I can’t let Thea down, too.
She hops in the car and I bound through the door, carefully placing my feet so I don’t slide. It’s even slicker than it looks. The watery snow freezes my face on impact. Thea makes it to her car and starts it up. Without even letting it warm, she starts to pull out.
Why the hell is she in such a hurry?
I quicken my pace as she pulls away, but she doesn’t make it far. Her tires skid against the icy patch and quicker than I can blink, she swerves off the road into the tiny embankment right in front my cabin.
“Thea!” I yell, and rush to her car.
A slideshow of the past rushes through my brain. Red and blue lights fill my vision. Me not knowing where the hell I am. When I look over to my right, there she is. Hair covering her face. Shattered glass on the dash…
I throw her car door open, eyes wild. “Get out of the car, Thea.”
“Shit,” She says, her face flushed. I’m not sure if it’s from the cold or from embarrassment. “I must’ve hit an icy patch.”
“You think?” I don’t sugarcoat my tone. Instead, I hold my hand out. “I said get out of the car. I’m not letting you go anywhere in this weather.”
“But, I think if I just—“
“Jesus Christ, woman, did you hear what I said?” Her dark eyes widen at my sudden brusk tone. “I’m not letting you drive in this, and that’s final.” Her chest heaves, glance unwavering. “Now take my hand.”
Another long pause passes between us, making me doubt whether she’s going to do what I tell her. She releases a sudden exhale and slides her soft hand in mine. I too release a breath laced with tension. Relief floods me as she steps out of the car and I help her out of the embankment.
“What about my car?” She asks.
“I’ll get it out for you when the weather subsides.”
With my help, she plants her foot on the embankment and I hoist her up. Off balance, Thea staggers and I reach out to catch her. Her warm, soft body presses up against mine as the freezing snow dusts both of our shoulders. The unmistakable feeling of comfort floods me. I haven’t felt this in years. Not with my family. Not with the self-imposed solitude. No, it’s Thea that’s making me feel this way, and it scares the fuck out of me.
I step backward, but keep ahold of her hand. “Let me help you.”
“I can manage.” She says, pulling away from my grip. I’m not even offended. The best thing she can do is steer clear of me, no matter how much desire I’m starting to feel for her. How in the hell is it that one woman can turn my entire world upside down in the course of an afternoon? I thought I was done with so much that comes with a normal life. I made my bed, and now I have to lie in it.
Or so I thought, until Thea showed up on my doorstep, planting a seed of doubt in my already messed up head.
“Thank you though Dorian.” She uses my shoulder to steady herself, then walks a few paces in front of me back toward the door, calling over her shoulder. “I won’t be here long. Hopefully it’ll pass in an hour or so.”
“Might be longer than that.”
“How do you know?”
“I read it online.” The sight of her full, round ass makes me rock hard. “Don’t you check the weather before you head out?”
“I didn’t today.” She murmurs. “I just wanted to get this over with.” A little gasp escapes her mouth. She stops and turns to me. “I didn’t mean that.”
“It’s okay if you did.” I shrug. “I forgot you were even coming.”
Her face falls, and I can’t read her expression. “Right.”
“Come on,” I catch up to her. “Let’s get inside.”
As soon as we cross the threshold into the warm, cozy cabin, I kick off my boots and head over to the fireplace. Thea kicks off her booties and hangs her coat on the hook near the door. “Oh!” She slaps her forehead. “That’s why you were chopping wood in the snow like some kind of wilderness man.”
“Wilderness man?” I narrow my eyes at her.
“Did I say that out loud?” A little laugh escapes her lips, causing her eyes to light up like stars. Thea’s beauty isn’t just skin deep. There’s a spark inside of her that you can’t paint on. Of course she’s a stunner with curves for days and the kind of beauty great poets described much better than I ever could, but there’s this inner light that shines so bright within her. I noticed it when she interviewed me, which is why I opened up like I did, and I notice it now. “Well, who the hell else but a wilderness man would do that?”
“Um, someone who read the weather report and realized that a huge storm was coming, and needed to chop enough wood for a fire in case the power goes out.” I reach down and throw a log onto the fire, then turn back around to face her. “Or something like that.”