Chapter 12

It was Sunday, my day off and the day that Jason planned to move in. I woke up in my own bed, alone in the cabin for the last time. I took my coffee out onto the porch, listening to the sounds of woodland creatures stirring. The air was so calm, the quiet so refreshing. I felt a pang deep in my heart as my dream of living alone in the mountains came to an end.

There wasn't anything to be done about it, though. Jason had signed the paperwork several days ago if he could be believed. I had no reason to think he was lying. The last time I had seen him was really odd. I played the scene over in my head and still couldn't come up with an explanation. Why had he been so interested in who worked at my salon? Was he thinking of buying that too? Just how much money did he have, and why was he investing it everywhere in my life? Maybe his questions had nothing to do with investment, but I still couldn't think of a reason he needed to know that information.

It didn't help me to speculate, and it wouldn't forestall the inevitable. Four hours from now, he was going to drive up with all his things from storage, and that would be the end of my brief sojourn into home ownership. I decided to start things off on the right foot. I would put all my past feelings and heartache behind me and begin fresh. He was a new roommate, and if I wanted any shot at a stress-free home life, it would be best if we could be friends.

I decided to buy some alcohol. It would smooth over any rough edges between us if we could share a beer or a martini, or whatever it was that he drank. I drove into town to the liquor store and picked up a bottle of vodka and a six-pack of beer. I grabbed a carton of orange juice at the grocery store, thinking we could make screwdrivers. That would give him three choices of beverage, and I would have my favorite.

I drove back to the cabin to enjoy a final half hour by myself before I heard his truck muscling up the driveway. I inhaled courage and stepped outside to meet him. Today, I had dressed casually in jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt. At least I was wearing clothes, which was more than I could say for the last time we had seen each other at the cabin. I shook off my horror at discovering I had confronted him in my pajamas and greeted him as pleasantly as I knew how.

"Hey." I came around the side of the truck. A U-Haul was attached to the back, presumably with his television, bed, and dresser.

"Hey," he said, snapping the door shut. He looked good enough to eat in his dark blue jeans and cowboy boots. I wondered if he had put as much time and energy into looking natural as I had. Yes, I was wearing a T-shirt, but it was my sexiest T-shirt, the one that showed off my breasts and hips. He wore a light blue button-down shirt open just far enough at the collar for me to get a glimpse of his pectoral muscles. I wondered what it would be like to drag my tongue over those hard ridges, to feel the bulge of solid man beneath my lips. I tried to focus.

"Do you need help moving your stuff?" I asked.

"Sure," he said. We moved around to the back of the U-Haul, and he unhooked the lock. Inside, there were a few suitcases, a dresser, a mattress, and a disassembled bed frame just as I had suspected.

I chose the suitcases first. The one I grabbed was heavy, and I struggled my way up the porch stairs. He didn't seem to notice, grabbing another bag and following me. Together, we dropped the bags in my bedroom, where my bed stood against the far wall.

He turned to me awkwardly. "I guess we should move your bed?"

"I guess so," I said.

He brought a toolbox in and unscrewed the bolts that held my bed frame in place. I dragged the mattress to one of the empty rooms while he reassembled the wood. We threw the mattress on top of the frame, and I busied myself putting fresh sheets on while he carted his own wooden frame into the master bedroom.

"Hold on." I emerged from my new room. "I need my dresser and my nightstand."

We spent an hour moving furniture, at the end of which I was feeling more exhausted than sexy. Everything from my old room had been moved into my new room, and everything from the U-Haul had been moved into his room. His mattress was propped against one wall, and the frame lay in pieces on the floor.

"I need a break," I said.

"I can take it from here," he said. "Thanks for your help."

"Take a break with me," I suggested.

He sighed, brushed his hands off on his jeans, and followed me into the living room.

"I have beer, or I'm going to make myself a screwdriver if you want one," I said mischievously.

"Okay," he said quickly, eager for anything that would ease the awkwardness of the moment.

I got two glass tumblers, grabbed the orange juice and the vodka from the refrigerator, and mixed the cocktails.

"This is much better than the Lucky Lady," he said, accepting his glass.

I winked. "The Lucky Lady doesn't make house calls."

He laughed.

I took a sip, and the vodka hit me instantly, making me feel warm and uninhibited. "So why were you asking me all those questions about the hair salon the other day?" I asked.

His eyebrows lifted. "Just curious," he said evasively. "Why did you decide to rent a cabin in the mountains?"

"Oh." I leaned against the counter, looking up into his deep blue eyes. "I needed a new adventure."

He toasted me with his tumbler. "That's exactly what I was looking for when I came to Singer's Ridge."

I picked up my glass and wandered over to the couch. "I was born in Singer's Ridge, grew up here, and I'm probably going to die here."

He sat on the love seat, facing me but at a respectable distance. "You've never traveled?"

