Chapter 5 Thorne
THORNE
This is a bad idea.
The thought shouts at me as I dig through my closet for a sweater that’s comfy enough for Aria to sleep in.
Then I check the bathroom cupboard, coming up with a spare toothbrush that’s still sealed.
Aria thanks me, disappearing into the bathroom with her things while I get a fire going in the bedroom hearth.
A really bad idea.
I grit my teeth, stoking the fire until the chill melts from the room. Then I strip down to my boxers and climb into bed. My heart is thumping in anticipation, threatening to burst out of my rib cage.
A really fucking terrible idea.
All day, I’ve been trying to stay away from the beautiful young woman in my cabin.
I distracted myself with work. Poured all my focus into trying to fix my truck so I could drive her home.
I silenced every screaming impulse telling me to stay by her side.
Fought like hell to stay in control. But then she looked at me with those big brown eyes and suggested we share a bed.
And just like that, everything snapped.
I reach under the covers and squeeze my throbbing cock with a groan. Aria would definitely have second thoughts about sharing a bed if she knew how fucking hard I am right now. She’s not even under the covers yet and I’m aching already.
God knows how I’m going to make it through the night.
I hear the bathroom door open, and a moment later, Aria appears.
She looks painfully adorable. My dark green sweater hangs to her knees like a dress, but I can still make out the outline of her thick curves beneath the wool.
She’s coated her pretty mouth with lip balm, her black hair tucked behind her ears.
She turns the light off. I can still make her out in the dim glow of the fire, my throat tightening as she approaches the bed and slips beneath the covers.
Her weight shifts beside me, body heat radiating against my side.
The groaning springs sound so damn suggestive, and I can’t help imagining how the bed would sound if I were on top of Aria right now.
The loud rhythmic creak, drowned out by her moans.
Fuck, I’m already losing it.
I can hear Aria’s breathing over the low crackle of the fire as she says, “Goodnight, Thorne.”
My heart jumps at how close her voice is. She sounds sweeter than honey every time she opens her mouth.
“Night, princess.”
There’s a beat of silence before she adds, “I should probably warn you…I’m a kicker.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
Aria lets out a breathy chuckle then falls quiet.
But her body is restless beside me. She tosses and turns for a long time, her bare leg repeatedly brushing mine, making my body jolt with adrenaline.
My skin still burns from the contact long after Aria finally settles, her breathing slow and heavy as she drifts off.
But I can’t sleep.
And it has nothing to do with the fact that Aria keeps kicking me.
Sleep was a big part of my military training.
As a sniper, I learned to survive for days on a few snatched minutes here and there.
Whenever there was a chance to rest, I was trained to fall asleep fast—not wasting a second.
But as I blink up at the ceiling, tension bubbling in my veins, it feels like all my training has deserted me.
A soft groan escapes Aria’s mouth. She rolls over with a sigh, her hand brushing my hip, and I clench my jaw tight.
The space between us feels charged. Dangerous.
All I want to do is reach across the danger zone and pull her on top of me.
Press those soft curves against my chest. Grind her body against my cock.
Fuck.
I’d have slept better on the couch. Hell, I’d have slept better if I were freezing to death in my truck right now. Anywhere but next to this sweet angel.
She kicks me again as she rolls closer in her sleep, muttering something I don’t catch. I can feel her hair brushing my shoulder. My cock is painfully swollen, and when Aria lets out another sleepy moan, I’m done. I can’t take another second of this torture.
The clock on the wall says it’s four in the morning as I ease out of bed and head for the bathroom. I slide off my boxers and hop in the shower, letting the hot water rush over my tense muscles.
It feels good.
I close my eyes and grip my hard cock—pumping fast. In my mind’s eye, I picture Aria riding me, bouncing on my lap. She throws her head back, sobbing my name. “Yes, Thorne! Yes!”
I come fast, a low groan tearing from my throat. The water washes away my release as I catch my breath, but the relief doesn’t last long. By the time I’ve dried off and dressed, I feel even more frustrated than before. And it’s all because of the city princess sleeping in my bed.
I spend the next few hours outside my cabin, chopping wood by the beam of my flashlight.
