Chapter 16
Erik woke with a smile on his face and Ida in his arms. She was curled up, her back to him, using his arm as a pillow.
He’d slept on his back, but now turned and pulled her into him with his other arm, finding her hand with his.
She groaned sleepily. Maybe she wasn’t a morning person.
He didn’t want to go any further down the road of waking her, just in case, so he closed his eyes and let himself doze until he felt her stir.
It wasn’t lost on him that it was the first time in a long time he’d woken up in a good mood.
‘Morning,’ he said, once he was sure she was awake.
She turned so that her front was against his, and stretched herself out, eyes still closed. ‘Mmm. Morning.’
He was suddenly aware that having her pressed against him was awakening a part of him that he hadn’t intended, but she didn’t seem to have noticed.
‘Did you sleep okay?’ she murmured into his neck, her eyes still closed.
‘I slept great. You?’
‘Mmm. What time is it?’
He couldn’t see her mouth, but he could hear the smile in her voice. He reached for his phone. ‘It’s a little after seven.’
‘I need to shower. I have to start work at eight.’
‘Can we eat breakfast together?’
‘I’d love that.’ She sat up and arranged the sheet around her, tucking it under her arms. ‘Can you pass my t-shirt?’
‘Sure.’ He fetched it from where he’d flung it on the floor last night. She was shy, and he didn’t want to press her to do anything she wasn’t ready for, but if she thought he didn’t know what she looked like after she’d been pressed against him all night, she was wrong.
‘I’ll leave the water running so you can hop in after me.’
He chuckled and grabbed her around the waist while she was pulling her t-shirt on, pulling her so she was straddling him.
‘I guess that’s the only way I’m getting a hot shower on the third floor.’
She laughed and bent to kiss him, her hair falling around his face.
He swept his hands over her ears, pushing her hair away and pulling her closer at the same time.
The intensity of the kiss changed, and he felt Ida move from straddling him to lying on top of him.
Even with the sheets between them, it was the best feeling in the world.
‘Shall we shower later?’
He knew what she was asking.
‘If that’s what you want?’
She nodded.
‘I don’t have anything with me though…’
‘I do.’ She hopped off the bed, rummaged around in the bag she’d brought with her and presented him with a condom, a look of triumph on her face. ‘I sneaked it out of Mats’ room before we left.’
He laughed. ‘That’s very resourceful. Thank god, Ida. Stopping now would kill me.’
‘Me too.’ Instead of resuming her position on top of him, she pulled the covers back and sat on him.
His erection sprang back to life beneath his shorts and he had to stop himself from grabbing Ida by the waist and pulling her down harder on top of him.
He sensed she would want to take this slower and he wanted to give her whatever she wanted.
He watched as, with a coy look in her eyes, she pulled the t-shirt off again, giving him the most wonderful view of her small, pert breasts.
‘May I?’
She nodded and leant to kiss him while he gently took them in his hands, hardly able to believe how soft her skin was. She was beautiful. Perfect. And right now she was his.
Afterwards, they lay in each other’s arms, sated.
It was the first time Erik had been to bed with a woman since his accident.
Everything in his life was before or after, and there wasn’t much stuff in the after category until now that he could say was better than before.
But this was most definitely one of those things.
The post-coital glow made him feel optimistic, which was pretty rare these days.
He felt like he could face the day, cope with his leg being sore.
Hell, maybe today would be a day when it wasn’t.
‘I wish I could call in sick,’ she said.
‘We can’t spend all day in this room.’
‘We could try.’
‘I’m looking forward to helping your brother out.’ He couldn’t spend all day in bed. Now that he’d rested, he needed to keep himself moving.
Ida groaned and flung the covers back.
‘Hey,’ he said, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. ‘Want to stay over again tonight?’
She nodded. ‘I stole more than one.’
He laughed and watched her walk into the bathroom completely naked, any shyness gone now that they’d opened themselves up to each other.
After a couple of minutes, he headed in there too and watched as she rinsed her hair free of suds.
He wished the shower was big enough so he could get in there with her, but then she really would be late for work.
Instead he held out a towel and wrapped it around her before stepping into the shower and groaning as the hot water ran over his back and chest. He had to bend his knees to get his hair wet and he couldn’t help but smile.
It was a far cry from how he’d felt about the exact same experience a couple of days ago.
By the time he emerged back into the bedroom, Ida was dressed with her damp hair caught into a tidy ponytail.
‘I’ve just noticed the troll’s missing,’ he said.
‘You had a troll in here?’
‘It was right there.’ He pointed to the small empty shelf near the door.
Ida shrugged and looked so innocent he was a hundred per cent sure she was gaslighting him.
‘Huh. Maybe I imagined it.’ He rubbed his hair with the towel, then pulled on the clothes he’d wear for helping Mats out, and they headed downstairs together.
Magnus was at the reception desk and looked a little surprised when the pair of them, freshly showered appeared in the hallway.
‘I’m going to grab some breakfast,’ Ida said to him. ‘You don’t have to wait, just leave me a note if there’s anything I need to know.’
‘Okay,’ he said, grinning. ‘I’ve left the usual handover notes but there’s nothing you need to know. Enjoy your breakfast.’
Erik wanted to take Ida’s hand but he didn’t know how she felt about being affectionate with each other when she was at work. It felt kind of inappropriate so he would leave it to her. He followed her into the dining room and let her choose a table tucked away in the back corner.
