Page 58 of Cabin Fever Baby

“I heard one go by when I went down to make coffee.”

“You made coffee?” I went on my toes and nipped his lower lip. “You magnificent man.”

He laughed. “What do I get for putting it in a carafe and bringing it upstairs?”

I spun around and saw the black carafe on the dresser then I turned back to him and jumped into his arms.

He staggered, but he held me tight. “I think that suffices as a thank you.”

I crossed my arms behind his head and wrapped myself around him, then I kissed his cheeks, chin, and finally, his mouth with loud, smacking sounds.

“I’m going to have to special order that coffee when I leave.”

The sudden burst of happiness faded as the words sunk in. It was getting harder to remind myself that this was just a temporary thing.

I eased myself to the floor and slipped away from Hudson. I didn’t know what the future held for me.

Q had ended his tour and there would be a bit of time before he could finish an album then set up dates for the next run.

But it wasn’t like I could just follow Hudson to Chicago. That was utterly ridiculous. And even if Quentin was done with touring for a while, I still had things I needed to handle for him.

My job didn’t stop just because we didn’t have a grueling schedule right now. He still had endorsement deals and a handful of private events to attend to in February.

I busied myself making coffee, listening to the familiar sounds of Hudson dressing. Intimate things that I’d miss.

The roar of a plow dented the quiet between us.

“I’m going to go down and check it out. See how bad it is.”

I nodded. “I’ll be down in a few after I take a quick shower.”

My skin was salty and I had a few new abrasions and sore muscles, thanks to the late night of post-game makeup session.

The mutual voyeurism had been only the tip of the evening. Hudson had woken me so many times in the night. Both of us hungry for each other.

The days ticking up to Christmas seemed to be speeding on, but I figured we still had more time.

But with the snow taking a break now, maybe we were out of time.

Would he call one of his family members to come get him?

I hurried through my shower and dressed in layers. I didn’t want to deal with drying my hair, so I wrestled it into a French braid.

When I got downstairs, Hudson was already outside. Snow flew around wildly as he shoveled away the drifts of snow that coated the porch.

I geared up with my mile-long scarf, boots, and parka before I slipped out the door.

He smiled up at me from the bottom step, squinting against the sun bouncing all over the new snow. “Think we got that six feet of snow they warned us we could expect,” he called up to me.

“I can’t even see the end of the lane.”

He pushed back his hat as he followed my gaze to the end of the property. “No way we’re getting out of here without a snowblower or a plow attached to an ATV.”

“I’m not sure how that works for a rental. Do I call Sage and her husband?”

He stabbed his shovel into the snowbank. “I can keep at it if you want to check in with her.”

Ididn’twant to do that.