Chapter 3 #2
“But I’m leaving in two days.” Adrienne choked out.
Ethan let out a long breath. “I know.”
There was an awkward silence between them, spanning a number of silent conversations between them that they didn’t actually have.
Adrienne had to remind herself that she wasn’t living in a Hallmark movie.
He wasn’t going to ask her to stay. He wasn’t going to offer to leave his home and business to move to her.
He was simply showing remorse for their situation.
A remorse that she shared, but one that she too, had no idea how to resolve.
“Well…thanks for dinner.” Adrienne smoothed her napkin and set it on the table. “It was really good. Kudos to the chef.”
Ethan looked like he wanted to say something, but he visibly bit it back and instead gave her one of his small smiles. “You are most welcome.”
“I think I’m going to head back, and get the fire started before the snow comes in.”
Ethan nodded slowly. “Yes, that makes good sense. I’ll make sure you have enough wood for the night.”
Adrienne stood. “Thank you. I’m sure I do, but you’re welcome to check.”
He nodded distractedly. “I’ll be by in about a half an hour. I just have a few things to finish up.”
“Ok.” Adrienne made her way back to her cabin, the wind biting behind her, practically shoving her along.
She wasn’t dressed for this level of cold, she quickly realized, and the moment she got back to her cabin, all she could think of was a hot shower to warm her bones.
She tossed her coat onto a chair, grabbed her robe and went straight to her bathroom.
It was one of the best showers she’d ever had in her life.
Her bones had never been so cold, she thought, and she let the hot water wash away the tears that came to her again.
I don’t want to leave, she thought. But you’re painfully cold, another part of her pointed out.
It doesn’t matter, I have feelings for him.
Maybe I don’t love him, like that silly thought last night, but I really like him.
And I really like Ava. Adrienne worked some shampoo through her hair.
It doesn’t matter what you think, or who you like.
He didn’t ask you to stay. That’s the point.
If he wanted you to stay, he would ask. She rinsed her hair.
What do you expect from a recent widower, Adrienne Marie Croft?
That he’d take one look at you, have his whole world turned upside down and boom, you two have a happily ever after?
This is real life, not a book, not a movie, not TV.
She didn’t know how long she’d taken in the shower, but there was a lot of steam by the time she dried off and wrapped herself into her robe. She turned the knob to the door and heard a panicked “Just so you know, I’m out here!”
Adrienne froze and inched the bathroom door open. Now she heard rustling and realized that Ethan had been building her a fire. She opened the door the whole way. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry, I knocked to bring you in some wood, and I heard you in the shower.
I realized that you hadn’t built a fire and then I thought about how cold you were going to be if you came out here without the heat after a shower, and I thought maybe I could build it before you got out.
Obviously I didn’t finish and then I wanted to warn you because I didn’t know if…
” Now he turned and saw her, all words immediately ceasing.
Adrienne bit her lip, wishing she’d brushed her hair, put on some make up, something.
Not that she expected to walk out of her bathroom to a visitor.
His eyes slowly took her in, from the tips of her damp, bedraggled locks, down past the white terry cloth robe, to the bare legs and toes that she suddenly wished sported some cute nail polish.
“Um…thank you. It’s not freezing out here now. I guess I should have thought to build that fire first. Rookie suburb girl mistake, I guess.”
Ethan was swallowing hard, and he tore his eyes away from her. “Right. Rookie mistake. Yes. Well.” He cleared his throat and rubbed his hands together, bringing them to a point at his mouth. “You have enough wood now.”
Do I? The thought came unbidden to Adrienne’s mind and she choked back a laugh, masking it as a cough. “Er, um, thank you.”
“Yeah.” Ethan turned towards the front door and stopped, still facing it.
Adrienne looked at his back, wanting to say something.
Anything. Ask him to stay, her mind begged her, but she couldn’t.
She wouldn’t put him in a position to make him uncomfortable.
He cleared his throat again, and spoke. “You know, we have unfinished business.”
“We do?” Adrienne folded her arms at her chest and shivered, though she wasn’t actually cold. Quite the opposite, actually. Visions of him turning around and pulling her into a kiss, danced through her head.
