Chapter 37
37
EMBER
I sit on the chair outside the cabin and watch the firefighter chop wood.
And, boy , does he know how to chop wood.
His biceps bulge and flex as he brings the axe down each time. His face is twisted into a serious complexion as he swings the weapon through the air. All his attention is on the task at hand. And do I mention he’s not wearing a shirt? That makes it all so perfect . I can’t keep my gaze away from that toned chest of his with all those muscles and those tempting tattoos and that overwhelming, masculine dominance.
He’s so skilled... so competent...
“Stop watching me, Ember.”
Connor doesn’t even have to glance in my direction to know that I’m staring at him. How can he not when my eyes are like beams aimed solely at him?
“I’m not watching you,” I lie meekly.
The burly man chuckles.
“You are, Ember. Stop it. You’re putting me off my game.”
“Look, I’m just trying to focus on the subject of my article. It’s serious business. I’m researching .”
“Sure, you are.”
I laugh, and then he laughs.
Connor drops his axe and puts his shirt back on. It’s very disappointing.
Ugh.
Then he heads toward the cabin.
“I’m going to make you dinner, Ember,” he says over his shoulder.
“You want me to help?” I call after him. “I’d be happy to.”
The man stops at the doorway and turns around to me. He’s smiling.
“No, stay here on the porch and relax,” he purrs. “I want to do this for you. I’m going to make you a meal, Ember.”
He makes me pork chops with sweet potato and Brussels sprouts. He glazes the chops with maple syrup, cooking it all in the cute little cabin kitchen. The delicious smell wafts out onto the porch and makes me practically salivate while I sit outside and wait to be served.
As well as chopping wood, it seems the man also knows how to cook.
And cook so freaking well...
“Come in,” he finally announces when it’s done and served up.
I get up from my chair eagerly and dash into the cabin.
“Thank you, Connor.”
He turns away, so damn shy.
We sit together.
Quite simply, the meal is divine.
“I love this,” I tell him as I’m scraping up the last bits of pork. I’m telling the truth.
“You don’t have to say that,” the firefighter replies, blushing.
He’s so cute when he’s vulnerable.
“But I do,” I say. “It’s delicious. I can’t deny it even if I wanted to.”
“Thanks.”
“Where did you learn to cook?”
Connor shrugs.
“When you’re on your own for a long time, you just get bored. One day I was over being bored, so I went to the library and took out some old cookery books and started experimenting in the kitchen.”
“You didn’t watch anything online? Learn some recipes from searching the internet?”
Connor shakes his head.
“I try to live offline. Well, as much as I can.”
“So, you like doing things the old-fashioned way?” I ask.
“I think you could say that, yeah.”
After the meal, Connor makes a fire outside. We bring out deckchairs and sit around the flames as the sun disappears and the night sky full of stars rolls in over our heads. I wrap up in a warm blanket and feel at peace.
Sitting here in nature with this man. What more could I ask for?
“Look up,” Connor tells me in a whisper.
I do, and I get what he’s getting me to look at - I see all the stars so clearly. Sometimes it’s hard to even make out stars when you’re in the city, but out here they are crystal clear. A whole canopy of twinkling lights above us...
“All I can see are the tops of the trees and the stars,” I remark. “It’s so beautiful.”
“That’s what I like the most out here,” Connor says. “The stars and the silence. Heaven .”
I turn to him.
“I’ve been to lots of bad places in the world, Connor. War zones. Criminal dens. I never take a peaceful place like this for granted. I understand the simple beauty here.”
“Me too.”
I shake my head and look into the flames.
This is his secret place, and he invited me here.
“You’re not like other men, Connor,” I whisper. “Certainly not like other men I’ve known.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he replies softly. “I’m just me. Being me. Even if I am a bit old-fashioned.”
I slowly get up, unwrapping the blanket. I step toward the fire, watching the flames dance in the darkness.
“You’re opening up to me,” I remark. “After all those days of trying to be so tough and defensive. You’re allowing me into your world.”
“I might be.”
His voice is deep. It sends a chill through me.
I turn back to Connor and take a step toward him.
“You brought me out here,” I observe.
“Yes, I did.”
I take another step. Now I’m towering above him as he sits in his deckchair.
“So... that means you like me.”
Connor shrugs and looks away.
I slowly reach out and gently pull his head back to me with the tips of my fingers.
“I want you to know I like you too, Connor.”
He stares at me with his deep hazel eyes for a very long time. We’re so close. Closer than we’ve ever dared be.
I can feel his hot breath against my lips.
And then I kiss him.