Page 14 of Caught By the Lumberjack

Clementine

Sunlight filtered through the cabin windows, painting warm stripes across the floor when I opened my eyes. For a moment, I felt disoriented—this wasn't Dharma's cramped sleeping space. Then memories of the night before came flooding back: the storm, Vaughn's rescue, our heated arguments that had somehow transformed into something far more passionate.

I became aware of a solid warmth at my back, a heavy arm draped over my waist. Sometime during the night, we'd relocated from the couch to Vaughn's bed. I shifted slightly, and his arm tightened around me, pulling me closer against his chest.

"Morning, Beautiful," he murmured, his voice a delicious rumble against my ear. "Storm's stopped."

I turned in his arms to face him, half-expecting to see regret or awkwardness when our eyes met again in the sober light of dawn. Instead, Vaughn regarded me with sleepy warmth and something that looked dangerously like affection and my heart flip-flopped in my chest.

"Morning," I replied, suddenly shy despite our intimacy hours earlier. "How long have you been awake?"

"A while." His thumb traced lazy circles on my bare shoulder. "Wasn't sure if you'd wake up and immediately resume protesting."

I laughed softly. "I left my chain in the van, remember?"

"Thank God for small mercies." His hand slid down my back, leaving trails of heat in its wake. "Though after last night, I'm reconsidering my position on restraints."

Heat bloomed in my cheeks—and elsewhere. "Are you always this forward first thing in the morning?"

"Only when I wake up with gorgeous activists in my bed." His expression turned more serious. "Any regrets about last night?"

I considered the question honestly. By any logical measure, sleeping with Vaughn should have been a mistake. He represented everything I'd come to Ashwood to fight against. And yet...

"No regrets," I admitted, tracing the line of his square jaw with my finger. "You?"

In answer, he leaned forward and captured my lips in a kiss that started gentle but quickly deepened into something more urgent. His hand tangled in my hair, angling my head to deepen the kiss further.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked when we finally broke apart, both breathing heavily.

"I might need more convincing," I teased, pressing closer, delighting in the hard evidence of his desire against my hip.

His eyes darkened. "Happy to oblige."

What followed was slower than our frantic coupling the night before—a thorough exploration, a mapping of sensitive spots and preferred touches. Vaughn took his time, his callused hands surprisingly gentle as they roamed my body, his mouth following paths that left me gasping and arching beneath him.

When he finally entered me, I was more than ready, wrapping my legs around his waist and meeting him thrust for thrust. We moved together as if we'd been doing this for years instead of hours, finding a perfect rhythm that built steadily toward release.

"You're incredible," he breathed against my neck, his pace increasing. "So perfect. Real…raw…delicious…"

The words, combined with the exquisite heat where our bodies joined, pushed me over the edge. I cried out his name as waves of pleasure crashed through me. He followed moments later, his body tensing above mine as he found his own release.

Afterward, we lay tangled together, catching our breath. Vaughn pressed soft kisses to my shoulder, my neck, the corner of my mouth.

"Breakfast?" he suggested eventually. "I make a mean bowl of cereal."

I laughed, shoving his shoulder playfully. "Your culinary skills are truly impressive."

"Not all of us can whip up gourmet meals from random ingredients." He sat up, stretching in a way that displayed the impressive muscles of his back and shoulders. "How about we go to Sue's? I should check road conditions anyway, make sure the crew can get through."

The mention of his logging crew was a gentle reminder of reality. Today was supposed to be our tour, when he would prove his sustainable practices and I would decide whether to continue my protest.

"Sounds perfect," I agreed. "But I need to check on Dharma first."

His lips quirked into a smile. "I had Greg Summers tow her back to town last night. Called him after you fell asleep. She's safe and dry at his garage."

The thoughtfulness of this gesture caught me off guard. "You didn't have to do that."

He shrugged, reaching for his jeans. "Couldn't leave her to wash away in the flood. You'd never forgive me, and I'm kind of hoping to stay on your good side."

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