Chapter 6
6
Declan
T he wind is absolutely biting by the time I make it out to the driveway to start weather-proofing my cabin. Snow swirls in lazy flurries as dusk settles over the mountains. My cabin stands as a lone silhouette against the darkening sky, smoke curling from the chimney with a quiet promise of warmth. I try to finish my tasks as quickly as possible, all the better to get back inside in front of the fire.
Winterizing the cabin is a process I’ve gotten used to over the years, though it always feels like a race against time. Even now, with the storm still a day or two out, I can feel the tension crackling in the air, the winds changing and the clouds mounting. It spooks me a bit, making me double- and triple-check that every window is securely insulated, and that the sidewalk is properly salted.
I get started on weatherstripping the doors, a simple enough task if not a little tedious. It’s all dull work, but it beats sitting around with nothing but my thoughts for company. When I’m satisfied that all the cracks and open spaces in my house are sufficiently filled, I set to work chopping a few more pieces of wood and throwing them in my truck. I already have plenty, but I’m worried about the girl at the hardware store.
By the time I’m finished, my shoulders ache, and I settle into my chair in front of the fire, relishing the warmth as I feel like I’m defrosting. Feeling moves back to my extremities, and I sigh contentedly as my thoughts drift back to Jade. I stop myself abruptly, though, not liking the path my thoughts are leading me down. I haven’t even thought about another woman since Cassidy, and I don’t know why my mind and my dick have suddenly decided that Jade is the person I should focus on.
I grab another beer from the fridge and sink back into the old armchair by the fire, letting the warmth continue to seep into my bones. The snow outside is falling harder now, tapping against the windows like tiny fingers. I close my eyes, the steady rhythm and exhaustion from my work lulling me into a restless sleep.
She’s there, standing in the cabin, her dark hair loose around her shoulders, her eyes softer than I remember them being. There’s no fear in her gaze now, no caution. Just warmth. She steps closer, her lips parting to say something, but the words don’t come. Instead, she reaches out, her fingers brushing against my chest, leaving a trail of fire in their wake.
I reach for her without thinking, my hands settling on her waist, pulling her closer. Her breath is warm against my neck, her fingers tangling in my hair. There’s something electric about the way she looks at me, like I’m the only thing in the world that matters. And then her lips are on mine, soft and insistent, and every thought I’ve ever had about keeping my distance vanishes.
She undresses me nimbly, her fingers easily unclasping every button and pulling down every zipper. I sit under her, completely bare, gulping slightly as I wait in anticipation of whatever she’s going to do next.
She pulls away from me seductively, standing in front of me wordlessly as she strips out of her clothes, teasing me with each and every shed layer. She holds out her hand to me and I get up briefly, just long enough for her to pull me down on the bearskin rug in front of the fire. I curse as she spreads herself open for me, inviting me into her.
She’s already soaking wet, and so very warm. She screams out in pleasure as I thrust into her, no apprehension or self-consciousness needed. She writhes against me, making me even harder, and I pump in and out, until I can barely think straight.
This isn’t gentle or sensual, it’s fucking, plain and simple. There’s an animalistic need between us, a longing and desire that we use our bodies to compensate for. She pushes me away from her, repositioning us so that she’s sitting on top of me, her breasts bobbing wildly as she rides me to her own completion. She looked damn good naked, at least in my mind.
Her walls tighten around me, and I’m lost in my own bliss, my orgasm building, but not quite crashing over me. My hand moves to my dick, desperate to help me find my release. I wake up with a start, realizing what’s happened, that I’m hard as a rock just from a dream, like I’m some prepubescent teenager.
The fire in the hearth has burned down to embers. The room is growing colder, but I barely feel it, the heat from my dream warming my body more than the fire could. I scrub a hand over my face, willing the images to fade, but they cling stubbornly to the edges of my mind.
My hand moves to my jeans and I slide it down into my boxers. I grab my cock and I begin pumping up and down, letting the images from the dream wash over me. It hardly takes any time at all. It’s been a long while. Soon, I’m panting with need as I find my release, Jade’s warm eyes seared into my mind like I’ve been branded by them.
