Chapter 79
Tilda
I stay silent as Ethan moves around the cabin, suddenly aware that the front door was open the whole time.
Thankfully, we didn’t get any oversized feline visitors.
The bed is parallel to the front door, with the head of the bed pressed against the wall that’s to your left when you walk in. It’s not all the way against the back cabin wall, but it’s close, with just about a foot of space allowing for someone to get into the bed from either side.
The wall across from the foot of the bed, to your right when you walk in, is filled with floor-to-ceiling cabinets. And Ethan opens one of the center doors and pulls out a large plastic tub that’s two-thirds full of paper products.
I don’t know why I’m surprised by it. There was toilet paper in the outhouse. But it still seems a little funny out here in the middle of the woods.
Ethan takes out a roll of paper towels and rips one off.
I lift my brows when he turns and hands it to me.
He shrugs a shoulder. “Easier to carry in lightweight stuff like this and burn it than it is to carry out garbage.”
“Makes sense.” I accept the towel. But Ethan continues to stand there, completely nude, watching me. “Please turn around.”
His jaw works like he might argue. But thankfully he just huffs. “Stay there.” Then he walks out the door.
Completely nude.
I make quick work of cleaning up the best I can. Then I sit up.
Craning my neck, I can see Ethan through the window, back to me, next to the water spigot.
Droplets splash around him, and his shoulders hunch.
Is he washing his dick in the cold well water?
I grin. Then I remember Ethan’s promise to go down on me tomorrow. My grin pulls into a grimace as I realize I will also need to take an ice-cold standing bath.
Tomorrow.
I can do that tomorrow.
Ethan bends down, giving me a great view of his toned ass. And I nearly pout when he pulls on a pair of gray pajama pants.
Where…?
I look around the cabin again and spot another plastic tub on the floor, open, with clothes folded inside.
Ethan steps back into the cabin and moves straight to the clothing tub.
He takes out a pair of pants, exactly like the ones he just put on, and a waffle-weave long-sleeve shirt. “Put these on.”
I take them and set them on the mattress as I scoot toward the edge.
“Stay on the bed.”
I give Ethan a look. “Standing will make getting dressed a thousand times easier.”
“Your feet.”
“The bottoms of my feet are fine. It won’t hurt anything for me to stand while I change.
” I lower my feet to the floor and stand.
“Your concern is cute. And truly appreciated.” His nostrils flare, but I keep talking as I struggle to get the dress and flannel off my shoulders.
“And I promise, I will lie right back down, as soon as—”
Ethan grips my shoulders and turns me around so my back is to him. “Let me help.” He pulls the material down one arm, guiding my movements. Then he does the other side. “Take your thong off too. We’ll wash clothes in the morning, then they’ll be dry for Sunday.”
“Industrious.”
Ethan steps closer. Until his body is flush against mine. And I arch into him. Pressing my ass against his groin.
He slides his hands over my hips, then grips the top of my thong.
I try to hold still as he lowers behind me. But his breath tickles across my back, and I can’t stop my shiver.
“Step out.”
I follow his orders and lift one foot, then the other.
A moment later, an oversized shirt is lowered over my eyes.
Ethan tugs it down over my head, and I slip one arm, then the next, through the surprisingly soft material.
“This is nice.” I run one hand over a sleeve.
“It’s warm.” Ethan grips my shoulders again and this time, turns me to face him.
Then he crouches in front of me, holding the sleep pants out.
He’s not looking up, so he doesn’t see me shake my head.
Humoring him, I brace my hands on his shoulders as I step into the pants. And I keep my hands on his shoulders as he rises, pulling my pants up as he does.
“On the bed.” He nods to the mattress.
“I want to go to the bathroom again before we go to sleep.” I know it’s not too late. But it’s getting dark, and I’m tired enough that I’m sure I’d pass out if I could just close my eyes for two minutes.
He points to the bed. “You can go after I take care of your feet.”
“Ethan—”
His hand is gripping my chin before I even notice him moving.
“Matilda. Sit your ass on the bed and let me take care of your feet. Then I will walk you to the outhouse. Then we will come back, I’ll make the bed, and you’ll go to sleep.
Then tomorrow, you will select a book from my collection, and you will spend the day lying in bed reading.
Or sitting outside. But your feet will be up, and you will not defy me on this. ”
Okay. Demanding Ethan is hot.
I swallow.
“Now sit.”
I sit.
“Lie down.”
I sigh. But I lie down.
He fetches something else from the wall of cabinets, then stops at the foot of the bed.
“Feet up.”
