Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
It was three in the morning, and Slater’s phone was lighting up with a ton of incoming texts. The only reason he was even awake was because Evie had woken him up a little while ago by kissing her way down his body.
It was his all-time favorite way to be woken up.
Beside him, she was all warm, naked limbs wrapped around him, and he knew it wouldn’t take much for him to roll her under him and make love to her again.
“Mmm…who’s texting?” she mumbled. “Why is anyone awake?”
The ominous rumble of thunder that followed her question was a pretty good indication, and the lightning lit up the room like it was the middle of the day. It had been that way all night, but they had done a pretty good job of keeping themselves distracted.
“I’m guessing it’s storm-related,” he murmured before kissing her forehead. “At dinner tonight, we talked about all the emergency procedures. Axel lived through a storm like this while everything was under construction, and we have a solid plan in place.”
“Then who’s texting?”
His phone was about to vibrate right off his nightstand, and he cursed the fact that he’d even brought it into the bedroom earlier when he got up to get them something to drink.
Sighing, Slater carefully untangled himself from Evie so he could roll over and grab the phone, and as soon as he tapped the screen, he knew there was trouble.
Fifty-seven missed texts.
“Shit.”
Axel: The power’s out but the generators kicked in! I think we’re good.
Milo: I can’t monitor everything I need to with the Wi-Fi out, but my team in Seattle is on it.
Connor: We’ve still got power in town.
Connor: Do we need to evacuate any of the cabins? What’s the lake level at?
Slater sat up and quickly read through all the back and forth until…
Axel: We’ve got crews moving people. We made the announcement after all the activities tonight and offered to move guests into the lodge. Luckily, we’re mid-week and half the cabins are vacant.
Axel: We should be good for a while, but maintenance noticed some downed trees. It’s gonna be a long night.
Milo: Where the hell’s Slater? This is kind of an all-hands-on-deck situation!
He groaned.
“Everything okay?” Evie whispered around a yawn.
“Uh…yeah. Maybe. Everyone’s freaking out about the weather,” he said distractedly. “I’m not even halfway through the messages and they’re asking where I am.”
“Oh.” Now she shifted and sat up, holding the blankets tightly over her breasts, as if he hadn’t been kissing them only minutes ago.
Axel: I thought we were all going to stay up here in the lodge tonight.
Milo: We decided that after he left.
Milo: But it’s completely irresponsible for him to not respond. We talked about this earlier.
Connor: Okay, everyone calm down. Slater can’t stop the storm or anything. This is why we have a staff. It’s not up to only us to take care of things.
“Thank you, Connor,” he murmured, and saw that text had come around midnight.
Axel: Connor’s right. Everything is under control, but it would still be nice if Slater let us know where he’s at.
Milo: I can’t get in touch with Evie either. She wasn’t feeling well earlier and I know she was going down to her cabin, so maybe she turned her phone off?
Milo: Or maybe I should send someone down to check on her and bring her up to the lodge?
Axel: It’s late and she’s probably asleep. Don’t go looking for trouble. We have enough to deal with.
Milo: Okay. We’ll check in with each other in a few hours.
The texts had stopped there and picked up a few minutes ago. He was about to keep reading when a roar that sounded like a freight train shook the cabin. Evie gasped and clung to him as the thunder raged on and on and on, right before it felt like the ground shook.
“Oh my God! What was that?” she asked as she frantically looked around. “Was that an earthquake? They don’t happen here, do they? Or a tornado?”
Slater’s arms wrapped protectively around her, his own heart racing because none of this was good. He was afraid to move, but also afraid for them to stay where they were. Evie was shaking worse than she had earlier, and all he knew was that he needed to get her to safety.
“Okay, let me see if I can get any information on the weather app,” he said, sounding calmer than he actually felt.
Honestly, he was amazed that he was getting anything on his phone with the power being out, and he assumed cell towers would be down as well. Still, it looked like the worst of the storm was almost out of the area.
But the texts were coming in again.
Milo: What the hell was that noise? Can anyone see anything?
Axel: It’s too dark out, and I’m not sending anyone out in this. It’s too dangerous.
Walker: What the hell is going on over there? I just happened to look at my phone and saw all the messages!
Axel: Read them and you’ll know!
Walker: Seriously?
Milo: Extreme weather. Flooding. And downed trees. We heard something loud outside, but it’s too dark to know what it was.
Walker: Okay.
Walker: Is everyone accounted for?
Axel: Yes. All the guests were as of midnight.
Milo: I can’t get in touch with Evie though.
