Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Istride towards the door, peering outside.
The sky is a haze of white, snow drifting like feathers. It would be beautiful if I wasn’t so bloody worried.
“Come on!” I reach for my snow boots then glance back at Ethan. “We have to find her!” I shove my feet inside, not bothering to loosen the laces.
Ethan doesn’t move.
“Ethan?” I reach for my coat, almost ready to go, but he stands there, his expression distant. My eyebrows draw together as I urge him to move his sexy ass. “Are you coming or not?”
He doesn’t move.
“Darling?”
He takes a breath then finally walks towards me. “Right. Yes. Sorry.”
I shuffle aside as he fumbles with his winter gear, his hesitation palpable.
“What if—” He dons his boots, reaches for his coat, then pauses, dropping his arms to his sides. “What if she wants to be alone though?”
I stare at him, exasperated. Juniper is out there, in the snow, and we have to find her. She could be in trouble.
“Ethan, she could be upset! We don’t even know when she left.” I hand him his coat. “If we find her and she tells us she’s fine, then we’ll leave her be, okay?”
He sighs, accepting the coat and putting it on. “But—”
“Ethan. I know we talked things out this morning, and we feel better about everything, but god knows how she feels,” I say, my voice thick with worry.
He nods, zipping up his coat. “You’re right.”
I open the door, but as I go to step outside, Ethan puts a hand on my shoulder. “What?” I ask impatiently.
“Just—” He grabs his scarf from the hook on the wall and wraps it around my neck, tucking the ends into my jacket.
“Oi.” I bat him away as he reaches for my boobs.
“Sorry!” He laughs. “Just making sure you’re warm.”
I glare at him but can’t help smiling. “Now is not the time to mess around, mister.”
“Fine. Fine.” He shuts the door behind us. “Let’s go get our girl.”
The steps are clogged with boot prints, but the ones by the car are almost covered now with the fresh snow.
“Juniper?” I call, my voice muffled by the falling flakes.
“Juniper!” Ethan bellows, but there’s no reply.
“She must’ve gone back to her campervan,” I say.
“Well, you can’t drive in this,” Ethan says, raising his hands to the snow. “Not again.”
“Then we’ll walk.” I take his hand, and we set off up the long mountain road, through the firs, where the tyre tracks from last night are obscured by snowflakes.
“Footprints!” we both shout, spotting them at the same time.
Juniper must’ve left this morning.
I smile against the biting cold. At least she hasn’t been out all night.
We track her to the main road then turn right and keep walking.
My stomach twists into knots as we pass a tangle of criss-crossed tracks. This is where we hit the ice.
I pick up my pace as the snow gets heavier and her footprints start to fade.
We can’t lose her now. Not after all we’ve been through.
Despite his longer strides, Ethan rushes to keep up with me. “We’ll find her,” he reassures me.
We can’t stop until we do.
The rushing snowflakes cloud my vision, collecting on Ethan’s scarf to create a line of frost across my face.
I sweat in all my layers, and my new snow boots rub my feet, but I plough ahead. “Juniper?” I call, cupping my gloved hands to my face.
“Juniper?” Ethan shouts, but I fear our calls are being blotted out by the snowfall. It’s no use. The air is too busy and thick with white for our meagre calls to make it through.
We reach a bend in the road, and I follow it around, my head down, my scarf pulled up. I push through the cold. Then—there it is! The campervan!
“Juniper!” we both shout, racing towards it.
We stop outside, breaths coming fast, and I knock on the side of the van. “Juniper?”
“Juniper?” Ethan presses his face to the back window.
The knot in my stomach tightens. If she’s not here, then—
The door slides open, and my heart leaps at the sight of her.
“Mia?” She looks taken aback. Then she chuckles. “Ethan?”
“We’re so sorry!” I blurt, relief washing over me. “Please don’t go.”
“We didn’t want to leave things like this,” Ethan adds, his voice tinged with concern.
Juniper cocks her head. “What?” She shakes her head. “Never mind. Come in!” She takes my hand, and I climb into the van. “You must be freezing!” she blusters as Ethan follows close behind.
She swings the door shut behind him. “Why are you here?” She gestures to the tiny bench seat, on which we both then awkwardly perch, bringing half the snow with us.
“Isn’t it obvious?” I laugh, pulling the scarf away from my face.
“We didn’t want to lose you,” Ethan says, taking off his gloves and reaching out his hand to take hers.
Juniper holds his hand but looks at me, her expression still utterly perplexed. “I wasn’t about to get lost going to my own van!” She chuckles, but surely she knows that’s not what we meant.
She takes my hand too and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “I came down here for this.” She drops both our hands and picks up a … gas bottle thing? She holds it aloft and grins at me. “It’s a camping stove.”
“Oh.” I sit back. She was … fetching supplies?
“I was gonna make you porridge,” Juniper explains, and I absolutely melt.
“You were?” I ask, my heart soaring.
“Yes.” She laughs, rolling her eyes at me. “But now you’ve kinda ruined the surprise.”
My cheeks heat, and her gaze snags on mine. Then we both look to Ethan.
“We saw nothing,” he says with an impish smile. “Now, I don’t know about you guys, but it’s a lil’ cramped in here for us long-legged folk.”
We laugh and look out the front windows, where the snow has gotten lighter, the morning sun appearing to slow its fall.
Juniper’s expression is playful. “You wanna hitch a ride on the Juniper express?”
