Chapter 7
TAYA
“How do people live like this? It’s . . . it’s . . . ugh!”
“I think it’s funny that you can write thousands of words in an order that’s pleasing to countless readers, but sometimes, you can’t complete a sentence,” Chewie teased.
I couldn’t do much more than growl at him since I was already out of breath because of the brisk pace he’d set.
And the last thing I wanted to do was slow down since we were trudging through knee-deep snow in the middle of a polar vortex.
Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but the snow was pretty deep, especially in the drifts.
The wind easily cut through the leggings I had on under a pair of loose jeans.
I was almost positive that my thighs were just as numb as my feet.
The bright side of this whole scenario was that my torso was nice and toasty thanks to my brand-new winter coat. I had regretted the purchase at the time, considering how much the damn thing cost, but now I was glad I’d spent the money.
The only thing I regretted was not purchasing the matching gloves, scarf, and hat. I also should have picked up a full-coverage snowsuit and a pair of goggles.
“This is bullshit!”
Chewie laughed and threw his arm over my shoulders before he said, “Next time it snows at home, remember what it was like here. I bet you won’t bitch about it nearly as much as before.”
Even though his voice was muffled because of the T-shirt covering most of his face, I got his point and agreed.
“I’ll never complain about snow at home again.
I’ll still complain about the dumbasses and their lack of skill while they attempt to drive in snow, but I won’t bitch about what little we get. ”
I pulled my hand out of my pocket to adjust my face covering.
I instantly regretted it and put it back as quickly as I could.
I was not built for this weather. I might be better equipped for it than some, considering I had a little more padding than some women, but that didn’t mean I had to like it - the snow or the extra weight.
I wasn’t used to cold like this and could guarantee I’d never live in a place where I had to become accustomed to it. What would probably have been a nice stroll on a regular day was already made worse by the weather, and I was sore all over on top of that.
Chewie was a large man - and I don’t just mean his height or broad shoulders, which also came into play when I considered my aches and pains.
Last night and into the wee hours this morning, he had bent and twisted my body in ways I hadn’t known were possible, all the while pounding into me relentlessly and wringing multiple orgasms out of me with every round.
I was both invigorated and exhausted but couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the weekend might bring. If it were anything like the last twelve hours, I might not be able to walk by the time the snow melted and I took off for home.
“What are you thinking about?” Chewie asked.
I lied and said, “I was wondering how long it would take for the snow to melt and the roads to clear enough for me to drive home.”
“They’ll clear the highways first, so they won’t be a problem. All we really have to worry about is the road into town, but I remember Sugar saying something about having a guy he can hire to clear it if needed.”
“I guess we’ll see how it all works out,” I said, thinking that it might be idyllic to be snowed in with a man like Chewie.
Although I didn’t know much about him other than he’d gone to prison, which would be enough to make most people nervous about sleeping in a secluded cabin with him or sleeping with him at all. Apparently, I wasn’t like most people because something about him made me feel safe and secure.
As if to prove that theory, I stumbled over something hidden beneath the snow, and before I could react, Chewie pulled me close to him and kept me steady.
It was very hard to keep the fact that he had murdered a man at the forefront of my mind when he showed me what a caring and chivalrous gentleman he was again and again.
Over the years, I had watched enough serial killer and true crime documentaries to know that one behavior was not exclusive to the other, but the security I felt with Chewie’s arm around my shoulders as we walked together negated all suspicion I should have had about a relative stranger who had suddenly appeared in my life.
My writer’s brain could concoct a thousand scenarios based on our initial meeting and then our second encounter, but they would all end up the same way - with two people in love and ready to spend the rest of their lives together.
But how would that ever work when he was so much younger than me? I was well beyond my childbearing years while he was still young enough to start a family. Since he hadn’t raised his daughter, that may be an ambition he has - which circled me back to the convicted murderer information.
“Have you ever had sex in a snowbank?”
That question jerked me out of my thoughts. I stared at Chewie in shock. “No!”
