AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She’ll stay.
Oil splatters behind me when I hear the clunk of the plumbing beneath the house. The tinkle of the shower filters down the dark corridor where Hannah is set up for a shower.
I’ve done everything I can this morning to make things right. If I want the best friend I’ve ever had to share my surname one day, and goddammit that’s the reason I rolled out of bed this morning, then I need to get started. Soon enough, people will be searching for her. Knowing her brother as I do, all those years ago he would have been switched on enough to put two and two together.
He’ll find her, but not before I can convince her to be mine.
I set the fried eggs at the very top of the plate, curling a rasher of bacon into a smiling mouth. Some fresh tomatoes are the perfect red cheeks, the smooth skin glowing elegantly in the morning sunshine, just like Hannah’s does. A tiny button mushroom reminds me of her petite nose, and finally, a deep green bunch of parsley scattered randomly completes my breakfast.
A smile pulls my mouth to one side. I scrub a hand through my hair, pulling the growing length of my stubble as I slide a nervous hand down my throat.
I can’t remember ever smiling so much. We’ve shared our bodies, intimate kisses just like the one I’ve dreamed about forever. Last night, hearing her stumble around without me while I tossed and turned in bed... Leaving her alone in the dark was a bad idea, and I just had to check that she was ok.
Then, squinting through the cold air of the night, seeing her bent over like that… bending and stretching that wonderland of curves…Fuck.
I couldn’t help myself.
“Breakfast!” I shout through the cabin. “Take your time, though. I’ll keep it warm.”
I settle at the table, my knees touching the underside when I shuffle my chair in. I really should get around to extending the height, either that or learn to build appropriate size furniture for my size. The old furniture making books I’ve collected over the years all have dimensions in them. They’re practically useless, though. I swear the instructions to build beautiful forest furniture like this table are made for elves, not huge fucking mountain bears like me.
“Wow…” A sweet voice hums. I look up and Hannah’s hair is wet, pulled over one side of her shoulder. “It smells amazing.”
I stand, holding a hand over my chest to stop the rapid beating of my heart. “And so do you.” I step around and pull the chair out for her. “Please, baby. Sit down.”
She glances at me and her big, beautiful eyes make my skin heat. “Thank you.”
She sinks into the chair and all I want to do is press a kiss to the top of her head. I want to tell her about my mistakes, about the fact that when I drove away yesterday, all I did was take the beat-up old four-wheeler to hide in the forest. Waiting and pretending to talk to someone who doesn’t exist.
There is no mechanic. There is no car to take for a drive. There is only me, for miles and miles. The closest thing to a working vehicle is the shell of an old truck that’s rusting away in the back paddock somewhere. The four-wheeler barely started when I jumped on it for the first time in months yesterday.
This land belongs to me, and no one dares to come near my property these days. I don’t need transport. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. We’re all alone up here, and that’s how I damn well want it to stay.
I settle in opposite her. The chair squeaks beneath my weight as I watch Hannah smile at the plate, poking a fork through the red cheeks made from tomato.
“You’ll have to excuse my childish attempt at making you smile. I feel like I owe you an explanation…”
She flashes me a look. “Don’t be sorry. It’s cute.”
“Thanks,” I say, my palms sweaty.
Her eyes fall to the plate, and she shifts the eggs to one side. I chew the bacon, observing the way she’s dancing around the food as if something is troubling her appetite.
“Is everything ok?” I ask eventually. “How was the shower?”
“The shower was fine. Does the temperature always cut in and out like that?” Hannah asks, finally popping the mushroom in her mouth.
“Yeah, sorry.” I grunt.
“Stop saying that,” Hannah says. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Colt. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be stuck in the forest with nowhere to go. I’m grateful for you.” Her eyes gleam across at me. “Honestly, thank you.”
Something makes me sit upright. It’s not guilt or the bad feeling that’s been rolling around in my stomach. No. It’s something else, something that makes me want to make her feel as happy as she makes me feel.
“I know somewhere we can go,” I sputter.
Her brows snap together. “What? What do you mean?”
“Today.” I burst out, slamming my fork down. “We can’t just wait around all day. I’ll take you somewhere beautiful. A piece of this land so pure and magical only a woman like you should be so lucky to grace it.”
