Chapter 16
Chapter sixteen
Bryce
“When the Storm Hits, So Does the Stupidity”
The cabin was damn near silent, except for the light wind brushing against the windows and my own breath getting heavier with each stroke.
I laid across the wide bed, legs slightly apart, shirtless and eyes shut tight, as my right hand moved with a mission.
The other pressed against the edge of the sheets as I conjured up the image of Chesteria in that white tank top she wore to bed last night.
No bra… just bounce and attitude.
“I swear she wore that shit on purpose,” I muttered, dragging my hand faster, jaw tightening.
I imagined her crawling across the bed toward me, sass still in her eyes but surrender written all over her hips.
My hand moved faster, massaging the tip and moving down to the base.
My actions were getting the job done, but Chesteria's hand combo was top tier, and I imagined her taking over. This visual had my toes curling.
“Shit,” I cursed low, the base of my throat vibrating with need.
The memory of Chesteria biting her lip and smiling at the kitchen table, had me gripping myself tighter. Then…
POP.
The room went dark—all the power went out.
“What the f—”
Before the last syllable left my lips, a loud voice shrieked from down the hall.
“What the hell?! What happened to the lights?! Ain’t nobody got time for a power outage in the woods!”
Isis.
“Fuuuuuck!” I growled, spilling onto the sheet just as her voice reached max volume.
I flopped back, cussing and catching my breath. “Goddamn timing!”
I swung my legs off the bed, snatched some baby wipes that I had nearby, and wiped myself quickly. I tossed the wipes in the trash, yanked on my sweats, and beelined to the bathroom to rinse my hands. Just as I opened the door—
BAM!
I almost collided straight into Isis’s dramatic ass, who stood there, posted in the hallway like the blackout was beneath her tax bracket.
She was wrapped in a floor-length, blush-colored silk robe with fur-trimmed sleeves and a matching satin bonnet that sat perfectly on her head.
Her face was still beat like she was waiting on paparazzi, and her arms were crossed tight under her chest like she was preparing to file a noise complaint.
Isis straight up was giving somebody’s overpaid, freshly ex-wife, who still lived in the mansion and refused to give the keys back unless she got the dog and the vacation home.
“I knew I shouldn’t have come on this trip!
This is what I get!” she complained, dramatically tossing her hair to the side.
“Now I can’t charge my phone, my skin routine’s thrown off, and my aromatherapy diffuser just stopped mid-mist!
I had a mask on… a whole glow-boosting collagen mask!
Do you know how expensive that is?! You really brought me out here to suffer? Me?! Out of all people!”
I gritted my teeth. “Isis… Shut. The. Fuck. Up.”
Her mouth fell open, scandalized. “Excuse me?!”
“Nah. Shut that shit up right now. You talkin’ ‘bout masks and mist like we not in the middle of a blackout in the damn woods! And if yo’ mouth wasn’t running more than your ears yesterday, you’d know this might’ve happened!
I told y’all it was a possibility. It’s cold, we in a cabin, and the grid up here is unreliable. Stop acting brand new!”
“But I was in the middle of—”
“I don’t give a damn what you was in the middle of. Now bring yo’ bonnet, yo’ spa day, and yo’ complaints downstairs before I find you a bunk outside with the raccoons.”
I stepped around her, heat rolling off me. Isis stormed away, stomping her mad ass back to the room she was occupying.
I descended the stairs shirtless, my gray sweats hanging low on my hips.
My mood? Trash. The lights were out, my peace was shattered, I couldn’t fully enjoy my nut, and the woman I wanted was probably knocked out cold downstairs, blissfully unaware that she was the reason I couldn’t sleep in the first place.
When I hit the last step, I froze for a second.
Chesteria was already in the living room, fully dressed, calm, and carrying a tray that had a dish towel underneath to keep it steady.
It was stacked with several steaming mugs, a small plate of toasted bagels, butter, jelly, and even some fruit on the side.
The rich scent of coffee wrapped around me like a peace treaty to my nerves.
She was wearing one of those soft, slouchy, oversized off-shoulder sweaters that she knew I loved, because seeing her in them always made me want to pull her into my lap.
A tan strap peeked out underneath, and the loose neckline dipped just low enough to remind me of exactly why my soul almost left my body five minutes ago.
“You good?” I asked, voice low, laced with that rare softness I reserved only for her.
“Good as can be considering the situation,” she replied, setting the tray down on the center table. “I was in the kitchen when everything went out, but I managed to get some coffee made before the pot cut off. Thank God I wasn’t pouring when it went out.”
