Chapter 5
Chapter Five
DANI
Ducking my head and stuffing my hands in my pockets, I walked through the trees toward my small studio cabin. The thin layer of snow on the ground crunched under my feet, and I shivered slightly when a gust of wind blew through the valley.
Despite the cold outside, I felt like I was on fire inside.
Spending a few hours mashed up beside Wade in the bar had driven me to near insanity.
Somehow, that silly moment when I dumped flour all over myself in the pantry had blown open the door I’d been trying to keep closed and locked ever since Wade moved back to Stolen Hearts Valley.
Hell, the door didn’t just blow open, it fell off the damn hinges. I couldn’t say what had shifted. Except, in that moment, my guard had fallen just enough that I kissed Wade.
Fuck my life. All my efforts to hold my feelings at bay now felt futile.
I’d been so damn cocky to think I had the situation in hand. Maybe I could get a hold of it again. The problem was I didn’t know if I wanted to anymore.
The banked embers inside had been kicked loose and the heat contained within them exploded into flames. The temptation to give into it, to finally let myself have what I told myself I couldn’t even want, was almost overwhelming.
“Dani!”
Wade’s voice reached me through the trees. The moment I heard it, my heart stumbled, tripped, and fell, and my belly spun in wild flips.
Keep walking. Just go back to your cabin and …
My body, quite willful at the moment, boldly ignored my attempt at lecturing myself.
My feet stopped, and I turned to look back.
The staff cabins were scattered in the trees out behind the main guest barn for Stolen Hearts Lodge.
Several winding paths led to the cabins.
During winter, holiday lights were strung through the trees, adding a festive touch to the walk home.
Because I knew where everyone was—seeing as I was the one in charge of getting new staff situated when they came here—I knew perfectly well that Wade’s cabin was close to mine. But just far enough that I could try to ignore his presence most of the time.
Instead of angling up the short path leading off this one to his place, he strolled quickly through the trees toward me, his arms swinging easily.
I doubted he was bothered by the cold. Wade was like a personal heater.
I remembered what it felt like to be wrapped in his warm, strong embrace when I was younger.
A shaft of fierce longing struck me. Oh my God. The need to relax and just let myself fall into what I knew would feel so good with Wade was like a tide rolling over me and catching me in its current.
Wade stopped in front of me, his eyes meeting mine in the dim light cast from the holiday lights. “You’re cold,” he said by way of greeting.
It just so happened that I shivered unconsciously when he stopped in front of me. I nodded, seeming incapable of getting a grasp on actual words.
His eyes searched my face, and then he was sliding his hand around my shoulders, turning and guiding me swiftly along the path. “Let’s get you inside. What you’re wearing doesn’t even count as a winter jacket,” he murmured.
Normally, I would have some sort of argumentative retort. I had to scramble for one, finally replying, “You know, I’m perfectly capable of walking on my own.”
My tone was a little snippy, and I didn’t care. In fact, I was a little relieved to feel that side of myself rise up again. I was forever annoyed with myself for my lingering feelings for Wade.
His low chuckle sent a prickle chasing down my spine. Every sensation connected to him sprinkled fuel into the fire burning inside me.
“As if I didn’t know that,” he countered as he opened the door to my cabin.
Without thinking, I stepped through the door, spinning back at the last minute. “What are you doing, Wade?”
“We need to talk,” he said flatly. He didn’t even wait for me to invite him in, stepping in behind me and closing the door shut. He leaned against it, hooking one hand in the pocket of his jeans.
That familiar defensiveness, which had served me so well when it came to Wade, flexed its muscles. “About what?” I snapped.
Not waiting for him to reply, I knocked the snow off my boots and kicked them off before hanging up my jacket and striding across my cabin to turn up the heat.
Most of the cabins were similar, and those that staff lived in were all studio-sized.
The front door opened into a main room with a bench and hooks for jackets by the door, a queen-size bed in one corner, and an efficiency kitchen in the other corner.
There was a small round table and a few chairs to create the impression that one had an actual dining room.
On the opposite side of the bed was a door that led into a bathroom.
Although they were small, the cabins were quite luxurious.
With a high ceiling to let lots of light in through the front windows, the floors were glossy hardwood, and the furnishings were simple, but elegant—lightweight, modern wooden furniture with airy fabrics.
The bathroom was pure luxury, with a large tub and shower.
After adjusting the thermostat, I turned back to find Wade still waiting. Part of me didn’t want to cross the room and get closer to him again. Proximity to Wade at this juncture seemed insane.
Yet, I didn’t want to be a coward. I certainly didn’t want Wade to sense how jumpy I felt around him.
I was nothing if not stubborn though. Steeling myself inside, I crossed the room, stopping in front of him.
I was so rattled by my body’s reaction—as if an engine were revving inside of me—I was acutely aware of ensuring I was far enough away that I didn’t accidentally reach out and touch him.
As if that could be an accident.
Resting a hand on my hip, I cocked my head to the side. “Well?”
Wade’s gaze darkened as he looked at me.
My nipples—damn my nipples—puckered inside my bra and I suddenly regretted taking my jacket off.
I wore a thin cotton shirt underneath. There was nothing special or sexy about it.
And yet, I felt his eyes flick down and knew he could see my nipples perking up at his attention.
I tried to take a breath, but got nothing more than a shallow sip of air. My pulse skittered off and that inconvenient heat prickled over the surface of my skin.
“We need to talk about why the hell you’ve been so mad at me ever since I came back, and what happened yesterday.”
I didn’t know how it was possible, but my pulse kicked up a notch. He touched on topics I had zero interest in discussing. Denial was a very effective coping skill, and I’d relied on it heavily in dealing with Wade the last few years.
Swallowing, I stared at him. I didn’t even bother to try to formulate an answer. With the hum of anticipation fuzzing my thoughts and butterflies twirling in my belly, I knew I couldn’t think clearly. Much less come up with any kind of reasonable answer.
“I don’t want to talk, Wade,” I finally said.
A crease formed above his brow. Although his posture remained relaxed where he leaned against the door, I could see the subtle tension enter his body. His shoulders stiffened a bit and his jaw clenched slightly as he held my gaze.
“Dani, you never told me why you dumped me in high school. I let it ride. But I’m done. This thing between us isn’t over, and you can stop bothering to pretend like it is.”
A flash of anger pierced me, the heat of it spinning into the fire already burning me up inside. I didn’t even realize I had moved until I was standing right in front of him, pointing my finger at his chest.
“You don’t get to make me talk about anything, Wade.”
I knew I was overreacting, and I knew I was being defensive. I prided myself for not being an asshole. But the lingering guilt I carried for never explaining why I broke up with him had been eating at me for too freaking long.
“Maybe I can’t make you talk about anything,” Wade countered, “but I have every right to try. Also, you’re the one who kissed me first yesterday.”
My heart was thrashing wildly in my chest, and I felt the slick heat building between my thighs. Oh, I could admit it. Wade was hot. Seriously hot. Even worse, he kissed like a dream.
That inconvenient detail revved me like nothing else did. It was a pedal on the gas in my body’s engine. With nothing but emotion driving me, I stepped closer, my hand falling to his chest. It was hard, and I could feel the rapid thump of his heartbeat against my palm.
I opened my mouth to say something else. Nothing came out other than a little hitch of my breath in the back of my throat. Wade said something that didn’t even register to me, and then his hand was sliding into my hair as he fit his mouth over mine.