Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
BILLIE
W e slept in front of the fire. I awoke uncertain of the time. Eyes blinking, I focused on the pendant light overhead. It was wrought iron with bulbs instead of candles. I sat up realizing the lights were no longer dark. The power was on.
Axl’s chest rose and fell, deep in sleep. I resisted the urge to shake him awake with news of the power. Instead, I rolled away from his body and picked up a blanket to wrap about my naked shoulders.
Cam slept by the fire in a tight ball. At the sound of me stirring, she lifted her nose into the air.
“Shhhh, girl,” I whispered. “Don’t wake him.”
She sighed and stayed in her spot as if she understood me.
I looked between Axl, asleep in front of the fire, and Cam. It was so surreal to see Axl sleeping with his dog as if this were an ordinary morning. We did not belong here together. My mind, no longer muddled by whiskey, didn’t regret what had happened between us. In fact, I loved every blissful minute of it. Axl was a sexy mountain man, gifted at the art of kissing my cunt to high heaven, and we’d made a deal.
What happens in Smoke River stays in Smoke River.
Our agreement implied a transaction. We were both consenting adults and agreed to get naked and keep this decision to ourselves. I knew the rules, and I wasn’t going to forget them. Axl lost the poker game, which meant if I wanted him to leave Smoke River, he would. At least, I think that is what it meant. But is that what I wanted?
I bit my lip and pulled the blanket tighter around my body. Axl stirred. Arms stretching, he rolled to his side in front of the fire. His back exposed, the greenish blue tattoo on his arm was more visible in the light. I’d run my hands all over his skin, but hadn’t gotten a good look at his ink. I assumed it was an Air Force thing. If my phone weren’t dead, and if he wasn’t a Luddite, I would have googled the design.
Asking Axl about his tattoo felt personal, like the kind of question a woman might ask if looking for a relationship. I was not looking for a relationship. Sex was amazing, and sex was all this would ever be.
I tiptoed into the kitchen and flipped the light off and on to make sure we were back on the grid. It felt surreal to see the lights turn on. I still had no sense of time. Outside, the white-gray sky made it hard to see the horizon. We had power, but the world still looked like the interior of a snow globe. Well, at least our snowglobe had power.
My clothes were strewn around Axl. I tiptoed around him and picked up my panties, stretch pants, and long-sleeved tee-shirt. The fire was dying a bit, so once dressed, I put another log on the fire.
Cam stretched and padded to the back door and glanced back at me expectantly.
“You want out, sweetie?” I whispered. I tiptoed over and cracked open the door, watching as she went outside to pee at the bottom of the steps. She left a huge yellow spot in the shape of a flower. Snowflakes covered her fur, but the falling snow was less dense than the night before. Cam shook off the flakes and pawed the ground like a racehorse before running back inside.
My stomach growled. I opened up the cupboards and found pancake mix. There was a jug of pure maple syrup in the refrigerator along with some strawberries and whipped cream. Axl rolled over as I mixed up pancake batter while the pan heated up on the stove.
“Hey. ”
I heard Axl stir and looked up to see him on his elbow in front of the fire.
“Hey,” I said back, waving from the kitchen.
“You’re cooking?” He cricked his neck back and forth.
“Yep,” I said, flipping a pancake.
“What time is it?” he said, stretching.
“No idea.” I laughed. “But I woke up hungry.”
Axl wrapped a blanket around his body and stood up. He picked up his briefs and tee-shirt, and dropping the blanket, pulled on his underwear. I stole a glimpse of his muscular back and tight ass. I couldn’t resist. I looked away before he caught me, focusing on my pancakes. His footsteps approached from behind me, and I felt his arms snake around my waist and his body press into my backside.
“You smell delicious.” He leaned down and breathed in by my neck.
So the terms of our agreement carried into the morning. I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I sighed out loud at the sensation of him behind me. “Careful.” I laughed, playfully wiggling against him. “I’m cooking here, and it’s a gas stove.”
