“Well, there could be a manual switch somewhere in the house. Or you may have to call the water company. Why don’t you call your dad and ask?”
“Because I didn’t want anyone to know I was here. The minute I tell my parents, my cousins, aunts, and uncles will descend on the place worrying about me.”
“Ah. Yeah. I forgot. Is there like a neighbor or someone that could help?”
I thought back to my drive in and remembered that most of the neighbors seemed home, though most homeowners used automatic lights as a security system.
“Next door. Mr. and Mrs. Peppers could help.” The house adjacent to ours had a walkthrough between the yards that Ryan and I used to take when we wanted to play with their grandkids. “Thanks, Katy. I should probably get over there before it gets too dark.”
I hung up from the call with Katy and debated pulling my car into the garage before heading next door, but I considered the darkened sky and thought better of it. Grabbing my keys, I locked up the front of the house and exited through the side door off of the kitchen. The forest was washed in shadows reminding me of the scary fairytales I watched as a young girl, but there was still enough light in the sky to find the path Ryan and I had carved out decades ago.
It didn’t take long to cross the few acres between the properties and I was glad to see that a few lights had been turned on since I drove by. At least I knew that someone was most likely home. The couple lived in their cabin full time or had been when I was here last.
As I breached the forest, my eyes landed on the masterpiece that was in their backyard. There was a natural waterfall trickling down into a pool of water that fed into a local stream. They seemed to have done some work because lights were installed around the water, shifting and changing in color. Soft music played from hidden speakers, the lights matching the music. It was a fairy paradise. The sound of running water was louder than I recalled as a child, but they probably added the noise to enhance the overall aesthetic.
I absolutely couldn’t wait to say hello to the owners and ask if I could take a closer look at their work of art.
In a much better mood than before, I made my way around their house, heading for the front door.
Their cabin was built almost exactly like ours, except they had an entire glass solarium at the back of the house. It was a reader’s dream and I had visions of creating one for myself one day. I could just imagine sitting in that room during a storm, the rain pitter-patting against the glass panes as I snuggled under a blanket reading my favorite romance novel.
A sigh escaped from my lips as I approached their front door. I rang the doorbell and waited. After a minute of it going unanswered, I repeated the motion and followed up with a knock on the glass insert. I was surprised that no one answered the door. And discouraged. I was really hoping that someone would be home and able to help me figure out whatever was wrong with my parent’s help. And with discretion. I didn’t want any friends to slip to my mom and dad that I was at the cabin.
“Shit,” I grumbled as I descended the brick stairs and turned to go back toward the pathway.
Before being swallowed up by the now dark sky and darker shadows of the woods, I stopped and admired the view once more. It was simply majestic and I’d give anything to put up camp by the pond and gaze upon it through the night.
The music playing in the background abruptly stopped and I startled in alarm. The lights and the sloshing water continued to make noise amongst the crickets and wildlife.
“Hello?” I called out, wondering if the couple was outback enjoying the view just as I had been. “Mr. and Mrs. Peppers? Are you there?”
Cautiously I approached the deck protruding from their lower-level walkout. There was a built-in fire pit surrounded by six Adirondack chairs. I bypassed all of them as I noticed a new storage building with lights coming from beneath the door.
I placed my fist against the wooden door and knocked, only to have the door swing open. It took a moment for the steam to clear, but what was before me was far less traumatizing than finding an older couple in an outdoor shower. Instead, my gaze traveled up from the well-toned legs that had multiple animal designs wrapped around the skin. It wasn’t intentional, but my eyes stopped and widened at the most perfect ass I had ever seen. Soap and water dripped over the defined globes and I couldn’t help but wonder how many squats it took to create such perfection.
My stare was quickly broken as the specimen turned around and I got an eyeful of pure man. My God, I had never seen a cock quite so perfect. I was certain that my favorite authors were making up the oversized length and girth for their heroes, but this man was all that and more. Without thinking, I licked my lips and the spell was broken.
“What the fuck?!?” the man shouted, drawing my eyes away from between his legs and to his face. His red, angered face.
“Asher?” I asked as it dawned on me who I was admiring. I mean, I knew the man was good-looking, as did most of the female population, but I had no idea what he had been packing.
“Get the fuck out of here! Jesus Christ, little girl. Go the fuck home.”
I’m not sure if it was his words or the name he called me, but I stood there in shock as he stared down at me in disdain. I couldn’t move. I was so frozen my lips couldn’t even tremble as I fought against the tears.
“Fucking go!” Asher shouted again and the ice around me shattered.
Spinning on my heel, I almost slipped on the pool of water that had collected on the floor as I rushed from the outdoor shower and across the deck.
Just as I approached the forest’s edge, I heard Asher’s deep voice call out to me. He cried out my name and asked me to hold on, but I had been embarrassed enough.
Not only was I mortified, I still didn’t know how to get the water on at my parent’s cabin. Maybe I really was the little girl Asher had called me. I couldn’t even do the simplest of things.
As I ran through the woods, I considered tucking my tail between my legs and heading back home because I really didn’t need to cause any more trouble. Just as the ground lights illuminating the house came into view, I tripped on an overgrown root that was sticking out of the ground. If I had been in a horror film, I’d have been the first victim with the way the night was playing out.
The wood was jagged and I could feel the tear in my jeans exposing the skin, which was now dripping with blood. I used the flashlight on my phone to survey the damage and groaned as the red fluid began to trickle down my skin. And my favorite jeans were now torn and ruined.
“Stupid tree,” I said with a snarl as I swatted my hand at the root, only to come away with a splinter in the palm of my hand. “Well, isn’t this just the perfect end to a freaking perfect day?”