‘Can I get you both some coffee?’
‘Takk, Linn,’ Ida said, smiling at the waitress who looked at Erik and grinned. ‘Takk,’ Ida repeated and raised an eyebrow at Linn, who then walked off smiling.
‘Is this okay?’ Erik asked. ‘Like, you’re at work…’
‘It’s okay. I’ve never had breakfast with a guest before. It’s weird for them’
He laughed. ‘It is just breakfast.’
‘I know.’ She smiled at him but he didn’t miss the glint in her eye that told him she was enjoying the shock factor. ‘Do you want me to see if they have any of the good pastries left in the kitchen?’
‘Sure.’
After they’d eaten the good pastries along with some fruit and more coffee, they walked into the hall together.
‘I’m not sure Mats is here yet,’ Ida said, reaching for Erik’s fingers with hers.
‘That’s okay. I have stuff I can get on with.’
‘I can’t wait to see you later.’
The way she was looking at him made him want to pick her up and take her right back upstairs. He had no idea what had happened to his self-control.
‘Can I kiss you?’
She answered by giving him a quick peck on the mouth which was too quick for him to respond to. ‘Later.’
He took a deep breath and walked slowly backwards towards the door. ‘Later.’
As he walked through the woods, he thought about everything that had happened between him and Ida over the past few days.
How fricking amazing it was to have found her so unexpectedly when the last thing on his mind had been love.
Then it came to him like a blow to the chest. What had been on his mind was finding out about his great-grandfather’s legacy.
And he knew enough now to be sure that part of the timber forest that belonged to the farm, to the island, belonged to his family.
How was he going to tell Ida that? Hell, how could he even say that to Mats now?
They’d welcomed him into their lives unconditionally.
They hadn’t known anything about him other than that he was a joiner who used to be a snowboarder.
He knew now that he could have told Mats about the legacy to begin with and it wouldn’t have ended in a fight like he’d been expecting.
Except now that he was working on the cabins, he didn’t want to lose that.
It was selfish, but the legacy perhaps wasn’t as important to him as the other things he’d found here when he hadn’t been looking.
The budding friendship with Mats. The more-than-a-friendship with Ida.
Was it wrong to keep quiet about the envelope in his backpack that could change all of that?
All of his friends were snowboarders, and none of them understood how hard that was for him now.
Having a guy to work alongside, someone his own age who found the same joy and peace in working with wood as he did, that was something he wanted for a little longer before he had to say goodbye to that too.
He’d never thought he’d be able to make new connections like this, and maybe he hadn’t tried.
But he didn’t want to throw Mats’ and Ida’s friendship away for the sake of claiming some kind of inheritance by taking land or trees from them.
And the best way to tell them might become apparent in the meantime.
‘God morgen!’ Mats came striding through the woodland with a grin on his face. ‘You started without me.’
‘I just got here myself.’ Erik had started by measuring up for a new ceiling joist, which would hopefully stop the roof from sagging at one end. ‘Shall we start with the joist we talked about yesterday?’
‘The joist I’ve been avoiding?’
‘That’s the one.’
‘If we get the roof and the floor sound, you can manage the rest.’ He didn’t go so far as to say, when I’m gone. It was hard to think about all of this carrying on without him.
‘It’s going to be a better cabin because of you, Erik.’
‘Well, thanks.’ He grinned at Mats. ‘You have me for another week.’ Another week was nowhere near enough. He was just getting into his stride and feeling as if he might be finding part of himself he’d thought was lost.
‘And what about you and Ida after that? Have you talked about after you leave?’
Erik hadn’t expected Mats to go there and he was a little taken aback. ‘Kind of.’
‘It’s between the two of you, I know that. I feel responsible. I suggested that you ask Ida out, but I didn’t think it would go further than that one night. As long as you’re both clear about how things stand for each other.’
‘Sure.’ What else could he say? ‘I know you’re looking out for your sister and so am I.’
Mats nodded. ‘But you could hurt her just by going home.’
‘I know.’ He and Ida were in dangerous territory, especially after last night. But he reassured Mats. ‘We’re not falling in love with each other. We’re two people who’ve had a tough time lately and are seeing how things go taking a step back into the dating world. That’s all.’
Mats nodded. ‘Good to know.’
But of course that wasn’t what was happening at all.
Erik could feel himself falling further and further towards the point of no return.
The point where he would be in love with Ida.
Because he could already see it on the horizon although he had no idea what the world was going to look like when he got there.
Weren’t they both too hurt to embark on something as crazy as a relationship?
Wouldn’t it be the definition of a co-dependent relationship with both of them navigating their way out of grief of one kind or another?
Being together while that was still happening might turn them into a support the other couldn’t do without.
But Erik was beginning to think that Ida, maybe the island, or maybe both, were pulling him out of the depths of despair.
Since he came here, he’d had something to get out of bed for.
It wasn’t the legacy now. It wasn’t anything that his poor, desperate parents had suggested as a way to make it through.
He’d done it by himself by getting on a plane and leaving his home.
A place that should have been a sanctuary but was also a constant reminder of everything he’d lost.
Maybe a trip anywhere was what he’d needed. But that wasn’t true. It was this place that was helping to heal his soul and leaving in a week was too soon.