“Oh, I’m always careful,” he said, his lips on my neck. Goosebumps traveled down my body. He nibbled my neck while I made pancakes, his mouth triggering waves of pleasure that forced me to concentrate extra hard on my pancake-flipping.
“There.” I flipped the last pancake and turned off the stove. I nudged him away from the oven door. “I need to keep these warm.” I moved a stack of pancakes into the oven which was set for one-hundred-fifty degrees.
“I can keep you warm,” he murmured, spinning me around as soon as I closed the oven door.
His hand under my chin, he lifted my lips toward him and kissed me. His kiss was firm and warm. I melted into his kiss as he grabbed my lower back and pulled my body closer.
“Aren’t you hungry?” I giggled and gasped as he pulled me away from the stove .
He walked me to the sink, and with his arm, swept clean the counter, knocking a few towels and a potholder onto the floor.
“Careful,” I said. “What if there’d been glasses there.”
“They would break,” he said, his eyes locking on mine. He gripped my hips and lifted me up onto the counter, then stood between my legs, kissing me. I wrapped my legs around his middle as our kisses grew frantic and needy.
I moaned every time my pussy rocked against his cock. Our breathing ragged, my nipples erect below my shirt, he pushed against me. I cried out, fumbling with his belt. I scooted back on the counter as he tugged my pants down and put his hands beneath my cheeks. His cock free, I shifted my hips as he pressed into me. He slid into my aching center, lifting me in the air.
“Oh, yes, yes,” I exhaled as he pushed into me.
The kitchen smelled of maple sugar and pancakes. Outside, the total quiet of the snowy day dampened all noise. The sound of our moans and our breathing cut through the beautiful silence. Axl lowered his lips to my collarbone, kissing me as he drove his cock into me again and again.
My orgasm built with each thrust. All my energy swirled together and gathered in my cunt. My legs tightened around his waist, and I leaned back as he jerked my shirt up and took my exposed breast between his teeth.
He sucked and bit on my nipple as his cock stroked me from inside. My pleasure built to a crescendo until I shattered around him as I climaxed. I cried out, shaking. My hips jerked against him, and his breath caught as he grunted and came with me. I felt his cock throb as he filled me with his hot cum.
We held each other, quivering, our arms wrapped around each other.
I opened my eyes. Axl’s forehead slumped against mine, his eyes closed. I reached out and touched his bearded cheek. He was so gruff and tender at the same time. He opened his deep-green eyes and smiled at me .
There was so much I wanted to say, but if we talked about what we were doing, I feared it would break the spell surrounding us.
“How did you sleep in front of the fire?” Keeping the conversation focused on the world within these four walls felt safe to me.
“I slept so well,” he said, his face serious but playful. “Hard not to relax, sleeping next to you.” He pulled up his briefs and straightened his clothes. “What’s the temperature out there?”
“I let Cam out, but I couldn’t see the thermometer,” I said. “I think it might be a wee bit warmer?”
Axl picked up his fallen blanket and walked to the window. He sighed as he watched the snow. “You are right. It’s a bit lighter.”
“And the power is on,” I said.
“That is a good sign,” he agreed.
I walked across the room and stood in front of him. He wrapped me in a bear hug, his arms strong around my body and snaking across my lower back.
“You know, it’s not that bad being snowbound with you,” he said. “I have had worse company.”
My eyes bugged for a moment. I wondered if he was thinking of Bear Coat, but again, talking about our exes was something people in a relationship might do. We were not those people.
“Is that your idea of a compliment?” I asked.
“The highest, baby,” he said. He sighed and kissed the tip of my nose, triggering a wave of happiness rolling through my body. This man made me smile, made me come, and made me giggle. Maybe this is what I needed, time in the arms of a beautiful, capable, and gorgeous man. I sighed and leaned against him. His arms tightened around me, and I felt myself relax. He felt good. I felt good. This wasn’t a relationship, but even if our time was brief, I planned to enjoy every moment.