Chapter 19
nineteen
PETER
I wasn’t concerned where the officer took us as long as Geneva had heat. The longer we sat, the tighter she pulled the sleeping bag around her. The idea of spending the entire night in below-freezing temperatures was not something she needed to do.
Everything in the small town we finally reach looks closed for the weather. I should have paid closer attention to the forecast.
“This storm seemed to have come out of nowhere,” Mateo says, as if sensing my self-recrimination. “Caught us all by surprise. Well, here we go.” He pulls up in front of a small cabin in the middle of nowhere. “My brother-in-law said you can use it as long as you need.”
At first look, there doesn’t seem to be much to the building. It’s an old bunkhouse that’s been converted into a hunting cabin. There’s a small porch with a slick-looking set of steps. The handful of windows are covered with what looks like burlap. I guess we can’t complain. This is our only choice, and it was beyond generous to offer it to us.
“This looks perfect,” Geneva says. It doesn’t sound like something she would say. I love her, but in the past, she would have found a thousand reasons we couldn’t stay here.
“Yes, thank you,” I added. Opening my door, I step into the cold. Mateo helps with our bags as Geneva slides carefully to the door. It opens and a tall, thin man greets us.
“Come in, come in. It’s cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey out here,” he says. “I got the fireplace going. There’s extra wood in the room off the back door in case you need it. The missus sent me with some supper for y’all. She’s no slouch in the kitchen.”
“Thanks, Gene. I reckon they’ll be fine. Come on, let’s leave them to get some rest,” Mateo says. “Dee said he’ll get your truck as soon as it’s thawed enough to pull it out. Stay warm.”
“Thank you.” I shake both men’s hands as they head for the door. I lock the door behind them and walk to Geneva, who’s warming up by the fire. “Are you doing okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she says.
“I’m sorry we’ve wound up here,” I say. I could kick myself for ever leaving Santa Fe in this weather. I honestly thought we’d drive out of it shortly. The front desk even assured me we would. Never did I think it’d get worse.
“This has been a crazy trip, hasn’t it?”
“I won’t argue with you on that,” I say. “You might not want me to plan our trip next time.”
“I disagree. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. Look at everything we’ve done. I hiked Yosemite, rode a horse through Zion, rafted the Grand Canyon.”
“Almost drowned,” I point out.
“Won money in Vegas,” she continues, ignoring me. “Bought a painting in Santa Fe. Finally had sex with my best friend.” She bats her eyes at me. I move closer to her.
“I like that last one the best.”
“Me too. I also don’t mind staying in this cabin in the middle of a snowstorm. At least for tonight.”
“You would have a month ago,” I point out.
“That was before my best friend showed me there was more to life. Believe it or not, I wasn’t very happy with my life before. Unfortunately, I took it out on everyone around me. It’s still a hard habit to break.”
“I know,” I say quietly. “You don’t have to change who you are though.”
I’ve known for a long time that Geneva wasn’t happy. How could she be with her father reminding her how worthless she was every day?
She was in a job that didn’t allow her to grow to her potential, and it got worse after her brother left. It’s why I convinced her that we needed to leave. I blamed it on helping Rand begin a new chapter in his life. But it was for her.
“Why wasn’t I happy?”
“Because you were never allowed to be. Rand and I can tell you that you deserve more until we’re blue in the face, but you needed to see for yourself.” I pull her into my arms. “You’ve just discovered something I’ve known for years. You truly can do anything you set your mind to.”
“You always say the perfect thing.” Her lips press against mine.
“That’s because I love you,” I murmur against her lips. She pulls back to study me. Her gaze stares into my soul. “If you think it’s too soon to say that, it’s not. I’ve loved you for a long time.”
“I don’t think it’s too soon. I think I’ve loved you for a long time too. It was just too terrifying to admit it even to myself,” she says. “I never believed love was something that lasts. Now, I want to believe it does. That there are people that live their entire lives in love with that one special person. That it never fades. I want to find out what that feels like.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll simply stay in love forever.”
“Just like that.”
“Just like that,” I say. She wraps her arms around my waist and squeezes me to her.
“How about we check out what kind of a cook Gene’s missus is?”
I know when Geneva needs a break from her emotions. I’ve seen love that endures, but it’s all new for her. I need to proceed carefully. Someday she’ll finally be able to believe love can persevere.
“He did say she’s no slouch in the kitchen,” she says.
“Ringing endorsement if I’ve ever heard one.”
I take her hand as we walk into the small kitchen. It’s more like some appliances at one end of the room. There’s a bed in the corner and a sitting area by the fireplace. The only other real room I see is a small bathroom between the kitchen and bed.
There’s a large casserole dish sitting on the counter. It’s surrounded by a carrier with hot packs surrounding it. Opening the lid, we find a meat-slash-noodle concoction that smells heavenly. There are dishes in the only cabinet next to the refrigerator. Geneva piles several spoonfuls on two plates. We return to the seats by the fire to eat. She curls up on the couch next to me.
“Okay, this is fucking amazing,” she says between bites.
“Do you think it’s really this good, or are we just that hungry?”
“Doesn’t matter. At this point, I might trade you for Gene’s missus.”
“We could be a threesome. I wouldn’t mind having someone else cook occasionally.”