“Want to?” he asked. Even though his mouth was covered, I knew he was grinning because of the twinkle in his eyes. Before I could answer, he said, “Let’s do it!”
And then he promptly pushed me into a snowbank that came up to my waist. I let out a scream of surprise, but it was cut short when Chewie reached out and yanked me against his chest and turned us in midair so that I landed on top of him with a loud oof!”
He let go of me with one arm before he yanked down the shirt over his face and then pulled mine down.
Our lips met, and for a few seconds, I forgot that I was in the middle of a snowpocalypse and could very well die of hypothermia if out here in the cold too long.
I was surprised that the heat from the kiss we shared didn’t melt the snow around us, but I was assured that wasn’t the case when Chewie rolled us over until I was beneath him.
When a hunk of snow fell onto my face, I sputtered with laughter. As I shook my head to get it off, another chunk hit my cheek.
“I guess this wasn’t the best idea, huh?”
“It wasn’t, because there’s not a chance in hell I’m going to pull my pants down to give you access. I can’t imagine how embarrassing it would be to explain to the emergency room doctor how I got frostbite on my clit.”
Chewie roared with laughter and then gave me a quick kiss before he reached down and tugged on my thigh to make me unhook my legs that were around his waist. When he got up on his hands and knees, I couldn’t resist grabbing a handful of snow and rubbing it on his face.
He coughed and sputtered as he shook his head. I laughed even harder when he made the same noise he’d demonstrated this morning when I was on the phone with the girls.
I shoved at his chest and sat up to look around, a bit alarmed that I wasn’t tall enough to see over the snow around us. “Don’t make that noise! Bigfoot might think you’re calling for him.”
“Bigfoot is probably in his cave beside a toasty fire right now.”
“Then he’ll be really pissed when he has to leave the warmth of his cave to come out to see who’s cussing him in his native language!”
“I’ll protect you from Bigfoot, sweetheart,” Chewie assured me as he got to his feet and held his hand out to help me up.
I was thankful for the help since it was a little hard to maneuver beneath all these layers, but as soon as I stood up, I couldn’t resist getting him back and shoved him as hard as I could.
Chewie yelled as his arms windmilled and he dropped into the untouched snow next to where we’d been rolling around.
Obviously, I didn’t think it through and squealed when he grabbed me and took me back into the snow with him.
Once again, I found myself beneath him, kissing him like there was no tomorrow.
And maybe there wasn’t. If it kept snowing, I wouldn’t be able to leave on schedule, which would give me even more time with Chewie before reality set in and we had to go our separate ways.
I felt a twinge of pain in my chest at the thought but tamped the feeling down because there really wasn’t any other way for this to play out.
We were at different places in our lives, with my children grown and no more on the horizon while Chewie still had the freedom to decide if he wanted to try fatherhood for himself after all.
Dammit. I would not think about that while I was in this uncomfortably cold but still idyllic landscape. It had created a bubble that made it feel like the real world didn’t exist.
And it wouldn’t until I had to say goodbye.
◆◆◆
CHEWIE
“Thanks for the clothes and the shower,” I said as I walked into the kitchen, still barefoot since our clothes were still in the dryer.
“You guys were so cold when you got to our porch that a hot shower was really the only way to get you warm other than stuffing you in the oven.”
“Yeah, we might have taken a little too long on our walk.”
“You think? The wind chill is below zero, and the snow covering you both from your fall certainly didn’t help anything,” Sugar said, emphasizing the fact that he knew we hadn’t fallen.
“I feel so much better now,” Taya said as she joined us in the kitchen. “Do you know when Juni will be finished?”
I smiled when I saw Taya wearing an oversized T-shirt and sweatpants that were rolled at the waist. She had been embarrassed and insisted she couldn’t wear Juni or Claire’s clothes and that she’d be fine in Sugar’s.
He played it off well by telling her he wouldn’t want to wear the tight shit they had either.