“I didn’t get to tell you about Lani.”
Oh. Right. Adrienne’s arms dropped back to her side. “I’m sorry. You’re right. We spent the entire time talking about me and we didn’t get to you.”
She watched his back as he took a deep breath. But he didn’t turn around. “The thing is, Adrienne, I’ve talked about her to you more than I’ve talked to anyone. And I could say so much more.”
Adrienne nodded, not that he could see it. “I would like to hear more.” And she did.
His shoulders relaxed a little bit. “Good. I’m glad. But, you see, the thing is,” Ethan turned back around to face her. “I want to tell you about her tomorrow. And next week, and next month, and next year.”
Adrienne’s eyebrows shot up and she swore she stopped breathing.
“I want to show you pictures and have Ava tell you stories, and I want you to take those photos you talked about. I want you to make that album you talked about and I want to dust off my camera and make a new album with you in it. I want…” His hands were shaking. “I want you, Adrienne.”
Her breath wasn’t the only thing that had stopped. She was pretty sure her heart had as well.
“And I know you have a life, and I know you’re leaving, and I wouldn’t dare ask you to do anything you wouldn’t want to do.
” He ran his shaking hands through his hair, making it stick straight up.
“I mean…I shouldn’t even be here. This is your cabin and you didn’t invite me in, and I should just leave right now… ”
“No.”
Ethan’s eyes snapped to hers and Adrienne felt her nervous system finally start functioning again. “No?”
Adrienne shook her head. “No. I don’t want you to leave.”
Ethan’s eyes widened and he swallowed hard. “Are you sure?”
Adrienne swallowed hard. “I mean…I don’t want to take you away from any of your duties or anything but you know what they say?”
Ethan still looked stunned. “No. What do they say?”
“They say that body heat is a really great way to stay warm when there’s a storm.”
The edge of Ethan’s mouth quirked up into that small smile she’d come to associate with him. “Really? Is there anything else that they say?”
“Probably. But…” Adrienne took a step forward and reached to caress his cheek, like she’d been wanting to do for days. “I don’t really care. Because they’d probably be horrified that I am about to ask you to kiss me.”
She felt him shudder under her touch. “I see. They must be prudes.”
“Yeah.” He was so warm. His stubble scratched at her hand and she loved that. He was real, not some character on a page. And he actually wanted her. “Will you kiss me, Ethan Sumner?”
“Yes, please.” His lips met hers and they were as warm as his cheeks, their softness pressing against her, a sensation more magical than she’d ever felt. When he pulled away, his eyes searched hers and she looked wondrously at him.
“Is this real?” Adrienne whispered, hands still gently roaming his face.
“It’s real.” His own hands were gently working their way through her damp hair. “I don’t know how, honestly, but it’s real.”
“Of all the places to vacation at, I chose yours.” Now her hands were in his hair, and she discovered how soft his locks were. She thought she could touch his hair and his face all day long and still never have the perfect words to describe them.
“I’m so glad you did.”
“Now about that body warmth….”
She led him to her bed, and let him peel the robe gently off of her. His eyes roamed her body the entire time, leaving her with no question as to whether or not he was attracted to her.
“You know there’s something called equality?” Adrienne joked, tugging on Ethan’s shirt. “Why do you get to look all you want, but I don’t get to as well?”
Ethan looked pained. “You want me to stop getting ready to kiss this smorgasbord of goodness, and get undressed?”
Adrienne laughed at this. “Yes, that’s exactly what I want.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “One kiss?”
“Fine. One kiss.”
She didn’t expect that one kiss to start at her neck and work its way down her entire body to her calves. Really, it was more like 30 kisses, but she supposed that technically he didn’t come up for air, so she didn’t call him out on it. Also…she’d never been kissed like that.
She sat up to help him take off his clothes, but he gestured to her with a “stop” hand gesture. “Please don’t move.”
“But…”
“Later.” He undressed as quickly as he could, to satisfy her request, and returned to his ministrations, this time, working his way back up, until he was on top of her, breathing hard.
