Chapter seven
Cindy
I wake up warm. Like…really warm. Safe, cocooned, and completely surrounded by the scent of smoke and pine and something that is all Daniel.
His bed is massive. The sheets are soft. And his arm is draped across my waist, his chest pressed flush against my back. Our legs are tangled together like they’ve always been that way.
I should be sore after last night, but I just feel…floaty. A little achy in the best way. Like I’ve been kissed and touched and loved until I melted into the mattress.
My heart thuds quietly in my chest.
What now?
Because yesterday, I was running. From Lyle. From the mess at home. From everything.
And now…here I am. Naked in a cabin with a man who touched my soul before he touched my body. A man I barely know, but who already feels like gravity. Like the only thing keeping me from floating off into nothing.
What does this mean?
I blink up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of it all. My fingers trail lightly over the rough texture of Daniel’s forearm as I chew on my lip. My brain is swirling, and I don’t know what to make of all the thoughts running in my head.
“What’re you thinkin’ about so hard over there, darlin’?”
His voice is thick with sleep and that gravelly edge that makes my stomach flutter. His arm tightens around my middle.
I turn a little, just enough to see his sleepy brown eyes watching me.
“Nothing,” I say quickly, too quickly. “Everything’s just…great.” I paste on a smile that’s a little too bright.
Daniel raises a brow. “Mm-hm. That so?”
I nod. “Yup. Great.”
He narrows his eyes. “You know I don’t buy that for a second, right? Gotta drag it outta you?”
I giggle, trying to bury my face in the pillow, but he’s already rolling onto me, flipping me beneath him with an effortless strength that makes me dizzy.
“Daniel!”
“Don’t make me tickle it outta you, baby,” he warns, grinning like a wolf.
“No, no, please don’t—!”
Too late. He starts to tickle my sides, finding the exact spot beneath my ribs that makes me shriek and squirm like crazy. I laugh so hard I start gasping, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes as I thrash beneath him.
“Mercy!” I cry, breathless and hiccupping. “Uncle! Daddy! Anything!”
He finally stops, both of us panting from the chaos. His big body hovers over mine, his grin softening as he looks down at me. His gaze is warm. Possessive.
And damn if I don’t like that a little too much.
“You okay now?” he murmurs, brushing a strand of hair from my cheek.
I nod. My cheeks are flushed, heart racing, but for a whole new reason now.
“I just…I was wondering what happens next,” I whisper. “That’s all.”
His expression turns serious, but his eyes don’t lose that fire that never fails to burn me up from the inside out. “Whatever you want to happen is what happens next, baby girl.”
My breath hitches.
And before I start to overthink what that means, he lowers his mouth to mine.
This kiss is different. It’s slower than last night, but deeper. Hotter, in a way that makes my toes curl and my back arch. His hands slide down to my hips, gripping me like I’m his anchor. Like I’m everything.
I moan softly into his mouth, threading my fingers into his hair as I press my chest up to his. My skin tingles everywhere he touches, and when he starts to grind gently against my slick pussy, I forget how to breathe.
He pulls back just a little, his lips brushing mine. “You wanna keep goin,’ baby?”
My cheeks flame, but I nod. “Please, I need you.”
His eyes darken, and the smirk that spreads across his face makes my thighs clench.
“Oh, baby girl…you’re gonna be the death of me.”
He adjusts his angle and slides into me with a soft groan, and it’s like my body remembers him. Like after last night, my insides are shaped just like him.
Maybe he was right, maybe I am ruined for anyone else.
His slow thrusts turn into a rough rhythm, and it isn’t long before he’s called forth another orgasm from within me, like he can command my pleasure at his whim.
By the time I make it out of bed and into the shower, my whole body is sore in the best way possible.
I take a long, relaxing shower, letting the warm water soothe my aching muscles.
Closing my eyes, I lean back against shower wall and let my mind wander, thinking about…
last night, this morning…how it’s all so life-altering.
Not just the way he touches me, but the way he looks at me.
Like I matter. Like he sees something in me no one else ever has.
Minutes later, I pad barefoot into the main room, the floorboards warm under my feet from the morning sun streaming through the wide windows. The scent of coffee and something delicious hits me before I even round the corner.
Daniel’s at the stove, shirtless, in a pair of low-slung sweatpants that hang off his hips in a way that should be illegal.
His back muscles flex as he flips something in a skillet, and my mouth goes dry for a second.
Not just from the view, but from the way he glances over his shoulder and grins at me like I’m his entire world.
“Hey, baby,” he says, his voice thick with warmth. “Feel better?”
I nod, leaning against the doorway. “Better than I have in…maybe ever.”
He jerks his chin toward the coffee pot. “Poured you a cup. It’s on the counter.”
“God, I think I love you.” I sigh dramatically, making my way over.
His chuckle rumbles from across the room. “That all it takes? Coffee and pancakes?”
“Well, that and last night,” I tease, shooting him a look as I take a long sip. “Which, by the way…still recovering.”
He looks ridiculously smug about that, and I kind of love it.
I hop up on the edge of the kitchen counter, legs swinging, as he plates two stacks of pancakes and sets them down on the small table near the window. We eat quietly for a few minutes, just the sound of the birds outside and the occasional hum from the coffee pot filling the space.
