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I choke on my drink of water and smile his direction. “Ya think? About a foot longer I’d guess. But I’m good.” Looking at the sky, the first drops of rain hit my face and I stand while more pelt me.
“Come on. We’re only about ten minutes from the cabin. Those clouds could open at any time.”
He’s right. It isn’t but a few minutes until the drops of rain go from sporadic to constant. By the time the cabin is in view, we’re in a complete downpour. Gage moves quickly toward his place, but my steps slow.
I drop my pack to the ground and tilt my head to the sky. Rain pours down on me, drenching every inch of my body. It feels amazing. Cleansing. That’s the word that comes to mind as I stay in this position with arms extended and my hands cupped, catching water.
“What are you doing?”
I drop my arms and head to look at Gage. He’s just as soaked as I am. The look draws a huge smile to my face and I begin to spin. It’s childish but I don’t care. Maybe it’s a serotonin surge from the exertion of the hike. Or it’s a simple adrenaline high after running from the storm. Whatever the reason, this moment seems pivotal to me.
Tears mix with the rain and it isn’t until Gage grabs my hand that I stop my twirl. His expression is one of confusion and maybe a little humor.
“Come on, Gage. Dance in the rain,” I shout just as a crackle of lightning flashes in the sky.
“You’re crazy. Let’s get inside before we’re struck by lightning.”
With my hand still in his, he scoops up my bag and pulls me toward the cabin. Another rumble of thunder fills the air and a lightning bolt lights up the sky just as we take cover under the porch. Gage drops my bag and walks us inside. Releasing my hand, he reaches for a folded towel on the small love seat and shakes it open. Instead of handing it to me, he steps forward and places it around my shoulders and uses the ends to wipe my face.
I look up at him and everything stops. My smile falls in time with his. He’s no longer wiping the water from my cheeks and instead, is holding my face in his hands. We’re standing close. Much closer than we were on the mountain.
The sounds of the storm should be the only thing I hear, but instead, the thumping of my heart shatters the silence of the cabin. This is one of those moments I missed. Realization that the electricity happening between us isn’t from the storm but an attraction I ignored.
Chapter 32
Gage
Sophia is a beautiful woman. There’s no doubt. But right now, as she stands in front of me, freer than I’ve ever seen her, she’s gorgeous.Ethereal.It took me a minute to realize she wasn’t behind me when I came into the cabin. With towels in hand, I turned and the room was empty and the door still open.
I watched her standing in the rain with her head back and arms wide like she was welcoming the pounding of the storm. More than washing the dirt and grime from our hike away, the look on her face said it was something more for her emotionally. When she began spinning, I moved toward her without hesitation.
Now, standing with her face in my hands and the storm raging outside, I feel a pull to her I should ignore. I could say my attraction to Sophia hasn’t been on my mind, but that would be a lie. In fact, she’s taken up most of my thoughts since she landed in Starlight Ridge. Pursuing something with her is a bad idea. She’s been through so much, and the last thing she needs is the level of baggage weighing me down.
Still, I move a step closer. Her breath hitches and my heart rate spikes. I search her eyes for something telling me to stop. Anything. There’s nothing but want and need staring at me. Her tongue peeks out between her lips and my restraint slips away.
Her hands grip my forearms and she takes a step forward. It’s barely a step since we’re already so close. I shorten the distance between us slowly, giving her an out, waiting for my own conscience to kick in. I welcome the warmth of her breath and close my eyes.
A loud boom startles us both and we jump apart. I rush to the door and pull it open. The storm has slowed but left some destruction in its place. A tree is down and there are limbs and debris everywhere. Gripping the back of my neck, I sigh both in frustration for the work ahead and in disappointment with myself.
I almost crossed a line with Sophia. Had it not been for the crash of the tree, I would have kissed her. I would have held her in my arms and allowed myself to indulge in her body pressed to mine. To savor her taste.
“Holy crap. That was a heck of a storm.”
Her voice is full of awe as she pushes past me to the porch. She still has the towel around her shoulders. Droplets of water fall from the ends of her hair onto the cotton of the navy fabric. Gasping, she turns to face me.
“Do you think Joan is okay? The Bluebird?”
Her fear and concern for our friend pulls me from my own thoughts and I grab my keys from the hook by the door.
“Let me do a quick check around the property and make sure we don’t have any other downed trees and we’ll go check. Give me just a few minutes.”
I jog off, leaving her standing on the porch. I do a quick scan of the property and rush to check the cabins. Other than some knocked over flowerpots and the tree limbs, there doesn’t seem to be any damage. Before I head back to my cabin and Sophia, I rush over to the shed on the far end of the property. It’s an old wooden structure that should really be rebuilt even if Bruce says it gives the place charm. The “charm” is still standing but pieces of the roof seem to have flown off.
Rain continues to fall and from moving things around, I have streaks of dirt and grime all over my clothes. When I make it back to the cabin, Sophia is standing with her pack in hand eating a protein bar. “I’m starving. Want some?” she asks, extending the bar my direction.
“Uh, no thanks.”
“I looked for something to mop up the water on the floor but didn’t see anything so I used the towel. It’s soaked so I put it in the shower. I hope that’s okay.”
