Page 6 of Aching for the Lumbersnack
Once we lit the match,the fuse didn’t just spark. It exploded like fireworks.
All rational thought flew out the window. “Take me home tonight.” I demanded, still unable to catch my breath. The skin on my knees and elbows stung like a bitch, and I needed something to take away the pain.
“Are you sure?” Banks growled, his hands white knuckling the steering wheel. “Because…fuck…” His voice trailed off, and I watched him like an animal watched its prey, hanging on every damn word he was about to utter.
“Because what?”
He turned his head and locked eyes with me, his piercing gaze turning my blood into molten lava, my heart a volcano in full-blown eruption.
“Because once I have you in my bed, I don’t plan on ever letting you go.”
My heart pounded so hard, I swore my rib cage would crack wide open.
His words scared the shit out of me.
What if I ruined everything, I set up for myself here because of what I thought was the real thing but only turned out to be pretend?
What if he broke my heart and left me running back to my parent’s house and hiding out in my childhood bedroom?
I never let these questions deter me before and I certainly wasn’t going to now.
“What if I told you I would like that?”
Banks’s eyes flashed, and he sat up straighter in his seat. “Hold on tight. We’ll be there in five minutes.”
It felt like the longest five minutes of my life, but when he finally pulled into a long-paved driveway and parked in front of a small, cozy cabin, his place even more excluded than mine. I liked how far back he was from the main road, only the sounds of nature echoing through the mountain.
Before cutting the engine, Banks turned and looked at me. “Okay, I need to confess.”
“What? This isn’t really your place but your parents and they’re waiting inside?”
Banks threw his head back in laughter, the loud sound echoing around the cab of the truck. “Nope. Sounds like something a shitty date told you.”
“More like aLifetimemovie I watched last week.”
“I’m not surprised. The drama in those is insane.”
“Confess already.”
“I think it’s rude to sleep with a woman without at least buying her dinner first.”
I eyed him suspiciously.
“I know. I sound corny, but my parents raised me with manners. And you, pretty lady, need to be treated with the utmost respect.”
“Wow, a true gentleman. Be still my heart.” I clapped a hand over my chest and failed miserably at holding back my laughter. “My mama didn’t raise a fool. I’d love some dinner.”
Banks laughed more. “How’s takeout sound?”
“Perfect.”
After feastingon a veggie pizza and BBQ chicken wings, Banks showed me around his cabin, the one-bedroom space tight but enough to make it work. He had a large living room and eat-in kitchen spread out together in an open room concept, with a half bathroom, and far in the back, a master suite bedroom complete with a full bathroom. A set of sliding glass doors led out to the backyard, complete with a fence and patio area.
“I like it. Reminds me of the cabin I rented.”
“In Appleridge?”
I nodded. “About a five-minute drive up the mountain. I enjoy being secluded, away from all the noise.”
