6. Hunter
Chapter six
Hunter
Ihad a gut feeling this would happen. After all these years, I'd be willing to bet that my neighbor's generator hasn't been serviced in God knows how long.
It's what's kept me peeking out the window blinds multiple times throughout the hour, waiting for the inevitable.
Now here I stand, brutally cold wind at my back and my limbs feeling frostbitten from only standing outside for a couple of minutes.
There's no way I would have been able to sit still knowing she was trapped in the dark.
"Are you alright?" I ask as I look her over. I don't know what I expect to find, but obviously she wouldn't be hurt. Though I'm the one who's in pain at being allowed to see this woman in her sleepwear.
A simple T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants covered in polka dots should not stir something deep within me. Yet my fingers itch to touch the fuzzy fabric wrapping her thighs.
It takes her a moment to snap out of her stare as she registers my question, nodding her head. She steps to the side so I can get out of the freezing cold, and after accepting her offer, I join her so we're both standing in the dark.
A handful of feet away, there is a fire, but it's not doing either of us much of a favor. I can barely see her silhouette, but a slight orange glow reflects off her side.
Thank goodness for the darkness; otherwise, she'd see just how badly I want to kiss her in this moment.
It's the loud crackling bang in the distance that helps snap me out of my daze.
"What was that?" Juniper jumps and lets out a soft gasp.
Clearing my throat, I move past her and head toward her apparently dying fire. Why isn't there any wood lying about? "Most likely a tree succumbing to the weight of all this snow. It happens from time to time, especially during snowstorms."
Poking at her fire, it's a miracle she's able to stay warm. This isn't going to work.
"What are you doing?" she asks as I feel her presence behind me. "You are going to put it out."
"That's the goal." Stubbing out the fire until it's nothing but glowing red-hot coals, I set down her poker. "You can't stay here."
"What do you mean?" Drenching us both in darkness, I don't need to see the worry on her face. I can hear it.
Standing tall and reaching out for her to make sure I don't accidentally run her into something, I gently feel my way towards the front door.
Despite her concern, she tags along without complaint.
"I don't need to go look at your generator to know what the problem is, but I can promise you that we won't be able to get it back on during this mess.
It's outside, and I'm not going to risk either of our safety to get it going again. "
"Hunter—"
Pulling out my phone, I use the flashlight to help find her boots. Call me stubborn, but this isn't something I'm willing to negotiate on. "It's just tonight. We can figure out everything in the morning."
She lets out a small huff but shoves her feet into the boots anyway. "Why would you go so far out of your way? I'm okay, really."
The answer to her question sits heavily on my tongue, but I swallow the confession down before I accidentally startle her into denying me before we can even leave her cabin. "It's what your dad would have wanted," I excuse.
She grumbles something under her breath, but I don't make anything out of it as I find her coat.
Giving her my phone to hold, I put my focus on throwing her coat over her shoulders.
Helping her get her arms through the sleeves, it's not until I'm zipping it up to her chin that I realize her face is glowing pink.
Fuck, I've overstepped. Did all this without thinking.
"Thanks," she mumbles, her appreciation soft.
I take my phone back, but before my brain can talk me out of it, my fingers weave through hers. Her hand is small, cold, and fits entirely inside mine. Call it instinct to take charge, but I carefully help her leave the cabin behind and head toward mine.
The air gets so painfully cold up here at night. I'm not surprised that her teeth chatter before we reach the end of the stairs. Wishing I had bundled her up even better, I fight the urge to pick her up and rush to where a better-built fire promises warmth.
Somehow she manages to make it to my front door without slipping. However, I can't guarantee those fuzzy pajamas of hers aren't wet from all the snow.
Once we're inside, she shivers as she takes off her coat. Apologizing for the mess she's brought in with her, she flushes even more when I take her coat from her.
"Go warm up by the fire for now." Nodding over toward the flickering flames, there's no room for objection.
