It wasn't locked and she opened it gingerly, still not entirely sure she was doing the right thing.
She tiptoed into the cabin and saw him immediately. He was sitting in total darkness, his long legs stretched out in front of him as he stared out of the window across the lake.
He sat totally immobile, as if he'd been there for a lifetime and had forgotten how to move. Even without seeing his face she sensed the depth of his suffering.
Had he even heard her enter the cabin?
If he had, then he gave no sign of it.
'Ben?' She moved slowly so that she was standing in front of him, whispering his name gently. It struck her that it was odd to whisper when there were only the two of them in the cabin, but something about the way he sat—his unnatural stillness—made her afraid to disturb him.
Tentatively she looked down at him, afraid of what she might see but totally unprepared for the raw pain that was clearly reflected in those dark eyes when he finally turned his head to look at her, his expression illuminated by the evening light outside.
Ellie ceased to breathe, stunned into silence by the depth of his anguish. What terrible secret was locked inside him? What was it that hurt so badly that he felt couldn't share it?
Driven by a need to comfort him, she sat down next to him on the sofa, bracing herself for rejection.
What should she say?
What could a person possibly say when confronted by such desolation?
If he didn't want to talk—if he couldn't talk—then that was fine by her, but she needed him to know that he wasn't alone so she did the thing that seemed most natural.
She put her arms around him.
'I love you, Ben.'
She spoke the words softly, and for several heartbeats she held her breath, wondering whether he'd even heard her.
And then he gave a low groan and slid his fingers into her dark hair, lifting her face to his. For endless seconds he stared down at her, clearly fighting his own emotions until finally he seemed to lose the inner battle he'd been fighting and bent his head and took her mouth.
His kiss was rough and hot and it swept her away with the force of a hurricane. It was the kiss of a man who was seeking oblivion. An escape from whatever pain held him so tightly in its grasp. Maybe that should have bothered her, but it didn't.
She loved him.
She was willing to be his comfort, even if it was only temporary.
She was willing to be anything he wanted her to be.
His mouth ravaged hers with a savage urgency and she gasped as shafts of hot, stabbing pleasure exploded inside her body. She felt his hands move to the neck of her soft, wool cardigan and then the tiny buttons were flying onto the floor as he ripped it impatiently apart, exposing the flimsy lace bra.
His mouth left hers and he trailed hot kisses down her neck to the swell of her breasts which lifted and fell under her rapid breathing.
Her whole body was quivering and the first touch of his mouth on her hardened nipple made her cry out in frustration. She arched beneath him, her whole body liquid with desire, and he unfastened her bra with one flick of his skilled fingers. The sensations threatened to drive her wild.
Desperate for more, she clutched at the hard muscles of his shoulders and then she felt his hands on her jeans, dispensing with the zip in one easy movement and jerking the fabric down her smooth thighs.
In her state of heightened excitement she could barely breathe. All she could do was feel. The pounding of her heart. The firm touch of his long fingers as he tore her flimsy pants in his desperation to remove her clothes and have her naked beneath him.
She'd never been in this position before. Maybe she should have been nervous or shy, but he was moving so quickly that she had no time to feel either. She felt the hard ridge of his arousal pressed against her and knew that they were both well beyond the point of turning back.
And he still hadn't said a word.
Without speaking, he found what he'd been searching for and she gasped as she felt his fingers touching her intimately, exploring and teasing her until she sobbed against his hot mouth.
Whimpering with frustration, she fumbled frantically with his zip, almost crying with relief when his hand covered hers and he helped her complete the task.
Feeling bold in the semi-darkness, she tugged down his trousers and freed him, her mouth drying as she touched him for the first time.