111. Courtney
Chapter 111
Courtney
My phone rings, but it’s a number I don’t recognize.
I set the phone on the table and go back to securing the little black cape around Spike. The matching item to her classic witch’s hat.
My phone vibrates with a text.
It’s from the same number.
Unknown: Answer the phone, Cookie.
My lips part.
Sterling?
“Duh.” I roll my eyes at myself. Literally no one else calls me Cookie.
The unknown number calls.
I purse my lips.
I want to talk to him. Would like to hear his voice.
But Sterling left this morning after avoiding me, so I’m a touch annoyed with him right now.
I let it ring once more before I answer the call. “Hello, Sterling.”
There’s a low hum on the other end of the line that sounds a lot like appreciation. “Court. ”
My hum is less appreciative. If he’s calling me Court, that means someone is close enough to listen.
“Is there something I can do for you, Sir?” If that comes out suggestive, that’s his problem. I’m just asking.
He grunts. “Fisher forgot the cooking oil.”
“I swear I packed it.” I hear Fisher protest in the background. “I remember putting it in your truck.”
Sterling grunts again. “We need it for tomorrow’s dinner. I think it’s on the counter in the Food Hall. Can you bring it here by four?”
“Sure. Um, where is here ?”
“I’ll send you directions. Make sure to download the offline maps since you’ll lose service at some spots.” His tone is no-nonsense, so I make a mental note to do as he says.
“Okay. Need me to bring anything else?” I don’t know if he’s planning to reimburse me for gas, but considering the fact I don’t need to rush to buy groceries anytime soon, I can spare the expense.
“No. Just the oil. And your overnight bag.”
“Okay—Wait. What overnight bag?”
“It’s a two-hour drive. Once we’re done eating the fish fry, it’ll be dark.” I can feel the command in his voice. “You’re not driving home in the dark, Court.”
I drag my teeth over my lower lip. “Is it, uh, tent sleeping?”
I’d really like to see Sterling, but I don’t know about that whole sleeping on the ground thing.
“No. It’s one shared cabin.”
“It’s a shack,” Fisher calls out.
Sterling lets out a heavy sigh. “It’s not a fucking shack. It has bunks and windows and a fireplace.”
“And no electricity or water,” Fisher adds on.
“It has water,” Sterling argues back. “It just happens to be outside.”
“Next to the outhouse.”
I scrunch my nose at the outhouse comment.
Shared room and a no-electricity bathroom. Definitely not a sexy camping trip.
“Ignore him,” Sterling says into the phone. “Just pack your things, Court. And come to me. ”
A flash of me on all fours with Sterling kneeling before me pulls a gasp from my lungs.
Sterling gives me a low hum, then the call disconnects.
“This says I’m here,” I tell my Jeep as I continue to slowly drive down the narrow gravel lane.
I followed the directions Sterling gave me. And I’m right on time. But I don’t see any signs of a cabin or a shack. Or Fisher’s or Sterling’s trucks.
I glance back down at the GPS on my phone.
Still says I’m here.
I glance back up and scream, slamming on my brakes.
Sterling shakes his head like I’m overreacting. Like I didn’t just almost run him over.
He steps up to my door, and I hit the unlock button with one hand still pressed to my chest.
“I could’ve killed you,” I gasp.
Sterling rolls his eyes. “You were going two miles an hour.”
I drop my hands to my lap. “It would’ve been a slow death.”
The side of his mouth pulls up in a playful grin. “Put the shifter into park.”
I don’t see the other vehicles, but I do as he says. “Where?—”
Sterling grabs my knees and spins me so my feet are hanging out of the Jeep and I’m facing him.
With one hand, Sterling grips the back of my neck. “Hurry up and kiss me.”
He pulls my mouth to his.
And I melt into him.
There is no other option.
I tilt my head.
His tongue swipes along my lips.
And I open for him .
He moves forward, clutching my side with his free hand and shoving my knees apart with his hips, getting as close as he can.
I moan.
He’s so… hot.
His touch. His tongue. His body.
I press my hands against his chest.
His strong muscles flex under my fingers.
I open my mouth wider as I slide my hands up over his shoulders.
Sterling drags his palm down my neck until he’s circling his arm around my back.
I arch into him. Aching to feel him press against my core.
I arch farther, then slide off the edge of the seat.
I yelp but feel Sterling’s lips smile against mine.
I don’t fall.
Of course I don’t.
Sterling’s hold on me tightens, and he hoists me up into his arms.
When he starts to walk, I break the kiss.
“W-what are you doing?” I’m gasping for air, struggling to get the question out, simply from making out with this man.
“I’m driving.” Sterling, thankfully, sounds just as breathless as he circles the front of the Jeep.
Which I’ll pretend is from the kissing and not the carrying.
“Okay,” I pant while tightening my thighs around his hips.
I don’t really care what his plan is. All I can focus on is the friction between us.
Each step has his cock pressing against the seam of my jeans, right where I want him.
Just not quite hard enough.
“Open the door, Courtney.”
I look around and see we’re at my passenger side door.
Letting go of Sterling with one hand, I grab the handle and pull the door open.
