Chapter 5
SAGE
Barrett is being careful with me. Very careful.
Every move he makes is slow and telegraphed, like I'm a skittish deer he doesn't want to frighten away. Which would be nice, except I'm not a skittish deer. Not skittish at all, in fact.
Maybe it's because he's so big. Those broad shoulders and easy height just take up space. But I don't feel crowded or intimidated.
I feel safe.
And everything he's done since he found me in the woods has been focused on my comfort.
My safety. Carrying me here. Giving me his clothes to wear.
Making sure I'm warm. Rewrapping my ankle in a bandage not made from one of his shirts until he was sure he'd achieved the exact amount of compression that would ensure the fastest recovery possible and minimize my pain.
Not to mention getting me to the bathroom when I had to go and standing outside the door until I was ready for him to come carry me back to the couch.
He's even fed me.
It's not as if it was a gourmet meal. But he put everything together like it needed to be perfect, gathering all the ingredients together from what he had on hand.
It was simple. Fresh. Utterly delicious.
And because it was all on one plate, it was impossible for our fingers not to brush against each other from time to time.
Every time it happens, though, it sends a shock through me. Straight from my fingertips to my core. I shouldn't be objectifying this man who's done everything possible to help me when I needed it, but it feels like it's outside my control.
His voice hasn't made things any easier either.
It's low and gruff, scraping over my skin in a tantalizing way that makes me instantly wonder what it would feel like if his mouth was closer.
It sucked me in more with each question he asked about my work, the travel stories I've written for different clients and what I enjoyed the most about each place I've been.
"We should put some ice on there." Barrett's voice cuts through my thoughts and I catch myself staring at him in confusion.
"On what?"
He grins, and I hope it's not because he can read my mind. "Your ankle. Keep the swelling down."
"Oh. Yeah. Whatever you think is best."
"Are you all right?" He gently lifts my chin when I try to avoid his eyes. "Seriously, Sage. Everything okay?"
"Sure. It's fine."
"I don't believe you." He takes the empty plate from where it rests on my legs and puts it in the kitchen. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." I huff out the words; afraid I sound like a petulant kid.
He raises a brow and sits down, putting my feet back in his lap and settling a bag of ice around my ankle.
I hadn't even noticed him getting it in the first place.
Barrett stays silent and I recognize the message.
He's not going to say anything, just patiently waiting for me to explain what I'm feeling.
"It's just, being here with you, no one else around, it feels different. "
He doesn't say anything, but he picks up my uninjured foot and starts massaging the arch. He digs his thumbs into the muscles so perfectly that a shuddering moan escapes me, and he grins when I blush. "Different is bad?"
"No. I don't mean that as a negative. But it's overwhelming, maybe. And intimate."
His fingers still as I say the word that's been running through my mind.
Intimate. That's what this is. A cozy cabin.
A big, brooding mountain man. No one else for miles around.
If I was thinking rationally, I'd be afraid.
Running scared. Or limping, in this case.
But it doesn't feel wrong or weird. It feels right.
"I don't mean to overwhelm you." His voice has taken on that introspective tone, and he leans back on the small couch even as he resumes the foot massage. "I'd never want you to feel uncomfortable."
"That's what I'm saying. I don't feel uncomfortable. At all. I probably should, because I'm alone in an isolated mountain cabin with a hot burly man, but I really don't. I feel exactly the opposite actually. Very comfortable. Like I wouldn't rather be anywhere else."
It registers that his fingers have stopped moving and when I focus on his face, I'm stunned by the desire I see reflected there.
"You think I'm hot?" He grunts out the words, and I gape at him. Because he's right. I did say that.
Heat suffuses my entire body, and I feel like I'm on fire with embarrassment.
"Um, yes. I mean, objectively you are. Any woman with eyes would think that."
"Don't really care what any woman thinks.
Just you." He seems stunned to have admitted that, but when his eyes meet mine, there's no denying the want I see reflected there.
"Though, to be fair, you should know I'd have offered the same level of medical treatment to anyone injured in the same situation. "
I grin. "So any other brawny mountain guy would've gotten the same service I did. A bridal carry out of the woods and comfy clothes, delicious food and a foot massage?"
He barks out a laugh, and I feel victorious at the sound. "Okay, maybe not quite the same level of care in that case."
"Thank you. Appreciate you making me feel special."
"You are special, Sage. Don't mistake that. I just don't really know how to do this. I wasn't kidding when I said I haven't had any other woman up here."
His thumb digs into the base of my calf, pressing down and dragging along the outside of my uninjured ankle.
It feels so good I just give in to the relaxation being offered to me and let my head rest against the arm of the couch.
Giving up control in this moment feels good.
A break from the hustle and hurry of my life.
Running from one job to the next. One locale to the next.
I didn't recognize how tired I was until this moment.
Barrett continues, his fingers working their magic on my left leg, easing away the tension I've been carrying for a long time.
And maybe it's crazy, but there's a part of me that thinks this is what I've been looking for all along.
