Chapter Nine
The cabin feels smaller as the three of us sit in the silence following our kiss, the crackling fire the only sound breaking the stillness.
Outside, it’s dark again and the wilderness looms, vast and unforgiving, the moon casting an eerie glow through the window. An unsettling howl echoes through the trees, sending a shiver down my spine.
I shudder. “Did you hear that?”
“It’s probably just wolves,” Juniper says, utterly nonchalant.
Ethan and I exchange a look.
“Sure,” I say, wincing.
“Yeah, that’s probably all it is.” Ethan shrugs.
I for one am definitely not scared at the thought of being mauled to death by a pack of wolves in the middle of this snowy nowhere.
We fall silent again. Juniper’s expression is a mixture of exhilaration and uncertainty, mirroring my own turmoil.
The warmth of our moment felt fragile, as if it might shatter under the weight of our unspoken fears.
Now I can almost hear the forest’s whispers, urging us to confront the reality of what just happened and the fragile boundaries we’re now teetering on.
A crack sounds from the woods, and I break the silence again.
“And that? Did you hear that?” My voice is barely above a whisper.
It’s as if the very forest is watching, aware of the tension hanging in the air between us—a reminder that we’re utterly alone, encased in our own little world, with all these secrets and desires swirling just beneath the surface.
“You guys have bears, right?” I ask, tentatively.
“Sure!” Juniper laughs, but then she stops and looks at me, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion. “Wait … you guys don’t?”
Ethan chuckles softly. “No. We definitely do not have bears in the UK.”
Juniper gapes at him then turns to me to confirm.
“It’s true.” I shrug.
Juniper’s eyes widen in disbelief. “You don’t have bears?”
Ethan and I giggle. “Nope.”
Another loud crack makes us all jump. A flame shoots up from the fire, briefly illuminating the room before settling again, and we chuckle nervously.
Then Ethan stands. “You know what? I say we go confront the wilderness! We’ve been here for days and haven’t even played in the snow yet!”
I look up at him, shaking my head, but he holds out his hand and pulls me to my feet.
“Fine,” I concede, still kinda nervous about the bears, and the wolves, and the multitude of other creatures which could be hiding in the night. But it’s impossible to resist Ethan’s big puppy dog eyes.
As soon as I’m on board, Juniper springs up, a wicked grin on her face. “Let’s go play!”
And with that, I find myself entirely at their mercy, excitement bubbling up as we rush towards the door, ready to embrace this wild, snowy world.
The cold air hits us as we step outside, and I take a deep breath, the crispness refreshing. Snow crunches underfoot, and the landscape sparkles under the moonlight.
It really is magical.
“Heads up!” Juniper calls, and I turn to find her scooping a handful of snow.
“Wait!” I shield my face with my gloved hand, but she’s already launched it.
I manage to dodge at the last second, the snowball skimming past my shoulder. Laughing, I reach down and make a missile of my own, firing in retaliation.
Ethan joins in, and soon we’re all laughing, ducking, and dodging as snowballs fly. The cold bites at our cheeks, but the laughter warms us from within.
“Got you!” Juniper yells, hitting Ethan square in the back.
He spins around, feigning outrage, but his grin says otherwise.
We scoop, spin, throw, and thrive, the night air coming alive with our ruckus of shouts and squeals.
Juniper chases me down, and I clomp around in my snow boots, trying but failing to get away while Ethan ducks behind a tree, executing what is clearly his master plan.
Then Juniper catches me, and we quickly hatch a plan to ambush Ethan. Girl power and all that. She stalks ahead, snowball in hand, while I run along the tree line, my heart racing.
Alas, Ethan, having spent countless hours playing Call of Duty all through college, must’ve sensed us coming. He jumps out as we close in then pelts us with a hoard of perfect snowballs until we collapse in the snow in surrender.
“Okay, okay, truce!” I gasp, and he relents, coming out with his hands raised.
“So, that’s Scrabble and snowball fight champion I can add to my long list of accolades.” He grins from ear to ear.
We make our way back to the cabin, cheeks flushed and our hair and hats dusted with snow.
The warmth envelops us as we step inside, the crackling fire beckoning.
“Now, this is more like it,” Juniper says, shaking off snow like a dog.
We gather around the fire, the previous tension melting away with every damp layer we discard.
Juniper heads to the kitchen to make fresh cocoa while Ethan and I cosy up on the couch, exchanging amused looks.
The rich aroma of chocolate fills the air as Juniper returns with three steaming mugs. We sip and savour, laughter bubbling up as we fall into easy conversation, as if we’ve been like this, together, all along.
