Page 55 of Cabin Fever Baby
I was so fucking sunk.
I tore off my shirt and tossed it aside.
Was she even as wound up as I was?
I couldn’t tell. I’d get close for a moment then she’d give me that secret smile and she seemed to pull away from me. Enough that I had no idea where I stood with her.
Pissed at myself for getting so goddamn torn up, I hauled myself off the couch, grabbed my shirt, and hurried upstairs. I needed a minute after that equilibrium-shattering moment between us, so I took a quick shower to reset and clean myself up. Since I was upstairs, I found the laundry and set up a load to wash.
Ocean had turned the television back on and the roar of a crowd told me the hockey game had come on. I returned downstairs to find the living room put back to rights and her back in the kitchen.
The scent of apples and cinnamon had my stomach growling. I should be full to bursting from dinner, but evidently, I’d worked off enough of my food.
“Hey.” She smiled at me as she opened the oven. “Since we’re stuck here and this pie isn’t going to last until Christmas anyway, I figured we could have a piece.”
“It smells amazing.”
“I got it in a nearby orchard. Same place I got Agnes.”
“Agnes?”
She laughed. “The tree. She has such a towering personality I had to give her a name.” She closed the oven door with her hip and set the tinfoil-covered pie on the counter.
“Apparently, they do everything big.”
She laughed. “That’s fair. And based on what I saw at Brothers Three, I’ll have to agree. I got some of their new apple wine if you want a glass.”
I wasn’t much of a wine guy, but I nodded. “I’ll try it.”
“Great.” Her smile was a little too wide as she brushed by me to go to the fridge. She pulled out a pint of ice cream from the freezer and then the wine from the bottom shelf. Busying herself with opening the wine, I took my cues from her and got out plates and rummaged for an ice cream scoop.
“This place literally has everything. I’ve never stayed at a rental that actually had things you need.”
“I know.” She shook her head as she popped the cork on the bottle. “The woman who owns this place is married to some real estate guy named Hamilton. She has a B&B called the Hummingbird’s Nest in town, but I guess they also havesome rental properties. She left me a really sweet note with the basket.”
“The basket with the golden bag of condoms?”
“She thinks of everything.”
I caged her in at the counter. “You’ll have to thank her.” I lowered my mouth to hers, but I didn’t quite meet her lips. The bravado melted as she stepped into me, pressing her face into my neck. “Ah, Angel.”
“Why was non-sex so much more than sex?” she asked quietly.
I straightened and cupped the back of her head. “Because you let me in. I hope I don’t scare you.”
“Oh, you do.” She gripped the back of my shirt. “More than anything.”
“Why?” I tried to ease her back, but she just held onto me tighter.
“Can we put a pin in the sharing stuff? I just want to enjoy you and the game for a little while.”
I rested my chin on top of her head. “Yeah, we can do that.”
“Good.” She eased back and went on her toes to give me a quick kiss.
We made a carpet picnic with all of our snacks.
The trio of pie a la mode, some sharp cheddar cheese from the bountiful fridge, and apple wine was a damn good way to end the night.