She gave me a little smirk and reached for one of the mugs. “Here. I made this one specifically for you.”
I squinted at her, eyeing the cup like it was laced.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she laughed. “I just know how you like your coffee. I wanted to see if I still had it.”
I took a sip, never taking my eyes off her.
“Sooo…” she drew out the word, brows raised. “How’d I do?”
I paused, then nodded slowly in approval. “It’s perfect… damn near better than perfect.”
Chesteria smiled accomplished.
“But thank you… for real,” I added, sighing. “I’ma need this… especially dealing with these idiots we done brought here.”
“Ugh. Don’t remind me,” she groaned, already heading toward the windows. “Let me get some candles going before Isis starts crying about ambiance.”
Chesteria lit the first one and adjusted it on the sill. Her hips swayed a little under the sweater, and I watched her for a second longer than I probably should’ve.
Damn shame I couldn’t go for round two. But this coffee? Definitely a close second.
Right on cue, Adrian limped into the room, hair wet, and wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.
“Say, man… what the hell goin’ on?! I was in the shower minding my damn business, now I’m cold, naked, and I damn near slipped trying to grab my towel!”
I snarled. “Nigga, what it look like? The power’s out… obviously.”
“No shit!” Adrian snapped, clutching the towel tighter. “I got conditioner still in my beard!”
I narrowed my eyes. “Well, massage that shit in and treat it like a damn leave-in. Moisturize while you suffer. You and Isis acting like y’all already got snow in y’all lungs and there are wolves at the door…
and the damn lights been off for only five minutes.
But go put on some damn clothes. I ain’t talkin’ to no nigga who got his nuts swinging under terry cloth.
You might slip and fall again, and I ain’t got insurance to be explaining that! ”
Adrian muttered something under his breath as he limped off like a wet and angry dog.
Then—like clockwork—Isis came sashaying in, arms crossed, and robe flowing behind her like she was floating through a tragic-ass music video.
She had a whole attitude on her face and rolled her eyes so hard I swear time reversed by five minutes.
“This whole situation is unacceptable!” she wailed, spinning in a slow, dramatic circle. “I was in the middle of my glow-up, and now I look like the damn moon. Oh, God… now my pores are traumatized!”
I closed my eyes, inhaled slowly, and counted to three. Then I turned to face her with a look that said if she pushed me any further, I would put her ass on Craigslist under “slightly used cabin guest… comes with drama and false eyelashes.”
I pointed with the same hand holding my coffee.
“Isis, since it’s below freezing outside and I believe in mercy…
I’m giving you three chances today. That’s it.
If you run through them three, I’ma hand you a flashlight, a snow boot, and a prayer.
You gon’ be whining from outside the damn cabin. Don’t test me.”
Isis let out the loudest groan known to mankind. Then she threw herself on the couch and pulled a throw blanket around her like I had just abused her civil rights.
“Y’all need to stop treating me like I’m the problem!” she mumbled into the pillow.
Suddenly, Adrian reappeared fully dressed—barely. He had on some wrinkled pajama pants that looked slept in, those damn socks with a hole in one toe, and a hoodie with no drawstrings.
“Aight, I’m back… still cold, though.”
Still limping, he bent down to grab a mug from the tray and eased onto the couch with a sigh.
“So what’s the play? The lights should be back on in a few hours, right?”
Before I could even blink at the stupidity, Isis chimed in.
“Yeah. Like… are the lights really out because of the storm, or did one of y’all just forget to pay the light bill?”
I didn’t know who was dumber in that moment—her or Adrian.
I was about to respond, but Chesteria beat me to it.
Chesteria struck the match and lit another candle with a slow shake of her head.
“Girl… don’t be dumb. We’re in the mountains, not on a payment plan.
Besides, it’s Sunday. Ain’t nobody sitting in a cubicle somewhere pressing ‘lights off’ on a damn payment portal, on the Lord’s day.
The folks who could cut it off are either at home wrapped in quilts trying to stay warm, at church, either shouting or praying, or laid up trying to stretch their weekend.
This blackout? This is nature… not negligence. ”
I coughed into my coffee and smirked proudly.
Read her ass, baby.
Isis looked between us all, jaw tight. “Y’all gonna regret talking to me like this when I go viral with my survival story!”
Chesteria snickered. “You gotta survive first, boo.”
I rubbed my hands together in front of the fire like I was preparing to lecture a classroom full of children.