She reached in and began to pull the pan out, but the doors weren’t open wide enough, and she touched her wrist to the side. Instant pain. She yelped and thrust the baking pan onto the granite countertop.
Stone rushed to her side. “Are you all right?”
“I burned myself.” She rushed to the sink and turned on the cold water. Holding her wrist under the stream, she cursed under her breath.
Behind her, he sprinted to the freezer and yanked open the door. “Here’s an ice pack.” He moved over to where she still had her arm under the cold water. “Sweetheart, let me see.”
Sweetheart. It was such a nice word, especially out of his mouth and directed at her. She allowed him to take her arm and put the ice pack on the singed skin. Basking in his attention, she barely felt the burn.
“Hold it on there for me.” He turned back to the oven and shut the guilty doors.
“It’s not bad,” she said. “It was stupid. I should’ve opened the doors wider.”
He took her by the uninjured arm and steered her toward the table. “You sit. I’ll bring your food.”
She followed his directions. The man was good in a crisis.
He picked up the empty plates and hustled over to the cooktop, where he’d assembled the burgers and buns. “I decided to let you put the ketchup on yourself. I’m assuming the amount is a very personal decision.
“I should’ve warned you about those doors.” He set her plate down in front of her.
“Warned me? How would you know I’d do that?”
“I didn’t, but still, I’m supposed to be taking care of you.”
“Despite your obvious desire to save the world, some of us cannot be helped. My burn is not your fault.”
He tilted his head, seeming to consider her as one might an interesting but strange zoo animal. In the dim evening light, his eyes were the color of a deep mountain lake on a clear day. “Do I seem like I want to save the world?”
“Maybe it’s just me you want to save?”
“You, Pepper Shaker, don’t need saving. You’re fierce.” He returned to the island and arrived back at the table seconds later with a bottle of ketchup and his plate. When he sat, she set aside her ice pack, anxious to eat.
“Let’s chow.” Stone took a good-sized bite out of his burger. After chewing for a moment, he grinned. “That’s darn good.” He chuckled as he pierced a potato chunk with his fork. “For two people who don’t cook, we did pretty well.”
She smiled back at this giant man who attacked potatoes with as much gusto as he did the rest of life.
“Although I happen to like everything spicy. As a matter of fact, I need a little pepper sauce for my burger.”
In two long strides, he was at the refrigerator and leaning into it, displaying his fine rear. He might not be the designer-jean type of man, but the ones he wore hugged his muscular butt just fine. “Score. He has my favorite.” He held it up for her to see. Pepper sauce. Dack loved the exact same one.
“You’re not really going to put that on your burger?” she asked.
He sat back at the table. “No, but it’s going on my taters ASAP.”
Pepper ate another few bites of her burger while watching him enthusiastically sprinkle pepper sauce on his potatoes. She might add spice to his life, but he added fun to hers.
The lights went out, and they were plunged into a darkness so thick that everything, including Stone, disappeared and it was nothing but the black, quiet night and the thumping of her heart between her ears.
“Stone.” She blinked furiously, as if that would magically return her sight.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I know where my phone is. We can use the flashlight to find some candles. Stay put.”
As if she was going anywhere. She shivered. “Hurry.”
She heard his footsteps and a second later, a thud. “Ouch.”
“Are you all right? Stone?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Miscalculated where the island is, that’s all.” His voice sounded far away.
“Is it there? The phone?” She swallowed against the panic.
“Not yet. It’s here somewhere. I’m just feeling around for it.” A second later, he uttered a triumphant exclamation. “Got it.” The glow of the phone immediately illuminated his face in ghoulish contours. He fiddled with it for a moment before the flashlight feature lit up the room.
He crossed around the island to where she sat at the table, trembling.
She stood and threw herself into his arms with such force that he staggered backward a few steps before tightening his arms around her waist.
“It’s all right. I’m here,” he said.
Her arms clamped around his neck. “Don’t leave me. I’m terrified of the dark.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry, Pepper Shaker. I’ve got you.”
“Will you stay close to me?” she whispered.
“Every minute until the lights come back on.”
Chapter 15
Stone
* * *
When Stone was a kid, the power went out in their trailer on a regular basis. Not because of an act of nature, but because paying the electric bill wasn’t always the priority it should have been. His father’s management of the household funds was not as strong as the whiskey in his glass. When the power went out in Mr. Lake’s house, he didn’t even flinch. Nothing a few candles and a roaring fire couldn’t solve.
However, his current companion did not appear to share his assessment of the situation. He could feel her quickened pulse beat at her neck as he held her. She was shaking, and her voice sounded like the beginning stages of hysteria. He didn’t want to think too hard about the reasons why. For now, he would focus on reassuring her and keeping her physically close.
Her grip on his hand as they slowly crossed the room endeared her to him in a whole new way. As much as it pained him to witness her palpable fear, it made her even more precious to him. Although he suspected this quality made him a Neanderthal, he liked being her hero.
