Page 59 of Anchored

I smile at Maple, loving her attitude. “Have I told you I love you?”

She shoots me a wink and sashays back to the trailhead. There seems to be a bit more sway to her hips than normal. “You may have mentioned it.” She turns and begins to move down the mountain.

I love this part of the hike, when I can simply stare at her backside and appreciate how beautiful she is when surrounded by nature. She’s always stunning, but here in a natural habitat, she shines. I blame her heart-shaped ass for distracting me from the weather happening around us. A single raindrop hits my forehead and I blink, looking around as if I’ve been in a daze. Shit. The dark storm clouds are almost on top of us, and according to my estimation, we’re only about halfway down the trail.

“Maple?” I call out over the increasing wind. “Think you can make a run for it?” Lightning crackles in the not-so-distance and her eyes go wide as she looks at me over her shoulder. Mookie whines, so I bend down and pick her up, wishing I brought the baby carrier to hold her to my chest.

“I’ll try!” Maple takes off, carefully picking her way over the rocks and dry dirt with much more speed than before. I follow, watching where my feet are going, but also keeping an eye on her.

The drops start coming faster and the thunderclaps are getting louder and closer, if the way the ground rumbles is any indication. Mookie starts to shake, huddling closer to my chest like I might be able to shield her from the rain and lightning all around. By the time the sky opens up, we’re at the bottom of the trail and sprinting full speed down the street to the cabin. Maple shrieks every time the clap of thunder shakes the very trees we’re running under. But then she follows it up with a peal of nervous laughter that has me smiling despite my worry.

We both push through the back door of the cabin, a dripping mess of labored breathing and hysterical laughter. Mookie is unimpressed with both of us. The second I set her down on the floor, she sprints for her bed in the living room, stopping several times to shake off the rain and spray it all over. I reach for the light switch and flip it, but nothing happens.

“Oh, shit.”

Maple spins, hair plastered to her face and back. I can’t see her expression in the dark. “What?”

“Electricity is out.” I shut the door and step closer. “Stay here while I get flashlights and towels.” I don’t wait for her answer. I know this cabin like the back of my hand and can navigate it in the dark. She probably could too, but I won’t risk her getting hurt.

I grab every towel in the linen closet outside the bathroom and stop for a flashlight in the kitchen. When I get back to Maple, I drape a towel over her shoulders and rub her arms up and down. Without the sun to warm the place and being soaking wet, it’s surprisingly cold. I give her the flashlight and take care of myself. Running a towel through my hair and over my body, I step out of my shorts to completely dry myself.

Maple snickers, shining the flashlight directly on my junk. I roll my eyes, but can’t deny the way knowing her gaze is on me affects my dick. Just thinking about her checking me out makes me semi-hard.

“Watch it, lady,” I growl, making a lunge for her. She shrieks and takes off running, leaving me in the dark. Mookie barks her indignation about being left out. I hear Maple fumbling around with her clothes and stripping out of her wet ones. I swipe the floor with the dry towels to clean up after Mookie. With that done, I go in search of a pair of clean, dry shorts and candles.

“The batteries ran out!” I hear Maple call from the living room.

“I think there are more above the washing machine!” I call back, hurrying to put on my shorts and snatch two scented candles from under the sink in the bathroom. I’ve never used them, and I assume they were here when I moved in.

“Hey!”

I rush out of the bedroom, thinking maybe Maple hurt herself, but I find her on her knees in the closet that hosts the stackable washer/dryer and cleaning supplies. She’s put on one of my T-shirts and a pair of loose sweats.

“You okay?”

She lifts her head, and I can just make out her brilliant smile. “I found Grandma’s old record player!” She pulls it out, inch by inch until it’s in the hallway.

I reach over her head and pull out double-A batteries to replenish the flashlight. Once that’s working, I check out the record player. “Hey, it’s one of those old-fashioned hand-crank ones.”

“We can play her records even with the power off!”

“I tell you what, I’ll carry that to the living room and start a fire, along with light some candles. You can see if you can get it working. Sound good?”

She nods and we carry out the plan. The living room looks downright cozy once I get the fire going in the dusty fireplace and the candles lit. Maple mutters under her breath the whole time I work, probably because there’s no guarantee that old record player even works anymore. I drag Mookie’s bed closer to the fire and make sure she’s okay after our dash down the mountain. By the time Maple cries out in triumph, Mookie’s eyes are drifting closed for a well-earned nap.

“I got it!”

I stand up to see the turntable spinning and Maple carefully dropping a record on top. She moves the stylus in place and suddenly crackling music comes out of the horn. She cheers. Seeing her happy is enough to have me forgetting all about the power being out or very little food for dinner. Elvis Presley’s iconic voice croons from the record player, slow and soothing as the flames dance all around us.

“Maple Thatcher, may I have this dance?” I ask, holding out my hand.

Maple slowly stands, her smile sultry and sweet. She takes my hand in hers and lifts her other hand to sink into the back of my hair. Her body presses tightly to mine, and once my arm comes around her waist, we begin to move about the living room. One love song leads into another and soon her cheek is resting on my chest. The thunder and lightning rage on outside, the two of us oblivious to anything but this moment and each other.

Her body is soft and warm against mine. Her breath fans my bare chest, rhythmic and peaceful. I’m as hard as that rock we sat on earlier at the top of Anchor Mountain, but I don’t make a move to do anything about it. I could stay here all night, just shifting back and forth with Maple in my arms. I love that she’s not concerned with when the power will be back on, or rummaging through the cabinets for something edible without modern appliances. She’s calm. Happy in the moment here with me.

“Elvis had it right,” I whisper in her ear. “I can’t help falling in love with you, Maple. I feel like fate has wanted us together since we were teens. And I know we’re just fake engaged at the moment, but there will be a day soon when it’s not fake anymore. I want forever with you.”

She rolls her face against my chest and dusts her lips across my skin. “I want that too,” she whispers back.

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