Sterling moves like he’s going to deposit me into the seat. But he pauses, then presses my back against the side of the Jeep.
He hugs me tightly as he rocks his hips into the juncture of my thighs .
“Fucking hell.” He groans and does it again. “I wanted to see you, but I think it might kill me to have you this close and not fuck you.”
I drop my head back against the vehicle and match his groan.
Hearing Sterling admit that he wants to fuck me…
My fingers claw at his shoulders.
I want that so bad.
One of his hands moves to grip my ass. “This is my penance.”
I drag my nails up the back of his neck into his hair. “Penance?”
He nods and presses his nose to my temple, inhaling. “I took that oil out of my truck.”
It takes me a second to understand what he means.
And when I do, a laugh bursts out of me. “Fisher was so certain he packed it.”
“You won’t tell on me, will you?” His lips brush my skin with each word, and a shiver bounces down my spine.
I give my head a small shake. “It’d be kinda hard to explain.”
Sterling huffs as he shifts us away from the side of the vehicle and lowers me to the seat.
I slowly release my hold of him, and our bodies disentangle.
When Sterling stands back up, looking down at me, the unspoken understanding hangs between us.
The agreement that we don’t want anyone to know about us.
For the boss-employee aspect of it.
For the special-treatment-possibility aspect of it.
For the I-rely-on-him-for-everything aspect.
Not to mention the fact that we’ve only fooled around a couple of times. Even if Sterling mentioned wanting to fuck me , he hasn’t.
True, the emotions I feel for Sterling when he’s around, or when he’s not around, seem bigger than just some physical fling. But the truth is we haven’t slept together.
We hardly know each other.
And according to my contract, I’m only here until the end of December.
“Legs in.” Sterling’s voice is low, like he’s having the same thoughts I am.
Instead of talking to him about it, because I’m a chicken, I obey and face forward.
He carefully shuts my door, then I watch him circle back around the front of the Jeep and think about why I’m here.
He wanted to see me.
He wanted to see me so much he sabotaged Fisher’s packing.
A lightbulb bursts inside me.
He took that oil out of his truck before they even left. He knew ahead of time that he would want to see me. This sneaky little act was premeditated.
Sterling starts to climb into the driver’s seat but has to wedge himself back out when he doesn’t fit.
“How short are you?” He gripes as he uses the bar under the seat to slide it back before hoisting himself back in.
“Not that short.” I bite down on my laugh as he still struggles to get comfortable. “I’m perfectly capable of driving, you know. You could’ve just directed me on where to go.”
“True,” Sterling admits, finally shifting into drive. “But then I wouldn’t have gotten to carry you around like I did.”
“True.” I mimic him. “You also could’ve stayed on the side of the road, path, whatever this is.” I wave out the windshield. “Rather than jumping out in front of me.”
“You could’ve kept your eyes on the road. Then you would’ve seen me slowly step out of the woods.”
“Yeah, well…”
“Good argument.” Sterling keeps his gaze forward, but I can see another one of his secret smiles trying to appear.
So, I poke him in the side, high up on his ribs.
His arm snaps down so fast that it makes me jump back with a yelp.
He shoots me a narrow-eyed look. “What are you doing?”
I give him a wide-eyed look back. “Are you ticklish?”
“Absolutely not.”
My mouth drops. “I can’t believe it. The Mr. Black is ticklish.”
“I just said I wasn’t.”
“I heard.” I nod. “And you’re a liar. ”
He slides another look my way. “You saying you’re not ticklish?”
“I would never tell such an untruth.”
Sterling shifts closer to his door, putting more space between us.
And I finally lose the battle against my laughter. “Relax. I’m not going to tickle attack you.”
His elbow is still pressed firmly to his side. “Mm-hmm.”
I settle back into my seat, then, without turning my head, I walk my fingers across the center console between us.
Sterling’s hand snaps out, grasping mine.
We drive in silence, and I try to steady my heartbeat, but it’s hard to focus on our surroundings when all I can think about is the way his rough fingers feel against my skin.
Holding hands shouldn’t feel so… intense. But everything with Sterling is intense.
It’s just how he is.
We bump along the narrow drive, and as we round another corner, the trees thin and I spot a couple of structures ahead of us.
Before us but off to the left is a square brick outhouse with a shingled roof and a metal door.
Still an outhouse, but it’s like something you’d expect to see at a rest stop, not in the middle of the woods. Honestly, better than I was expecting.
No regrets about bringing my own toilet paper though.
The outhouse is set a few yards away from the strip of land designated for parking, giving the illusion of privacy.
Straight ahead in the parking area are two pickup trucks—Sterling’s, Fisher’s.
And to our right is a gazebo and the cabin.
The gazebo-looking thing covers one big, square picnic table.
The cabin looks to be one room, like Fisher said, and that’s where everyone, including me, will be sleeping.
Sterling steers the Jeep next to the trucks and puts it in park.
I wait for him to turn off the engine and climb out before I follow.
Since I’ve been spending the last few days doing minimal work and sleeping late, I haven’t spent much time with the four guests. But they’ve seemed nice .