"Nope. I have an aunt in Seattle who's always asking me to come visit, though."

"Seattle." He shook his head. "There's a fancy city."

"You ever been?" I asked.

"No." He finished half of his drink in one gulp. "I've been to Texas, South Dakota, Virginia, Florida…"

"Florida," I cut him off. "I'd love to go to Florida."

"Or California," he joined me in my daydreaming.

"Anywhere with a beach," I agreed.

"I bet you'd look nice in a bikini." His voice was soft but loaded. I glanced up into his eyes, shocked and more than a little pleased. I expected to find him teasing me, but what I saw was raw hunger.

I smiled, attempting to lighten the mood. "I don't own a bikini."

"Shame." He finished the last of his cocktail.

I downed the rest of mine and collected both glasses on my way back to the kitchen. "Want another?"

"I'm not sure if that would be a good idea…" He hesitated.

I had already drunk enough for my danger monitor to be ineffective. I wasn't sure why he didn't want to drink any more, but I certainly wanted another glass. We weren't driving, and we weren't operating heavy machinery. What could a second drink hurt? I poured both of us another and pressed one into his hand before taking up my seat on the couch.

He took a measured sip and then moved to the opposite end of my couch. Now we were sitting together with only one cushion between us. I turned to face him, stretching my shoulders seductively. He was one hot cop, with his day-old stubble and messy hair. I couldn't help smiling.

"So, what do you do for fun?" I asked.

"I like woodworking," he said.

"Really?" I found that fascinating. My brain conjured up images of Jason at work in a shed, shirtless and driving a hand saw back and forth through a two-by-four. My heart nearly melted into a puddle right there on the couch.

"Yeah, I'd like to build a coffee table for the house sometime." He finished half of his drink and set the glass down.

"Wow," I replied, as if he had unlocked the keys to the universe itself. After he finished making this coffee table, maybe we could have sex on top of it. I pictured myself naked, stretched out on a lovingly handcrafted table, Jason standing over me with his cock in his hand.

We apparently both had the same thought at the same time. I set my drink down, and we met in the middle of the couch. I crushed my lips to his, opening my mouth to allow him entrance. He kissed me greedily, tasting like orange juice, vodka, and man. My hands didn't know where to settle. I grasped his shoulders, the back of his head, his muscular back. He didn't seem to be having the same problem. He put his hands against my ears and held my head still so that he could deepen the kiss.

I wondered if we would have to come up for air or if we could drown in a kiss. It had been so long since I'd had a boyfriend. The last person I was with was nothing like this. This was raw passion. There was a fire between us that burned in our bellies, the flame infecting everything it touched. I couldn't get enough of him. I wanted to rip his clothes off and fit him inside me before another minute passed.

I climbed on top of him, spreading my legs across his lap. He groaned in approval, sitting back against the couch to allow me space to move. I bowed my head to continue the kiss, the kiss that had remained unbroken since it began. His hands dropped from the sides of my face and reappeared on my back. I felt the electric touch of his palms sliding down the curve of my hips to cup my ass.

I shifted up and down, desperately trying to get closer. Beneath my jeans, I could feel him growing larger. That delicious package that I wanted so bad was coming alive between us. He gripped my thighs and pulled me down against his crotch, the pressure sending both of us into the stratosphere.

He broke the kiss, releasing me for a moment as he slipped fingers beneath my T-shirt and dragged it up over my head. Then his hands were back on my body, carving swaths of fire across heated skin. I tilted my head back, pressing my pelvis against his and offering my breasts to his wandering fingers.

He took the bait, sliding up and under my bra to touch my bare flesh. I moaned, rotating in my seat to give him fresh ammunition. He slipped the bra off, casting it aside on the floor. I felt cool air on my nipples, relishing the knowledge that I was exposed before him. He slid his hands down my back until he reached my hips and thrust up into them.

I opened my eyes to find him staring at me, like a condemned man salivating over his last meal. He gripped me hard, holding me still as he dipped his head to one breast. I felt warmth as his mouth closed over me, sucking my nipple deep inside. Pleasure spiked from two epicenters, the one in his mouth and the one grinding against his lap. My hands found his shoulders, and I relaxed into his arms, letting him guide me. He held me exactly where he wanted me, circling my areola with his tongue.

Suddenly the jeans we were wearing became too much. I wanted to shed them, touch him, and feel him inside me. I made a play for his belt, pulling out of his embrace to thrust my hands between us. He circled my wrists with his palms, blocking my advance and pinning my hands behind my back. As I struggled, he returned to my breasts, lapping gently.

I struggled, making my chest dance before his eyes. He pulled down on my combined hands, arching my back and baring my heart to his greedy advances. He sucked deeply, moving from one breast to the other, until he had his fill.

