Chapter 7
Harper squeezed her eyes shut against the light creeping into the room where she slept. It. Was. Too. Early. At least the bed was warm.
But something was… off. The bed was too warm. There was a weight across her side. And she’d somehow become cocooned in her blankets, wrapped up like a burrito.
When she wriggled in an effort to loosen her trappings, she felt a solid wall of heat behind her, and her eyes flew open with remembrance
She was in bed with Chase. He was pressed close, all along her back.
And apparently her movements had stirred one particular part of him, now twitching against her ass.
God, the urge to wiggle back and forth against him was so strong. Instead, she commanded her body to relax and enjoy this moment, which would never be repeated.
Something about being in bed with Chase, surrounded by his big, hard, masculine body and held within his embrace, felt right. The two of them sharing this intimate, cozy cabin, felt right. Perfect, even.
Harper sank into the perfection of this slice of time. Soon her drowsiness took over and she fell back asleep.
When she awoke again, she was alone. Reaching for her phone she’d plugged in, she saw it was after 10am.
They really should have been on the road by now. In a panic, she got up, got dressed, and hurried to the kitchen, following the scent of freshly made coffee. She loved the smell even if she hated the taste.
Chase set down his mug and smiled. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, I’m so sorry I overslept, I’ll just repack my things, I can get breakfast on the road and eat it in the car—”
“There’s no need to rush, Harper.”
She frowned at him. “Yes, there is! We need to get back on the road so we can join everyone else at Lake George.”
Chase looked at her sympathetically. “Sorry, but we’re stuck here today. The snow melted just enough before refreezing, and local reports on the road conditions warned about black ice out there. I don’t think it would be safe to travel today.
“The forecast said the temperature should stay constant tonight, then warm up a good ten degrees starting in the early morning, so I’m pretty confident we’ll be able to get out of here tomorrow.”
Tomorrow? That meant she’d be spending another night here, sharing the bed with Chase. Her cheeks warmed and her mind began to race.
Harper grabbed a mug and busied herself making tea as she waited for her cheeks to cool. She forced herself to take deep, relaxing breaths before she spoke. “Did you tell my family?” She was impressed by how normal she sounded.
“I texted Jackson. He said your mom wants you to call.”
When she looked at Chase, he wore a wry smile. She gave him an answering smile. “I know, I know, I’m the baby and she’s always going to worry about me.”
He lifted his hands in defense. “Hey, you said it, not me.”
She rolled her eyes, picking up her tea to go call from the bedroom.
Chase blew out a relieved breath as the bedroom door clicked closed behind Harper. He was pretty sure he’d pulled off looking and sounding normal.
When he went to bed, he was wary about how he’d react when she came to join him. Obviously he would never do anything without Harper’s consent, but how would he hide his feelings for her when it was already difficult just being in the same room without letting on?
But he’d been so exhausted that he crashed almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. It was just so comfortable, and the efforts of the day had depleted him to the point he’d been practically sleepwalking through the evening.
He’d slept like a rock in the cozy warmth of the flannel sheets and down comforter.
Until he had The Dream.
It was the same dream he had occasionally.
He and Harper were sharing a bed, but in a far more erotic way.
She woke him up by kissing down his body, stripping his boxer briefs along the way and taking him in her mouth.
He only let her bob up and down a few times before he took hold of her arms, lifting her to straddle his body.
As he held his cock steady, she’d slide down his length, her slick velvety heat enveloping him in a way that was almost too good. Harper then rode him as her pretty, pert breasts softly bounced with her movements.
Chase would slide his hands along her thighs, over her hips, and up the silky skin of her torso to palm those pretty little breasts, thumbing each nipple. Harper’s pace increased as he rolled and pinched those hardened tips, her sounds of pleasure heightening his arousal.
He often woke up there, in the middle of The Dream, cursing his stupid brain for not allowing him to finish. Although when he did finish, he usually woke up to damp sheets.
Last night, or early this morning, rather, he’d awoken during an even earlier part of The Dream. Harper had seated herself on his cock and was sitting there with a smug, seductive look on her face. She obviously knew she was driving him crazy with lust.
He’d tried to remain in The Dream as his conscious mind began to invade the unconscious, but he came to a sudden wakefulness when he realized he wasn’t alone in his own bed at home.
He was plastered against Harper, all along her back and legs, with his cock nestled right between the cheeks of her round, lush ass.
And his hand was splayed over her stomach, his thumb dangerously close to the underside of one perky breast.
Chase stopped breathing for a few moments. Then he carefully withdrew his hand, thankful he hadn’t actually cupped her tit. At least his conscience was relatively clear.
