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“How long does it take to have a bloody shower?” He barks.
I check the clock on the wall. “I’ve been in here two minutes.”
“How the Hell am I meant to get to work if you’re taking up all the hot water?”
When I first got here, I would be irritated at him for being such an asshole. Now, though, I guess I’m getting more comfortable around him, because he just reminds me of a grumpy old man. I look at the coffee in his hand. “Look, maybe you should cut down,” I recommend, lowering my voice. “I hear too much caffeine can make you irritable. That’s clearly a major issue for you.”
His scowl deepens. “It’s my first cup.”
“So… this is just your personality?” I suck in a breath between my teeth. “God. That’s pretty unfortunate, isn’t it?”
“Get out of the bathroom.”
“Kay.”
Cole leaves for work after his shower, and Riven holes himself up in his room, answering phonecalls, so Eli and I spend the day lazing around the cabin. We make brunch—eggs, bacon, and avocado toast—then settle on the rug in front of the fire to play some more card games.
After last night, I can barely keep my eyes off him. He looks incredible, his square jaw highlighted by the flames, his wild auburn hair all lit up gold. Every time he leans over to stoke the fire or add some more wood, I get an excellent view of his biceps.
I run my fingers over the soft, worn rug. Just a few hours ago, I was laying here naked and panting, while two men took turns licking and kissing and sucking all over me. A blush rises to my cheeks at the memory.
“Whatareyou thinking about?” Eli murmurs, his eyes flicking up from his hand. “It looks dirty.”
My blush deepens. The fire heats my skin almost uncomfortably. I squirm, fanning myself.
Eli’s smile turns wicked. He drops his cards and leans forward to grab my chin, kissing me slowly. We end up sprawling on the pillows, leisurely making out, our poker game forgotten.
As the day goes on, the snow starts to fall thicker and faster outside the windows. I guess Eli was right about the storm. “When’s Cole getting back?” I ask, biting the inside of my lip. He just shrugs. I frown. “But… what about the storm? What if he gets caught in it?”
“He won’t. The guy has crazy weather-prediction skills.” He puts down another card. We’ve now moved on a game he callsvändtia,which I am spectacularly bad at. “Anyway, he’s a ranger. He can handle the cold better than any of us. Your turn, babe.”
I try to settle back into the game, but I can’t concentrate. There’s a bad feeling in my gut. I’m sure something is wrong, but I can’t put my finger on it. After losing three more games in a row, I give up.
“Whereishe? The snow’s getting really bad, now.” All I can see out of the window is a thick flurry of white.
“He’s probably staying in the village overnight.” He touches a knuckle under my chin. “Relax, Tink. He’d have called if he was in trouble.”
I don’t like the idea of that. What if hecan’tcall, for some reason? What if he’s hurt himself? What if he got attacked by an animal, or he slipped on ice and cracked open his head, or—
Suddenly, the lights sputter and turn off. The cabin turns dark and shadowy. The only light is the grey reflecting off the snow outside the window, and the flickering orange of the fire.
“Fuck. That’ll be the generator.” Eli jumps to his feet. “Gimme a sec, I’ll go refill it. I guess Riv forgot.”
I sit back. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Probably just ran out of fuel. Don’t worry, we have a backup, and a ton of charged batteries. Even if it’s broken, we’re not gonna lose power.” He heads out of the room.
I get up and drift over to the window. In the background I can hear Riv talking rapidly on the radio. Even though his voice is urgent, the sing-songy lilt of his Swedish soothes me. I lean against the windowsill and let my mind wander as I watch the storm. I’ve never seen so much snow in my life. It whirls and flurries so fast, all I can see is white, except for one little smudge of grey in the distance.
I frown, squinting through the falling flakes. There’s definitely something there. A dark shape is moving slowly towards me. As I watch, it stumbles.
Holy shit. It’s a person.
I lean even closer into the window, pressing my nose against the glass. I recognise the broad shoulders and giant, hulking silhouette.
It’s Cole.
He’s clearly struggling. He’s got something big in both of his arms, and every few steps, he pauses, doubling over. Judging by how slow he’s moving, it looks like he’s hurt.