She grins at me before digging back in. I’m not ashamed to admit that I polished off two plates worth before slowing down. Gene did not lie. Geneva sits back and groans. She finished her entire plate of casserole. For her, that’s a lot. She’s used to picking at her meals.
“Get enough?” I ask.
She cuts her eyes at me.
“There’s still some left.”
With another groan, she rubs her stomach.
“Should I take that as a no? There’s cobbler over there too.”
“Oh, god.” She turns to look at the counter. “Just a small bowl.”
I laugh and stand. Scooping out two small bowls of what smells like peach cobbler, I return to the couch.
“This smells amazing. Damn that Gene’s missus.”
We finish up our cobbler and set the bowls on the coffee table. I need to build the fire back up. I haven’t seen a thermostat anywhere in the small room. Taking the poker, I work on settling the logs before adding more. Geneva lays her head on my lap when I sit back down.
“This is nice,” she says. “I wouldn’t mind staying here for a while.”
“I guess we know where we’re vacationing next year.”
“Or the beach. I have a new swimsuit I’m dying to try out.”
“I’m good with that. Apparently gray is all the rage in men’s suits.”
She laughs. She does it all the time now. It’s music to my ears. Geneva sits up and swings around until she’s straddling my lap.
“You know the best thing about this cabin?”
“What’s that?”
“The bed is right there,” she answers. She leans forward and tugs at my earlobe with her teeth. My cock stirs awake. She gives a slow roll of her hips.
The bed feels a million miles away. Geneva tugs on my shirt until she gets it over my head. Her hands run over my chest like she’s discovering it for the first time.
I take my time with her shirt. My body heats with each button I unhook. Her creamy skin pebbles with gooseflesh when I push it off her shoulders. My fingers trace the strap of her bra over her shoulder. They wrap in her long hair. I pull her to me, not able to keep my lips from hers for even one more second. She tastes of sugar and cinnamon.
My hands find the clasp on the back of her bra. Her breasts are freed for me to caress. I weigh them in my hands, marveling at how her nipples harden with just one swipe of my thumb. I graze my tongue over one, and she moans in response. I love how sensitive she is.
“Are you set on the bed?” I ask.
“No.” She stands from my lap. “I’m not necessarily pro-bed.” With a shimmy, she pushes her tights down her legs. If I had known she wasn’t wearing any panties, I would have forgone Gene’s missus’s casserole.
She takes on the fly of my jeans next. I lift my hips so she can slide them to my ankles. She kneels over my thighs and slowly sinks onto my cock.
Wrapping my hand in her tresses, I kiss her like she’s the very air I breathe. Her body works me closer to the edge, her hips rocking as she grinds deeper. I won’t last long. I wasn’t prepared for this. There’s no cock ring to hold me back.
“Peter,” she moans. I’m taken by surprise when her pussy clamps around me. She pulls me with her as we orgasm together. This is more than just sex. Geneva feels it too as she rests against my chest. “I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you.”
* * *
GENEVA
I’m starting to think of time as divided into two segments. Before waking up with Peter wrapped around my body and after. The room grew cold sometime in the night, but snuggled against his body, I’m toasty warm. I never knew waking up with a man still in my bed could be so nice. Especially when one of his best assets is nestled against my ass.
I stretch, and he mumbles a protest behind me. It’s a habit I’m starting to get used to. Scratch that; it’s a habit I am used to. Do I have to give it up when we reach Austin?
My new apartment will seem empty without Peter taking up the extra space. Will we still hang out in the evenings together like before? Can I seamlessly turn my best friend into my lover without losing what we already have?
“I can feel the wheels turning in your head.” His voice is rough with sleep.
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
“How all of this is going to work when we hit Austin,” I answer.
“Jesus, Geneva. It’s too early to be stressing over something we can’t answer yet. That’s the beauty of being in a relationship. We can figure it out together as it happens.” I roll over in his arms. His eyes open to spear me with a sleepy gaze.
“How would either of us know how a relationship works?”
“Look,” he says as a smile spreads across his mouth. “All I know is I want to be with you. I’ll deal with the rest of it later.”
He gives me a quick kiss and rolls out of bed. I watch as his gloriously naked body disappears into the bathroom. He reemerges in his sweatpants, hung low on his hips. Crossing to the fireplace, he pokes at the ashes. He coaxes the fire back by adding fresh wood to the embers.
“I’m just saying we need to make a plan.” I push up against the backboard. The sheets are wrapped around my body. I’m not shy either, but it’s still cold in the room. “Are we taking turns staying in each other’s apartments? Do you want to even sleep over? How long do we wait to tell everyone? That’s all I’m saying.”
“Mmm,” he says. Crossing the room, he pulls me back down the bed by my ankles. Stretching under the covers on top of me, he braces on his forearms so he can gaze directly into my eyes. I can feel his manhood pressing against my heat.
“Or we see what works for us and let the chips fall where they may,” he says. “Now it looks like I have at least an hour before I have to be dressed. Maybe we can find a better way to distract that beautiful mind.”
His lips lower to mine. The cock that was calm a second ago now grinds in all its glory against me. He’s right, my mind settles. There’s time to worry about the future later. All I want right now is to be in the moment with Peter.