a shiver in her voice, and damn, her breasts pressing against the thin fabric of her bra. I can’t stop staring at them, imagining what they’d feel like under my hands, under my tongue.
“Sure you were,” I reply, moving past her to the fireplace. I kneel down, and she’s right behind me, close enough that I can smell her—something sweet, something that makes me want to bury my face in her neck and breathe her in until I’m dizzy. But I keep it together, focusing on the fire instead of the way her body is making mine react.
The flames catch immediately, and the warmth fills the room almost instantly. She lets out a breath, and I can see her relax, her shoulders dropping as the tension melts away.
“Thank you,” she says, her voice softer now, and damn if that doesn’t do something to me, hearing her sound like that, like she’s letting her guard down just for me. “I’m Lena, by the way.”
“You here alone?”
She nods. “Yeah, I just came in today, from the city.”
“I’m Cade. I live across the way, saw you pull in.” Then I nod, standing up and brushing off my jeans. “I’m happy to start your fire. But next time, don’t wait until you’re half-frozen to ask for help.”
She opens her mouth to argue, but the look in my eyes stops her. There’s something there, something that I can’t quite name, and it’s not just about the fire. It’s about her. And me.
“Goodnight, Lena,” I say, my voice low as I head for the door. I need to get out of here before I do something stupid, like pull her into my arms and kiss the breath out of her.
“Goodnight,” she replies, her voice trailing off as she watches me leave.
I step out into the cold night, the wind biting at my skin, but I hardly feel it. The warmth of the fire lingers on my skin, along with the memory of her standing there, looking at me like she’s waiting for something.
As I walk away, I can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, she’s not as alone as she thinks.
two
LENA
I wake up to the cold, a chill that’s settled into my bones despite the fire Cade helped me with last night. The cabin is quiet, too quiet, and I’m reminded once again how far I am from the city, from everything I know. I rub my arms, trying to chase away the cold, but it’s not just the temperature that has me feeling off. It’s the emptiness, the loneliness of this place. I came here to escape, to find some kind of peace, but now I’m starting to wonder if I made a mistake.