6. Ashleigh

CHAPTER 6

Ashleigh

I don’t know that I’ve ever been in a cabin before. I didn’t know that they could be this nice. And this bathroom? Oh my god! There’s a huge soaker tub with clawed feet sitting in the middle of the room and then there’s a huge, glass-enclosed shower with a rainfall head.

But that tub is calling my name and I can’t resist the lure of a long, hot soak. My fingers are so cold I can’t feel a damn thing. And my toes are little blue piggies.

There’s a shelf off to the side with towels and soap and stuff and it takes me less than a minute to get things set up and to start tugging off my soaking-wet clothes. I drop them in a little pile on the floor and then start the water running. Steam rises from the porcelain monster and I sigh when it’s high enough for me to step into it. Hot water swirls around me and I sink into it with a sigh.

“Oh my god…so good.”

Leaning my head back, I let my thoughts drift to the massive man outside the cabin. The man that saved me. My very own personal hero mountain man.

My heart lurches in my chest and I can’t help but smile when I think about how damn good it felt when he touched me. I had no idea a simple touch could make my whole body go haywire. My girly parts were fan-girling all over the giant man. Just from a look and a touch.

What will I do if he touches me for real. My hand slips down and slides along my belly and my fingers ripple my lower lips. My eyes close and a breathless gasp comes from my lips.

Would he touch me soft or hard? Would he be a beast or a gentleman?

I hope that I find out. Hell, I hope he’s an alpha beast that wants to make my whole body shudder with pleasure a million times over.

Should I be thinking like that? This is just a date. But I knew as soon as I signed up, if I could, I’d make this a night to remember for both of us.

And then I’d move on and let him go. Because there’s no way my mountain man date will want to make this more permanent. I’m no fool. Hell, even my mom didn’t want to stick around for me. She left me with my grandma. Who made sure that I knew she didn’t want me around.

One day after the next, she lectured me about how it’s better as a female to be seen and not heard. Mostly she preferred it if I wasn’t seen either.

So I learned to blend into the background and make sure that I wasn’t a hassle for anyone, especially her.

Which is why I ended up going into editing. I love to read and play around with writing. But there’s no way in hell I can write a whole book myself. Or that I’d want to be famous. Ugh! I can’t think of anything worse.

But I love to work with the authors and make their work as good as possible.

I shake myself out of my stupor, realizing that the water is rapidly cooling and I didn’t even making myself feel good. I got distracted by my worries. And fears.

Sighing, I stand and step out of the cold water, shivering a little in the chilly air. Outside the windows it’s dark and cold and snow is still falling heavily.

Inside I’m relatively warm and safe and there’s a man out there who could make a helluva lot of my fantasies come true. If he’s willing.

I reach over and realize that I forgot to bring my little bag in here which means I don’t have any clothes to change into. I eye the pile of wet clothes and shudder. There’s no way in hell I’m putting those back on.

Instead, I grab the huge towel and wrap it around myself. Opening the door, I hug it tight and peek around it. Spying nothing, I tiptoe quickly out of the room. Jerking to a startled stop when I hear a groan behind me. I close my eyes and freeze. Like that’s going to keep the man that I know is behind me from seeing me.

I sigh and then turn around, my eyes opening. My whole body shivers at the heat in his dark eyes. So damn inky dark that you almost can’t tell where his pupils are. But yet so fucking hot that it feels like I’m burning up in his stare.

“I’m sorry. I forgot my bag.”

He doesn’t look away. Doesn’t say a damn thing. But I see him swallow so hard that it looks like there’s a rock stuck in his throat.

He clears his throat roughly. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re more beautiful than any woman they’ve ever seen?”

I shake my head, stunned silent. He stalks closer and I don’t move. I’m prey to him. He moves with a panther grace that barely stirs the air around us but I feel it shift and whirl. Like a magnetic force that he carries with him. An innate, predatory grace that any alpha animal would recognize and fear.

But I don’t fear it. Anticipation ripples along my skin and burns through my veins. I can’t take my eyes off him. Can’t move away.

Help me, baby Jesus! He’s fucking hot as hades and he’s laser-focused on me and I’m not sure I’m gonna survive.

His big hand comes up and delicately traces along my jaw and then down my throat, coasting along my collarbone. I lick my lips and his eyes follow my tongue. Then his own tongue darts along his lips and I can’t help the primeval groan that comes from my belly and erupts out of my throat.

“I know this is fast and dumb as hell…but can I kiss you?”

I’m surprised he asks. But with a subtle shift of my leg, I nod my head and he moves closer, pressing into me. I can feel the long, lean length of him along my bare skin and I shudder, forcing my eyes to stay open. I don’t want to miss a thing.

His dark head moves closer and then he growls and his lips slam down on mine and it’s like a raging fire skates from my lips all along my skin where the water is cooling on it. His mouth is soft and tender but yet his muscles are strong underneath my fingers where my hands clutch at him.

“Reese?” I whimper as he backs slightly away.

He smiles. “Ashleigh?” Then his eyes widen and I scrabble to catch the towel before it falls to the ground. My face flushes and I feel like I can’t do this. Can’t…I need to make sure that he knows I’ve never done anything like this.

“I need to tell you something.”

He shakes his head. “We’re on a date. We’ll talk, we’ll laugh, we’ll have a good time. I’ve got the perfect dinner for us and dessert too. I thought you might like to play a game after dinner. I love a good game of chess.”

I nod my head, keeping my tongue between my teeth. “Okay.”

I pick up my bag and smile at him. “I’ll be back.”

He smiles and heads to the kitchen and I listen to him pulling out dishes and puttering around. My smile stretches wider. I’ve never been taken care of like this. At all actually.

It’s nice. I don’t want it to end. Why does everything good have to come to end? Why can’t I just have the HEA for once?