by Bianca Vix
“No. Not much to work with here at all.”
Jason climbs out and I give him a hand up. “Do you keep one in your car?”
He cocks his eyebrow at me. “Usually I do. But I’ve loaned it to a friend, so it’s not with me now. Too bad. Would have be really useful right about now.”
“I’ll say.”
We make our way over to the nearby grove of trees and it’s just as slow going as it was to get to the shed. We’re already both soaked from the wet snow and we haven’t even started cutting wood yet.
But we catch a break when we get there. Just inside the grove, there’s some fallen trees that aren’t buried in snow.
“You know how to use an axe, Linc?”
“Yeah, sure.” I turn away from him and get to work. Jason’s question gets under my skin even though he’s not being an asshole about it.
“Pretty good, city boy.” He starts up himself. “How’d a metro guy like you learn how to wield an axe?”
I hold back a sarcastic reply. His tone is nothing but teasing. “Grandparents again. I stayed at their farm a lot when I was a kid. Both of them liked to teach me stuff. It was fun, working on things with them.”
“I would have hated that kind of thing as a kid.”
I glance up at him. “Really? You? Mr. Outdoorsman?”
“I was a city kid myself growing up.”
“So what happened?” I’m interested in spite of myself. “Don’t you live somewhere around here? Also known as the middle of nowhere?”
“That’s right. I used to live in Manhattan. Loved it. But after awhile, I got burned out. I didn’t want to keep the pace up anymore. Or rather, I couldn’t do it. Everything became a grind. I stopped caring about everything, including my job. So I changed my life up. And now I don’t even miss the city anymore.”
I snort. “I couldn’t do that. The idea of three weeks up here is way more than enough for me.” Straightening up, I check out the big pile we’re amassing. “Looks like we’ve got enough.”
“Yeah, looks good. Let’s get back.”
Snow hits me in the face the moment we step out from under the cover of the trees. Shit. It’s really picked up, swirling around hard and fast in the freezing cold air.
“Which way did we come from?” Our footprints have already been swept away.
Even Jason has to figure it out. “This way, I think.”
“You sure?”
“Not exactly.” He sets off anyway and I go along with him. We’re surrounded by blankets of white. I can’t even make out the shed we came from.
I almost bump into Jason when he stops abruptly. “What’s up?”
“No idea where we’re going now. Hang on.” Rummaging deep, he pulls a compass out from his pocket. Normally I’d mock him for carrying one. Now I’m grateful he has it.
“Yeah. We’re mostly going in the right direction. We need to head a little more east and then we should hit the cabin.”
I frown. “Should?”
“Probably will.”
If Jason can’t say for sure, that’s fucked. We start up again, our heads down against the way the wind whips snow at us.
I trip over something I can’t even see. It was so unexpected, I’m about to fall face-first when Jason grabs my arm, stopping my fall at the last minute.
“You okay?”
“Sure. Thanks.” I squint around. “Do you still know where we’re going?”
“Yeah. We’re nearly there. Look up that way.”
I can just barely make out the outline of the cabin, even though we’re actually close to it. When did it get so dark out? The sky’s menacing.
Carefully we continue on. I heave a sigh when we climb the stairs up to the porch. “That was something. Although I bet it’s normal for your kind of adventures.”
“Not exactly. I usually make sure to avoid this kind of situation.”
The warmth of the cabin pours out at us the moment we open the door. Never thought I’d be happy to get back to it.
In spite of his weather-proof jacket, Jason’s nearly as soaked as I am. We start climbing out of our wet outerwear when someone calls out.
“Jase.” It’s Mykayla, hurrying towards us. “Where were you? I was starting to worry.”
She comes right up to him and my jaw falls open when she goes right in and gives him a hug. He doesn’t pull back, either. Just hugs her back like it’s a natural thing to do.
The realization hits me like a truck.
Jason and Mykayla.
They’re sleeping together.