"Jason…" I moaned. "Please…"

He released me, allowing me to right myself and bend back toward him. I stabilized myself on the back of the couch, shifting off his lap. I reached again for his belt buckle, and this time he let me have it, helping me out with urgent fingers. I left his pants and reached for my own, undoing the button that held them at my waist.

Before we could each shed our clothing, he rose from the couch, scooping me up and carrying me with him. With one powerful hand, he gripped my ass as he maneuvered toward the hallway. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his shoulders, clinging to him for dear life. He stumbled into a wall, unfamiliar with the dimensions of the cabin.

I felt the air rush from my lungs as the wooden planks stung my side. He rotated so that I was sandwiched between him and the wall and kissed me hard. I inhaled frantically before succumbing to the wave of passion that crashed over us. The kiss was over as soon as it began, and he was pumping against me, working me into the wood.

I groaned, an unladylike noise that was more animal than human. He felt so good pressing into me, like I had been half of a jigsaw all my life. And he was just now completing me. I kissed him again and again. I couldn't help it. I was wild and starved for his attention. He rocked into me, palms sliding up my thighs.

"My bedroom…" I whispered, remembering that his bed was unassembled.

He nodded, releasing me from the wall to carry me two small steps through my bedroom door. We fell onto the bed together, locked in mad, passionate frenzy. He stood up, unzipping his fly and stripping his muscular legs of their clothing. I focused on my own problem for a moment, wiggling out of my jeans and tossing them to the floor. My underwear followed without ceremony. I wanted nothing between us but raw lust.

I looked up, trying not let my entire jaw drop. He was naked, holding his cock in one hand. It was beautiful, thick and ruddy like a soldier prepared for battle. My insides throbbed at the sight. I spread my legs, willing him to come to me, unable to wait any longer. I closed my eyes, my entire body on fire with anticipation. His touch didn't come, and the cool mountain air teased my nipples as I lay spread out before him.

In desperation, I opened my eyes. He was staring down at me with something like admiration. I sat up on my elbows, my entire being narrowed down to a single thought.

"Now," I begged him.

He crawled onto the bed obediently, pushing my legs even further apart with his knees. He concentrated on what he was doing, holding himself in his hand, guiding his cock toward my channel. I felt his head press against my opening, warm and wet for him. He circled my clit, ducking into my canal gently, briefly, before pulling back out.

I screamed in pure joy, so close to getting exactly what I wanted. I fell back against the bed, arms wide, breasts quaking with labored breathing. He teased me once more before sliding home, locking his hips to mine and burying himself deep inside. I cried out. Something inside me broke, some vestige of propriety I had been hanging on to. I wanted him even further, deeper. I wanted him to crush the remnants of the good girl I always tried to be and to bring out the crazy, free-spirited woman.

I grabbed his butt with both hands and held on as he pumped, gently at first but with increasing speed. The friction was magic. I soared to the top of the mountain and saw the entire world laid out at my feet. I looked up to see him working above me, his patient eyes halfway shut. The tiny bedroom in the remote cabin fell away, and we were flying on clouds of silk and pleasure.

I could feel him closing in on his climax, diving deeper, harder. I fell open beneath him, reaching up to embrace him, fighting for release. I was so close. The wave was about to break, sending me spiraling toward the beach. I wrapped my legs around his hips and crushed my sex to his, welcoming him in as far and fast as he could possibly go.

We exploded together, my body spasming and gripping him with waves of impressive aftershocks. He buried himself deep, releasing his pleasure into my core. I curled up, wrapped around him with my entire body. He panted in my ear, his elbows shaking under the pressure. I felt him shudder, every last drop draining from his body in one magnificent act. My pussy pulsed with exertion, dragging both of us dangerously close to the edge again.

We found our breath slowly. I untangled my legs and let my arms drop from his shoulders. I found him looking down at me tenderly, his eyes softer than I had ever seen them before. I caught myself blushing. Even though we had just been fucking like rabbits, this gentle gaze seemed even more intimate.

He withdrew inch by inch, wincing when another of my aftershocks gripped his cock. He went to the bathroom, leaving me alone and plundered on my own bed. Suddenly we were back to being roommates, and I worried about him coming out to find me naked. I found my underwear and my jeans and put on a new shirt to avoid going into the living room topless.

The alcohol was starting to wear off, putting our explosive lovemaking in perspective. Exactly the thing that I had said was out of the question had just happened. And it had been more wonderful than I could possibly have imagined. That didn't change the situation, though. He was still my landlord, and I was still his tenant. We had crossed the line of propriety, and it had been my fault. I was the one who suggested screwdrivers. He couldn't be held responsible for an act of passion brought on by my shortsightedness. I sighed. It was the best sex I had ever had in my life, but it had been a mistake. I resolved to be more circumspect in the future. It wouldn't do to trade sex for rent, and if that single encounter was any indication, it would be hard to keep our hands off each other once we started.