Page 28 of His One True Wish

Her words hit me like a lightning bolt, making it hard to breathe.

“Goodnight, Billie,” I whispered. I tucked her in and moved her hair off her face before stepping out into the hallway. I closed the door.

What the fuck just happened?

I walked straight into the bathroom, closed the door, and took myself in my hand. Billie said I made her wet. Well, she made me rock-hard. I needed to jack off like nobody’s business.

CHAPTER 10

AXL

My phone alarm did not go off. I awoke to Billie standing over me, already dressed.

“Axl,” she said, nudging me. “Axl, wake up. It’s me. It’s Billie.”

“Shit,” I mumbled. “You’re awake?” Was there really a woman in the cabin with me? It was all jumbled in my mind.

I looked at her through half-open eyes, taking in her messy dark hair, sweet mouth, and pink cheeks. Then it all came back to me. I made her wet. She made me hard. This was a real problem.

This woman was Louise’s granddaughter, and I needed to get her out of this cabin and back to Denver.

My eyes snapped open. “Hey, I know you, yeah,” I said.

I scooted up on the couch, and my blanket fell to my waist. I reached my arms overhead as Billie glanced at my bare chest. Cam jumped off the couch and stretched in unison with me.

“You love being naked, don’t you,” she said, arms crossed. It wasn’t a question.

“Sorry. I just figured you’ve seen more than this already. And I’m not naked, just shirt off. I told you. I run hot. Can you let Cam out?”

Cam was on her back legs, both paws pressed against the kitchen door. She was overdue for a morning pee.

Billie sighed and looked at the ceiling. “Get dressed. And I can’t open the back door. There is too much snow.”

“Too much snow?” My back stiffened. That wasn’t possible. I squinted and looked outside at the south field, seeing only white through the shutters. I stood up and pulled on my shirt, then wrapped the blanket around my shoulders like a cape. I needed to find my pants. It was chilly in the living room, even with the fire blazing.

Billie noticed me check the hearth. “When I woke up, the fire was almost out,” she said. “I added kindling and put another log on. See, I do know how to make a fire.”

“Nice,” I said, grateful she’d kept it burning. “Thanks for doing that. Did you try the lights this morning? Any power?” A quick glance in the kitchen, and I was concerned. The blue clock on the microwave was nowhere to be seen.

“No.” Billie gasped. She dashed across the great room and hit the light switch for the main pendant. Nothing happened. “No power? There is no power. How can there be no power?”

“Thought so,” I muttered. Cam paced back and forth by the door. “Hold on, girl. I’ll get you out.”

“Shit,” Billie said, repeatedly flipping the switch on and off. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

“I know you think you’re helping the power turn on with all that switch-flipping, but you are not.”

“We have no power,” Billie said, her brown eyes wide and bewildered. “This is a disaster.”

“We have heat. We have fire. I have a ton of wood out back, and we’ve got a gas stove. We’ll be fine for a while.”

“What do you mean ‘a while’?” she said, biting her lip. She pointed to the back door. “I have to get out of here. Cam has to pee.”

“Both things are true,” I said. I found my pants on the floor under a pillow that Cam or I must have kicked off the couch. Billie stoodright in front of me, staring. “I’m going to get dressed now. Do you want to … ” I twirled my finger in the air, making a circle.

“Sorry,” she blurted and then spun around in a huff. “I mean, I did see all of you yesterday.”

“Turn back around then,” I said. “I do not care.”

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