I wasn’t really sure what he meant by all that, but I knew right then and there, this rough mountain man had wrangled his way into my heart. I just nodded and smiled, dropping my protest.
“Ready to go to Dolly’s?” He asked, getting up from the table and offering me his hand. I took it and stared at my hand in his. His hand was massive, making mine look abnormally small. I’d never really felt small beside a man before. It was definitely something I could get used to.
“I’ve been ready to move out of there from the moment I moved in,” I said with a smile.
He smiled back, never letting go of my hand as we walked out of the diner and to his truck.
Chapter 5
Elliot
“What the hell is in this thing?” I lugged the oversized suitcase, nearly splitting its zippers, over the bed of the truck and across the gravel path towards the cabin.
“Lesson plans, shoes, a few music books.”
I settled the big ass thing in the corner. “It takes up half the living area.” I frowned, thinking I’d have to store it at my place once she emptied it. “What kind of music books are we talkin’?”
“I’m teaching the kids ukulele next spring, but I have to brush up on my skills first.” She grinned brightly up at me.
“Ukulele, huh?” I eased closer, drawn to her sweet cheeks and up-turned nose. I grazed a finger along her hairline, barely resisting the urge to press my lips to hers. “Why doesn’t that surprise me, Miss. Winters?”
“What’s wrong with the ukulele?” Her eyes twinkled back and I leaned a little closer, the scent of sunshine and rainbows on her skin making my mouth water.
“There’s not a thing wrong with the ukulele as long as you’re playing it.”
Her warm smile made me proud I’d put it there, and then I wondered what she sounded like when she was mid-orgasm and I knew I had to bolt now, or else.
“Have a good night, Miss. Winters. I’d say to call if you need anything, but you could probably crack the window and shout and I’d hear you.”
I backed out of the cabin, eager to break that pull she seemed to have over me.
“Sounds reassuring. An on-site landlord, how did I get so lucky?” Her eyes lingered on me filling up the tiny door frame of the cabin.
“Luck is all mine.” I broke eye contact and turned, relishing the crisp night air filling my lungs. Her sunshine and rainbows vibe was driving me fucking crazy.
In all the best ways.
Two hours later, I was just stepping out of the shower and about to head to bed, naked, when the lights flickered off and on a moment, before dying completely. I groaned, praying they’d be back on within a few seconds. If not, that meant there was a problem.
This side of the mountain was known for wild winds that kicked up at a moment’s notice, power lines were taken down all too often by falling trees. When the lights didn’t flicker back on, I groped around the wall of my bedroom until I came to my dresser and the drawer that held my boxer briefs.
I grabbed the first pair I felt and pulled them on my legs before heading out of the room and down the hallway on quick steps. By the time I had a hand on the front door, I could hear the wind howling through the eaves of the cabin.
I swung the door wide and bolted down the steps, my only concern was Reese and her safety. I’d left a few flashlights in her cabin before she’d moved in, but I’d been in such a rush to escape all her soft sweetness earlier I’d hardly bothered to give her a tour.
I wanted to kick myself for not putting her safety first. Without thinking, I twisted the knob on her cabin door and burst in, prepared to find her cozy in bed, and shocked instead by what I found.
“Elliot?” Her voice was small, her cabin shrouded in darkness.
“I’m here.” I hurried to the kitchen drawer, fumbling for the flashlight. My fingers wrapped around the cool metal and I sighed with relief, flicking on the beam and sweeping it across the room.
“Oh, shit. Fuck! I’m so sorry,” I mumbled.
She sat on the edge of the old claw-foot tub, steaming hot water filling the air around her like a woman out of my wildest fantasies.
“I like your ducks, though.” I grinned wider, tiny yellow ducks jumping in rain puddles holding red umbrellas covered her robe. I hated to say it, but maybe on some very small level she was starting to rub off on me.
“Thanks.” She tucked the robe around her neck, standing up quickly before she realized the rope was tangled in the foot of the tub. It unraveled in a fluffy, ducky pile of fabric on the floor, and she was left there staring back at me, as naked as the day she was born.