AllFreeNovel
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Our eyes lock.
I don’t try and move and neither does he.
Oh no. I'm in big trouble. I love being this close to him. And despite the danger we’re in all I can think of is how we’re both wearing entirely too many layers of clothing. My nipples are tight and I want nothing more than to have a moment to rip off all that leather and press my naked skin again his equally naked body.
What is wrong with me?
I’ve been acting like this since the moment we met. I’m not known for my exciting dating life and I’m already attracted to this guy? I don’t know anything about him except that he wasn’t a total asshole outside and he rushed me ahead of him to the cabin, which was nice. At least I’ve already learned he’s not the type to completely forget about someone in his haste to keep himself safe.
My gaze drops to his lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss this man.
His mouth opens slightly and I notice incisors that are really, really sharp. “Are those real fangs?” I gasp. “Or are they fake?”
A growl rumbles in his chest and he leaps away from me, panting.
I can’t help but glance down his leather pants, below that belt buckle, and see the impressive bulge at his crotch. Hmm…I'm not the only one affected. This is good to know.
“I do have sharp teeth,” he grits.
The roar of the storm grows thunderous, and I forget about the mysterious, sharp-toothed stranger and rush to the front window to see what’s happening outside. “Oh hell,” I mutter. Trees and parked cars shake outside. The ground and the tops of the cars are already covered with another layer of ice and snow. “Look.” I point at the nearby porch. “Icicles are forming on the rails in the direction the wind is blowing. We really are getting hit with a sudden below-zero temperature drop. It’s even freakishly cold in here, despite the wood stove. We are so lucky we made it inside in time.”
“I will add more heat.” He kneels and places another log in the crackling wood stove.
I glance around at the inside of the small, welcoming cabin. “We’re both lucky you got here early and had the wood stove started and the cabin warmed before the storm hit. I was planning on doing this too, but I thought I had a few more hours.”
“It is good that I got you inside,” he agrees, returning to stand beside me in front of the window. “It’s too cold and dangerous for you to travel. The storm has decided our situation for the both of us. I needed to remain alone, but I will adjust. This is only overnight and not for the next week. The worst of the storm will clear by tomorrow and you can return home.”
“Yes.” I nod and pensively watch the storm and listen to every creak of the cabin’s frame.
“You are safe,” he says in a comforting tone. “I will make sure you do not come to any harm.”
“Oh, thanks… This is supposed to be a fast-moving freak storm. The sun should come out tomorrow and the temperature will rise enough that I’ll be able to leave. More snow will arrive later in the week, but it won’t be anything dangerous.”
“That looks like a hearty vehicle,” he says, pointing at my 4Runner through the window. “You can make it back later tomorrow. Tonight, you will sleep here. This must be done for your own safety.” He looks to me. “One night. I can do this. I will not touch you.”
I rear back. “Of course you won't touch me. No one's touching anybody.”
A pained expression crosses his face before he turns away from me.
And then I feel bad for saying that so forcefully considering just moments ago I wanted to strip him naked. I’m a mess. I want someone I don’t even know who has weirdly sharp teeth and refers constantly to the fact that he needs to stay away from me, for my own safety.
As Maya Angelou said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
And yet…there’s something there between us. He looks edgy and says things that categorize him as dangerous and yet he did in fact say that he’d keep me safe. I feel strangely comfortable around him, as if we’ve met before.
“Sorry. You just caught be off guard. I wasn’t expecting you to say that.”
He keeps his gaze firmly on the window and the events happening outside the cabin but gives me a curt nod.
“I really would leave and give you that solitude you wanted but…” I point out the window. “Except for that. I’m stuck here.”
We both quietly stand side by side and continue to watch the storm rage outside and listen to the cabin creak with the force of the wind and the weight of the ice. More ice gathers on the windowpanes and the porch rail outside.
“Wow, I’ve heard about these sudden freeze storms, but I’ve never been caught in one. My food and luggage are all out there,” I comment. “I hope it’s still good tomorrow, even though it’s so cold. It’s too bad I can’t go and get it because I had yummy meals I planned to make.” I glance behind me, at the kitchen. “Would it be okay if we shared some of your food tonight since I can’t bring my supplies in?”
He clenches his jaw. “I will go out now and retrieve your bags.”
“What? No. I didn’t say that to try and get you to go out there. I was just chatting. Making conversation. Those are simply perishable items in my car. It’s not like I have a small child in my back seat or meds I need to take to live. It can all wait. You already told me not to go out there because it’s too dangerous and you’re right. That’s a sudden freeze outside and those can catch people and animals unaware and freeze them to death. That means you can’t go out either.”