Axel: And Slater’s been quiet too.
Walker: Is it possible they’re together? I thought Lexi mentioned something about them hooking up to Harlow.
Milo: WHAT?!?
Shit! Fucking gossipy bastards strike again!
Walker: You didn’t know?
Milo: NO, I DIDN’T KNOW!
Axel: Can we please FOCUS?
Axel: We’re dealing with potential property damage. I’ve got crews lined up to go out and assess the damage as soon as the sun’s up.
Walker: Okay. Keep me posted.
Walker: Harlow and I will head back tomorrow.
Axel: That’s not necessary. There’s nothing you can do.
Walker: Still…I’d feel better being there.
Axel: Fine. See you tomorrow.
“Any news?” Evie asked.
“Um…the storm's almost through, and…I think Walker just outed us.”
She pulled back. “What do you mean?”
Holding up his phone, he let her read it for herself. Groaning, she flopped back against the pillows. “This is bad, Slater. All of it. So bad.”
Yeah. He was not looking forward to facing Milo, but he also didn’t care if his friend approved. This was no one’s business but his and Evie’s.
Slowly, he moved and lay down beside her, taking one of her hands in his. “It’s not ideal, but…there’s nothing we can do about it,” he said carefully.
“I know, but the next few hours are going to be torture,” she groaned. “I’m exhausted, but I don’t think I can sleep. Between the storm, those noises, and worrying about facing my boss? Um, yeah. I won’t sleep.”
There wasn’t anything sexy about the moment, and he knew they were both too wound up to even think along those lines. Instead, he pulled her into his arms, readjusted the blankets over them, and just enjoyed the feel of her there beside him.
After a few minutes, his eyes felt heavy, and he was just about to doze when Evie whispered his name.
“Hmm?”
“Talk to me about something. Anything. I need a distraction.”
Slater let out a long breath, and before he knew it, he was talking about the one subject he hated the most.
“I can’t stop thinking about this stupid Cal Slater day,” he murmured, his hand idly caressing her bare shoulder. “I shouldn’t care about it. It’s stupid and I’m not going, but it’s been this annoying little background noise in my head for weeks.”
“Probably because your father reached out to you. I’m guessing he rarely does that.”
He shook his head. “Nope. It’s been five years since I last heard from him.”
“Wow,” she said quietly. “I can’t even imagine what that’s like. I talk to my parents all the time. They’re actually considering coming to the resort to see me.”
Pulling back slightly, he frowned. “Seriously? You’ve only been gone for two weeks.”
“I know, but we always have brunch together on Sundays, so…they miss me.”
The snort was out before he could stop it. “I have no idea what that’s like. My dad was never really around, my mom became an alcoholic, and my grandparents got old and seemed relieved when I went off on my own after high school.”
Evie shifted slightly, tangling her legs with his even as her hand rested over his heart. “I’m sorry, Slater.”
“It is what it is.” Turning his head, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “You’re lucky, Evie. You grew up in a normal family and have parents that want to see you because they genuinely want to, not because it would be a good PR move.”
“I don’t even know what to say to that. I wish I could tell you to just stop thinking about it and put it out of your mind, but I know it’s easier said than done.
” Pausing, she yawned. “The good thing is…” Another yawn.
“You have family here: Axel, Walker, Connor, and Milo. Plus all the girls.” And still another yawn. “Family isn’t always by blood.”
That was true. “Thanks,” he said quietly before he started yawning.
“I think maybe we’re both going to doze for a bit…”
“Mm-hmm…” It didn’t take long for her breathing to even out, and that’s when Slater stopped fighting the weight of his eyes and let them close. “Just for a bit…” he murmured.
The next time he opened them, the sun had started to stream in through the curtains, and someone was banging on his door. Evie was out cold, and he tried to disentangle from her as carefully as he could.
“What’s going on?” she mumbled.
“Shh…go back to sleep. Someone’s at the door.”
More banging.
“Slater! Slater, come on, man! Open up!” Axel shouted.
Clumsily, he grabbed a pair of jeans and slid them on as he made his way to the door, yanking it open to find Axel’s hand up, ready to knock again. “What?” he snapped.
“A tree fell on Evie’s cabin,” his friend said breathlessly. “Please tell me she’s here with you.”
“Holy shit!” Raking a hand through his hair, he nodded. “Yeah. She’s here. We came down here after the movie last night and…”
“I don’t give a damn, Slater! We’ve got a shit ton of damage around the property and it would have been nice if you could have pulled yourself away from having sex with Evie to chime in and maybe help out!”