Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Cade’s eyes were hazy. “I can’t take the chance that you’d feel differently tomorrow. I don’t want you to have any regrets.” He pointed down at his crotch. “Believe me, it’s not that I don’t want it. Fucking look at this thing. I couldn’t get any harder for you if I tried.”
My mouth practically watered as I took him in. But if nothing was going to happen between us, it was better if I separated myself from the bulge in his jeans—and cooled down.
“You know what?” I ran a hand down the length of my hair. “I should probably head to my room. We can clean up this mess tomorrow.”
Before he could say anything more, I left him there with a hard-on as I practically ran up the stairs. What the hell has gotten into you, Daria?
Well, I knew what hadn’t gotten into me in apparently too long a while.
I sighed.
After tossing off my shoes, I climbed into bed. I couldn’t stop thinking about Cade. We’d been stuck in this cabin not even a day together, but something had shifted. It was weird. I didn’t know what all this meant—it had happened so fast. After the storm cleared and we left here, would we go back to the way things were? Was our connection exclusive to being trapped in this cabin—or was it something more? The prospect of something more with the last guy on Earth I’d ever expected to connect with scared me as much as it excited me. We work together! What if we screwed things up, and one of us had to quit? We both loved working at the shop so much.
I was getting ahead of myself and needed to stop ruminating. But I couldn’t help it.
I really like him.
I knew one thing: I would not be throwing myself at him tomorrow when this sex fog cleared. I definitely needed to backtrack there.
***
Later that evening, after a lot of scrolling through my phone, I had just about dozed off when I heard the door creak open. A couple seconds later, the bed sank as I felt Cade’s weight on the mattress. That was followed by the warmth of his body at my back.
“Are you awake?” he whispered gruffly.
I stayed frozen and said nothing. It was just easier to pretend to be asleep.
“Well, isn’t that great.” He chuckled. “You’re asleep, and I’m wired.”
With my back still turned to him, I smiled.
He went on. “I’m gonna have to assume that since you apparently wouldn’t have minded if I stuck my dick inside you tonight, you won’t mind if I sleep next to you. I really don’t feel like sleeping on the couch. But hopefully you won’t kick me in the balls when you wake up and find me here.”
My mouth curved into another smile, which soon faded when he changed the subject.
“I can’t believe I told you about Everly. But I guess I had no choice. I didn’t want to lie.” He exhaled. “I never talk about her. It’s too damn painful. Especially around this time of year.” He paused. “She died close to Christmas…”
I shut my eyes tightly to fight the tears.
“It’s part of why I hate the holidays so much.” He blew out a breath. “Anyway, you make it easy to open up, Red. Even when we’re fighting at work, I don’t hold back with you. You give me this…boost of energy that I don’t experience with anyone else. I like fighting with you more than most things. That’s probably why I dream of you.” He sighed deeply. “You’re…fire. Gorgeous fire. And I hope you don’t turn me down when I take my shot again sometime when we’re both sober.”
Now I really wanted to turn around and plant another kiss on his luscious lips. But instead, I replayed his words in my head and listened to the sound of his breathing as we both drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER 9
* * *
Cade
I woke to an empty bed.
A ray of sun streaked in through the window, cutting a rude path directly across my eyes. I threw my arm over my face and groaned.
What time is it?
And where the hell is Daria?
The house was quiet, not a peep to be heard.
Fuck. Did she leave without me?
I whipped the covers off and sprang out of bed, taking the stairs two at a time in a panic. When I got to the bottom, I found Daria staring out the kitchen window, her hands wrapped around a mug.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
She jumped. “Shit. I didn’t hear you come down.”
“Sorry.” I raked a hand through my hair. “How long have you been up?”
“I don’t know. Maybe an hour.”
“What time is it?”
“About seven, I guess.”
The smell of coffee wafted through the air. An almost-full glass pot sat on the counter, so I helped myself. Daria stayed put, not saying a word. Once I fixed my coffee, I walked over and stood beside her as she continued to gaze out the window.