I was happy he found a way to make her comfortable, even though I didn’t understand why she was embarrassed. People were all shapes and sizes, and since I’d seen it up close and personal now, I could attest that her shape was sexier than any I’d seen before.
“She’ll probably work until dinner is ready,” Sugar explained.
“It smells delicious!”
“I made plenty because I had a feeling one or both of you would appear on my doorstep. The dining room is open to guests brave enough to make the walk, which will probably be all of them since we don’t keep the kitchens stocked. All they have is whatever food they brought with them.”
“I didn’t bring shit because I expected you guys to feed me,” I admitted.
“All I’ve got is beef jerky, three flavors of popcorn, some chocolate, and wine.”
“I packed a few bags of staples for you to take back along with some leftovers you can heat up. Then you don’t have to trek through the snow every time you get hungry.”
“Do you need any help with the livestock while I’m here?” I asked.
“No, they’re all bedded down in the barn. I’ll check on them when I go out to milk, but there’s no need for both of us to freeze our asses off, especially since you just got warm again.”
“Can I do anything to help with dinner?” Taya asked.
Sugar glanced over his shoulder and asked, “Do you know how to cook?”
“Yes.”
“Without using a microwave?”
“Um, yeah,” Taya said, confusion in her voice. “I raised three kids, so I’ve got some experience in the kitchen.”
Sugar was smiling when he explained, “When Juni moved in, she didn’t know how to cook anything that wasn’t frozen or ultra-processed.”
“Now I feel like I have to prove myself,” Taya said in exasperation. “Nothing like pressure, right?”
“No pressure. You can sit there and entertain me or jump in and make dessert. If you’d rather not, I can . . .”
“I’ve got this,” Taya assured him as she walked toward the refrigerator. “How much time do I have before dinner is ready?”
“You don’t even know what ingredients we have.”
“Chewie mentioned that you’re ready for the apocalypse, and you’re so cocky about . . .” Taya grinned at me when I interrupted her with a bark of laughter before she continued, “What you can do, that I assume you have plenty of supplies. I’ll figure something out.”
Sugar scoffed before he said, “I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”
◆◆◆
“Give me the jar, Juni!”
“No!” Juni said as she held the mason jar above her head and darted around the kitchen island to avoid Claire’s attempt to get it away from her. “You can’t have it! I called dibs!”
“I’m trying to grow a child, and you’re denying me sustenance!”
“Sugar impairs your brain development. I’m helping you!” Juni said as she and Claire faced off across the island.
Sweetie was giggling so hard that she could barely sit up in her booster seat, so Sugar pulled her into his lap and then went back to watching the show.
Taya looked shocked but pleased that they were so invested in eating the remnants of the sauce she’d created. She was laughing almost as hard as the kid when she asked, “Do they do this often?”
“Last week, they arm wrestled for the last piece of chocolate pie.”
“Who won?” she asked.
Sugar chuckled before he said, “Sweetie! She ate it while they were distracted.”
“I’ll watch Sweetie so you and Dad can go out to the greenhouse and do disgusting things again,” Claire offered.
“In the middle of a blizzard? I’m not going outside unless the house catches on fire!”
“I’ll . . . If you don’t give me the sauce, I’ll shave off your eyebrows and put peroxide in your hair!”
“You think you can get in my bedroom and do that without me waking up?”
“You won’t wake up if I drug you!”
“What sort of shit are you watching that would convince you that you can drug me and get away with it?”
Claire narrowed her eyes and said, “A concoction of medicinal herbs in the right quantities can knock your ass out for hours. You can hand over the caramel, or the next time you enjoy my herbed butter, you’re gonna wonder what else might be in it.”
Taya leaned closer to me and whispered, “There was herbed butter on the bread we ate, wasn't there?”
When I nodded, she gulped, and I couldn’t stop myself from teasing her. “I’m sure tonight’s was fine, but maybe we should be careful when we come back to eat.”
Taya’s eyes were wide when she asked, “Really?”