Page 19 of Flames of Desire

I watched as Alex walked out of the bathroom wearing what looked like pajama pants while using a towel to dry his wet hair. His eyes met mine, and with a smile, he greeted me good morning.

“Morning, Lily.”

I was speechless for a moment before nodding back at him. “Morning, Alex. I thought you… I thought you just left after last night.”

Alex chuckled, walking closer to me, and my eyes kept drifting to his wet, naked body. He leaned down, his face just inches from mine.

“Listen to me, I would never just leave you, Lily. I mean even if I wanted to, where would I go?” He gestured to the window, and my eyes followed. The snowstorm was still raging on.

I nodded in agreement, a small smile tugging at my lips. He continued. “Don’t worry, though. I found some nightwear in another wardrobe, so we can change into that after showering.”

“That explained where he found the pants. I was already wondering how he would move around the cabin in just a robe.”

He pointed to the clothes neatly folded on the foot of the bed. “Whenever you’re ready, you should freshen up. I’m gonna be in the living room testing out the radio I found.”

Then he placed a kiss on my forehead and simply walked away. I watched his broad back disappear out of the room, but the faint scratch marks on his back caused my cheeks to flush as I remembered the crazy night we shared last night.

I fell back on the bed, taking in a deep breath and letting out a huge sigh. The memories of our kisses, the warmth of his body against mine, and the way he made me feel safe all came rushing back. I hadn’t felt this way in a long time, and it scared me how much I wanted this to last.

I lay there for a few more moments, gathering my thoughts. The fire crackled in the fireplace, casting a warm glow across the room. I could hear Alex moving around in the living room, the sound of his footsteps somewhat comforting in the otherwise quiet cabin.

Eventually, I forced myself to get up. I picked up the clothes Alex had laid out for me and headed to the bathroom. The shower was a welcome relief, the hot water washing away the remnants of the cold night. As I dried off and changed, I couldn’t help but smile at how thoughtful Alex had been.

Dressed in the fresh nightwear, I made my way to the living room. Alex was hunched over the radio, a look of concentration on his face. He glanced up when he heard me and smiled.

“Feel better?”

“Much better, thanks. Did you get the radio to work?” I asked, peeking at the radio on the table

“Almost there. Just need to tweak a few things.” He motioned for me to join him on the couch, and I sat down beside him, feeling the warmth of his body next to mine.

The snowstorm outside showed no signs of letting up, but for once, I didn’t mind being snowed in. We managed to get the radio working, though the static was a persistent annoyance. Still, it felt like a small victory in our little world inside the cabin.

As the day wore on, I realized that no matter what happened, I wanted more moments like this with Alex, and as I looked into his eyes, I could see the same desire reflected back at me. But one thing was for sure - we had to try to keep things from spiraling out of control.

We found ourselves sitting by the fire, the warmth from the flames fighting against the cold tension that seemed to linger between us. I could feel his eyes on me, the heat of his gaze almost as intense as the fire itself.

“Lily,” he said softly, breaking the silence. “I think we need to talk about last night.”

I nodded, my heart racing. “Yeah, I think we do.”

“I don’t want to mess this up,” he admitted, his voice low. “Whatever this is between us, I want to handle it right.”

“Me too, Alex. But it’s hard… being this close to you and not wanting more.” I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. “Last night was... incredible. But we need to be clear about what this means. We can’t let things get out of hand.”

Alex nodded, his expression thoughtful. “You’re right. We need to set some boundaries. But that doesn’t mean we have to pretend last night didn’t happen.”

“Agreed,” I said, relieved that we were on the same page. “We just need to be careful. This situation, being stuck here together... it’s intense. It’s easy to get carried away.”

He reached out, his fingers brushing against mine. The touch sent a jolt of electricity through me, and I had to fight the urge to pull him closer. “I know. It’s like there’s this spark between us that’s just waiting to explode.”

“Maybe we should take a step back,” I suggested, though the words felt like a lie. “Just for now, until we figure things out.”

Alex’s eyes darkened, and he nodded slowly. “Yeah, maybe that’s a good idea.”

We sat in silence for a few moments, the crackling of the fire the only sound in the room. The air was thick with words unspoken, the tension between us almost thick enough to cut with a knife. I could feel my resolve slipping, the desire to close the distance between us growing stronger with each passing second.

“Lily,” he whispered, his voice strained. “This might be harder than I thought it would be.”

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