Chapter 6
Jase
“Where were you?”
Suddenly Mykayla’s in my arms. I barely catch her as she jumps at me. I’m happy to see her. “You didn’t need to worry. We went out to get firewood so we’d have enough to last through this storm.”
“It’s coming down like crazy out there. When I found you gone, and saw what the weather’s turned into, I couldn’t help but worry.”
I have to admit that I didn’t think she’d be worried about me. It’s kind of nice. Having someone to be concerned about where you are and if you’re okay.
Shrugging my jacket off, I turn to speak to Linc. But he’s stomping off without a word to either one of us. I don’t get it. He was almost becoming friendly outside with me. Now it’s as if he’s pissed off at something. Or maybe thinking he made a mistake about letting his guard down.
This is no way to have things between us if we’re going to be stuck here together for who knows how long. I pick up some of the logs we carried in with us and head over to the fireplace. Linc’s sitting on the sofa, his expression still set. Mykayla sits down beside me and Linc practically sneers at her.
I stop short when a thought hits me. Is he into her? Is that what this is about? And now Mykayla’s made it clear there’s something going on between her and I.
Damn.
Now that would get Linc’s competitive streak all up and running. It’s like a barrier he puts up and I don’t know how to get past it. For me, it’s just friendly competition. Nothing to get riled up about. Linc takes it a lot further. Nothing wrong with being driven. Hell, I used to be a lot more like him than I’d care to admit. But he takes it too far. I don’t think it’s good for him to be like that twenty-four seven. I certainly don’t want to get into it with him over Mykayla.
Because I wouldn’t want to see him get hurt.
“Let’s get this fire going again. Make it nicer in here.” I glance at Mykayla as I get up. “You’re wearing mittens? Indoors?”
She smiles at me. “I got cold.”
“You should try it out there.” Linc doesn’t join me at the fireplace to build a fire. He’ll be a tough one to crack. But we need to get along, at least for now. This could easily turn into a bad situation. I want to prevent that from happening.
Mykayla doesn’t respond to him. “I made some food. Breakfast, although it’s more like brunch by now. And more coffee,” she tells me. “Are you guys hungry?”
At least she’s including Linc now. She did pretty much ignore him when we came in. I’m sure that didn’t help much. But she’s making some effort now, even though she doesn’t really like him. I’m not really clear on the reason for that.
“Yes. Very much.” I glance over at Linc.
He shrugs like he doesn’t care one way or the other. “I could eat something.”
“Great. We can eat out here, where it’s going to be getting warm. The fire really does make a difference for heating a big place like this.”
Mykayla disappears into the kitchen. I strike a match and get the kindling going. In a minute, the logs that I set up start to blaze.
Linc stays put when I go to the kitchen to help Mykayla. She’s filling plates with roasted potatoes. I steal one. “This is good. Really good.”
“Hey. Don’t sound so surprised. I can make more than just pasta.” She grins at me. “Not much more, but a few things.”
“Have you ever tried them
with turmeric? Not much. But just the right amount can make them really sing.” I go to the spice cabinet and get some, along with the pepper shaker. After adding both, I test out another piece of potato. Yes. That’s right. I add the spices to another piece and offer it to Mykayla.
She takes a bite. “Wow, Jase. That’s better. Way better.”
I shake my head. “They were great before, too. Sometimes you just need some extra spice to make something perfect.”
“And you’re the one adding all the right spice.”
I move in so I can kiss her neck. She stops what she’s doing and leans back into me. My cock stirs. If I wasn’t so ravenous, I’d be carrying her off to one of the bedrooms by now.
Instead I settle for running my hand over her ass until she pulls away. “We’re going to have lots of time for that after we eat. And after Linc goes off and finds some work to do.”
“Fair enough.” I don’t want to throw Mykayla and I in his face, especially if he’s into her. He’s not an asshole kind of guy. Not most of the time, anyway.
