Page 10 of Cozy Cabin for Two
His jaw clenched so hard I heard his teeth gnash together. The muscle in his cheek twitched as he engaged the safety on his rifle and propped it against the wall with deliberate precision.
“What the hell, Willow?” He scowled how only a gruff mountain man could.
“I wanted to get you alone. Finally.” I forced a smile.
“You think this is some kind of joke? Running a ranch in these mountains isn’t easy. And bears are no laughing matter.” He raised his voice.
“I know. Especially when it comes to the growly bear in front of me right now. You’ve been avoiding me.” I met his tone of voice in equal measure and crossed my arms, accusatory.
“No, I’m not avoiding you. Christ, Willow.” He dragged a hand through his thick hair, the movement sharp and agitated. “Do you have any idea what went through my head when I saw that text? I thought—” He cut himself off, spinning away from me to stare out the window, hands on hips.
“What? Were you worried for my safety?”
“Of course I was. Fuck. What do you want from me?” His voice cracked, echoing his pain around the room.
What would it take to get this mountain man to open up?
“To spend time with you. Get to know you again, and for Ro to know her uncle. You can’t keep pretending we don’t exist, Ash. You’ve been doing it for years through unanswered emails, and now you’re doing it face to face.”
He whirled around, eyes blazing. “You think this is easy for me? Having you here, looking like you still see me as you did the day we first met? Forcing me to remember the feel of your lips on mine that last night before I left for the Army. Making me regret ever letting Scott have you?”
My breath caught. The words poured out of him and hit me hard. All these years, I’d thought his silence meant indifference. That maybe I’d imagined the connection between us, that the kiss at the lake wasn’t real, and built it all up in my mind until it had become something it never was.
“Ash—”
“Do you know how many nights I’ve lain awake thinking about that last summer before I enlisted?” His voice was rough now, all pretense stripped away. “Wondering what might have happened if I’d been brave enough to tell you how I felt instead of running scared?”
My heart hammered against my ribs. This was everything I’d hoped for, that he actually cared for me. “Then tell me now.”
“No. I can’t hurt Scott.” He stared at me for a long moment. The cabin grew smaller suddenly, the air between us charged with years of longing.
“Ash.” His name came out breathier than I intended. His pupils dilated at the sound.
He took a step back, hitting the wall behind him. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” I challenged, my heart pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.
“Like you want me to do something we’ll both regret.” His voice was strained, rough around the edges.
A laugh escaped me, sharp and a little wild. “Regret? You think I’d regret finally knowing what it feels like to be in your arms?”
His jaw clenched, and I could see the war playing out in his eyes over the guilt that had made him rush to enlist in the Army. The same fear which had kept him from answering my messages. But I was done being a thousand miles away from what could be.
I took a step toward him, favoring my good ankle but not letting the injury slow me down. Another step.He pressed harder against the wall, but his eyes never left mine.
“Willow.” My name through his clenched teeth sounded like a curse from his mouth.
“Tell me you felt it too. All those stolen glances when Scott wasn’t looking. The way you’d find excuses to touch me—helping me down from the back of his truck, steadying me when I stumbled on the trail during our last hike together. That one. Tiny. Kiss at the lake at midnight…”
We’d all gone camping for one final time before he left for the Army. I wasn’t supposed to go along, just a trip for the brothers, but I came anyway. I’d gotten up in the middle of the night to pee and found him at the end of the dock, staring off into space.
We talked, and he admitted his fears about leaving, about joining up with the military. I worried and couldn’t understand why he had joined in the first place. It had been the one thing he swore he’d never do—following in his father’s footsteps into the Army.
He avoided my questions and had me in stitches telling me stories about him and Scott growing up. That turned into teasing, arms and legs brushing, leaning in right as the sun threatened to rise. And then, at last, a stolen kiss. Just one, heart stopping brush of lips before he rushed away back to his tent.
“That damn kiss should never have been.” His breathing had grown shallow and brought me back from the past. My eyes zeroed in on the pulse hammering at the base of his throat. “One taste of you and I wanted more.”
“I knew it. You felt something between us that night, too.”