Adrienne was finding it hard to breathe, herself. He had her entire body on fire, and she hadn’t even truly touched him yet. She reached for him, but he stilled her hand.
“Please. Let me do this first.” He kissed her mouth this time, silencing any protests, his tongue begging entrance. As though she would deny him. As though she could. He had her brain more addled than she’d ever been.
“Ethan. You’re going to make me explode,” she mumbled as he left her mouth, to work his way down her body, taking small nibbles as he went.
“I believe…” He murmured back, touching her entrance gently, “That’s the point.”
Adrienne had had lovers before. And she hadn’t had any complaints, except that they weren’t connected emotionally, and nothing had ever lasted more than one or two nights.
But the way Ethan worshipped her body, the way he found what exactly made her writhe and brought her to completion (not once, but twice), was something she’d have to figure out how to write about.
Adrienne had never written a love scene before, but tonight was the night she became inspired to try some day.
She felt Ethan shift to lay next to her, and she opened her eyes, trying to focus on calming her breathing. He was grinning.
“What?” She asked, turning to face him.
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on,” he said softly, caressing her arms.
Adrienne gave a small shrug. “I’m sure you say that to all your customers. It’s an amenity, right?”
Ethan barked a laugh. “I can assure, that is absolutely not the case.”
“Well, that’s good. Because I’d hate to think I was just your usual Cabin Number 4.” She reached down the length of his body to finally touch him. He was hard. Very hard.
Ethan inhaled sharply. “Definitely…not the typical Cabin Number 4.”
“Good.” Adrienne shifted until she was on top of him. “I’d hate to think I was typical.”
“Nope. Cabin Number 4 is typically…oh…um…”
“Yes?” Adrienne teased, finally getting to touch him however she wanted. His arms, those delicious arms that had teased him for days, were flexing, as his hands still refused to keep still, roaming her body as she moved.
“I…ahhhh.” His eyes closed as she rubbed against him, her own wetness making it a smooth, easy slide. “Ca…cabin…”
“4.” She helped him along, kissing his neck.
“Yep. 4. Um…ah…”
She felt him slide in, just a little, and his breath was hitching now. “I better be the only Cabin number 4 from now on, you hear that, Ethan Sumner?”
He nodded, his eyes popping back open, trying to focus on her.
“Good.” She kissed him as he slid all the way in, capturing his groan. “And then I want to stay in Cabin number 3 next. And 2. And all the other cabins. And I want to be all the cabins to you.”
“Adrienne…” He sounded pained, as she moved up and down, slowly.
“Now it’s your turn to let go, Ethan.” Adrienne whispered into his ear.
And so he did.
Adrienne felt a rush of cold air, and she opened her eyes. Ethan was climbing back into bed. “It’s so cold out there.”
“I know. I just re-stoked the fire.” He pulled her close to him under the covers. “Snow’s about a foot high, drifted higher against the door, and still going heavy out there. We’ll stay warm in here though.”
“Good…” She felt his body curl back against hers and she sighed happily. “I guess I won’t be able to leave tomorrow, then. Is that ok?”
Ethan kissed her neck just under her ear. “If you’re nice to me, I won’t even charge you extra.”
Adrienne wiggled against him. “Can I keep this cabin, then? I’d hate the inconvenience of moving my things.”
“I’ll have to shift all the other guests around, but I guess I can make it work.” His hand reached over to cup her breast. “You’ll have to sign in any additional cabin guests though.”
“Do I have to walk back to the lobby to make your presence official?” Adrienne shifted to allow him entrance, and she felt him slide into her.
“Don’t think you’d make it very far.”
“Guess we should…ahh…stay right here then.”
And so they did.
Adrienne heard the rustle of sheets and looked up from her computer to see a rumpled Ethan looking at her. “Everything ok?” He mumbled. “You warm enough?”
The noise from her keyboard paused, but only for a moment. “Yeah, the fire’s going strong. I just have some words that are falling out of my brain. Something about Cauliflower Soup and the Veggie Wars.”
She saw him smile and turn over. “You’ll come back and get me warm when you’re done?”
Adrienne grinned at his back. “Of course.”
And she did.