by Jenika Snow
9
The storm was finally letting up and all Shea could think about was leaving, about how Abel clearly didn’t want her here despite what he’d said.
He wanted to fuck her.
That memory, those words playing in her head, had her entire body on fire. But she pushed it down, knowing that things couldn’t progress no matter how much she wanted them to.
It was obvious he was used to living alone. The way he looked at her … the desire had been clear on his face. Having her here probably messed up everything for him. The conversation they’d had yesterday, how he told her that once the storm was gone he would take her back, that she needed to leave, really shouldn’t have come as a shock. What did she expect, to stay here with him and live happily ever after?
She was delusional if she thought that’s how things would play out. Of course she would go back to her life, go back to getting herself her own place, working toward her own dream. But she couldn’t stop the feelings she had for Abel. He was strong and determined, quiet yet brutal.
She cleared her throat and finished stirring the stew that boiled in the pot on the propane stove. She might not know Abel all that well but in this short amount of time he’d offered her shelter from the storm, company, and made her realize that she wanted more than ever to have her dream cabin in the woods, like he did.
Exhaling and setting the ladle aside, she turned off the stove and grabbed a towel to wipe her hands. The fire crackled behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see Abel sitting on his chair with the newspaper in hand. Although she had no doubt that paper was weeks old, the news stories so old they didn’t even matter anymore, he still kept up to date on what was happening in the world.
“Dinner’s ready,” she finally said and smiled even though he had his back turned. She got the bowls and cups out of the cupboard and the silverware out of the drawer. The sound of the newspaper crinkling as he set it aside filled the small room. He made his way over to the table and sat down. She filled the first bowl and brought it over. Although bread would’ve gone well with the meal, there weren’t many fresh items in the cabin, for obvious reasons.
They sat across from each other, the silence stretching. She couldn’t believe how sad she was about leaving, that she’d have this kind of emotion after only being here a couple of days with a man she didn’t even know.
It was insane to say the least.
“I’m sure you have people worried about you,” he said, his focus on his bowl of stew as he ate. She looked down at hers and pushed the pieces of meat around with her spoon. The meat had been cured but surprisingly it had softened up while she cooked it. And judging by the way Abel was tearing into his meal, she assumed it tasted pretty good.
“No, nobody’s going to even know I’m gone seeing as it is a long weekend for me.” Of course they’d realize that she was gone since she wouldn’t be getting back to her car until well after she should’ve been to work. But she should be able to call once she had a better signal in town.
“What about friends, family? Surely they’re probably wondering where you’re at, called the police by now?” He didn’t sound worried in the least.
She shook her head, suddenly feeling extremely depressed about the whole thing. “The only family I have is a mom who lives several states away and who I only talk to once a week. There’s a lot of drama history between us. I won’t get into it because it’s just too aggravating.” She snorted, the history behind the tension and head-butting between her and her mother too much of a sore, frustrating subject. “And friends…” She shook her head again. “The only friends I have I made at work. And those I only see when we’re in the office.” It sounded lame even to her own ears.
But it was one of the reasons why she wanted to be on her own. She’d never been a people person. “I’ve never wanted to make those kinds of connections. It is what it is and I accepted it, embraced it even.”
Maybe that’s why she connected with Abel so much? He was like her in every way and she’d realized that from the moment that she started talking to him.
“What about you? How do your family and friends feel about you being out here in the middle of nowhere?” He was silent for long seconds and then cleared his throat. She could tell by the way his body tightened, the fact his jaw clenched, that maybe this was a touchy subject. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry—”
“You didn’t,” he finally said and offered her a genuine smile. “The only family I have left is my father. We never got along, not when his drinking became his priority and his neglect for me his routine.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “And any friends that I did have before moving out here understood my need to get away. But to be honest, society and me never really clicked. That’s why I went all caveman, not wanting to rely on anyone or anything. It’s why I don’t have electricity, why I use fire to heat my cabin. It’s why I hunt, and have a garden during the summer. I want to be self-reliant and sufficient.” He shrugged again. “Looks like you and I are one and the same.” The smile he gave her had her heart racing.
Whatever it was about this man had her blood on fire and her hope rising. It was strange and unusual.
But crazy in the best of senses and tomorrow it would all be over.
10
The following morning it was like the storm had never arrived. That it hadn’t been keeping him and Shea locked in his home for the past several days and nights. Standing out on his front porch, Abel looked out at the glorious sunshine and felt like giving Mother Nature a big fuck you.
He wanted Shea to stay. The fact it was time for her to go already pissed him off. He liked having her around. Not just because he wanted to fuck her, and he really did. She was amazing company. Made him smile and laugh. She brought out that protective side in him and he wanted to keep her with him so that he knew she was safe. The world out there would chew her up and spit her back out.