The snow has stopped, and the sun is finally peeking up from behind the trees, painting the sky pink and orange until I don’t need the flashlight anymore.
I’ve nearly cut enough wood to fulfill the order from the mill. Just a few more logs to go.
The money I make selling lumber to the sawmill and other businesses around Cherry Hollow is pretty modest. But it’s enough to put food on the table, and I enjoy the work. It grounds me. Empties my mind like nothing else can.
But not today.
Not even the satisfying crack of my axe splitting wood can stop me from thinking about Aria.
“Thorne?”
I freeze, my arm in midair, looking toward the forest. Clay is striding toward me through the trees, carrying a bundle of firewood in one arm.
“Hey,” I say as he approaches, the dawn sunlight catching on his metal leg.
“Thought I heard your axe.”
Clay and I don’t do social calls. If he’s here, there’s a reason.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
As usual, he gets straight to the point. “Brewer saw some cougar tracks in the snow near Sugar Creek. Thought I’d come warn you.”
I nod. Clay’s younger brother, Brewer, has a damn good eye. I’ve always said he should have been a sniper instead of a rifleman.
“Thanks for the head’s up. Appreciate it.”
His gaze darts to my cabin. “You got company?”
I follow his eyeline just in time to see the twitch of a curtain falling back into place. My heart does a backflip. Aria must be awake.
“Yeah.” I turn away. “Bonnie Lawson’s grandkid showed up from New York. Thinks she owns half my cabin.”
Clay raises an eyebrow. “And does she?”
“It’s complicated.”
I avoid going into detail. Aria barely mentioned the cabin last night, and I’m grateful.
My feelings about the whole thing are conflicted as hell, but I’m not an idiot.
If she inherited her dad’s share of the cabin, that’s legally binding.
There’s nothing I can do about it. But it doesn’t mean I have to like it…
no matter how beautiful my new co-owner is.
“Anyway,” I continue, “she ended up stuck here overnight. My truck wouldn’t start, so I couldn’t drive her back to Bonnie’s.”
Clay frowns. “Want me to take her? I’m just about to head into town. Can stop by the tavern—”
“No.” The word slips out immediately, brisker than I mean it to. I quickly add, “Thanks, but it’s fine. I’ll figure something out.”
I know I should go ask Aria—give her the option to leave with Clay. If he’d offered yesterday when she first arrived, I would have said yes in a heartbeat. Hell, I’d have begged him to drive her out of my life before I lost my damn mind.
But it’s too late for that now.
I’m not ready to let her go.
“You should be careful.” Clay’s watching me, head cocked. “These city girls…they never leave.”
“What do you mean?”
He frowns ominously. “I have a buddy called Ridge. This time last year, he ended up double-booked in a cabin with a city girl. Now they’re married.”
He says it like a warning. Clay’s even less of a romantic than I am. He talks about love like it’s a contagious disease he’s afraid to catch.
“Aria won’t be staying here long,” I grunt.
He doesn’t look convinced. Hell, he looks almost sympathetic when he says goodbye, disappearing back into the forest the way he came.
Once he’s gone, I look back toward my cabin.
There are no lights on inside, and the curtains are still closed.
It’s early, so I guess Aria went back to bed.
I picture her in my sweater, curled up under the quilt, lips parted as she sleeps.
I’m desperate to see that pretty face again, but I force myself to finish chopping up the last few logs first.
Hell, it might help me relieve some of this frustration.
I work for another hour, head swimming with thoughts of Aria.
My movements are automatic, and I’m barely paying attention to my work.
But just as I’m cutting up the final few pieces of timber, movement catches my eye.
I look over at the cabin, and my heart leaps into my throat.
The curtains in my bedroom are wide open…
and Aria is watching me. Our gazes lock through the window.
How long has she been standing there?
My chest thumps. Even from here, I can make out her plump lips, her silky black hair still mussed from sleep. I let my axe fall to the ground.
Work can wait.
I take a step toward the cabin, still looking at Aria.
Then I stop in my tracks.
Her expression has changed. Panic has taken over. Her eyes are wide, mouth hanging open as she points at me desperately. She screams, the sound muffled by the glass.
“THORNE! Behind you!”
I whip around just in time to see the mountain lion pounce.