“It'll work,” I said, scratching the stubble growing on my chin. I needed to shave “We'll make it work.”
Trevor and Sean were already crowded around the fireplace, trying to get it going.
“I have a feeling we won't be going anywhere today though,” Chase said, speaking low enough so only I could hear him.
“Yeah, me either,” I said. “Driving out here was bad enough – and that was before the main storm him. With the way it's still coming down out there, it's only going to be worse.”
Sean looked up from the fireplace, and judging by the look on his face, I could tell her knew our fate as well. All of us looked glum, even Elise. She was a smart girl, she had to have known the roads would be too bad to go anywhere anytime soon.
I glanced over at her. God, she was just so tiny, and so fragile looking. The way her sweatshirt hung down to her knees only made her look even smaller. The first time I met her, she was just a kid. Now, with her long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she was most definitely all grown up, and all woman.
Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, and she was trembling; likely from the cold still, but maybe it was more than that. She'd been through a lot these last few days, I could tell, and maybe it was finally catching up with her and taking its toll.
“Fire is going,” Trevor said. “Should warm up soon. I'll stay down here, the rest of ya'll can go up to bed.”
“I'll stay down here too,” Sean said.
Trevor raised an eyebrow. “I call the couch.”
“It folds out,” Elise said again.
The two men looked at her, then each other.
“Seriously, guys? No one is going to think anything of you two sharing a bed,” Elise said, and there was a hint of laughter to her voice. “We all just want to sleep.”
It hit me, then, that it left Chase and myself in the bed upstairs. With her. Elise motioned for us to follow her up the stairs, and I felt a surge of emotion, not to mention a swelling of my cock. Chase looked at me and shrugged, then followed her lead. I hesitated, but decided Elise was right, and tried to ruthlessly stamp out any inappropriate feelings. We all needed sleep, and besides, if Sean and Trevor could share a bed, the three of us could too. She said it was a King and even though Chase and I were both over six feet and muscular, with Elle as tiny as she was, still none of us probably even touch.
A wooden stairway led to the loft, which was mostly taken up by a very large bed. A thick white down comforter was already thrown on the bed. Everything was made up as if the cabin was expecting us. Perhaps someone had reserved this cabin and now we were here instead. A small dresser was across from the bed, two dark wood end tables completed the room. There were two doors – one of which, I assumed one was a closet. The other was ajar and was at least a half bath.
“The rest of the cabins are a lot smaller than the main one,” Elise said, her voice low almost like she was apologizing.
She stood there and surveyed the room, her brow furrowed, a look of concern on her face, as if wondering what we were going to do. Or perhaps, worried that with Chase and I in her bed, things could get heated.
Or, maybe she really was just worried about the lack of comfort in the accommodation.
“It's okay. We just need to sleep,” Chase said. “We're not here for a vacation.”
“I know, but –” Elise looked down at her hands. “It's just, I feel bad for dragging all of you into this mess.”
Chase was closest to her, so he reached out and pulled her into a hug. Her face was buried into his shoulder, and while I couldn't see the tears that were falling, I could see her body trembling as she sobbed quietly. I closed the distance and went over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, doing my best to help comfort her.
“Shh, it's okay,” Chase whispered in her ear. “You didn't drag us into anything. We chose to come out here.”
“Chase is right,” I added. “We were worried about you.”
“I shouldn't have come on this God forsaken trip,” she muttered, hiding her face into the crook of Chase's neck. “Something in the back of my head was telling me not to, and I should have listened to it. I feel so stupid.”
“You didn't know it would turn out this badly, or that the weather would turn to shit,” Chase said.
He stroked her hair back away from her face, letting us see her beautiful blue eyes. Hearing her like that, completely distraught, caused a lump to form in my throat, and my heart to ache with a genuine pain. I'd always cared about Elle. I knew we all did.
Yet, seeing her as vulnerable, and in as much pain as she was, cut me deeply and angered me. It stirred something deep inside of me, something I never expected to find. There was a warmth toward her that I'd never felt before. As I let that warmth wrap itself around me, I realized that I wanted to protect her, with my own life if necessary. I wanted to care for her.
I wanted to love her.
I swallowed that last thought down, and pushed it out of my mind quickly, and ruthlessly. Of course I loved her. We all did. Elise had been special to us all for a very long time. At first, she’d just been Aaron’s little sister, but her fierce attitude and inner strength – not to mention her stunning beauty – had made her much more than that for all four of us.
Chase met my gaze, his strong arms still wrapped around her tightly. I was sure the worry and concern I saw etched upon his face mirrored what was in mine. I was jealous of him in that moment. I shouldn't have been, but I was. I wanted to hold her, to feel her breath against my neck, the feel her arms wrapped around me. I wanted to smell the sweet scent of her shampoo. To feel her soft body against me.
Elise stepped back from Chase and wiped her eyes. She turned to me, and there was a small smile that touched the corners of her mouth.
“Thank you,” she said.
“No need to thank us,” I said. “We'd do anything for you, you should know that by now.”
Her eyes widened slightly, and her mouth opened but no sound came out. She was surprised by my admission. Not that she should have been. We'd proven that we would be there for her over and over again, but we'd never put it into words. We were family, and yet at the same time, we were much more.
Finally, when she spoke, she said, “I know Aaron asked you guys to take care of me, but –”
“It's not about Aaron. Not fully,” I said.
