Chapter 10 Aria
ARIA
For the next few hours, Thorne is insatiable. Relentless. He fucks me in every room of the cabin, like he’s making a point. Like he wants to mark me. Ruin me.
We’re back in the bedroom now, on the floor by the fireplace. It pops in the hearth beside us as I ride Thorne, hands braced on his shoulders. He’s lying back, looking up at me with those savage green eyes as he grabs my ass, filling his hands with my plump flesh.
“Who do you belong to, princess?” he growls.
“You.”
He’s getting more possessive by the minute.
And I love it.
“Good girl.” He squeezes my ass tight. “Keep riding your man, just like that.”
His words make me shiver with delight. There’s just something about hearing him praise me in that gruff, throaty voice. It spurs me on.
“You look so good on top of me,” he grunts. “Like a fucking goddess, Aria.”
With a moan, I bounce harder on his giant cock. He’s buried so deep, hitting pleasure spots I never knew existed. I love the way he fills me up. There’s something deliciously naughty about feeling stuffed full of him, impaled on his hardness.
Thorne isn’t the only one who’s insatiable.
I can’t get enough.
I grind my clit against the base of his cock, bucking my hips like a wild thing. He moves with me, thrusting up as I push down, the friction making me sob. Sweat clings to my skin as my body takes over, chasing an orgasm. Riding hard.
“Use my cock, princess,” Thorne pants. “Make yourself come.”
My skin burns, heart pounding as I feel the pressure flare inside me. Thorne holds my gaze, watching hungrily as I reach my climax with a shuddering scream.
“Yes!”
My body trembles as I come undone for him, pleasure rocketing through me. From somewhere far away, I hear Thorne let out a guttural cry. His cum spurts into me, hot and thick, his cock pulsing against my walls. Finally, I collapse on top of him.
“Good job, princess,” he murmurs, still panting hard. “That was amazing.”
I try to avoid his scratches as I rest my head on his chest. His heartbeat thuds against my ear, strong and fast.
“I think I need to take a break,” I say, struggling to catch my breath.
Thorne presses a kiss to my neck, making a noise deep in his throat.
“You’ve earned it. How about I make you some lunch?”
“That would be perfect.”
We decide to get cleaned up first, so I tie some plastic wrap over the gauze on Thorne’s arm to stop the dressing getting wet.
Then we step into the shower. Thorne’s body dwarfs mine as we scrub the sweat from our bodies.
He keeps stopping to kiss me, pushing me back against the shower wall to claim my mouth with his tongue.
I can still taste him as we dry ourselves off, steam hanging in the air.
Once we leave the bathroom, Thorne dresses in jeans and a flannel shirt, grabbing a fresh sweater from his closet for me to wear. This one is navy blue—soft and cozy. It feels even bigger than the green one, the sleeves dangling way past my hands.
“God, you look adorable,” Thorne groans, wrapping his arms around me. He scoops me up and carries me to the kitchen. “What do you want to eat, princess?”
I open my mouth to suggest grilled cheese sandwiches, but a knock at the front door cuts me off. Thorne scowls toward the noise, grunting with annoyance. Full caveman mode. He doesn’t move to answer it.
“Thorne? The door.”
“Ignore it. You need some lunch.”
The sound comes again.
“Come on, caveman,” I say. “It could be important.”
I take his hand and pull him into the living room.
“Maybe it’s the mountain lion,” Thorne grunts. “Good thing you locked the door, princess.”
I force back a smile. “Have I mentioned how infuriating you are?”
“Once or twice.”
I hang back as he opens the door, not exactly dressed for visitors. Thorne’s body blocks the doorway, but then I hear a familiar voice drifting toward me.
“Hi! Thorne, right? I’m Aria’s cousin. Our grandma sent me to pick her up.”
Thorne doesn’t miss a beat. “She’s not leaving.”