Except for not helping us now. He’s still on the sofa where we left him, scowling into the fire. I offer him a plate of food.
At least he meets my gaze. “Thanks, man.”
We all start eating in silence, but fortunately it’s not really awkward. Putting myself in between Mykayla and Linc is helping, I think. They’re both starting to make comments to me now and then. It’s progress.
Not that I want to become some sort of go-between for either one of them. But if this is a start to them getting along, then I can do it. For now.
Since we’re here, I want to make the best of the situation. It’ll be way too easy for tempers to get out of hand if it comes down to it. Even though I get along with both Mykayla and Linc, staying inside the cabin is already making me feel a little trapped. That’s not a feeling I take to easily. All three of us are going to have to make an effort to make situation this work. If we do work everything out, it could even turn out to be fun. And I’m ready for some of that.
Chapter 7
Mykayla
I finish the dinner that I made. That Jase turned into something extra-special. Even Linc’s enjoying it, although he hasn’t said a word about it. Not even thank you. If he thinks I’m going to keep cooking for him, he’s in for a rude awakening.
Then there’s Jase. I’d happily cook for him. Cooking with him is even better. I don’t know what it is, but he’s always adding something magic to the food.
No. Not just the food. Everything.
I’m more into him than I should be. We’ve slept together once. That’s it. I can’t fall too hard too fast this time. I do that all the time and it always comes back to bite me. Hard.
Not this time. I can’t let myself get hurt again, and especially not by him. He’s a great guy. The more I get to know about him, the more I like him. That’s why I can’t get too tangled up in what I’m feeling. I have to slow down with how much I’m getting involved. Whatever’s going to happen between us, I don’t want anything about it to go wrong.
It would be so romantic if it was just Jase and I by ourselves. Here together in this beautiful cabin in front of the blazing fire. With nothing else to do but get to know each other better. In every possible way.
And the only thing stopping us in Linc. It’s a big place, sure. But he’s always around and it’s definitely holding me back. Jase too, I think. He’s really great when it’s just him and I.
Then once Linc’s in the picture, it’s like a wall goes up. I mean, it’s not like they don’t get along. Not like Linc and I. But something always changes in Jase whenever Linc’s near.
And Jase acts like he doesn’t want Linc to know we slept together. Which is fair enough. I don’t want him to know either, because it’s none of his business. And I don’t know how much of a gossip he might turn out to be. I don’t want anyone to find out Linc and I were together until I know for sure that it’s going somewhere. I mean, I’m pretty sure it is. But it’s not like we’ve been out on a date even.
What really bothers me is that this situation is reminding me of my ex. Just a tiny little bit, but it’s there. For the longest time, he kept our relationship hidden. I never understood why. Whenever I asked, he said he didn’t want people talking about us. Even when I told him it bothered me, he wouldn’t budge. It got to be a big deal for me. I vowed I’d never go through that again.
But this is different. Definitely. My ex is so irrelevant now. He was nothing like Jase. Not in any way at all.
Especially not in bed.
There wasn’t even any awkwardness. I don’t know why, but I felt like I knew Jase really well already. Like the way it would be with a guy I’d been going out with for a few months. Comfortable, in the best possible way. Familiar. Although that’s impossible, since it was our first time together.
Also very, very hot.
Just the memory of seeing him naked is making me warmer than the fire is. Not that Jase doesn’t look good in clothes either. When he and Linc got back with the firewood, I almost couldn’t take my eyes off him. He looked like a hot lumberjack or something, all covered in a dusting of snow. Strong arms wrapped around the logs. It’s a great look on him.
Even Linc looked good too. He’s not half-bad looking himself. I mean, seeing him standing beside Jase after they both came inside made for a pretty decent picture. Two handsome men, faces all glowing from exertion. Strong arms full. Broad chests showing off when jackets were shed.
It wasn’t until that moment that I really noticed that Linc’s pretty much as good-looking at Jase.