He got out of bed and dressed in clean clothes, thanks to Harper’s efforts the night before. Looking out the living room window, he saw there was a break in the falling snow.
However, when he fired up the app he’d installed to stay on top of road conditions, the news wasn’t good. There were patches of black ice between here and Lake George.
He’d driven over black ice once, several years before. It was spring and the roads looked clear. The Rover had spun around, sliding through two lanes, narrowly missing a pickup in the lane right next to his before coming to a rest on an embankment, unscathed.
There was no way he’d risk Harper’s safety. They would hunker down here another night.
Even though he’d been looking forward to spending Thanksgiving weekend with the Sinclairs, there was a lightness in him at the thought of staying here with Harper a little longer.
He pulled out his phone and shot off a text to Jackson. “Bad news, man. Black ice out there. Hopefully we’ll be able to finish the trip tomorrow.”
It was only a few moments before his phone buzzed with an answer. “That sucks, dude. Is my sister driving you crazy yet?”
Chase laughed ruefully to himself. Yes, but not the way Jackson meant. “She’s fine. We’re just trying to find ways to kill time.”
“There’s always my old familiar pastime: pranking her. The hand in the warm bowl of water, freezing her clothes, and my favorite—the time I made her think that aliens kidnapped our parents.”
Chase just shook his head. Jackson was a good friend, but it sounded like he’d been a pain in the ass to Harper. Like any self-respecting big brother. “I won’t be doing any of that. Tell your parents for us?”
“Will do, but Mom wants to speak with Harper.”
Tapping the thumbs up, he sighed and looked around the kitchen. Might as well make some coffee if they were going to be stuck here for the day.
He was drinking his second cup, having quickly drained the first, when the bedroom door flew open, Harper skidding out in her socks, rattling out a flurry of words that he didn’t think were going to stop. He held up a hand.
“There’s no need to rush, Harper.”
Her fierce frown at his answer was adorable. He barely managed to restrain himself from a grin he knew would only aggravate her.
After he explained, Harper spun away from him and grabbed a mug. Was she upset with him? Maybe she really did blame him for running over whatever it was that had halted their journey last night, when they were still able to travel pretty safely.
“Did you let my family know yet?”
Harper didn’t sound upset.
“I texted Jackson. He said your mom wants you to call.” He was already smiling by the time Harper looked at him.
Her sheepish expression melded into a smile of her own.
When she went to make her call, Chase glanced out the window. No snow falling currently.
Pulling on his hiking boots, he grabbed his keys and made his way to the Range Rover, now under a good four inches of snow.
He could carry the rest of their luggage from here, but it would be much easier if he could drive there to unload.
Plus he still needed to change the tire, and it would be far less brutal doing so under cover.
He popped open the trunk and dug around until he found the pair of work gloves he kept there.
Trekking back the way he’d come, he inspected the tree that was still at the half-mile mark. It wasn’t that big of a tree, and he bench-pressed 350 pounds when he lifted.
As he stretched his arms, shoulders, and legs, he eyed the tree, determining the best way to move it out of the road. The trunk was narrower than the width of the treetop, but it was also much denser and heavier. If only he had a damn furniture dolly in the Rover. This would be much easier.
Walking to where the branches thinned a little, he squatted and grasped onto two that he thought would hold the weight of the rest. Lifting with thighs he’d developed playing hockey, he raised the tree a few inches off the ground and began to swivel it.
He had to stop a few times and set it down to rest his shoulders and arms, but soon he had it resting on the side of the road.
After taking a few moments to rest, he backtracked to the Rover, using his gloves to swipe most of the snow off the windshield before climbing inside and starting the engine.
Chase took the rest of the distance slowly, watching for any further obstacles that would hamper their ability to leave once the ice had melted enough for safe driving. It only took a few minutes to get to the cabin, and he pulled in under the carport, shutting off the engine.
Popping open the trunk, he grabbed Harper’s hefty suitcase and hauled it out before slinging his weekend bag over one shoulder.
He was carrying the suitcase up the few steps into the cabin, debating how to negotiate the front door, when it opened and Harper stepped out, her eyes falling to their bags.
“Did you bring those all the way from the car?”
“Nope. I drove it over.”
When she glanced up at him, there was a little furrow between her eyes. “How did you drive it over when there was a tree in the way?”
“I moved it.”
Her jaw fell open, but she shifted out of his way as he neared the door so he could bring their luggage inside.
“You moved a tree?” Harper was staring at him and he wanted to puff up with manly pride, but he resisted.
“It was a small tree.”
She gave an incredulous laugh, and he couldn’t help his grin. “Oh, just a small tree. Not all that impressive, then.”