His voice is firm, and I hear Savannah say, “Oh—”
I hurry to the door, squeezing in front of Thorne before he can scare her off. My cousin smiles when she sees me, looking relieved.
“Hi!” I say, pulling her into a quick hug.
“Hey Ari. Sorry I couldn’t come earlier. I had to wait for my lunch break.” She glances down at me. “Where are your clothes?”
“Oh, Thorne lent me a sweater to sleep in.” I chuckle a little awkwardly. “More comfortable than jeans.”
“Right.” Savannah’s gaze flits between us. “Anyway, Grandma said you were stuck up here. She didn’t have time to come get you before the tavern opened this morning, so…here I am!” She smiles uncertainly. “I thought she texted you about it.”
My phone has been on silent all morning, forgotten on the nightstand. I was so preoccupied with Thorne that I never thought to check it.
“Thank you for coming to get me,” I say, squeezing her hand. “I appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
“Just give me a minute to get dressed.”
“Sure.” She moves back from the door. “I’ll wait in the car.”
As she retreats down the porch steps, I turn and head back inside, closing the door behind me. Thorne is staring at me, his eyes burning into my face.
“I should probably go,” I tell him reluctantly.
“I strongly disagree.”
He crosses his arms over his chest. The stubbornness practically rolls off him in waves.
“I’ll come back soon, but Savannah came all the way up here to get me…”
“Then I’ll pay for her gas money.”
Why does he have to have an answer for everything?
“You could probably use some time to heal.”
“I’ll heal even better with you here.”
I sigh. As much as I’d love to stay with Thorne for longer, I can’t lose focus of why I came to Cherry Hollow.
I should head back to the real world for a few days.
Start working at the tavern. Settle into my new life.
I’m trying so hard to be sensible here…even if all I want to do is curl up in his arms and never leave.
“Listen, princess,” Thorne says gruffly. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. If you leave now, I’ll spend the rest of the day fixing up my truck, so I can drive right back down the mountain to bring you back here.”
My heart jolts as I mirror his stance, crossing my own arms.
“You’re bluffing,” I say. “You already told me you can’t fix the truck without a new crockshit sensor.”
“Crankshaft sensor.”
“Yeah, that.”
“Fine.” Thorne takes a step toward me. “Then I’ll walk.”
“You can’t walk all the way down the mountain!”
“Watch me, princess.”
We stare each other down, the tension thickening. It’s a standoff. A stalemate. Neither of us speaks. Then, to my surprise, Thorne softens. His arms drop to his sides, and he closes the gap between us, resting his hands on my waist.
“Listen, Aria, I’m not here to trap you.
If you really want to leave…that’s okay.
” The words come out like they’re paining him.
“I can get my truck fixed and come get you when you’re ready to see me again.
But I don’t think you want to leave, princess.
” His thumb hooks under my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Am I wrong?”
I swallow hard. In my head, I think of all the reasons I shouldn’t want this man. All the reasons I should leave with Savannah right now. But they’re starting to sound half-hearted. Forced.
“No,” I whisper. “You’re not wrong. I don’t want to leave, Thorne. I guess I’m just scared.”
His brows knit together. “Scared of what?”
It’s difficult to find the words. I’m quiet for a moment, chewing my lip, but Thorne doesn’t rush me.
“I guess I’m just scared of relying on someone again,” I say tentatively.
“When I came to Cherry Hollow, I promised myself I’d be more independent.
I wanted to stand on my own two feet after my dad passed…
” I taper off, shaking my head. “But I’m still relying on people.
My grandma gave me a place to stay. She’s going to give me a job, too.
I’m relying on Savannah. She left work on her lunch break just to drive me around. Now I’m relying on you—”
“Aria, that’s just life.” His thumb brushes my bottom lip. “If you’re lucky, when you’re having a hard time, you can rely on people. When they’re having a hard time, they can rely on you.”
“I guess…but I can’t imagine you needing to rely on anybody.”
