Chapter 36 Jagg
JAGG
It was one in the morning by the time we drove down the long, winding dirt road that led to the fishing cabin on the lake that Ryder had purchased a few weeks after getting released from prison. It would be my first time there. Guy wasn’t big on invitations.
A canopy of trees blocked the moonlight from the two dirt ruts my brother considered a driveway.
The underbrush was gnarly and thick, crowding the road and scratching the sides of my Jeep.
I was looking for a clearing ahead when the road abruptly stopped and my headlights bounced off the edge of an iron gate, barely noticeable through the bushes.
I stopped the Jeep and looked in my rearview. Guess backing out was the only option.
“We’re here… I think.”
Still no cabin in view, I turned off the engine, grabbed Sunny’s bag from the back and got out while Sunny did the same.
It had been easier than expected to convince Sunny to leave her dogs with Ryder, making me realize exactly how much she feared her former boyfriend.
And also how much she was beginning to trust me.
The moldy smell of lakeshore was pungent in the humid night air, the roar of the cicadas deafening as I flipped the latch and pushed open the black gate.
Sunny swatted a mosquito from her face as I pushed aside an aggressive swath of blooming forsythia branches that was blocking our way—revealing our room for the night.
I froze. Sunny did too.
Tucked deep within the trees, the small log cabin emerged like it had grown straight from the earth—organic, hidden, breathtaking.
You wouldn’t see it unless you were looking for it, and even then, the woods guarded it like a secret.
Dark-stained logs gave the walls a rich, moody tone, while a clay-tiled roof added a surprising touch of the tropics, like a Balinese bungalow.
A narrow wraparound porch hugged the front, half-swallowed by lush bushes and flowering vines.
Then we went inside.
The cabin’s small size made it feel intimate—like stepping into a honeymoon suite.
Moonlight spilled across the hardwood floor from sweeping glass windows that overlooked a narrow bridge, arching delicately toward a stilted dock floating above the lake.
The water shimmered beneath the almost-full moon, its reflection stretching across the surface like a silver ribbon.
A gentle breeze pushed lazy ripples to shore, the only sound aside from the soft rustling of leaves.
Above it all, in an endless black sky, the stars glittered so clearly, so closely, it felt like you could touch them.
A secret oasis on the lake.
The strong scent of freshly chopped lumber told me Ryder was actively renovating the space.
“My God,” Sunny whispered behind me, gaping at the view. “It’s beautiful.”
I went to flick the light switch then remembered we had no electricity.
A step ahead of me, Sunny pulled a candle and lighter from the bag and seconds later, the dancing flame bounced off the log walls.
A half-wall separated the space from the kitchen, which consisted of a counter, sink, gas stovetop, a duo of coolers in place of a fridge, and a battery-powered coffee pot.
On the far side of the room was a small door which I assumed was the bathroom—that I prayed included a shower.
Two folding chairs sat in front of the window.
That was it. The bungalow was spotless, though, thank God for that. Ryder always was a clean freak.
Both our gazes landed on the bare, single bed against the wall. Not a king-size. Not a queen. A double.
A double.
Her gaze flickered to mine, then quickly to anywhere else but the bed, as mine did the same.
“I’ll sleep on the deck,” I said quickly.
“No. You’re here because of me. You’re doing this for me. I will sleep on the deck.”
“Listen. I might not be mister charming—” I stopped when she snorted a laugh. “But I’ve got better manners than that. You’ll take the bed. This conversation is over.”
“I’ll be fine.” She lit another candle and set it on the fireplace mantel.
“No you won’t. No amount of bug spray is going to keep those mosquitos from swarming you all night, so unless you want to become some science experiment for whatever undiscovered deadly virus they’re currently carrying, you’ll stay inside. I’m not going to say it again.”
She released a small huff reminding me of a little girl throwing a temper tantrum, but said nothing else about it as she kneeled down and began unpacking more candles. I won that battle.
Slowly, candles were lit and a warm glow blanketed the room.
Thankfully, a steady breeze from the lake blew in through the windows, making the temperature bearable.
Almost comfortable, even. It wouldn’t keep up though.
The moment the air stilled, the small space would feel like a sauna, not to mention when the sun came up.
I watched her for a moment, moving around the room, strategically placing the candles. Making herself useful. She had an elegance, a grace to her that I never noticed before.
“Sorry there’s no electricity and water.”
“It’s no big deal.” She smiled, the candle in her hand dancing in her eyes. “It’s like a little adventure. As long as you’ve got bug spray I’m good. And coffee…” Horror froze her expression. “Dear God in Heaven, tell me you got instant coffee?”
Note to self: Sunny needed her morning coffee. We were definitely alike there. I pulled a can from the bag that was looped around my shoulder.
She blew out an exhale. “I love you.”
“That didn’t take long.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Are you hungry?”
She paused, shrugged. “Not really.”
Sunny had tossed her “perfect” Farro salad from Gino’s in the trash at her house, confirming she’d been at that flat tire for a good handful of hours before I’d shown up.
I walked over to the cooler and flipped it open.
Hamburger patties, hot dogs, salsa, a bag of chips, carton of eggs, bacon, a half-case of beer, a liter of whiskey—and a box of Twinkies. An entire box.
Our options were protein, protein, protein, more protein, and a diabetic coma.
And booze.
Booze for the win.
I bypassed the hard stuff and grabbed a beer. I needed to keep my wits about me—with her this close, the last thing I could afford was clouded judgment.
“Beer?” I asked, voice rougher than I intended.
She turned from the fireplace, now flickering with candlelight. Her hair was twisted into a messy knot on top of her head, a few damp curls slipping loose, framing her face in soft spirals. The glow shimmered across the long line of her neck, catching on a sheen of sweat. My breath hitched.
God, she was beautiful.
No, not just beautiful. Undeniable.
Like this moment—quiet, intimate, impossibly charged—was building to something that neither of us had the strength to stop.
She caught me staring. “What did you say?” Her voice was low, teasing, her head tilted slightly to the side.
I blinked, pulse jumping. “Beer,” I managed. “I asked if you wanted a beer.”
She smiled slowly, something knowing in her eyes. “That actually sounds perfect.”
I cracked one open and handed it to her.
Our fingers brushed. Static. Her eyes lingered on mine a beat too long before she took it, raised it to her lips, and tipped it back.
A delicate sip. Then she pressed the cool glass bottle against her chest and closed her eyes, exhaling like the weight of the world had been lifted—if only for a second.
My jeans tightened uncomfortably.
She turned away and moved to the window, her silhouette bathed in silver light as she looked out over the water. Silent and still. But the tension between us only grew louder. I watched her, heart pounding, hands tightening around the neck of my beer.
She needed a second to breathe.
I needed a second not to touch her.
“My cabin is just around that bend, you know,” she finally said. “I recognize it.”
I already knew that. I looked at the outline of the mountain in the distance where a few twinkling lights speckled the top, on a clearing above a cliff known as Devil’s Cove, the location for the annual Moon Magic Festival.
“I live less than a half mile from Devil’s Cove. There’s been so much traffic lately. Trucks, trailers, everyone setting up for the festival. The dogs have been so hyped up.”
“It’s supposed to be the biggest one in years.”
“It’s the full moon.”
We both shifted our gaze to the moon.
Yes, something was in the air. We both could feel it.
A few moments passed in silence before Sunny slid open the back door and stepped onto the deck.
The moonlight caught her stygian hair, outlining her body like a mystical nymph beckoning to me.
Like one of her dogs, I crossed the room, following her.
The woman had a way of hypnotizing people, creatures, into hanging onto her every word, following her every move. It was like a special power.
And my kryptonite, apparently.