Page 17 of Peaked Desires

Lost for breath, I look down at Elise. Her eyes are closed, her chest heaving, desperate for air. I settle back on my heels and watch as she rolls to her side, snuggles into the pillow and closes her eyes.

Quietly, I move off the bed and clean myself up.

Elise begins to snore, and I pull the blankets up around her naked body. I take a moment to watch her sleeping in my bed, a satisfied smile on her lips as she rests.

She’s exactly where she belongs, and now, that’s exactly how it’s going to stay.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Elise

The smell of crispy bacon wafts down the hallway, teasing my nose the moment my eyes open. I twist in the sheets, pulling the soft blankets around my neck so I’m wrapped up in my own little cocoon.

With the teasing smell filling the bedroom, I stretch out. There’s a crack in the drapes covering the windows, and it looks dark and gloomy this morning. This big bed is a dream, and even more perfect on a cold, rainy morning.

I haven’t slept so well in years. After everything that happened last night, I almost feel bad for falling asleep the second we finished.

I slump back on the pillows with a grin on my face. What a perfect night. The perfect night.

I never came to the mountains to fall in love, but here I am.

Wait.

I shake my head. I can’t be in love with Huxton, I barely know him. Of course there is an undeniable connection between us, but love? It’s too soon for that, surely.

With that thought playing on my mind, something distracts me from the warm snuggly duvet and thoughts about my forever. I shuffle back against the headboard and listen out to the deep rumble coming from somewhere inside the cabin.

A rich baritone rolls down the hallway from the kitchen. Huxton is singing, his deep vocals carrying through the cabin. I can’t help but smile. For such a gruff of a man, his voice is gorgeous.

I listen to him, but eventually he falls silent. I can hear the birds outside whistling as they search for their breakfast. I think about rolling out of bed to open the drapes and watch them, but it’s so toasty warm in these snuggly blankets.

Then Huxton walks in, holding a tray of steaming scrambled eggs and dark, crispy bacon. There’s a mug of coffee and some wildflowers spread over the tray too.

“You hungry?”

He looks even better today than he did last night. How is that even possible?

He’s wearing the same worn old jeans that hang perfectly around his hips, and he’s slung a white tank top on. It’s nothing special, but those giant muscular arms look even bigger today. I find myself smiling when my mind drifts, remembering how safe I felt in them last night. How perfectly they wrapped around me as we slept.

“Starved,” I say, smiling.

Huxton moves over and the mattress dips as he slides in next to me. He slides the tray in front of me and I grab for the coffee right away.

“I thought you’d be hungry after last night,” he says, biting into a thick slice of sourdough.

Thoughts of last night swarm my brain. Huxton’s perfect mouth, how it felt on me. The way he pushed me to my limits, taking me over the edge like I’ve never been before.

“I’m sorry I fell asleep so quick,” I say, shoving bacon in my mouth, grunting at how good the salty flavor hits my tongue. “Oh, this is good!”

Huxton chuckles, his enormous chest bouncing beside me. “Don’t be sorry. I like watching you sleep.”

“That’s a little creepy, but ok,” I tease, feeling like we’ve opened up to each other so easily.

We laugh as Huxton gives me a playful shove. He glances to the clock on the wall, an antiquey looking thing that I swear will cuckoo at us in ten minutes time.

Shit.

“Huxton! I have to be at work in ten minutes!”

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