Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
Elle
BINGO. I HAD HIM. HIS vibe was Elle Madelyn, and I was starting to realize mine was …
Austin. Fucking. Carterson.
Residual heat from the burning wood and my growing desire permeated the tension around us. Pensacola sometimes got chilly, but it was never fireplace-worthy or blanketed with snow. I couldn’t tell what was warming me most though. Was it my internal desires or the fever that Austin infected me with?
His hair, still damp from the shower, glistened in the ambient orange glow. It begged me to tangle my fingers through it, to lace my arms around his neck and straddle his wide waist while he was wearing only pajama pants.
To give in.
“Did you know I’ve never seen snow? Like ever?” I admitted, breaking free from the compulsive thoughts restraining me. “Never played in it, never even felt a snowflake touch my skin.”
“What?! How is that possible?” Austin straightened, looking away for the first time since I’d stepped into his view.
“I don’t know. I guess my family opted for tropical beach vacations and cruises instead of mountain views and ski resorts when I was a kid.”
“Unacceptable. We’re remedying that right now. How did you resist going outside all day today? I never would have kept you inside if I knew that.”
He stood, forbidding me the chance to refuse his order. His stance thickened the air between us. Was that why it was so hard to catch my breath?
“Let’s turn this into more than just the trip where you had your heart broken, shall we?” His eyebrow rose, meeting the occasion.
“We shall.” I nodded excitedly.
“Grab my peacoat and some shoes. They’re in the entryway by the front door. You’ll need them.” The words oozed demand.
Why did authority turn me on so much? Was it the type-A rule follower in me, begging for a break? Or was it the fact that Jesse was the complete opposite?
Letting someone else be in control for once felt incredibly liberating.
Austin led me into the entryway. I threw the arms of his coat around my body, slipped on his boots—which, as promised, waited next to the door—and followed him onto the dimly lit porch. Blistering wind blasted me in the face as we left the familiarity of his house.
Surprisingly, following him into the darkness brought me a sense of safety. Austin didn’t flinch at the wintry rush flooding the porch. He slowed before we reached the top step, waiting for me to stand beside him instead of behind.
Of course he did.
Of course he’d brought me outside to experience my first snow. It didn’t matter that he’d seen it a thousand times before.
“It’s like a wonderland out here. It’s gorgeous,” I chattered through stunned windpipes, processing frost-thickened oxygen for the first time in my life. “I’m happy I get to experience it with you.”
“How lucky am I to have the honor of showing it to you?” He grabbed my hand and tugged me closer until I was positioned in front of him with my back against his chest. Two heavy arms draped over my shoulders, drawing me in deeper.
“The woman who has never seen snow and the man who lives in one of the snowiest places in the country. An unlikely duo, huh?” I rattled aimlessly.
His stance behind me was intimate by design.
Formulated to get my blood pumping. He was close enough for me to feel his words, his breath, on the exposed stretch of skin behind my ear.
My fingers curled in on themselves, fiddling with some of my building stimulation.
I fought to remain upright. Slowly, I drifted my head closer to my left shoulder, hoping to kill any remaining space between us.
Stone-carved hands ran up the arms of the coat that concealed my goose bumps. No part of him made direct contact with my skin, yet his presence behind me gave off such potent alpha energy that it was enough to send traces of arousal through my veins.
Austin had let me initiate our kiss on the Ferris wheel, but I’d suspected it was solely to ensure I was emotionally ready for it. Would he let me initiate anything first ever again?
I hoped not.
“I’d like to grab some more firewood from the shed. You want to come with?” he asked. “It’s just over there.” His index finger directed my attention to the structure he’d mentioned yesterday. It was the one I could see from my bedroom window. “I promise you’ll be warm soon enough.”
He stepped out from behind me and recaptured my hand, not taking no for an answer.
I nodded. It was cold, but not cold enough to stop me from exploring whatever he wanted to show me.
A man of his stature didn’t need help carrying logs inside.
There was an impressive pile next to the mantel anyway.
Perhaps he wanted to show me a side of him I hadn’t yet seen.
His hand stayed in mine as we walked through inches of snow to get to the side of his house, where the free-standing structure stood.
When we entered, I noticed neatly stacked firewood lined the inside of the shed’s perimeter, piling halfway up the walls like nature’s wallpaper.
A chunky stump—the width of a large recliner—sat, sliced and rooted through the ground, in the center of the shed.
A well-loved axe, positioned upright, was stabbed vertically into the ground next to the pedestal.
Did Austin use the old half trunk as a splitting slab?
He’d created a working surface from an old tree and used it to butcher new trees, surrounded by a shed built by his efforts. Was there anything more primal than that? He didn’t just look like he split firewood, but he actually split fucking firewood.
No wonder he wanted to show me his workshop.
My thirst grew as I saw what he could do with his hands, as if I hadn’t already been impressed by everything else about him.
“I know; it’s … a lot,” he sighed, looking around at his borderline obsession encircling us. “But splitting wood is a great workout and helps me clear my head when I’m stressed. I like being self-sufficient and having the things I need here at home.”
“Is that why I’m here?” I shattered, speaking without thinking. My heart rate skyrocketed. Anticipation knotted in my core.
His mouth fell open, lengthening the sharp jaw that could cut my life short.
“Never thought of it like that, but yes. Maybe that is why you’re here, Elle.
Maybe that’s how you ended up here.” He stepped toward me, closing the gap between our bodies before continuing, “On my base, at my house, and now in my woodshed, wearing my coat. Is there somewhere else you’d rather be?
” Darkened emeralds scanned me up and down like they were trying not to eat me.
Had the big bad wolf walked me right into his territory?
“No, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than here with you …” I swallowed, nearly gagging on my throat’s dryness.
His stance invited me to fall apart, surrounded by his strength.
“Can I show you that there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here with you too?” He wiped a stiff strand of hair from my face.
“Show me.” My lustful nod let Austin know just how deeply his statement penetrated me. A cloud of frozen breath left my mouth.
His job and rank demonstrated that he was accustomed to being in control.
His sudden stampede toward the shed door proved it.
Austin threw it shut and latched the handle, startling me.
Hands of steel barreled back toward me. They stole his coat from my body and threw it onto the hay-topped floor.
I shivered when a fresh wave of below-freezing temps infiltrated every newly exposed pore.
My nipples tightened, and a warm rush of heat replaced the emptiness between my thighs.
Still sporting Austin’s boots, my feet remained cemented in place and time, leaving only my impulses to forecast his next move—an unanticipated one that swept me off my feet.
He scooped me out of his boots and into his solid arms. One swift motion was all it took.
He had a plan.
Even if I didn’t know exactly what it was, the disheveled groan that left his throat as he effortlessly balanced my body weight on his forearms told me it was improper, indecent, and insatiable.
All the things I craved finally stared back at me.