As the evening draws on, we huddle closer to the fire, the fur blanket warm beneath us and our conversations growing hotter with each passing hour.
“So, what’s your magic number?” Juniper asks me, and my cheeks heat. “I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours.”
“Well, I um…” I stammer, glancing at Ethan.
He meets my gaze encouragingly.
“Wait …” Juniper interrupts. “Was he your—”
“No,” I say quickly, looking down. “Ethan wasn’t my first. I’ve just …
y’know, kept to myself mostly.” I shrug.
I mean, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.
I’ve kissed plenty of guys, and fantasised about a lot of girls, but I was a bit confused about it all when I was growing up.
I had all these feelings, for all these people—guys, girls, probably non-binary people too, though I guess I hadn’t known that term at the time—but I only figured things out properly for myself once I’d settled down with Ethan. Once I felt truly safe to be myself.
“So?” Juniper nudges again, curious but not pushy.
“Three,” I finally admit, intrigued by her openness. “And you?”
“Um …” She tilts her head, her gaze drifting off into the distance. What I wouldn’t give to be inside her head right now. “Fourteen?” she muses. “No … wait. Fifteen,” she corrects herself. “I always think of Jason and Aimee as like a two-for-one deal.” She laughs, and my eyes widen.
“So, you’ve had a threesome before?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. I’m both nervous and intrigued.
“Huh?” She turns to me, her blue eyes sparkling with delight.
“She wants to know if that was a threesome,” Ethan clarifies, grinning as he looks from me to her and back again.
I blush harder than ever, but I can’t help wanting to know more.
“Oh,” she says. “Yeah.” She bites her lip, sending a satisfied smile up towards the ceiling. “And you know …” She stares right at me. “Ever since then, I’ve been craving another one.”
Aaaaaand that’s me done.
Ethan nudges me, and I bark a nervous laugh.
I think I actually stopped breathing for a second there.
“What?” Juniper’s grin grows ever wider.
I clear my throat then reach for my drink. Nope. I sip at the cold cocoa. I am not going there. My heart races. No matter how much I want to.
Juniper crawls over to where I’m sitting, my back against the sofa, my legs out in front of me, Ethan by my side. She takes my mug from me and sets it on the table. Looks to Ethan then back at me, a sly smile creeping across her face—
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Then she straddles me, her knees pressing against my sides.
FuckFuckFuck!
She takes my face in her hands then kisses me again—only this time, Ethan doesn’t interrupt.
When Juniper pulls away, I’m all flustered, and the only thing I can think to tell her is, “We got tested when we first got together. We’ve only been with each other.”
She smiles, her eyes sparkling. “I’m all clear too.”
After that, everything happens so fast.
Juniper kisses me, then she kisses Ethan, and I like it. Fuck. I like it a lot.
Then I kiss Ethan, and Juniper’s hand reaches up my top, and I feel so much all at once, I literally don’t know what to do with myself.
We lie on the blanket beside that fucking wonderful fire, and we undress each other as the crackling flames lick around the logs inside.
I pull Juniper’s top over her head then toss it to one side with a smile. She leans back, letting me take in every stunning inch, and I bite my lip. She’s not wearing a bra.
Juniper’s peaked nipples blush against her pale breasts, and as I lower my gaze I catch sight of a long silver scar starting level with the base of her ribs then travelling down in a snaking line around her belly button before disappearing at her underwear.
“Wow,” I breathe.
She shrugs. “Chicks dig scars, right?”
I look up, catching her eye. “You’re gorgeous.”
She lowers her gaze, her cheeks pinking.
“You’re a fucking rockstar,” Ethan joins in.
Juniper laughs. “Jeez Louise! You two are acting like you’ve never seen a pair of tits before!” She winks at me, and my cheeks burn.
“Well, I …” I look at Ethan, words failing me.
“Go on then.” He grins.
“What?” I ask.
He gestures at me, then at Juniper. “You can’t bloody well have her be the only one with her baps out!”
I drop my head in my hands, but when I look up, Juniper nods, eyebrows raised.
“Oh, I wholeheartedly agree.” She tugs at the bottom of my top for good measure.
“Okay, fine.” I take it off, revealing my plain black bra underneath.
Now they’re both ogling me.
“What?” I blush harder, and Ethan leans over. With one quick tug, he unhooks my bra, and I let it fall to the floor.
I eye them both. “Happy now?”
Ethan nods while Juniper simpers.
“Ecstatic,” she says, bridging the short distance between us. She plants a trail of kisses down my neck to my collar bone, to my left breast, then my right.
I can hardly breathe. I hardly dare to, in case I break whatever spell this is she’s casting over me. Over us.