“Not true.” He looks at me pointedly. “I relied on you to save my life today. Relied on you to patch me up. Now I’m relying on you to stay with me so I don’t lose my damn mind.”
I let out a shuddery laugh, melting against him as he holds me tight.
“Stay, princess,” he murmurs. “Hell, this cabin is already half yours. We can share it. Live here together.”
My heart jolts at his words. Staying in this small town forever was never the plan.
It was always meant to be temporary—a few months to get back on my feet before heading back to Manhattan.
But there’s nothing left for me in the city.
Not anymore. In Cherry Hollow, I have my family.
I have Thorne. That’s all I could ever want.
“I know it’s fast,” Thorne says, mistaking my silence for reluctance. “But you belong here, princess. You belong with me.”
Warmth floods through my veins as I look up at him.
“You’re right.” I rise up on my tiptoes, pressing a kiss on his lips. “I belong with you. There’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be.”
Something flashes in his eyes, his lips parting like he hardly dares to breathe. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.” I beam at him. “I’d love to live here, Thorne. I’m not going anywhere.”
He makes a noise deep in his throat, his whole body sagging with relief as he pulls me into his arms. He kisses me hard on my open mouth, his lips grazing my cheeks, my nose, my forehead—every bit of skin he can reach.
“You won’t regret this, princess.”
“I know.”
I loop my arms around his neck and kiss him back, happiness buzzing through my veins.
Sure, maybe this wasn’t the plan, but it feels so right…
like things were always meant to happen this way.
Fate or luck—it doesn’t matter. All I care about is the giant lumberjack holding me in his arms, kissing me like he never wants to stop.
I freeze.
“Shoot! Savannah—”
My poor cousin is probably sitting in the car right now wondering where the heck I am. I pull away from Thorne, slip on my shoes, and hurry outside into the snowy afternoon. Thorne follows me. We round Savannah’s car as the driver’s seat window rolls down.
“Sorry I took so long!” I tell her.
“It’s okay.” She smiles at me, looking a little bemused when she sees I’m still not dressed. “Do you need more time?”
“No…I’m actually going to stay here for a while.”
“Oh?”
From beside me, Thorne grabs a twenty from his back pocket, handing it to Savannah through the window.
“Gas money,” he says.
She blinks at him, inspecting the bill in her hand. “It only took thirty minutes now that the roads are salted. Definitely didn’t cost me twenty dollars.”
She reaches out to hand it back, but Thorne just shrugs. “Keep it for the inconvenience.”
“I’m really sorry you came up here for nothing,” I tell her.
“It’s fine. I’m just a little confused.” She cocks her head. “Do you need me to come back another time?”
“No thanks. It’s okay.”
She frowns. “So…when are you planning to leave?”
“Never,” Thorne says bluntly.
I close my eyes, trying not to laugh.
“I’ll call you,” I tell a bewildered-looking Savannah. “Tell Grandma I’ll see her soon. Thorne and I just need to have a few more discussions about the whole cabin situation.”
There’s too much to explain right now.
I’ll tell her all the details later.
“Discussions. Right…” Something shifts in Savannah’s gaze as she looks between us, like she’s finally figured something out. “Well, enjoy your…discussions.”
She smiles knowingly at me, her eyes sparkling. I grin right back at her.
“See you soon, okay? Thanks again for coming to get me.”
We say our goodbyes, and she’s still smiling to herself as she rolls up the window and drives away, vanishing into the snowy trees.
“Come on,” Thorne says. “Let’s get you inside.”
My bare legs are shivering with the cold, so he picks me up, his body heat warming me as he climbs the porch steps. He carries me over the threshold like a newlywed, pressing a kiss to my forehead as he closes the door behind us.
“Welcome home, princess.”
I smile up at him, letting my gaze roam his rugged face. His russet beard. Dark brows. Those smoldering green eyes I love so much. And as he leans in to kiss me, holding me close, I know he’s right.
I really am home.