Chapter 9
Cassidy
One night later.
The storm rolled in after dark.
Thunder cracked overhead and rain lashed against the windows. The power flickered once, twice, then went out completely.
“Shit,” Hall muttered.
He’d been reading his book quietly, while I’d been staring out the window daydreaming. But now his cabin was pitch black as the storm whipped itself up into a fever pitch.
I heard him moving in the darkness, then candlelight filled the living room, casting dancing shadows on the walls.
“Does this happen often?” I hugged myself, suddenly aware of how isolated we were up here. No neighbors. No streetlights. Just the two of us and the storm.
“Often enough.” He knelt by the fireplace, coaxing the embers back to life. “Power lines are old. Storm knocks them out a few times a year.”
The rain sounded almost violent outside, and I was grateful for this warm, cozy place to hide out from the elements.
His cabin might have been primitive, but it was insulated well.
It held heat way better than my drafty farmhouse.
But it was still cold, and the sudden spring storm had dropped the temperature rapidly.
I shivered. Karina’s sweater suddenly felt too thin.
“You’re chilly. Come here.” Now that he had the fire going again, Hall settled on the couch, a thick blanket spread across his lap. He lifted one corner, an invitation.
The first he’d ever given me.
I didn’t hesitate at all. I crossed the room and slid in beside him, letting him tuck the blanket around us both.
He was so warm. Like a furnace. I found myself leaning into him without meaning to, my head coming to rest against his shoulder.
For some reason I felt like I’d known this man my entire life. I knew him better than almost anyone, other than my family. And that was without him sharing much about himself at all.
But Hall communicated so much without ever giving voice to it.
His words were in every silent action. The way he took care of things, took care of me.
His love language was composed of a thousand small acts, each one saying I like you, Cassidy. I like you a lot.
We sat in silence for a while before I gave words to the thoughts rattling in my head.
“I don’t know what I would have done without you,” I whispered. The firelight flickered across his face, highlighting the wild burliness of his beard and the fullness of his lips. “If you hadn’t seen the fire and come for me, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“I would always come for you.” The words seemed to slip out before he could stop them. His body tensed, as if he wanted to take them back.
But I didn’t want him to take them back. I wanted to revel in them. I knew what they meant.
I’ll always be there for you.
I’ll take care of you.
I’ll protect you.
It was everything I’d always wanted to hear from Rodney, but never had. I’d been too young when I’d been with him, not aware of what real love could look like. I’d settled for what he’d given me.
Now I knew it wasn’t enough.
But Hall was enough. In just these few short days, he’d shown me what being a man really meant.
I tilted my face up toward his. We were so close. Close enough that I could see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes. I tried to will him into action as I shifted towards him, my chin rising higher until my lips were in line with his.
Kiss me, Hall. Just do it.
Surprise landed in his eyes. Followed by a hint of fear. But he didn’t pull away. He stared at me, mesmerized, as if he couldn’t quite figure out how I’d landed here on his couch next to him.
Was this happening? Was this gorgeous man really going to kiss me? I could feel the kiss hanging in the air between us. But last time this happened he’d retreated instead. Would this time be different?
He leaned closer slowly, giving me every chance to pull away. But I didn’t want to pull away. I wanted this. Wanted him. Even if it didn’t make sense. Even if it was too fast, too soon.
And then his lips brushed mine, soft and questioning. The whisper of contact sent electricity sparking down my spine.
I made a small sound, something between a sigh and a whimper, and that seemed to break something loose in him.
He kissed me for real then. Deep and slow, his mouth moving against mine with a hunger that made my toes curl. One of his hands came up to cup my face, his thumb stroking my cheek, while the other arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer.
I melted into him and opened for him. I let him explore my mouth with his while I clutched at his shoulders, desperate to get closer. He tasted like chocolate and coffee and something uniquely Hall, and I wanted to drown in it.
His hand slid roughly down my side, over the curve of my hip, and I moaned against his mouth. He swallowed the sound, kissing me harder, deeper.
That’s when his fingers found the hem of my sweater and slipped beneath, skating across the bare skin of my waist.
There was nothing gentle in him. Hall was hungry, barely contained, and I knew in an instant what it would be like to make love to him, a stallion fucking me hard with all the wild instincts inside of him taking control.
I was burning up. Every place he touched felt like fire, and I wanted more. I needed his hands everywhere. Wanted to feel the weight of him pressing me down into the couch cushions, taking what was his.
As if he’d read my mind, he shifted, lowering me back. His body covered mine, all that solid muscle and heat, and I could feel him hard against my thigh. The evidence of his desire made me dizzy with want.
Every rough touch from this man erased the memory of Rodney’s hands on me. Every kiss seared into my being in a way my ex’s kisses never had.
Rodney felt like a boy in comparison to this man. How had I ever been satisfied with him?
It had been so long since I’d been intimate with anyone, or even wanted to be intimate. Hall was stoking a fire in me that had died to embers long ago.
He slipped his hands up to my breasts, squeezing and tugging and kneading them through my thin bra until every nerve ending in my body was lit up.
He wasn’t gentle. He was a beast.
Now the heat was flying through me, burning me up. I was slick with wetness, and there was an aching throb between my legs that could only be salved by one thing… this man.
“Hall,” I whispered against his lips. “I want you to take me. Take me hard.”
But my words didn’t have the intended effect.
He froze, the hard grind of his cock against me coming to a standstill, his hands no longer claiming ownership over the terrain of my skin.
For a long moment, neither of us moved. I could feel his heart pounding against my chest. His ragged breathing filled the living room.
Then he pulled back, pressing his forehead against mine. His eyes were squeezed shut, his jaw clenched tight.
“Hall?”
When he finally spoke he grunted out, “You’ve been through hell.” His voice was rough as gravel. “And you don’t need this… distraction. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m not adding to your troubles.”
“Hall…”
“Go to bed,” he growled. He pulled away completely, leaving me cold and aching on the couch. “Please.”
I wanted to argue and tell him that he wasn’t adding to my troubles, that he was the only good thing that had happened to me in months. But the look on his face stopped me.
He was barely holding on to his control. If I pushed, he might break.
And maybe he was right. Maybe I was throwing myself at the first man who’d so much as looked my way since Rodney dumped me on my ass.
The pain of rejection pierced through my heart. I thought we’d been building something, but I must have been wrong. The feelings were just on my side.
“Okay,” I whispered. I stood on shaky legs, pulling the blanket around my shoulders and grabbing one of the candleholders. “I’m sorry. Goodnight, Hall.”
He didn’t answer. Just stared into the fire, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
The storm was still raging outside, but it was nothing compared to the tempest in my heart. I lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, my lips still tingling from his kiss.
The pain was from knowing he was just fifteen feet away, wanting me too.
He must want me, otherwise he wouldn’t have been hard. So why was he holding himself back? Unless he was afraid I’d want a relationship with him. And unfortunately… that was exactly what I wanted.
It wasn’t just about his rough hands and his hungry cock, or the mountains of muscles on his body. I wasn’t looking for a fast fuck or a one-night stand. Somewhere over the past few days I’d completely fallen for this man.