Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
JOSIE
These blankets are everything. Truly. I need to ask Colby where she bought them, because I need them for my place.
Although, that might be a waste since it’s been three weeks since I slept at my own place.
I can’t believe a month has passed since I was first stranded here, and I know, I know, it sounds like a cliché, but every single day it keeps getting better.
I grin at a rosy-cheeked, heavily sleeping, fucking beautiful Colby and snuggle into her.
That first day when I came back here, the moment her lips met mine, everything felt right.
Everything still feels right. I’m not in some infatuation haze.
I’m in deep admiration of the woman that Colby is, the way she has opened up to me, and the safety and trust I feel when I’m around her.
If I could stay like this forever, I think I would.
Lips press into the top of my head, and a moment later, Colby shifts and wraps her warm legs around me. My God, can this woman cuddle. It’s so yummy I never want to sleep any other way. “Hey, you,” I say, blinking up. “Did I wake you?”
Of course I did. I think I’m single-handedly adjusting Colby’s sleep schedule to meet mine.
I feel kind of bad that for years she’s slept in late, and now she sees me off when I go to work.
At night, I’ve told her she can stay up even though I have to go to sleep to be ready for work in the morning.
But she just gives me a look and says, “Absolutely not,” and climbs into the bed with me and snuggles.
Okay, we do other things first, and then we snuggle.
“No, you didn’t wake me,” she says sleepily. “I was just about to get up.”
“You’re a terrible liar,” I say, grinning, wiggling my ass tighter into her lap.
“Even though it’s Sunday, we can skip the confessional and head straight for the hot tub.” Colby kisses my neck, and just like the hundred times she’s kissed me this last month, my skin erupts with tingles. “What do you think?”
“Mmm… I love the sound of that,” I say. “Coffee first, though. And then a walk if you’re okay with that?”
“You never have to ask. I’m always okay with that,” Colby says as she slowly slides out of bed. “I love that you take your walkabouts.”
I do, too. As much as possible, in almost any weather, I walk Colby’s property.
On the weekends, sometimes Colby and Kona join, but most often I like to go by myself, often for hours until my hungry belly nudges me back to Colby’s.
Of all the things that were missing in my life, my connection to nature was one of the biggest. Every time I’m out here, in the open land, I learn a little bit more about myself.
Once we get out of bed, Colby goes into the shower while I take Kona outside for a quick walk and potty break.
This girl is healing so well that soon enough I feel like she’ll want to take a jog with me.
Once I bring her back to the house, I grab a few snacks and the bear spray and head out for my hike.
The air is still a little crisp, but it carries a hint of the warmth to come.
Everything smells green. Invigorating. From the moss-filled trees to the way the earth squishes beneath my feet to the buds on branches that just a month ago were weighed down with snow, it feels like spring is finally here.
I fill my lungs, my nose stinging with the sharp air, and start walking down the path.
I’m intentional at first, taking in the sounds of the birds chirping, the twigs snapping under my feet, the whistling of the breeze against the pines, until my mind relaxes.
It’s my favorite part of my hike—the moment when I realize that time has passed and I have no idea what I’ve been thinking about.
These moments are the most cathartic for me, healing bits and pieces step by step.
I nearly make it to the creek when I reach back in my bag and…
crap. Before I even unzip, I know that I left my water bottle sitting on the kitchen counter.
Ugh. I’m only half a mile away, so I turn around and head back to the house to grab it.
Inside, it’s quiet. No Colby, no Kona, no sounds emitting from anywhere. “Colby?” I call out. So odd. Did they go on their own walk? I grab my water bottle off the counter, when I hear a noise coming from Colby’s office. I move to the door and knock. “Colby?”
Shuffling sounds behind the door, and a moment later, she cracks it open. “Hey,” she says with a blush to her cheeks. “Everything okay?”
“Ooh… the elusive office. I’ve always been curious what’s behind this mystery door.
” I glance behind Colby to get a better look.
Is she trying to block me from seeing behind her?
She’s hesitating, and I get the distinct feeling that I’m invading on her private space.
She’s a little bit of a clean freak and maybe this is messy.
Does she think I’d care if it was messy?
Oh, I love learning everything about her, including a closeted messy space.
Honestly, I should probably back away since she’s blocking me, but after a moment, she steps back and opens the door wide.
Wow. This place looks like a recording studio.
There’s black foam boards all over the walls and ceiling, a microphone attached to a boom arm, two huge monitors, and two laptops.