She was a beautiful bandit stealing his heart in unforeseen and immeasurable increments. He had no doubt they would survive the snowstorm. With or without power, they were safe from nature’s harsh elements here in the house. It was his heart that would suffer from exposure. He would never be the same after a few more days alone with the complex woman next to him.
“Should we find some candles?” he asked. The flashlight was surprisingly bright. He loosened his grip to get a better look at her.
She stared up at him and blinked. “Yes. A lot of them. We need tons of candles.”
“But first, let’s take Mr. Lake some dinner and make sure he’s all set for the night.”
“Yes. He might be scared all alone in there,” she said.
He doubted Mr. Lake was afraid, but he kept that to himself. “Hold the phone up for me so I can see what I’m doing.”
She pointed the light over the cooktop while he put together a dinner plate for Mr. Lake. When he finished, he smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way in Pepper’s direction. She sent one back to him, but he could tell her heart wasn’t in it.
“Keep hold of my hand. I’ll lead the way.”
She placed her icy fingers in his. With the aid of the flashlight, they easily made their way out of the kitchen and into the living room. He stopped them at the fireplace. Flames had died down, and the logs burned bright orange. He suggested they put another few pieces on in order to light and heat the room. She let go of his hand long enough to toss several more on top of the others but was right back with her iron grip the moment the task was done.
Pepper remembered her phone was in her purse by the door. They grabbed it for the extra light and headed down the hall to their patient.
Mr. Lake was awake and sitting up in bed reading from an e-reader. Dim light from the screen cast shadows across his face when he looked up at them. “Howdy there, lovebirds. Is that dinner I smell?”
“We thought you were asl
eep, or we would’ve brought you dinner earlier,” Stone said.
“Strangely enough, the power going out woke me up.” Mr. Lake set aside his Kindle and held out his arms for the plate. “A burger sounds mighty fine. Thank you very much.”
When Pepper asked in a worried voice about candles, he assured them there were ample battery-operated lanterns in the hall closet and to take as many as they needed. In addition, they learned there were three bedrooms on the first floor and another three upstairs, as well as a third-floor loft with an additional four beds. Mr. Lake said there were extra toothbrushes and toothpaste in the same closet with the lanterns, along with towels and soaps, and to take what they needed. Stone asked if he wanted another pain pill. Mr. Lake said another after dinner might do the trick, but would Stone help him get over to the bathroom first?
It took a few minutes, but Stone successfully escorted him over to the bathroom to do his business. They gave him another pill and filled his water glass. When he was comfortably back in bed, Pepper kept Mr. Lake company while he ate. Stone left them to grab the lanterns from the hall closet.
They were essentially camping lanterns and would be quite useful for their needs. He set one next to Mr. Lake’s bed and turned it on with an easy flip of a switch. Although dim, it was adequate to light the room.
Stone could already feel how the house had cooled. Mr. Lake verified his suspicion that the heat was powered by electricity.
“Would you like extra blankets?” Pepper asked when Mr. Lake was done with his dinner.
He patted the top of his down quilt. “Not necessary. These down comforters hold heat. You’ll be warm and toasty all night. Other than your head.” His weathered face crinkled as he smiled. “Nights like this have me wishing for a nightcap like the olden times.”
Pepper took the blankets from Stone and placed them on the end of the bed. “Well, just in case, we’ll leave these here.”
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Not a thing,” Mr. Lake said. “I’m going to read and then get some sleep. You two enjoy the rest of the night. I won’t hear a thing.”
Won’t hear a thing? Was he referring to the sounds of sex? He glanced at Pepper, feeling awkward. If she was blushing, it wasn’t visible in the dim light.
Stone turned on two of the lanterns and set one on each table on either side of the couch. With these additions and the roaring fire, the room seemed like any winter’s night. A romantic one, at that.
She wrapped a throw blanket around her shoulders and sank into the couch, looking small and frightened. His heart twisted in his chest.
He sat next to her and stroked her hair. “You okay?”
She nodded and reached through the folds of blanket to cup his face. “It’s a silly thing. I’m fine. Just stay close.” Her eyes darted around the room, as if she expected a monster to jump out of the shadows.
“You want a drink?”
“Is there any scotch?”
“Scotch?” He wouldn’t have guessed Pepper for a scotch drinker. Then again, the woman was an exercise in juxtaposition.
“Neat. And make it a generous pour.” Her voice still sounded shaky, despite the lanterns’ light and her reassurance that she was now fine.
He kissed her cheek before hustling over to the liquor cabinet. There was a decent selection of booze, including scotch. Not one to disobey a woman’s request, he poured a three-finger portion for her and for himself.
She thanked him for the drink, then took a deep sniff and made a throaty groan of appreciation before taking a sip.
He sat next to her and tried not to wonder, what besides scotch could make her moan with pleasure?
“I must seem ridiculous to you,” she said as she swirled the amber liquid in her glass.
“Not at all. I think it’s sweet. And, not that I’m proud of it, but I like being your hero.”
She smiled a little wickedly at him. “You like being my hero?”
He brushed her mouth with his finger. “It’s the role of a lifetime.”
“You’re very good—very authentic.”
“I have a very special and talented costar,” he said.