When she takes one hardened nipple in her mouth and the other between her thumb and forefinger, I just about lose it altogether. Fuck. I could come at this touch alone.
A moan escapes me, and Juniper gently tugs at me with her teeth.
“Oh, fuck.” I gasp.
She lets go, and I struggle to catch my breath. “Adda girl.”
Ethan gapes at us both then says, “This is the best fucking night of my life.”
Juniper catches my gaze and we both laugh.
“It better be,” she says. Then she proceeds to do things to us both which I could not have envisioned even in my wildest dreams.
Ethan joins us as we touch each other. Eyes everywhere. Hands everywhere. Heat all over.
We burn with desire, and soon we’re all naked, our bodies bathed in equal parts orange flame and inky shadow.
We toss and turn, and stroke, and play, and feel, letting ourselves go.
I let myself go.
I marvel at Juniper’s soft curves, her chestnut hair, her playful smile as she teases us both and we tease her back. She’s so beautiful I could cry.
Then her perfect lips press their way down my body, and I lay on my back, powerless to her touch.
“Is this okay?” she asks softly, pausing at my centre.
“It’s okay. I’m okay,” I reassure her. “Are you okay?”
She nods. “Right now I’m on cloud fucking nine.”
I look up at the beams above us and give myself over to her, and to Ethan—physically, mentally, emotionally, sexually. I come apart. I surrender.
Please. God. Never let it stop.
Outside, the wind howls, and the snow feathers down, light and cold and constant.
Inside, the fire burns, and the room is hot and heavy. We shift and move like the shadows cast from the flickering flames. We mix and meld and pulse.
I must be dreaming.
This can’t be real.
Ethan pours over me, his mouth against mine, our tongues dancing up here while Juniper’s finds me down there.
He’s all bristly when we kiss, and I grin. What can I say? I like my men manly, and my women …
Oh god.
Juniper is so careful, so considerate. It’s like she’s worried I’ll splinter into a million shards if she moves too quickly.
Yet I want her so badly. If I’m ice, she better pick me.
I’m at once melting and shattering at the same time.
I am ice—and fire, and want, and desire, and everything, and all my aching fantasies, every dream I’ve dared to dream—
And Ethan, too. I want them both. I need them both, and now.
I ache for Ethan’s kiss as he pulls back to watch Juniper devour me. I buck and writhe, so hot, and so wet, and so ravenously wild to her touch and his gaze on me. All over me. All over us both.
I come apart, and my god, I break open like I’ve finally been set free.
Juniper looks up from between my legs with a satisfied smile, and I can only gasp, and moan, and search helplessly for the breath I have clearly lost.
“Are you okay?” she asks, her voice soft and sincere.
I can only nod in reply, all my words escaping me.
“Are you?” Ethan asks her, his gaze steady.
“I’m amazing,” she breathes as I lay beneath her, glowing from within.
She presses herself up, and Ethan shifts behind her.
“Do you want me?” he asks her, in that deep, gruff voice which always takes me over the edge.
“Yes.” She pushes back into him, and I fucking lose it all over again.
I have never seen anything so hot in my life.
Juniper rocks back and forth over me, moaning with pleasure as Ethan takes her from behind.
There’s so much fervour, gasping, moaning … I’m overwhelmed by the heat of our bodies entwined. I grow dizzy from the flames and shadows, the sweltering heat of us taking turns to fuck and be fucked. My god. It’s insane!
As their gasps and moans rocket to new heights, I put two fingers in my mouth then tentatively reach out, and under, to caress Juniper’s clit.
She’s so wet already, and I swirl and stutter my fingers on that spot, just how I like it, the way I know it feels good.
“Mia,” she gasps, and I freeze, stricken.
“Don’t stop!” she implores, and I keep going.
“This is … So. Fucking. Good,” she pants, writhing now, grinding against my hand while Ethan pulses inside her.
I quicken my pace, and Ethan matches me as we race her to the finish and watch as she shudders then comes undone, her cries of pleasure echoing around the cabin. Our cabin in the snow.
She comes away from Ethan to lay by my side, and I lie there with her, stars in my eyes, her glistening come on my fingers.
Holy shit.
Then Ethan joins us, and I look him up and down. He’s still hard and ready.
“My turn,” I say playfully. The ice has well and truly melted. Right now, I’m molten to the core.
He lays back, and I climb on top, riding him until he comes, hard and fast, to join us both in this all-eclipsing, post-orgasmic bliss.
Then we lie there, the three of us, on this fur blanket, by this perfect fire, on this mind-blowingly perfect night.