They’d been like this ever since she’d arrived at the cabin an hour earlier. Playful then heated, and oh-so-easy with each other. She’d been on dates before, but never ones that made her feel so at home and yet completely out of her comfort zone at the same time. They were walking a high wire, hand in hand.
Adam ran his lips down the side of her face, lingering at her jaw.
She gasped as he nipped the sensitive skin of her neck.
He left a lingering kiss on her lips and turned back to the stove. Leaning back on the work surface she swirled the wine in her glass, watching as it sloshed up the sides. She’d headed down to the cabin shortly after Jonas went to bed, claiming she had a headache and wanted to sleep it off. Though she’d felt a pang of discomfort at having to lie to Annie, she consoled herself that it was her night off, and if she wanted to go out on a date she could.
After dinner Adam built up the fire in the living area, hunkering down and placing the logs in a criss-cross pattern, fanning the flames until they began to lick up the chimney. Kitty sat back on the threadbare easy chair and watched the muscles flex beneath his flannel shirt, admiring the way his thighs thickened as he squatted down. There was a quietness to his strength that enticed her. He was at ease with his body, using it as another tool to make things work. She couldn’t help but wish he was as comfortable with his soul. Because as beautiful as his body was, that wasn’t the only thing that attracted her. Not the main thing, even. It was the way he smiled, that crooked half-curl that made her heart pound. It was how he answered her questions, thoughtfully and meaningfully, that caused her to lose her breath.
He’d cooked for her, cleaned up, and was making sure she was warm and comfortable. It made a change from all those evenings out at fancy LA restaurants with pretty-boy metrosexuals who used their iPhone calculator to split the bill. She smiled, imagining Adam’s furious response if she offered to go Dutch.
Maybe she’d have to try it some time. There was something delicious about the flashes of fury she sometimes saw behind his eyes.
The only problem was, there weren’t going to be any dates. There weren’t going to be any visits to restaurants or evenings at the movies. This was all they had. A few nights holed up in a cabin before they went their separate ways.
The thought made her chest hurt.
‘Would you like some more wine?’ Adam gestured at her empty glass. Kitty smiled, trying to swallow down her sadness, and held it out for him to top up. Filling his own, too, Adam lifted her, sitting in the chair and pulling her onto his lap.
He put his arm around her waist, and Kitty leaned her head back against his chest. They watched the fire dancing in the grate as they sipped the warm Merlot, and Kitty wondered if this was what happiness tasted like. It was simple, really. She didn’t want fancy restaurants or smart clubs, as much as she’d liked them before. Sitting there with Adam’s arm around her, the smell of the fire filling their senses, she couldn’t think of any place she’d rather be.
‘Will you stay with me tonight?’ He ran a finger along her thigh.
‘I don’t know…’ She wanted to, but she was afraid. Not of getting caught – though that would be bad enough – but of getting hurt. Every cell in her body was becoming addicted to his touch.
‘Stay,’ he murmured, wrapping his hand around her leg. ‘Just until morning. Let me make love to you and hold you all night.’
His suggestion set her on fire. There was nothing more she wanted than to be enveloped in his arms, letting him love her until they both cried out with pleasure.
Kitty closed her eyes, surrendering to the sensations assaulting her body. The sensuousness of his touch, the warm, smoky smell of the fire, and the taste of wine that lingered on her tongue. Was it possible to just live in the moment, let herself be free enough to enjoy what was left of her time wi
th Adam and not worry about the future?
She wasn’t sure, but the alternative – to leave now – felt too hard to contemplate. It struck her that the feeling she’d been searching for all her life was filling her up to the brim. Strange that she could discover it here, in this desolate snowy cabin, when she’d always thought she’d find it in LA.
‘I’ll stay,’ she whispered.
She would have said more, but Adam’s lips stole the words right out of her mouth.
Watching Kitty sleep was becoming his favourite pastime. Adam lay on his side, cheek resting on his palm, taking in her relaxed posture. She had a habit of frowning when she slept, in response to a dream, he imagined, and he wanted nothing more than to smooth the lines away. She was the one good thing that had happened to him in a long while, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to let her slip away.
The thought made him want to hit something. Anything.
‘Hey.’ Kitty cracked open half an eye. ‘What time is it?’
‘Still night-time. Go back to sleep.’ He stole a soft kiss. ‘I’ll wake you up when it’s morning.’
She snuggled into him, looping her arms around his neck. Her lips pressed against the soft dip at the bottom of his throat. ‘You should sleep, too.’
‘I can’t.’ He pressed his face to her head, her hair muffling his voice. ‘But that doesn’t mean we both need to suffer.’
Kitty’s voice was deep and slow, like a child waking up from an anaesthetic. ‘Why can’t you sleep?’
‘Never can. I manage four hours most night, five hours at a push.’ Adam glanced at the clock – it was nearly five a.m.
She stretched her arms above her head, her mouth opening into a yawn. ‘I can’t survive on less than seven, not on a regular basis.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Though recently I’ve been missing some sleep.’
He laughed softly. ‘I noticed.’