Page 2 of Hollywood Games
The sparsely furnished cabin had been transformed. In the far right-hand corner was now a boxed-in bathroom; above it, a large hot water tank. Pipes ran down the side wall to the Rayburn stove, now surrounded by kitchen cupboards, from the bathroom at one end to the front wall of the cabin at the other. There was a sink and draining board built into the worktop, with a wooden draining rack mounted above on the wall, and a large freestanding fridge freezer. Had he got her waterandelectricity?
She saw a switch on the wall, just inside the front door. She pushed it up. Lights went on around the cabin. She flicked it off and on, as if daring the miracle to repeat itself, then went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was full of food, milk and a bottle of Prosecco. Zoe’s heart squeezed. He had done all of this for her. At the sink she turned on the taps, noticing a smaller one to the side, with a note by it.This is for drinking. More info on the table. She poured herself a glass of water, then went to read what Rory had written.
Welcome back,Princess.
If you’re reading this then you arrived safely. I’ve filled the firebox of the Rayburn, but fill it again as soon as you get in. You have limited electricity coming off two solar panels by the outhouse. There is a battery, but don’t go power crazy. I’ve dug out under the porch and filled it with wood so we won’t run out. There’s still plenty on the deck and I’ve covered it with a tarp to protect it from the snow. Drinking water is the small tap on the side of the sink. Basil is fine and has missed you, but not as much as I have. There is a surprise for you in the bathroom. It’s not the most romantic present, but I think you’ll like it. I wanted to be there when you arrived, but have to go back to get a bag of grit. I’ll be there as soon as I can.
Rory XXX
Zoe putdown the note and went to check on the cage in the corner of the cabin, where Basil, her big-eared, fluffy little Dumbo rat, was sleeping. She then went to see her new bathroom. An enormous two-person shower ran down the left-hand side; a long shelf at hip height along the back wall; a built-in sink, with a huge mirror on the wall above; a heated towel rail on the side wall, and under the window, a toilet. However, this was not a compost toilet as they had planned. This toilet was flushable. Rory had stuck a note on the seat.Who said romance was dead? Your surprise is a septic tank. Only put down loo roll and what comes out of you. Rory XXX. She blinked back tears. He was the most incredible man she had ever known.
But he wasn’t here. He was stuck on the road or back in Kinloch. And her parents…Oh god, what had she done? She leaned on the edge of the sink, her head light. What the fucking fuck had she done? She looked up, the mirror reflecting her horror back at her. By the time she’d felt brave enough to ring her parents about driving up after her flight was cancelled, there was no phone signal. They would now know the plane hadn’t taken off and would be panicking. And Rory? She’d rung him north of Manchester and promised she’d stop if the roads got bad. But she hadn’t. She’d pushed on. And for what? The people she loved most in the world didn’t know if she was alive or dead. She hung her head. She needed to go back out into the storm, make it up the mountain until she found a signal, and let them know she was okay.
She wrapped up, grabbed a powerful torch, and opened the door into the storm. It assaulted her as she stepped out of the cabin and she staggered. The snow had piled in drifts onto the porch, covering the tarpaulin protecting her wood supply. She stepped gingerly down the steps, reached the ground and sank into snow that fell into the top of her boots.
She forged ahead, hunched over. The biting wind slapped her with ice each time she tried to look up. When she finally got to the main road, she only knew it was there by the absence of trees, and the giant snowball that was her car. She shone the torch left and right, peering into the darkness. No vehicles had passed since she’d stopped. The snow was too deep for anything other than a tractor or a snowplough and was showing no signs of abating. It was suicide to try and walk the distance needed to get a signal, and she’d already used all nine of her lives on the drive up. Her mother would be having a fit. And Rory?Fuck!It might be days before she could get out, or anyone could get to her. Her throat tightened. How could she have been so selfish and stupid?
