Page 38 of His Big Bad Stick

I grit my teeth and curl my lip as I reach into the truck and touch her shoulder and back.

Abrielle falls, leans, and I slide her into my arms.

She moves a little.

“Colver?”

“You’re a pain in the ass right now, kitten,” I growl. “I did not sign up for any of this shit right now.”

Abrielle doesn’t respond to me.

Instead, she reaches with her left hand and touches my shoulder, then my neck.

If you asked me when I bought this cabin if the first woman I’d carry across the threshold would be Abrielle Mallory…

I don’t even know.

I would have said you’d be better off draining your life savings and playing the lottery.

But here I am.

I walk up to the door.

I reach into my back pocket for the old key.

There are some modern amenities up here.

A few cameras on the outside of the property, allowing me to keep an eye on the place when I’m not here. Interior-wise I tried to keep the place old and beat up but, you know, it’s nice to have nice things.

Updated lighting. A decent kitchen with updated appliances.

So when I turn on the lights, it’s a dimmer switch for two lamps. One on each side of me on a small table. Just enough to illuminate a portion of the large living space.

There’s a large couch in front of a stone fireplace.

The couch has a pull out bed…

That’s where she’s going to want to sleep.

I hate that I know that.

I don’t even bother trying to open the couch into a bed.

I carry Abrielle to the couch and gently place her down.

She takes a deep breath and lets out a purring groan that hits me hard. My hands tighten into fists and I swallow hard.

On the back of the couch there’s a thick blanket.

I pull that on top of Abrielle.

I walk to the bedroom and grab a few pillows and blankets.

Carefully, I slide a pillow under Abrielle’s head.

She makes that groaning noise again and this time I grit my teeth so hard I feel like they’re going to shatter.

Abrielle rolls to her right side, facing the back of the couch.

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