“You ever think about this?” I ask softly after a moment, watching steam curl from my mug.
“About what?”
“This. You know…a quiet morning. With someone. Making pancakes. Drinking coffee. This peace.”
Daniel’s eyes find mine across the table. “I’ve thought about it a lot more than I’d ever admit.”
A smile tugs at my lips. I take another bite, then set down my fork, tucking my legs beneath me on the chair.
“I always had this silly dream,” I admit. “I used to picture myself in a little cabin somewhere like this, running a tiny trinket shop or a secondhand bookstore or something. Just enough to get by. Living simple. Far from all the noise.”
Daniel sets his coffee down slowly. “That’s not silly at all.”
I raise my eyes to his.
“In fact,” he says, leaning forward slightly, “sounds like it fits real well into the life I’ve been picturing lately.”
I freeze for half a second, heart skipping. “You’ve been picturing a life? Like…with me?”
He shrugs, but the soft grin he gives me is enough to send warmth flooding through my chest. “Let’s just say…a few days ago, I didn’t know what the hell was missing. But now that you’re here?” His eyes burn into mine. “Everything makes sense.”
My throat tightens, and I look down at my coffee, then back up at him. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Dead serious, baby girl.”
I reach across the table and slide my hand into his, and he holds on like he’s never letting go, his thumb stroking gently over my knuckles.
I’m still scared. Still wondering what happens when this bubble pops. But right now, in this cabin, with his hand in mine and his voice wrapping around me like a promise…I start to believe.
Not just in him.
But in us.
The moment feels so perfect…until my phone rings.
I stiffen, and Daniel frowns, watching as I slide off the counter to grab it from the kitchen island where I left it.
Mom.
Of course.
I hesitate, thumb hovering over the screen. Then I exhale and swipe to answer. “Hello?”
“Cindy!” My mom’s voice comes through loud and breathless. “Oh my God, where are you? Why haven’t you answered any of my messages?”
“I texted you last night,” I say softly, glancing over at Daniel, who’s gone still, watching me closely. “Told you I was safe.”
“You can’t just disappear, sweetheart,” she says, her voice rising. “You left with no explanation. Do you know how worried we’ve all been? Lenny’s been calling every ranger outpost and hospital from here to Idaho!”
I wince, guilt tugging at my chest. “I’m okay, Mom. I just…I needed space. After what happened—”
Her voice softens a little, but only just. “You were upset. I get that. But running off wasn’t the answer.”
“I wasn’t just upset,” I say, my voice tightening. “Lyle, he—”
“Cindy,” she interrupts quickly, as if she can’t bear to hear the rest. “Lenny and I talked to him. Lyle says it was a misunderstanding. He swears he’d never do anything to hurt you. We’re trying to come up with a solution here, but you can’t just vanish like this.”
My heart pounds.
A misunderstanding? Really?
“He cornered me,” I say, trying to stay calm. “I know what I felt. What I saw in his eyes. It wasn’t a misunderstanding, Mom.”
She sighs, and I can hear the weariness in it.
“Honey, you’ve been through a lot lately.
Your dad, the move, the pressure. Maybe…
maybe you’re just overreacting. We’ll make sure Lyle stays out of your space, okay?
He won’t come near you. But I need to know you’re safe.
Can you come back to the Airbnb? Just for today? ”
I swallow down the tightness in my throat. Everything in me wants to scream no. I don’t want to go back. Not to that house. Not to the weight of pretending everything’s fine when it’s not.
“I’m safe,” I whisper. “I’m with someone who’s been taking care of me. Someone I trust.”
There’s a pause.
“Cindy,” she says, her voice quieter now. “Just let us see you. That’s all I’m asking. Please.”
There’s a hitch to her voice, and I close my eyes, my stomach knotting with guilt.
“Okay,” I finally say. “I’ll come back. But only if Lyle isn’t there.”
“Of course,” she promises quickly. “He won’t be. You have my word.”
We hang up, and I set the phone down slowly, staring at it like it’s a bomb waiting to go off.
Daniel’s still watching me, jaw clenched. “You’re really going back?” he asks quietly.
I nod. “Just to talk. Just to…see.”
He runs a hand through his hair, pushing back from the table. “I don’t like it. Not after everything. It doesn’t sit right.”
“It’s my mom,” I say gently, stepping toward him. “She’s worried. I just need to see them, Daniel. I won’t be alone with Lyle.”
His eyes burn into mine, fierce and protective and deeply, deeply conflicted.
“I don’t trust them to keep you safe,” he mutters. “Not after yesterday. You think I’m just gonna drop you off and drive away?”
“No,” I say, wrapping my arms around his waist. “I’m not asking you to do that. Just…take me back. Stay nearby. I’ll text you. I promise. If anything feels off, I’ll leave.”
He wraps his arms around me, pulling me tightly against his body. “You don’t have to go,” he whispers into my hair. “You could stay here. Let them figure things out on their own.”
“I know,” I whisper back. “But I need closure. I need to know what I’m going back to, or walking away from.”
He doesn’t speak for a long moment. Then he nods, jaw tight. “Alright. But I’m getting you out of there at any sign of trouble.”
A lump rises in my throat. “Okay.”
He kisses my forehead like it’s a vow.
And somehow, that promise steadies the storm brewing in my chest.