Coming to live away from society didn’t mean he wasn’t aware of the world. He knew all about what it could do and how it didn’t care for anyone but itself. He personally fucking hated it.
Sure, there were a few people in the world that were lovely, nice, and he imagined great people. It was the ones that set out to hurt, to take from you without a second glance. They were the ones he hated. Then of course there was the evil that he’d seen.
Pushing those thoughts aside, he waited for her.
Would it be so bad to ask her to stay?
He couldn’t do it.
She’d only come here because of her damn car and he wouldn’t be that selfish even if he wanted to be.
Nope.
Not going to happen.
“Hey,” Shea said. “Wow, that is amazing. There’s no storm?”
“Nope. It’s gone.” And he was still pissed at Mother Nature for giving her the chance to leave.
It’s not like you took the time to woo her. You told her you wanted to fuck her and that was about it.
Rubbing at the back of his neck, he glanced over at her. “You ready to go?”
“We can go now?”
“Yep, it won’t take long.”
He didn’t wait for a response.
There was shock in her eyes and he imagined the joy in them at knowing she could go back to her old life and forget all about him. Climbing inside his truck, he started it up and waited as she got into the passenger seat.
“I didn’t know you had a truck.”
“How else did you think I was going to tow? I need a truck to get around.” He pulled out of his space, and headed down the long dirty road. He didn’t have a road as he never wanted people to find him. If they did, they usually ended up doing so through hiking.
Not that many people came through these parts. The bears and wolves were often a great deterrent to people. They were his security. He’d never seen an actual bear though. A couple of wolves and deer but never a bear.
Driving through the trees, he saw a couple that had been torn down because of
the storms. He’d come and chop some of them for firewood when he got back. It would be a good distraction from the woman that he was taking out of his life.
“So, what are you going to do while I’m in town?” she asked.
He glanced over at her.
“Sorry, I was just making small talk.”
“I’ve got to pick up a few supplies and then I’ll head back. I’ll make sure you’re all sorted out before I go.”
She didn’t respond.
Another look at her and she was staring out of the window.
He wouldn’t wait around for her. He’d make sure her car was being handled and then he’d leave. Clearly, she didn’t like the thought of him lingering with her, so he wouldn’t stick around.
Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he broke, pulled out of the forest, and started to travel down the main road.
“What if some thugs have stolen it?” she asked.
“No one would have been out in that storm, Shea. Your car will be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
He drove down the road, slowing as he saw her car up ahead. At first inspection it looked fine.
Pulling to a stop, he told her to wait in his truck. Just because it wouldn’t be logical for anyone to be out in the storm didn’t mean they weren’t. He wanted to make sure everything was safe for her first. Just because he didn’t want her to leave didn’t mean for a second he’d allow any harm to come to her.
There was no one in the car, and with that, he pulled his truck in front of it.
“Stay here.”
Grabbing some ropes and chains, he hooked the car up to his truck, and once he made sure everything was safe and secure, he climbed in.
“Do you need me to drive my car?”
“No, we’re all good. I’ll take it easy.” It would probably be safer for her to steer but he didn’t want to spend a moment away from her. If this was going to be the last time they spent together, then he wanted her with him.
He’d take it slow into town, which would prolong their journey.
For the first few minutes, neither of them spoke.
He didn’t have a clue what to say.
“I saw a lot of damage in the forest. What happens now?”
“I’ll head on out, cut some of the wood for the winter. Not a lot that can be done.” He’d have to attend to his garden as well. See what had been destroyed and what he could work with.
There were jobs to be done but none of them excited or thrilled him. Not with Shea about to leave. He’d have loved to be given the chance to show her his land and what he did to survive. While she’d been with him, she actually seemed kind of curious about it.
The drive into town didn’t take as long as he hoped and besides talking about the storm, the car, and what he’d be doing, conversation was somewhat stilted. She didn’t pry for any more, and as he pulled up at the garage that he knew would be able to fix her car, he knew without a doubt this was it.
Climbing out of his truck, he heard her get out. It wasn’t long before Frank was there, wiping some grease off his hands.
“Didn’t think I’d see you here so soon,” Frank said.
“This woman’s car broke down. She’s been staying with me. Can you fix it up? Whatever it costs put on my tab.” He made sure to add that last part before she joined them.
“Does she mean something to you?” Frank asked.
“Just do as I ask.”
Frank rolled his eyes. Used to his gruff manner. He liked getting what he wanted no questions asked.
“Let’s see what we’ve got here, little lady,” Frank said.
Some of his boys pushed the car into the main garage and Shea was already there, waiting for whatever news she was about to get.
Rather than gathering some bits from the local stores, he climbed into his truck and headed back home. She didn’t need him anymore.
11
Seeing Abel leave was like a kick to her gut, but Shea pushed all of that aside for the time being. She’d worry about how she felt where he was concerned once she figured out what was going on with her car.