I gape at her, and Ethan’s eyes grow wide.
“Wait!” She throws up her hands as her cheeks turn crimson. “I meant in the campervan.”
We all fall apart laughing. When we stop, she eyes us both. “But maybe when we get back …?”
I lean forwards to kiss her, and she kisses me right back. “Is that a promise?” I beg.
She nods, sliding out from my grasp. Then she jumps into the front seat. The engine bursts to life, and she grins back at us. “Let’s get this show on the road!”
My stomach rumbles louder than the van’s engine.
When we get back, Juniper rushes ahead with her camping stove, and we follow her up the steps and walk through the sunlit living room. Even without the fire going, the warmth of the cabin greets us more urgently than ever.
I pause to unfurl the blanket before I follow Ethan and Juniper into the kitchen, laying it out on the floor as it has been most of the time we’ve been here.
There. That’s better. I don’t want to dwell on Juniper using it as a blanket as she slept on the sofa last night, alone.
This is our space. This is how it should be.
In the kitchen, Juniper has already stationed the portable stove next to the not-so-portable one and is pouring oats into a pot.
“Can you grab the milk?” she asks, glancing over her shoulder. “It should still be fine,” she adds, and I nod, crossing to the fridge.
As I open the door, the artificial light bursts out at me, unexpectedly bright. My eyes widen in surprise, but Ethan quickly puts a finger to his lips, his gaze darting to Juniper and back.
I grab the milk, swiftly closing the fridge door. “Still cold!” I chirp.
Juniper slaves over the travel stove, making me the most delicious-looking porridge I’ve ever seen—or maybe I’m just really, really hungry.
Then, we sit together on the living room floor, the blanket soft beneath us, and I instruct Ethan on how to build and light the fire, which he does only slightly slower and less efficiently than I would have done.
I polish off the last of my porridge, set the bowl aside, and sit back with a contented sigh. “That was awesome,” I tell Juniper, and she positively beams with pride.
Ethan leans forwards, grabs the remote, and flicks on the T.V.
Juniper gasps as the screen lights up. “Wait. When did …?” She gapes at him then turns her attention to me.
I shrug, trying my best to look innocent, but a persistent giggle escapes.
“You sly bastards!” she exclaims, and I cover my mouth as a fit of laughter takes over me. “That’s the last time I make you porridge!” she calls, dramatically crossing her arms.
“Aww.” I give her my best “sorry” face. “You were just so excited to use your little stove,” I tease.
Her eyes light up with mischief. “Right then!” She grabs the remote, switches off the T.V., then lunges at me, tickling my sides until I squeal.
“Stop! Stop!” I bat her away playfully. “I’m gonna pee!”
She relents, and I hunch over, euphoric with laughter. Then she kisses me and kisses Ethan, and I’m not just aching from the laughter anymore.
Our shared kisses shift from light and playful to something slower and more sensual.
I gaze at Juniper between kisses. She’s so beautiful.
Her wavy, chestnut brown hair falls around her face, her fringe set in place, perfect as ever.
Her blue eyes sparkle with delight and desire.
I could lose myself in those eyes if she’d let me.
Then Ethan reaches out to me, his own brown eyes dazzling. Of course I’m bisexual. How did I not know for so long?
There are two stunning humans gazing at me—and I at them—with such want. I want them both just as much, and they both turn me on. Yet, insecurities linger within me. Is this all really happening? Is this all really real?
Ethan eases Juniper back, laying her down on the blanket spread beneath us. He tugs at her top, and she pulls it off, grinning at us both.
I lean over her, my fingers at the waistband of her leggings. “Can I take these off too?” I ask.
“Yes,” she breathes.
We undress her together. Then Ethan captures her mouth with his, and for the first time in my life, I go down on a woman—on Juniper. It feels incredible. She tastes of yearning and sex, and I can’t get enough.
“Is this … am I doing it right?” I pause, looking up.
Juniper moans, reaching down to run her fingers through my hair.
I press on, and she quakes beneath me. I guess I’m doing okay.
I’m nervous, but I don’t hold back.
I push through my feelings of inadequacy, of not knowing, of being out of my depth, and instead I focus on giving her absolutely everything I’ve got.
I suck, and lick, and lap at her. I tickle and tease her with my tongue then gently ease a finger in, curling it inside her.
She shivers with pleasure, wet with heat and want.
When I look up again, she’s staring down at me. They both are, their expressions glazed with an aching desire.
“Keep going,” she whispers to me softly, urgently.
Ethan bites his lip as I dip down again to finish the job.
Darkness comes, and we ignore the lamps, even though the power is back. We light candles instead, and, surrounded by flickering flames and fur, we ourselves become electric.
The cabin hums with our renewed passion. The walls ring with all the sounds of our play and pleasure.
In the deepest depths of this snowy woodland paradise, we are the warmest things around, and we tumble from the blanket on the living room floor, down the corridor, and to the bedroom—licking, and touching, and fucking the cabin down.
I stand naked, legs spread wide, palms flat against the cool glass of the bedroom window. I look out into the dark, glimpsing snowflakes between flashes of lust so overwhelming I have to close my eyes to stop from falling myself.
Juniper kneels in front of me, and when I dare to open my eyes, I come apart, again and again, her sultry gaze on mine as her fingers delve deeper and she sucks on my clit.
Reflected in the glass, Ethan watches us from the bed, his cock held firmly in his hand, desire and admiration in his eyes.