They’re all sitting around the square table, unbothered by the cold but wearing thick layers.
I lift my hand in a wave as I make my way to meet Sterling at the back of the Jeep.
They all cheer, saying something about fish, and I find myself smiling by the time Sterling has the back door open.
He slings my backpack—containing my clothes and a small selection of toiletries—over his shoulder and picks up the jug of oil in one hand and the paper bag of groceries I purchased on the way here in the other.
“Where’s your coat?” he asks, looking over my non-coat-wearing body.
“Um.” I shrug a shoulder.
Sterling heaves out a breath. “Do you not own a winter coat?”
“I’ve never needed one.”
“Well, you need one now.”
I nod. “And I’ll buy one soon.” His head gives a curious tilt, and I hold up my finger. “Don’t you dare, Mr. Black.”
“Don’t I dare, what, Miss Kern?”
I resist the urge to glance around, knowing that will make us look guilty. But I still shuffle closer, lowering my voice. “Don’t you dare go out and buy me one. You’ve already done too much. And if you do more, I’ll end up spending my whole paycheck just paying you back.”
Sterling takes a step forward, nearly closing the distance between us. “You will do no such thing, Cookie.” He leans in close enough that I can feel his exhale on my lips. “And if I want to buy you things, I’ll buy you things.”
I curl my hands into fists at my sides.
I don’t know how to deal with this possessiveness.
It’s overwhelming in its intensity.
And confusing in its sincerity.
“You’re so…” I can’t think of the right description.
The side of his delicious mouth pulls up. “I’m so what, Honey?”
I sway toward him.
Honey .
Why do I love that so much?
“Got the oil?” Fisher asks from mere feet away, and I almost jump out of my boots.
“God dammit.” I press both my hands to my chest. “What is with you people?”
Fisher’s brows raise. “You people?”
My heart is still thundering in my chest, but I wave a hand at the two men. “You people who like to jump out of nowhere.”
Sterling looks completely unbothered. Like he wasn’t startled at all, and he doesn’t care that Fisher walked up on us standing so close. Inappropriately close.
“I hardly jumped out of nowhere.” Fisher snorts, eyes bouncing between me and Sterling.
My boss shakes his head. “If you’d been watching the road…”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” I brush him off and reach for the grocery bag in his hand.
Sterling lifts it out of my reach.
“Seriously?” I drop my shoulders and give him a look.
“Seriously. Go take a look at the river before the sun sets. We’ll get dinner ready.” Sterling uses his chin to gesture toward the gazebo.
I look in that direction. “River?”
And then I spot it.
Beyond the gazebo, the land dips to reveal a wide strip of water.
It’s beautiful.
“But.” I turn back to Sterling. “I got a few things to share.” I reach for the bag again, but he uses his long arms to pass it over to Fisher.
“We might be idiots who forget things,” Sterling says with a straight face, “but I’m sure we can figure it out.”
I throw my hands up. “Fine. I’ll do nothing.”
“You’ll go grab my spare coat out of the back seat of my truck.” Sterling gives me yet another command. “Then you’ll go to the river.”
“I’m okay, I swear.” I can feel Fisher’s intent gaze on us, and I work to soften my tone. “I have two sweaters and, a, um, flannel on. I promise I’m warm.”
Sterling just stares at me.
And keeps staring at me.
My nostrils flare as I take a long inhale. “Fine. I will get your coat. ”
“Good…” Sterling says the word like it’s supposed to be followed by another word but cuts himself off.
After a heartbeat, my cheeks start to heat.
He was going to say good girl.
Thankfully he caught himself because that would be a hard thing to pass off as casual in front of Fisher.
Assuming it’s not locked, I hurry over to Sterling’s truck, away from the men.
It’s a four-door pickup, so I try the rear driver’s side first and find a heavy khaki winter coat thrown across the back seat.
I really don’t need it.
I’m not cold.
But with the truck blocking me from everyone’s view, I bring the stiff material up to my nose.
It smells like him.
Biting my lip because I know I’m going to look like the biggest hypocrite, I pull the giant coat on over my layers and zip it up.
The material covers my ass and the sleeves are too long, but the warmth is immediate.
I may not need it. But I like it.
After shutting the door, I shove my hands into the pockets of the coat, and my fingers are met with something soft.
Still out of view, I pull a worn knitted hat out of one of the pockets, the logo for Black Mountain Lodge stitched onto the front.
“Fuck it.”
I pull the hat on.
Dressed like I’m expecting a blizzard, I round the truck and walk over to say hi to the guests before making my way to the river.
And the river is… stunning.
It’s a new type of peace. One I didn’t know to crave.
This is different from the mountain view behind Sterling’s house. It’s smaller… more intimate than a view that goes on and on forever.
It’s… grounding.
I lower myself onto a bench made of logs and watch the water flow past me, swelling and rolling around the rocks below.
Unconcerned by the obstacles ahead of it .
And as I watch, I decide I want to be like this river.
Take each day one moment at a time.
I’ll be aware of the big picture.
Aware of my future.
But for now. For these next couple months. I’m going to live in the moment.
Obstacles be damned.