Stepping away from the men currently looking under the hood, she grabbed her phone and for a moment hated the damn thing. It represented the life she had, one where constraints and schedules weighed her down.
There’d been reception as soon as she’d gotten away from the crush of the mountains, and she had called her work. They’d been understanding and given her the day off so she could figure out this car situation. But she wasn’t even focused on that when she knew she should have been.
Frank stepped away from her car and walked over to where she stood. “Looks like it’s the alternator.”
She had no clue what that even meant, but it was probably bad since that was her luck.
“What does that mean exactly?”
He wiped off grease from his hands, the red rag already covered in black grimy streaks. “Well, it’s an easy enough fix.”
She exhaled, feeling relief. “But?”
“But we don’t have the part and can’t get it in for at least a week.”
And just like that the relief was short-lived.
“And let me guess. It’ll be expensive?”
The look he gave her was one of sympathy. “Yeah, for your make and model it’s not cheap.”
Shit.
She most certainly wasn’t going to have Abel pay for her vehicle getting repaired. Although it was a nice gesture she didn’t know him and she most certainly couldn’t expect him to pay for her car.
She turned away from him and stared at the peaks of the mountains she could see in the distance. “After the part comes in how long for it to get repaired?”
“Few days.”
She bit her lip, knowing she had no other option. Getting a new car was out of the question and not in her budget. Hell, getting this part wasn’t in her budget. She was saving money to get away from everyone and everything. But she supposed this was the way of things, shit happening to set her back even more.
“Should I order the part?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
He gave her a nod and turned to presumably order said part. Shea exhaled and walked over to the bench, sitting down and grabbing her cell out of her bag.
“Want me to help set up a rental?”
She glanced up and saw Frank once more, this sympathetic look on his face. Did she look that pathetic?
Yeah, she probably did.
He shouldn’t have left her at Frank’s. Hell, Abel wanted to go right back into town, bring her to his place again, and demand she stay with him. The primal, possessive part of him wanted that so fucking badly, but he also knew that letting her go was for the best.
Dammit.
Right?
She got under his skin, and he knew that he couldn’t forget about her. He wouldn’t. He wanted her like a fiend, and it had only taken a few short days for him to be addicted to her.
Abel brought his axe down on a log and it splintered into two, the pieces falling to the sides of the chopping block. He was trying to keep busy, doing extra work to keep his mind off of Shea. But it was no use. She consumed his thoughts. It had only been a couple of hours since he’d dropped her off and he worried about her, knowing he should’ve stayed and made sure she was okay. Although she was in good hands with Frank—Abel knew he would take care of her and get her squared away—the fact remained he should’ve been man enough to do the job himself.
Because in just this short amount of time he had fallen for Shea, and as crazy as that sounded, he didn’t want to let her go.
12
Shea was pissed. Not only had it taken a full day for her to get a rental because of small town issues and the fact they only had a handful at any given time, but with each passing day she was growing more anxious to go and see Abel.
And even though she had the rental now it had taken her three days to get the courage to even go see Abel again. She was afraid of being honest
with him, of opening herself up in that way. But what ate away at her was the fact he’d left her at the garage that day, with not so much as a goodbye or he’d see her later. Surely she hadn’t been the only one who felt the chemistry and connection?
And that’s what pissed her off now, what made her decide to just say screw it and head to his place.
But today was the day. She couldn’t wait anymore. She wouldn’t.
Driving up to the main road, she slowed down as she recognized the sign and small side road that she remembered from her trip down the mountain with Abel. She drove off onto the gravel strip, trees lining both sides.
This car was probably not designed to go off the road but right now, she didn’t care. She just wanted to give that man a piece of her mind and she was going to give it to him. No doubt about it.
The road was completely uneven and a few times she was worried she was going to completely trash the rental. “Come on, just a bit further.”
The road ascended up the mountain, but finally she saw Abel’s cabin. Shea breathed a sigh of relief. Parking behind his truck, she climbed out of the car and headed toward his cabin.
Using her fist, she slammed it against the door, waiting. Hell, she was a woman scorned, and even if he probably didn’t deserve her wrath, he was going to get it. He was going to know how she felt, why she was here, and that surely she wasn’t the only one to feel this way.
No one answered.
Again, she knocked.
Silence.
He wasn’t home.
“Well, that is more than fine. I’m happy to wait this out.”
She took a seat on his front porch and waited.
“I can’t believe the fucking caveman would leave me like that. No goodbye. No nothing. He didn’t even give me a chance to say thank you.” She stared out across the trees.
God, it was so beautiful here, and the longer she sat there the more she wanted to stay, the more she felt her anger lessen. She saw movement through the trees, and the moment she saw him, her stomach flipped. He was carrying a large chunk of tree on his shoulder, looking sexy and fine all at the same time.