It takes me a few minutes to come back down to earth, and when I do, the cold of the room seeps in with the harsh reality of the situation. I barely know her. I shouldn’t be thinking about her like that, and I’m surprised I still have the capacity to think of anyone like that anymore. For five years, that part of my brain has been shut off. Sure, I’ve turned to porn when the need struck, but those were all nameless, sometimes faceless women who meant nothing to me besides a quick release.
As I sit there, staring into the dying fire, I can’t shake the way it felt. Too real. Too much. Maybe, even the slightest bit attainable, which was the most dangerous part.
I push myself to my feet, grabbing another log and tossing it onto the fire. The flames roar back to life, chasing away the shadows, but not the thoughts. Not the feelings.
By the time I crawl into bed, I know sleep isn’t coming back anytime soon.
In the morning, I’m back at the hardware store before the sun is fully up. Since sleep eluded me, I decide there was nothing to do but spend my time usefully. Ron is already there, pacing behind the counter, his usual calm demeanor replaced with a quiet urgency.
“Declan,” he says as I walk in, his voice tight. “Good timing. The forecast has changed overnight. Storm’s coming in faster than they thought.”
“How much faster?” I ask, leaning against the counter.
“Could hit by late afternoon today,” he says, running a hand through his thinning hair. “I should’ve sent Jade home yesterday, told her to lock down early. She’s supposed to come back for her shift later, but I think I’m just gonna call her now and tell her to stay put.”
I nod, the image of her dark eyes flashing in my mind. I push the thought away immediately, grateful for the cold to keep me grounded.
“That’s probably a good idea,” I agree. “It’s harder to get up the mountain once the snow starts falling like that. Not to mention how slippery the ice makes it.”
Ronnie sighs, grabbing his phone. “You’re right. Damn, I should have insisted she stay upstairs in her old place for the duration. I’m worried she’s not ready for this.”
We head back out into the cold as he helps me start loading the fresh wood into my truck. With the two of us, it doesn’t take long at all, and we head back inside to warm up.
I wander toward the window, watching as the dark clouds gather overhead, moving fast as they start to let out their first flakes of snow. It’s almost beautiful now, but when it starts in earnest, it’ll be awful. We’re expecting maybe a full feet of snow from this storm, not just single digit inches. And up on the mountain, it takes longer for crews to come dig us out. There’s so few of us who live that far up, they make sure the townsfolk are settled before they make the dangerous trek.
I wonder if Jade thought of that, if she even knows. Despite working in a hardware store, she doesn’t strike me as particularly outdoorsy.
Just as the thought strikes, the woman herself pulls up in an old truck that looks like it’s held together with a lick and a prayer. She breezes into the store, surprised to see me there already. I say a quick hello and she smiles shyly as she starts talking with Ron.
He looks at her guiltily, and I hear him quietly explain that he’s going to give her the day off because of the storm. He keeps muttering apologies, telling her he’s sorry she came down all this way just to turn right back around, but he thinks it’s what’s best.
Once the matter is settled, she turns back to me and reluctantly tells me to follow her home.
I nod, glancing at the truck outside. The extra wood I brought along feels like a smart move now.
“You need anything else before I head out?” I call out to Ron, more out of politeness than anything.
Ron shakes his head. “Just keep an eye on her, will you? She’s new to this kind of weather. Don’t think she realizes how bad it can get.”
“I will,” I promise, grabbing my gloves from the counter. “You stay safe, Ron.”
“You too, Declan,” he says, his voice softer now. “Storm’s gonna be a rough one.”
I nod and head back outside. The snow is falling heavier now, the flakes swirling in the wind as I climb into the truck. The road to Jade’s cabin is quiet, the trees standing sentinel on either side, their branches heavy with snow.
As I drive, my thoughts drift back to her, wonder about her. She hasn’t been in town as long as I have, I’m sure of that, but I can’t say when exactly she started cropping up alongside the familiar faces of the locals. Until yesterday, I can’t say that I paid any attention to her at all, apart from a cursory nod whenever I came into the store. It takes a concerted effort to keep my mind on the drive and not on the dream I had about her.
I promise myself that I’m just going to drop off the supplies and get out of there as quickly as possible.
It’s better for both of us if we don’t get too close.