Not that I care what Linc looks like.
All I want to do is have some alone time with Jase. And the sooner, the better.
Everyone’s finished eating now. And my eyes widen when Linc gets up and collects our plates from us.
“Nice dinner.” I almost don’t catch what he says as he turns away from me as fast as he can. I don’t hear what he says next, but it sounds like thank you.
Huh.
Jase stretches his arms out. “Now what?”
I’m about to answer when my phone sounds, startling the hell out of me. I check and it’s a text from my boss.
“Just a second.” It’s a long one. I’m starting to tap out a reply when the room goes dark.
“What’s going on?” Linc’s back in from the kitchen.
Jase goes over to the window. “Power failure. That storm’s really tearing it up now.”
It’s the middle of the afternoon, but it’s darker than I thought it would be without the lights on. “Seriously? Wouldn’t they have a backup generator or something?”
“Doesn’t look like it.” Linc sits down on the sofa, about as far away from me as he can be. “It would have kicked in by now.”
My phone vibrates in my hand. I get back to my reply and turn it off when I’m done. I should’ve charged it before. No chance now.
“That was Sam. He says it’s impossible for anyone to get through. That even if the storm lets up, they aren’t going to clear the roads around here any time soon. So no-one’s coming up here. It’ll be just us, until we can leave.”
Linc snorts. “If they can’t use the road to get in, we can’t use it to get out. We couldn’t even find a single shovel to dig the cars out.”
I try not to roll my eyes. No kidding. “Yeah. We’re here for awhile. Do we have enough wood to keep the fire going?”
Jase comes back over. “Not constantly. We’ll have to conserve it. From the looks of things out there, we won’t be able to get more until the storm lets up. There’s no telling when that’ll be.”
A chill runs through me. We’re stuck here. Indefinitely. Actually stuck.
Just the three of us.
Chapter 8
Mykayla
“We’re going to need to find candles, or any other light source we can.” Jase’s taking charge already. It only makes him sexier to me. But I can’t think about that now. Being stuck anywhere,
even in a place as nice as this one, scares me a little. It’s a thing I’ve always had, and I don’t know where it comes from. So I have to focus all my attention on one thing to distract myself. I can get busy making sure we have what we need. That’s a good project. And it’ll let me prove that I can be as level-headed at Jase is.
I take a deep breath. “I’m sure I saw candles somewhere. I’ll go collect them.” I head out and down the hallway that has most of the bedrooms. Yes. A couple of the small tables lining the hallway have candles on them. Really pretty, decorative ones I wouldn’t normally use this kind to burn, but they can be a last resort if there aren’t any others.
I start to go through all the bedrooms. Some of them have candles and by the time I get to mine, I’ve got about eight of the standard tall ones. Not bad.
Opening the door to my bedroom, the cool air hits me right away. That didn’t take long, but I remember Jase turning down the heat last night because it got so warm under the covers with him wrapped around me.
That was nice. I can’t wait until we’re alone tonight.
Pulling my light sweater up, I tug it over my head as I walk over to the bed. I nearly trip when I pull it off and I find I’m not alone.
What the hell. Linc’s standing in the doorway.
Memories of the last time he was standing right there in the same place flood over me. Heat rushes to my cheeks. I try not to think about that first night here, and it’s been pretty easy since last night with Jase.
But up until then, it wasn’t. Not at all. I can hardly believe it, but I’m not really embarrassed by Linc catching me the way he did.
More like turned on. I’ll never admit that in a million years. But it’s true. In those moments, I liked being watched. Even by him. In that moment, he wasn’t my irritating coworker that I try not to interact with any more than I have to. He was just Linc. A hot man. Getting into watching me naked.
“What are you doing, watching me like that?”
He smirks at me. So annoying. “I wasn’t watching you. I didn’t want to startle you. So I waited until you got your sweater off. I thought you were cold all the time. So why take off the sweater?”