6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
Lance
The way her body felt up against mine was too much. I will admit, I shouldn’t have even done that, which is why I basically ran out of the room. Thankfully, I fell asleep with my boots propped up on the coffee table, so I don’t have to stop and put them on.
As I step out of the cabin, I’m hit with snow and the glow of the sun peeking through the trees. I take off on a hunt for the breaker box in the back.
I flip the switches, but nothing seems to fix it. As I look around, I notice one of the main electricity poles has fallen—definitely from the storm. There’s no way they will be out to fix it today, and I know I can’t leave her here without power—not only because she’ll freeze, but because her dad will kill me. Her parent’s house is a little ways away, and with how fast the snow is coming down, it’s not safe to have her drive there, not when my cabin is right up the road.
I pull my phone from my pocket and dial Robert. Better to let him know what’s going on now.
“Hey there, old man,” he answers, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I’m younger than you, asshole,” I say while laughing.
“True. How’s it going? Did Kallie come into the bar last night?” Robert asks, and I sigh into the phone.
“Yeah, she came in. She’s okay,” I tell him. “Speaking of that, after I took her home last night, I crashed on the couch in case she needed something, but the main power line is down from the storm. I don’t think they’d even be able to get up here to fix it if they wanted. So, the cabin has no power. I’m taking Kallie back to mine until the snow stops and they get the power back on,” I tell him, hoping he doesn’t think that’s inappropriate.
“Yeah. Thanks for looking out for her, Lance. I appreciate it. Let me know if there’s anything you guys need.” We hang up with the promise of my calling to keep him updated.
I stomp through the thick snow and up the steps, making sure all the snow is off my boots before I push my way through the front door again. This time, when I see Kallie, she’s fully dressed, her arms crossed over her chest. Her cheeks are bright pink—from the cold or embarrassment, I’m not sure, but I don’t want her to be uncomfortable around me, so I send her a small smile.
“So the power line is down. There is no way anyone is coming down today to fix it. At this rate, it might be a few days.”
She pinches her lips together before nodding. “Okay. I can drive back to my parents’ house. It’s only about forty-five minutes. I should make it there okay.”
“Nope. You’re coming with me to my cabin for a few days,” I tell her, crossing my arms over my chest, waiting for her to fight me. She only lets out a long sigh before nodding.
“Let me grab some stuff.” Kallie doesn’t say anything else as she turns and heads back into her room, leaving me to wonder what I’ve gotten myself into.
Kallie
Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting, but I’m not stupid. This isn’t my first snowstorm. I know it’s not safe to drive that far when it’s snowing this hard.
I grab a few days’ worth of clothes, leaving the rest because I know I won’t be at Lance’s for that long. I’m not sure why the idea of being at his cabin makes me excited but also extremely nervous. It’s different—more intimate, maybe? It’s his safe place. It’s where he goes every night after getting off work at the bar, where he cooks dinner and does normal things, and now, I’m going to be there with him. Alone.
Walking over to my nightstand, I grab my phone and Kindle and send a glare toward my vibrator, something I don’t dare take with me. My hand will have to do if I need a release that badly. There is no way in hell I’m risking getting caught red-handed with that thing again.
When I come back out to the living room, Lance is sitting on the couch, his boots propped up on the coffee table as he reads some book on the side table. He looks up the moment I step out.
“Ready?” he asks, standing.
“Yup.” Nodding my head, I watch as he stalks towards the door, holding it open for me.
The cold winter air hits me right in the face, and I pull my jacket closed, as if that’s going to do much. Lifting my bag higher on my shoulder, I go to step off the snow-covered steps, but before I can, my bag is being pulled from my shoulder, making me almost lose my footing.
“I’ll carry it,” he huffs out, his mood drastically different than the man who barged into my room and dangled my vibrator above my head.
We walk to his car, and he pulls the passenger side door open for me, making sure I’m buckled before rounding the car and getting in his side. The drive to his house isn’t long, but it’s quiet. I wish I knew what he was thinking. It’s not like I asked him to stay at my cabin last night. I figured he left after making sure I was okay. Instead, he stayed. A part of me wants to ask why, but I’m not sure he would even say anything to me.
I glance over at him and see his elbow resting against the door, his hand covering his mouth, the other on the steering wheel as he looks straight ahead.
“Did I do something to make you mad? If you don’t want me in your space, I understand. I don’t mind staying at the cabin until they can get the power line back up. There was firewood still. I would’ve been fine, Lance,” I tell him, and he lets out a deep sigh, making me wish I would’ve fought him more back at the cabin.
“No. I’m not mad, Kallie. Why in the hell would I allow you to stay in a cabin without power in the middle of a snowstorm? It’s fine. It’s only for a few days,” he says, basically shutting down the conversation.
I avert my gaze from the forbidden man next to me and watch out the window as we pass endless rows of trees until we pull up to his cabin.
“Come on. Let’s get inside where it’s warm, sunshine.”