Chapter Seven
Stellan
We wake up to clear skies, and the sun is shining. It’s as if nothing happened, but we haven’t looked out the windows yet to explore the damage. Hell, we’re still wrapped up in each other’s arms. “Good morning, Georgia. Who knew this was the perfect way to wake up?”
“I sure as hell didn’t, but I’m sure you’ve had many lovers over the years.”
“No, I haven’t. No lovers at all. I’m not saying I haven’t tried to date over the years or even came close, but things never happened.”
“That shocks me.”
“Well, it’s not a shocker. It’s all over the internet. Rumors about me being gay or that I have a small dick float around social media all the time. Some believe that it’s because I’m religious and that I’m waiting for marriage.”
“Well, we just proved them wrong on all counts.”
“But we are getting married,” I growl, pinning her to the bed and kissing all over her neck.
“How are we going to do that? You live in L.A., right?”
I shrug because my plans to retire were already set in stone, and even if they weren’t, I’d make them for her. “So, I’ll move here. I told you we have a cabin rental to run.”
“You were serious?” Her eyes widened, looking extremely adorable as the awe and wonder crossed her innocent face. There is such a natural, unfettered warmth I get from her that I want to keep forever.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve just filled you with my seed all night long, and unless you’re on birth control, we weren’t careful at all. It’s about to be very serious.”
“Oh my goodness. The cabins,” Georgia gasps, pushing me off her and jumping out of the bed. She grabs my shirt, slides it over her head, and moves over to the large bay windows, letting the sunlight hit her. She stands there in just my shirt, and I watch in total amazement. God, she looks hot in my clothes only.
I’m on my feet, unable to stay away. “Wow, the water is so peaceful.”
“This is the calm after the storm,” I answered, sliding my arms around her waist.
“The rest of the area looks in total disarray. There’s no way we’re going to get out of here any time soon.”
“You’re right, but I have a solution for how we can spend our time,” I growl, picking her up and carrying her to the shower, where we enjoy a very interesting morning experience.
She slides her old clothes back on while I find something to wear. Frankly, I preferred her in just my shirt, but I understand that we have to go looking around. “Now, how about some breakfast?”
“Should we see what’s left of downstairs?” Her face scrunches up, feeling unnerved about all the damage to her property. It’s going to be a long road for all those in Sweet Temptation.
“I’ll go first.” I lead the way, and to my surprise, the cabin itself isn’t completely destroyed. There’s no flooding, just like she said there wouldn’t be. The damage that happened yesterday seemed to be the bulk of it, but the biggest problem was the power was out.
“Oh no.”
“No coffee,” she gasped, grabbing the coffee pot. I opened the fridge, and it’s still cold. “Let’s keep it closed unless we need to open it. There’s an ice chest in the back. Also, there’s a large generator back here. We can turn it on and hook up some of the power to keep some things running.”
“Let me get a flashlight, and then I’ll get in there and bring it out.”
“I don’t know where they are in here,” she mutters, starting to move around the kitchen and dig through the drawers.
I stop her and ask, “What about our phones?”
“I’ll go grab them,” she offers, taking off up the stairs before I can move, so I look around the living area to assess the damage. Since there was some debris from yesterday near the window, I picked up the broom and began sweeping.
When she comes down, she sighs. “We’re still out of service.”
“Well, hopefully, in a few hours, we’ll be up and running. Let’s get the generator going before the food has a chance to spoil, and then maybe we can keep the heat away as well.” She directs me to the back, where it’s located. I managed to get it up and running, and thankfully, it’s powerful enough to run the entire cabin for a couple of days, which is all we need. As we were walking back, I noticed the telephone line. “Hey, this is the landline, right?”
“Yes.” When I pick it up, I’m pissed. “That wasn’t done by the storm.”
“And I’m sure it wasn’t done yesterday. There’s a reason you haven’t been able to reach me.”
Fuck, immediately, I want to cut off my own tongue. Panic washes over Georgia’s face. “Oh my goodness. She must have been out here.”
I take her hand and hold it to my chest. “Well, she would have gotten out of here, or she would have gotten swept away by the storm. Let’s go inside and cool down because it’s muggy as hell, and the bugs are biting already.”
She smiles, looking pretty as always, and her gorgeous red hair is getting fizzy from the humidity. “Yes, and I need coffee.”
“Me too.” I pat her ass and follow inside.
****
It’s been two days since the storm left, and Georgia’s worried about her cabins. “Relax. All your renters left, correct?”
“Yeah, except one stubborn one,” she teases, giving me a wink.
“I needed a personal escort.”
“We need to check our phones again. The generator isn’t going to last long if we use it to keep everything running.” I checked the fuel she had for the generator, and it was enough for two full sessions. So, we had a max of six days if we were wise, which means we have four days left.
“We’ll have to conserve the power on the generator, which means turning things off and using it when necessary. The air is going to be the biggest drain.”
“I know.” The dread crosses her face, and I don’t blame her because it can get gross pretty fast with no air conditioning and little to no food. We’re going to be roughing it if we don’t get help here soon, or we’ll have to find a way to go to the mainland. I’m not sure if there is a path.
I turn on mine and wait for it to load. Still no damn service. “Mine still doesn’t have service. What about yours?”
“Mine is working,” Georgia squeals. She dials the police immediately, putting her phone on speaker. “Hello, this is Georgia King.”
“Hey, Georgia, we’ve been worried about you. We thought you’d be back to assess your property. Tell me you’re okay.”
“Actually, I’m fine, but see, I’m trapped in the cabin on the cove.”
“Oh no. The bridge is washed out.”
“Yes, and our vehicles were hit by a tree before we could evacuate,” she says, explaining why we couldn’t leave.
“We?”
“Yes, my renter lost service out here before the storm and was unaware it was approaching. I came to warn him, and it was too late.”
“Oh heavens. Please tell me you two are safe.”
“We are for now. The backup generator is running, and thankfully went shopping before the storm came, but it won’t be much longer before things run low. My phone just started working again, and his doesn’t work at all for some strange reason.”
“I’ll notify Mr. Knight to get a crew out there to repair the bridge first. His team has been working on other projects that have been taking priority. We had no idea anyone was out there.”
“It’s not your fault. Thank you, Pam.”
“Anything for you, dear. We’ll keep you in our prayers. Stay safe.”
“Thank you.” She ends the call and sets the phone down.
“So what are we going to do in the meantime, Mr. Knox?” she asks.
“I do believe I have to make up for trapping you here.” I toss her a playful grin before I lean in, stalking closer.
“You can have me if you can catch me.” With a giggle, she takes off running, but I’m an action star who did most of his own stunts. I’m on her in a heartbeat, pinning her to the stairs with my mouth on her.
“You’re trapped.”
“With my stalker.”
“Now, what am I going to do with you,” I questioned.
“I’d love to find out.”