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“Just like your personality.” I wink.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
PIPER
DAY 20
Being away from home and my sister is starting to gnaw at me, but I’m happy Tristan’s here to distract me. We get to be alone without interruptions, and I’ve learned so much about the man who has quickly stolen my heart.
As I lounge on the couch, Tristan moves my legs and plops down under them. His firm hand rubs up my thigh, and he smiles. Seeing him like this, so relaxed and comfortable with me, makes my heart flutter.
“Easton won’t be able to come today due to the bad weather moving in. He’ll be here as soon as it passes.”
I look out the windows, noticing the overcast sky outside. “What’s going on?”
“Tropical storm.”
My eyes widen, and I begin to freak out internally because I have no idea what that means, especially right here on the coast. “Oh my God, will we be okay staying here?”
He nods, but I quickly grab the remote and turn on the weather channel. Meteorologists are on the scene as the wind causes the rain to fall sideways. In the background, the sky looks deadly as the waves crash.
“Looks like Tropical Storm Carolyn is coming in strong. The surface winds are measuring around sixty miles per hour, and they’re expected to gust up to over seventy,” the guy explains.
“Do you think it’ll make landfall as a category one hurricane?” the woman in the studio asks just as the man’s hat flies away.
“No, Bethany. But it’s close. Floridians, if you’re near the beach, stay indoors. Could see some flooding as well as down trees and powerlines.”
As they continue chatting, I feel like I’m having an anxiety attack. Tristan notices and scoots closer.
“Come here,” he says, opening his arms. I crawl onto his lap, and he holds me tightly. “Don’t worry.”
“I’ve never been through anything like this before.” I create enough space to meet his eyes.
He leans forward, brushing his lips across mine and tucking loose strands of hair behind my ear. “When Easton and I were younger, we’d go surfing during tropical storms.”
I laugh. “Are you kidding me? Out in that?”
“The waves were much larger than normal, and being out in the ocean was dangerous because of the rip currents, but we were young and stupid, completely fearless. It was some of the best times. Growing up around this kind of weather desensitizes you to it.”
“So, the roof isn’t going to blow off? A palm tree isn’t going to uproot and land on the house? Floodwaters aren’t going to rise ten feet and get in the house?”
He chuckles. “No. Nothing like that. We’ll probably get a lot of rain for a couple of days and some strong winds. We might lose power.”
“Thank goodness.” I loop my leg around his waist and straddle him. “So I guess that means you’ll have to keep me occupied?”
Tristan grips my hips as I grind into his cock. He groans out, and right now, I want him more than ever.
“Damn, sweetheart. I wish we could continue what you started, but we should probably do some preparation before Carolyn makes her arrival. Tempting, though, real fucking tempting.”
Tristan glances at the TV. “We have about an hour before it makes landfall.”
“Okay, fair enough.” I reposition my body and let him stand.
Tristan goes to a storage closet in the hall and pulls out a few vintage-looking flashlights.
“I’m gonna look in the shed outside to see if there are more. Don’t move,” he says.
Five minutes later, he returns with a fancier lantern and a bottle of liquid.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this in my life,” I tell him as I follow him to the breakfast bar.
“Experiencing lots of firsts these days.” He winks.
“Thanks to you. It’s been an eye-opening experience and has shown me a lot about myself.”
“Yeah?”
“I just didn’t realize how much life I’ve been missing until I broke out of the cycle, ya know? Not being online, not being around my parents, not having every luxury handed to me.” I linger for a moment, thinking about everything we’ve gone through so far.
“So, being stuck here hasn’t been so bad?”
“Only because of you.” I waggle my brows. “Now, teach me how to light this lamp from the 1800s.”
Tristan choke-laughs. “It’s not that old, but we might need this.”
“What’s that?” I point at the bottle he’s emptying into the bottom of the glass reservoir.
“It’s kerosene. It burns for a while. This wick goes from the top, down to this well, and it keeps the flame fed. You only have to worry when you run out of wicks, but we’ve got extras.” He pulls them from his pocket.
“That’s cool. Another thing to add to my list of things I’ve learned.”
Tristan grabs some scissors from a kitchen drawer, then trims the wick before lighting it. He puts the glass cover over the top. “This knob will make your flame larger or smaller.”