By the time she got back to the cabin her tears were frozen, her fingers numb. She hung her clothes to dry in front of the Rayburn, put on her pyjamas, and made herself dinner on the stove top. She was meant to have arrived that morning, spent the day in bed with Rory, then driven into Kinloch to celebrate Hogmanay with Morag – her mum’s old school friend and Zoe’s second mum – along with Fiona and Jamie, Morag’s children and Zoe’s closest friends in Scotland. That was never going to happen now.
Exhausted, she lay on the bed, listening to the screaming wind. Hopefully the storm would have passed by morning and she could get out to find a signal.
On the edge of sleep, she heard a thumping sound outside on the porch. She sat up, alert. There it was again. She shrieked with joy and shock, switched on the lights, ran across the cabin, and threw open the door to let in an extremely cold Rory and a mountain of snow. He was dressed in ski boots, ski pants and a long jacket with an enormous rucksack on his back. Ice was encrusted in his hair and his lips were blue. Her very own yeti had found his way through the snow to her.
She threw her arms around him and kissed his frozen lips. ‘Oh my god! How did you get here? Did you drive?’ she asked.
Rory rested his forehead against hers and let out a sigh. ‘I skied. It took bloody hours getting here from Kinloch.’
He shuffled off his backpack and it hit the floor with a thud. ‘What were you thinking? You could’ve died!’
Zoe swallowed. He was right. Hot shame burned through her.
Rory turned away and tugged off his jacket, ski pants and socks. A T-shirt and long johns clung to the muscled outline of his body. He shook his head. ‘I’m just glad you’re alive.’
‘I’m sorry,’ she began, trying to keep her voice steady. ‘You’re right. I didn’t think, and I had no idea what I was driving into. You know more than anyone how impetuous I can be.’ He gave a huff but his features were softening.
She picked up his jacket, ski pants and socks. They were soaked through. She hung them over chairs in front of the Rayburn.
‘I’ve never seen a storm like this before,’ said Rory quietly. ‘Slates were flying off the castle roof when I left.’ He sighed. ‘I’m going to take a shower.’ He stopped by the bathroom door. ‘Er, would you…’
She looked up, a spark of hope in her chest.
He stared intently at her. ‘Would you like to join me?’
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2
Zoe’s heart stopped in her throat as she took him in again. She was tall, but he was huge. Six foot five inches of muscle, sex and power. His nose had a bump from being broken and his lips were full and parted. The wet shirt clung to his broad shoulders and outlined the hard ridges of his abs. Her gaze slid lower, to the heavy jut of his cock, in full proportion to the man. She swallowed, her nipples tightening under her thin pyjama top. He looked at her chest and she heard his breath catch in his throat. He ripped his shirt off and threw it to the floor. Zoe whimpered. He tugged down his long johns and boxers and stepped out. Zoe squeaked.
‘I haven’t touched myself since you left,’ he said, his voice low and scratchy.
She glanced at his cock; huge and throbbing. It jerked. She blushed. ‘I, er, I’m afraid I touched myself multiple times a day thinking about you. I think I might have a problem.’
She saw heat blaze across his high cheekbones and he swayed. ‘I need you, Zoe,’ he growled. ‘Please get naked before I explode or pass out.’
Zoe’s skin was on fire, her heart jumping with relief. He had found his way back to her. She turned away towards the bed, pulling her top off, and shaking her long red curls free. She inched the bottoms down, bending at the waist. As she stepped out of them, she heard a desperate noise. Rory grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder.
‘You. Me. Shower. Sex. Now,’ he grunted, nipping at her bottom as she giggled with joy. He walked her into the shower and switched it on. Zoe laughed into his back, and slapped at his backside. When the water was warm, he lowered her to sit on the shelf, pushed her legs apart and crushed his body to hers. One hand threaded into her hair, anchoring her head to his, the other pulled her against him. His kiss was hot and urgent; his tongue stroking hers, sending searing flashes of heat shooting through her body. She ran her nails up the muscles of his back, revelling in the feel of him. Rory groaned and broke the kiss. ‘Fuck, Zoe, I’ve missed you so much.’ He scattered kisses across her freckled cheeks, and down her neck. ‘I was so fucking worried.’