That every trip, every new to me place that was intentionally short term, has been a stop along the way to this sweet, sturdy cabin and the man that lives there.
Barrett's hands move over to my other leg, but he works on the calf only, steering clear of my injured ankle, though he moves the ice off it to give my skin a break from the cold. He's taking care of me, and it feels important.
I've been taking care of myself, on my own, for so long that I didn't know how good it would feel to matter this much to someone else.
Although that might just be wishful thinking. He's only just met me, and his first impression is of me, helpless, on the forest floor.
"Want to see something?" Barrett's voice rumbles beside me and I open my eyes, catching him watching me.
"Sure."
"It's outside. I'll carry you, if that's all right."
I shrug. "It seems weird to protest your chivalry at this point."
A smile tugs at his lips, and it spreads a little more as he stands, lifting me easily into his arms. Then he carries me through the cabin, out the door and into the inky night.
The smell of the woods perfumes the air, but it's the stars above that really draw my attention. The beauty of the sky unfolds above us as he makes his way across the clearing and sets me on a flat-topped boulder near the tree line.
"Barrett, this is beautiful." I gaze up at the stars and grab his hand, holding onto him as the sheer scope of the space leaves me at a loss for words.
"It is. One of my favorite things about this spot. That I can always see the sky. No matter how I'm feeling, the stars are like a reset. Full of possibility."
I nod. "It must be lonely here."
His leg brushes mine as he sits beside me. "Sometimes. But the stars aren't the only things I wanted you to see."
He points into the trees, and I peer into the deep shadows. As my eyes refocus, I catch sight of what he was pointing out. Golden lights dart among the brush and leaves.
"Fireflies?" I cover my mouth, a strange emotion swelling inside me. It's been years since I've seen this kind of display and I didn't realize how much I missed it until now. "They're gorgeous. And so many of them."
"I grew up calling them lightning bugs. But fireflies is good, too." There's humor in his voice, but also a little bit of awe. Like he's just as affected watching their movements streak across the night as I am.
"If I were you, I'd never want to leave."
Tension bleeds out of him. "That's how I felt when I first saw this place. Like it was okay if I never wanted to leave. Like I could just be here forever and the forest, the mountain, the fireflies," he nudges my shoulder at that, "would be all right with it."
My heart pounds as I sit next to this handsome man, our thighs touching as we just soak in the full impact of the night and its beauty.
"I'm glad you found me in the forest today.
" I catch his head turning, the way he looks down at me.
There's enough light from the moon and the stars that I can see he's not judging me or laughing at me.
He's just serious, taking in what I say, and allowing me to simply be.
I try to smile, to play it off, by adding, "I mean, I would've hoped anyone would find me, but out of all the possible choices, I'm glad it was you. That I got to meet you."
"I'm glad it was me." He leans down, his voice turning rough as he says, "There's no one else I'd want to sit beside and share the sky with."
Those words go right to my heart, piercing through any defenses I might still have.
"Barrett," I start, and my voice trails off, unable to put into words everything I'm feeling right now.
"I want to kiss you, Sage. And I haven't wanted to kiss a woman in a very long time."
Heat blasts through me, and I almost faint at the want that coils in my stomach. To be desired by this big, competent man is a heady thing. Powerful.
"You want to kiss me?" I breathe out the question, even as I lean into him, drawn by the idea of what it would feel like to have his mouth on mine. Pulling myself together a little bit, I manage to recover some of my humor. "I'd be a fool to say no to that."
The smile he gifts me with is stunning, the first full, real one I've seen on his face since we met. I'm caught by it, enthralled as he slowly reaches up, calloused fingers tracing a line of fire across my jaw, tipping my chin up toward him.
When his lips land on mine, it's perfect. Warm, strong, and confident. He doesn't push, but there's clear intention in this kiss. Like it matters to him to get this right.
Which sends shots of electricity through my blood. I almost feel like I'm floating, and the only thing keeping me anchored to this earth is this man. I gasp at how good it feels and his tongue darts into my mouth, teasing along mine.
I shiver and then toss aside any of the remaining restraint I still have.
My hands find their way to his chest, and I feel him draw back, giving me the distance he thinks I'm asking for.
I wrap my arms around his neck; my fingertips brushing the soft hair at the base of his scalp and bring his mouth back down to mine.
He groans and then he's no longer holding back.
The perfect kiss before is replaced by one even more perfect.
It's like we're pouring ourselves into each other and it adds another layer of sensation when his large palm lands against my waist, guiding me onto his lap, my legs stretched out to the side as I settle against him.
His hand is warm, burning through the material of the shirt he gave me, and I ache to know what it would feel like against my skin.
"I think you'll be the death of me, Sage. Wanting you this much could kill me."
He murmurs the words in my ear as I try to catch my breath.
My mind is rocked by the intensity of what I'm feeling.
How quickly I've come to care about this man, who I recognize is just as lonely as I am.
Even though we've faced it differently, in our own ways, we're both still longing for connection.
And this is the moment we find it.
Together.