I lift my feet, and he sits. Then he presses a hand to my knees, and I lower my legs so they’re resting across his lap.
And… I decide to enjoy this.
I have a half-naked, hot-as-sin husband tending to my injured feet. After he thoroughly ravished me in a way I’ve never been ravished before.
What. A. Day.
“This is going to sting, and I’m sorry.” Ethan warns me, holding up a small spray bottle.
When he turns his head toward me, I realize he’s waiting for me to say something. “Okay.”
He looks back down at my feet, but he still hesitates.
And affection fills my chest.
He doesn’t want to hurt me.
“Ethan.” He looks back up at me. “Be a Good Boy and do your job. Make me better.”
His face remains stoic, but his thighs tense under my calves.
Then he blows out a breath. “Tell me if it’s too much.”
I know the antiseptic spray is going to sting, so I don’t know what he’d do about it if I said it was too much. But I agree anyway. “I’ll tell you.”
Ethan slides my pant legs up. Then keeps his hand on my shin, anchoring me, as he mists the spray.
I bite down on my lip and avert my gaze.
Ethan’s thumb rubs soft circles against my skin as he makes a sound of discomfort.
It’s too much.
I blink.
“I’m sorry, Starlight.” His tone sounds like heartbreak. And I have to blink more.
The sudden tears aren’t from the pain.
But I can’t tell him…
If I tell Ethan I’m overrun with emotion because no one—and I mean no one—has ever cared for me like this. So sweetly…
If I tell him this is the most genuine love I think I’ve ever received… He’ll either run for the mountains, or he’ll find a way to fly us back to Vegas so he can murder my entire family.
Neither outcome is ideal.
“I’m going to do the other foot.” He slides his hand over to my other shin, this thumb immediately rubbing those perfect circles. “Then the worst is over.”
I blow out a breath through pursed lips. “I’m ready.”
I am ready for the pain. But I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for all that is Ethan.
He sprays my other foot, making a humming sound that sounds suspiciously like a purr. Reminding me of the mountain lion.
I roll my head to the side and look at the door. “You didn’t unlock the door when we got here.”
Ethan’s hand leaves my shin, and I hear a tiny click as he presses the cap back on the spray bottle. “No. If someone finds the place, it’s better if they just open the door and come in than break a window. But there’s a dead bolt on this side, so I can lock it while I’m here.”
I consider that. “Has anyone ever broken in?”
“Not that I know of.” He hums as there’s a quiet rip.
I glance back down, and he tears open a tiny packet and takes out what I’m guessing is a sanitizing wipe.
He meticulously cleans each of his fingers before setting the little wipe down on the blanket and picking up a tube of ointment.
He meets my eyes. “I’ll try to be gentle. But if it hurts, tell me.”
I let him see my smile. “How do you make everything sound so sexual?”
His brows furrow. But then I can tell he’s replaying his words in a sexual setting because he shakes his head. “You’re a dirty girl, Matilda.”
My smile turns into a grin. “It’s a newly acquired condition.”
He huffs, then lowers his attention back to my feet.
“Do animals break in?” It feels like a silly question, but I don’t know what else to call it.
“Rodents are the most likely.”
I pull a face. “Oh.”
“There’s no evidence of such a break-in, so fret not.” Ethan is practically whispering as he oh-so-gently smooths his fingertip over the top of my toes. “Mountain lions mostly leave structures alone. And bears have trouble with the round doorknobs.”
“Huh. The more you know.” I take in the rest of the interior of the cabin as Ethan continues to meticulously apply ointment to each and every spot he can find.
The mattress below me isn’t horrible. There are no pillows, but he said something about making the bed. So I have a feeling one of those cabinets is hiding some.
A large bucket is in the front corner of the cabin, across from the head of the bed, with two axes, a hand saw, a long clipper thing that I think is meant for branches, and a broom sticking out of it.
Next to that is a rack with a few pieces of firewood on it.
But other than that, there’s really not much in here.
The windows are a decent size. There are no curtains. But I guess if there’s no one around, then you don’t really need them.
I push away the thought of a random person being out here. Because coming across a person in this setting would be way more terrifying than any wild animal.
Then I remember Ethan’s gun and decide I’m in good hands.
Hands that are still tending to me.
I look down at the man. “I figured there’d be more beds.”
“Hmm?” Ethan looks up, then around the mostly bare cabin. “There used to be bunk beds. But I dismantled them when it was clear it would just be me coming out here.” He focuses his gaze on mine. “This particular situation is one I didn’t plan for.”
“Wish you still had those bunks?” I tease him.