He had no intention of telling her how much he was enjoying himself. With or without power, there wasn’t much better in life than being here with her. Sure, the power outage wasn’t ideal, especially because it scared Pepper. However, having her all to himself without interruption? That was a dream come true. They’d get out of here tomorrow, most likely, and get Mr. Lake to a hospital. For now, he had every intention of soaking in as much Pepper as he could.
“Stone?” she asked with her gaze still dipped toward her drink.
“Yeah?”
“I can’t sleep alone. Not in a strange house in the dark. You’ll have to stay with me.”
“Stay with you?” Surely he’d misheard her.
“I’m serious. I’ll freak out if I’m alone with nothing but that lantern.” Her usually centered voice had dissolved into the pitch of a frightened child. “I need you to stay with me, but I’m not ready to take this to the next level.”
“Sweetheart, I’ll be wherever you need me to be. Of course I will. And I promise to be the perfect gentleman.”
“We could stay in the loft.”
“The loft.” He put space between the two words. “Not one of the bedrooms?”
“There’s probably bunk beds and stuff in there.”
Oh, right. He understood now. The loft would feel safer to her. “I always wanted to go to summer camp.” He used his teasing, goofy voice, understanding how hard this was for her—how vulnerable and exposed it must feel to be trapped on a mountain with a man she knew wanted her. “But no ghost stories.”
“Ghosts are not as scary as some people,” she said softly.
This woman broke his heart. “I know, baby.”
She looked up at him, the red glow of the fireplace reflected from her smoky eyes. “Not you. You’re not scary to me. But I…I need time.”
“I’ll be here when and if you’re ready.” He stroked her hair once more, marveling at the softness of her curls. She tucked her chin into her neck and closed her eyes. Her eyelashes were long and thick. The lashes of an innocent. A sigh escaped as she pressed her cheek against his hand.
“A woman like you is worth waiting for.”
“Do you mean that?”
“I’m not perfect, but I’ll never lie. Especially when it comes to how I feel about you. I’ve been waiting a long time to meet someone like you.”
She sipped from her glass without looking at him. “I’ve had boyfriends in the past.”
“As much as I’d like to pretend that wasn’t true, I assumed so. I’ve had relationships too. It’s not like we’re teenagers.”
“Right, true. But there’s something I need to tell you—about sex. About sex and me.” She halted, clearly unsure of what to say next. “Sex has been only physical, like a sport or game. Emotion or love doesn’t factor into the equation. It’s the only way I could think of it after what happened.”
“Pepper, what happened, exactly? What did they do to you?” His heart ached at the way her shoulders slumped forward. She hung her head, and once again her curls robbed his view of her face.
“Hey, it’s all right. We can talk about anything else. The weather, for example.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. His chest tightened as tears swam in her eyes. Damn, the woman was stubborn. She took in a deep breath and clenched her teeth. He could almost hear her pushing the sadness away with the strength of her will. Did she ever allow herself to cry, or did she swallow tears and shove aside deep pain? Was that why she moved through life like a spinning top?
When her tears had disappeared under the command of her grit, she twitched her lips upward in a dim smile and shook her black curls. “We have to talk about it. At least this once. I need you to know what happened. Otherwise, you won’t know who I truly am.” She continued to stare into her lap but placed one of her hands over his. H
er voice quieted. “It was on the subway. Late, past midnight. It was the night I went to see my father. The night he told he wouldn’t come to my showcase. I was devastated, which, considering what came next, is ironic.” She stopped and took in a deep breath. “I was upset and felt reckless. I stopped into a tavern where I’d worked the summer before. The bartenders would slip me a few drinks even though I was underage. I was tipsy by the time I headed to the subway. I had my headphones in, listening to music and not paying attention. Suddenly, they were just there, trapping me in a corner. Four of them. All dressed in Navy whites. One of them raped me. Before the others could, the police came. A witness called 911.”
He realized he’d been holding his breath and let it out slowly. His stomach clenched as the truth rocked through him. Rage like he hadn’t felt since Autumn’s accident surged through him. He would kill them if he could. Make them suffer first. What did he say? How could he let her know how sorry he was, how he wished he could take it all away? There was nothing to say or do, no way to save her from violence that had already happened. “God, Pepper, I’m so sorry.”
“It was hard. And it made me hard.” Tears, at last, fell down her cheeks.
“I know, baby.” He wiped her face with the cuff of his shirt, wishing that the exercise of drying her tears would make her pain subside. His was a futile desire. Nothing could change the past. Even love couldn’t erase what those men had done to her.
“Do you know what I’ve learned in therapy?” She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “The one thing? That no matter how deeply and well my mother and Dack loved me, everything good they did was wiped away in one night.” Her voice had dipped to a smidge above a whisper.
The ways in which she’d unfolded her layers tonight overwhelmed him. He’d liked her clever and sassy persona, but this vulnerable woman in front of him was complicated and precious and so very lovable, none of which he’d been prepared for. With every minute that passed, his heart increased piece by piece, and Pepper filled every one of them. By this time tomorrow, she would be the only thing he knew, the only thing he wanted.
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