She bends to pull off her boots, giving me a teasing smirk that hits right in the gut. "Has anyone ever told you that you're bossy? I'll do as I'm told, but just because you're being hospitable."
I hang her coat up, taking a slow breath to steady the pulse thumping in my throat. "Hospitable has nothing to do with it, Juniper," I murmur under my breath, staying safely out of the light before I give in to the urge to pull her away from the fire and into my arms.
Even if my decision to bring her here is dangerous, it's the right call. As if I need any more proof, my lights flicker, giving the telltale signs of possibly kicking off. Thankfully, my generator is built to thrive in weather like this.
I watch her walk toward the hearth, the flickering amber light spilling over her figure and painting every line of her body in soft gold.
She crosses her arms over her chest, stepping close enough to the fireplace that the heat cuts right through the chill clinging to her skin.
She leans in, holding out her hands, shoulders finally dropping as she lets out a long, quiet breath.
What was she doing before the power had gone out? Packing up more and more of those belongings so she could leave this place behind for good?
The thought brings a frown to my lips, and I scowl without thinking.
"You know, I don't get it..." Juniper reaches out toward the fire, her fingers curling against the heat. "What in the world is so good about this place to make so many people want to stay up here?"
My boots are barely off my feet, and my flannel nearly misses the coat rack before I walk toward her.
Joining her to soak up the heat, I reach out for a piece of wood before I try to touch her.
"If you had a reason worth staying, worth putting up with such terrible weather, then you'd never want to leave, either. "
She tilts her head toward me, looking up at me in a way that makes me want to act recklessly. "You have something like that?"
"I thought I did." The truth slips out before I can catch it, and I try to pull my gaze away from such an alluring view, but fail miserably. "Now I'm not so sure."
Juniper stills, her chest swelling with her next breath. "What is that supposed to mean?"
I step closer before my head can talk me out of it, closing the distance between us until the heat off her skin competes with the fire flickering at our side.
Raising my hand, I let my fingers brush against the side of her neck, catching a stray strand of her soft hair and tucking it gently behind her ear.
My knuckles graze her cheekbone, warm against skin still flushed from the freeze outside.
She doesn't pull away. If anything, she leans into the touch, her gaze dropping to my mouth.
Juniper feels it too. I know she does. Otherwise, she'd already be shoving me away and risking surviving the night in her cabin no matter how bossy I've become.
My thumb traces the smooth curve of her jaw. "It means... just when I think I might have finally found the real reason, she doesn't plan on sticking around for much longer."
She sucks in a breath at my admission, and I wait for it. For her to deny me because of all the obvious reasons.
I'm older than her by at least twenty years. If her father's liver didn't fail him, we would never have met to begin with. Hell, she's from the city, and I'd be caught dead being surrounded by so many people all at once.
Yet, this pull won't ease.
"Juniper..." Murmuring her name, I nudge closer, making the gap between us nearly nonexistent. My touch lingers as my thumb carefully traces her bottom lip. "Push me away, or tell me to fuck off. Otherwise..."
Her breathing tickles my thumb as it wavers. "Otherwise?"
"I'm going to kiss you." Putting it bluntly, my frown deepens. "And I don't think once will be enough."
Hell, who am I kidding? I'm not just going to want to get my mouth on hers. I'm going to want to taste her everywhere. Jesus, how gone am I?
Her gaze flickers up to mine, searching my eyes for any sign that I’m bluffing. When she finds none, a soft, trembling breath escapes her lips.
"I'm not going to tell you to fuck off, Hunter," she whispers, the amusement lacking from her words.
Before I can digest the words, her hands move. She doesn't just pull me in by the fabric of my shirt this time; her hands slide up my chest, over my shoulders, and wrap firmly around the back of my neck.
She pushes up on her tiptoes, bridging the last fraction of an inch between us, and presses her lips to mine.
They're pillowy soft. One flick of my tongue confirms she's as sweet as the desserts she makes.
One little kiss shouldn't set me off, but all it takes is the feel of her fingers in my hair, and I'm fucking gone.