“Dang. This looks like I just stepped into a hacker movie. Are you a spy? Those monitors are bigger than my TV.” I’m exaggerating, of course, but they are pretty damn big. “You do all your editing in here?”
Her throat rolls with a swallow and she nods. “Yep.”
Did the room just get a little warmer, the air a little thicker, or am I imagining things?
“I seriously thought that you never let me in here because it held a wall of highchairs that held life-size dolls or something.” I scan her wide desk, the dark leather office chair, the Post-it notes strewn across the screen.
“Are you working today? Sorry, I didn’t know. I can leave you be.”
She waves her hands, and I swear it looks like she’s avoiding my eyes.
“No, no, it’s fine. I was just cleaning up some things since I thought you were taking a longer walk.
” Her cheeks flame and she shifts on her feet, and it’s so painfully obvious that she doesn’t want me here.
I try to push away the ickiness. Maybe this is the way I’d be if she suddenly showed up at my work unexpected.
I’m not sure what editing all entails, but it might be one of those jobs where if you break the flow, it takes you twenty minutes to get back into the swing of things.
Ugh. I totally messed up her flow.
“Is everything okay?” she asks as she stuffs her hands into her front hoodie pocket. “Why did you come back early?”
Now I’m feeling my cheeks heat. We’re still going through the getting-to-know-everything-about-you phase.
I’ll have to add this to my list to tell her that if she needs quiet time to edit, she just needs to shoot me a text, so I don’t go stomping around the kitchen and ruin her vibe.
“Yep, everything’s good. Just forgot my water and didn’t want to drink from the creek, which, if I remember correctly, you told me was not a good thing to do. ”
She grins. “Yes, dear God, please don’t.” She gives me a kiss and a pat on the ass, and I instantly feel better. “I’ll finish this up and be ready for the hot tub by the time you get back.”
I end up walking for almost two hours and only drag myself back to the house when my limbs are in danger of falling off.
When I return, I’m famished. Which apparently is perfect, because the moment I step into the house, I’m not sure what hits me first—the sound of a sizzling skillet or the mouthwatering smell of butter, lemon, and basil.
“Mmmm…” I say, coming up behind Colby—who’s whisking away at the stove—and kiss her neck. “What do you have going on here?”
She leans back into my touch, but keeps stirring. “I was hungry for lemon basil chicken pasta.”
“You were hungry for my favorite meal?” I laugh. “God, you’re amazing. And I would totally take advantage of you right now and show you exactly how amazing you are, but I’m a sweaty mess, so will have to wait. I’m going to hop in the shower.”
She chuckles and adds a dash of pepper to the pan. “I will gladly take a post-shower rain check. Take your time. Lunch will be ready when you get out.”
I pat Kona’s head on the way down to the bathroom, strip my clothes, and hop into the shower.
The heated stream beats down on my limbs, and I take my time doing a full loofah scrub.
Among all the things that Colby has shown me, the African net loofah might just be my favorite.
I start to rinse off when the bathroom door opens, and a moment later a naked Colby steps in behind me.
“Mmmm…” I say as my eyes close and she wraps her arms around me. “This is a nice surprise.”
Her hands splay across my stomach, and she presses her lips against my shoulders and back.
“Are you going to burn the lunch?” I whisper, kind of not caring in this moment if the lunch is burned because, Christ, her hands are magical. She slides up, cups my breasts, and gently plays with my nipples in the absolute exact way that makes me melt.
Her lips meet the back of my ear. “I would never make a rookie mistake like that,” she whispers, keeping one hand on my breast, and sliding the other lower to my center. “I removed it all from the heat.”
I turn over, meeting my lips with hers. I will never, ever get sick of kissing this mouth.
She holds me tight, kisses me deeply, gently pushing her tongue against mine.
God, this woman. How did I get so lucky?
I thought when Zoey and I were done that I’d never meet anyone else that I considered “my person.”
I was wrong.
Colby slides her leg between mine and props it up on the shower bench, guiding me to rock against the wet, smooth skin.
My pulse grows with the friction of my core against her knee, and her fingers circling me.
The steam from the shower, my heavy breaths, and my moans saturate the air.
She latches on to my nipple while holding my ass steady, and keeps gliding me back and forth.
Urgency builds in my body, turning into a fever, and soon, I shake and collapse against her, my chest rising and lowering against hers.
This whole month, these walks, being in here now as Colby is holding me and coaxing me through my orgasm is almost too much.
I cup her cheeks and press my mouth against hers, overtaken with feelings and emotions and gratitude.
There are so many things uncertain in this world, but I know one thing is true.
Colby is the one who makes me sing.