Elise reached out and gently put her hand on me, smoothing my shirt down over my chest. Just that slightest touch sent shockwaves through my body, and very nearly stole my breath away. It felt like a grenade had one off inside of me, and I stared down at her small, manicured hand as it moved over my shirt. It was such a simple gesture, but it meant so much to me. I wondered if it meant as much to her, or if it was just an empty gesture that meant nothing.
I met her gaze again, and there was something in those eyes. She licked her lips, and it took everything in me not to close the distance and kiss her. Had Chase not been standing there, I might have done it. It wasn't right, but it was what I wanted – and for the first time, a very surprised part of me suspected she'd wanted it too.
“We should all get to bed,” Chase said. His voice told me he had picked up on the heat between us.
“Yes, we should,” I said, moving my gaze away from Elise.
It was hard to take my eyes off of her, but I had to do it. I couldn't think about her like that. None of us could. She was Aaron's little sister for God's sake.
Elise sat down at the foot of the bed, then crawled into the middle of it. She wrapped herself in the down comforter and nearly disappeared. The way she was wrapped up, left only hear head sticking out of it. She was so small and child-like in that moment, and I kicked myself for having had the impure thoughts I'd had about her in the first place. Chase walked over to the right side of the bed and laid down, not going under the covers himself. I took the left side and did the same. It felt less intimate this way. We might be cold for the next few hours, but it felt right. Elise looked up at Chase and
smiled.
“I won't bite, you know,” she said.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Meaning you can lay closer. It might be nice, actually. Warmer too.”
Chase looked at me, and I shrugged. She was asking us to get closer to her. Elise wiggled her butt, which rubbed against my leg, setting off a nuclear blast of lust and desire within me.
“Come on, Nolan. After everything I've been through, I really just need to be held,” she said. “I think I earned it.”
She was laughing, and playing it off like a joke, but there was a glint in her eyes and a pleading in her voice that couldn't be missed – and I couldn't deny it. I wanted to touch her. I so desperately wanted to feel her body against me, that I scooted closer to her, spooning against her. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her tighter to me. It was a little stiff and awkward at first, but then it felt natural. She relaxed into me with a sigh.
Chase was still on the far end of the bed.
“Come closer,” she said.
She reached out and pulled on his shirt. Chase no longer hesitated, closing the distance between them, and wrapped himself around the front of her. He held onto her, as did I. It was a little awkward at first, and none of us said anything for a while. The blood rushed through my body, heading straight down to my groin, and I shifted uncomfortably, hoping she didn't feel the erection growing in my pants. Elise moved with me, pressing herself right back against me. I groaned, softly, at the feel of her ass rubbing my erection.
If she'd noticed, she had the decency and good graces not say anything about it. Chase, on the other hand, gave me the stink eye over the top of Elise’s head. He'd heard me. He must have known what happened, or at least suspected it. Not that I could help it. My body reacted to hers, and I had no control over it. It was a natural, goddamn, physical reaction.
“This feels so nice,” she said, her voice heavy with sleep.
It did feel nice, I couldn't deny it. It felt natural, and it felt right. I didn't dare speak those words out loud, though. Not in front of Chase. I stroked the hair back from her face, and held onto her, waiting for her to fall asleep in or arms. Eventually, her breathing became more regular, softer and gentler. She was still and silent. Chase's breathing was also steadier. They had both fallen asleep so easily, yet I was awake with a hard-on, trying my best not to do anything stupid.
It had been so long since I'd been with a woman, that with Elise pressed up against me so tightly, my balls ached, begging me for a release. My celibacy was my choice, mostly, and in times like this, it made me kick myself for making the decision.
Ever since my ex and I split, I'd had no desire to sleep with anyone else. It was like my libido was just – gone. Suddenly though, all that desire and pent up frustration came surging to the surface. I tried my best to shove it down, to stop myself from having sexual thoughts about one of my best friend's sisters, but damn, it was hard. Especially with her tight, firm ass pressed against my rock-hard cock.
Every time I closed my eyes, all I could think about was sliding myself between her thighs and feeling her wetness against my dick as I penetrated her. Of course, this didn't help with my erection either, which was still firmly against her ass.
I stared at the back of her neck, focusing on her breathing, trying to drive out any and all impulses and thoughts that helped maintain my erection. Chase snored, and it was so loud, it normally would have kept me awake. Not that night though. No, that night, it was the distraction I needed. I focused on that instead. No more thoughts about fucking Aaron's little sister, please, I begged my brain – and my cock.
Concentrating on the sound of Chase's snoring, slowly, but surely, my eyes grew heavy, and eventually, I drifted off to sleep. The next thing I remembered was Elise chuckling and the sun streaming in through the windows. I opened my eyes and saw her staring at me with her baby blue eyes bright and filled with happy. They pierced me and seemed to be staring straight into my soul.
“What's so funny?” I mumbled.
There was a shower running in the bathroom. Chase wasn't in bed, so I assumed it was him. He'd left me alone, sleeping next to Elise. There were no sounds coming from downstairs either. Trevor and Sean might have still been asleep as well. It was just the two of us.
“You,” she answered.
“That's not really an answer,” I said, letting out a big yawn. “Care to be a little more specific?”
As I shifted, it became obvious that the erection from the night before was back, or perhaps it had never left. I was most definitely sporting major morning wood. Elise was close enough to feel it against her belly. Was that what made her laugh?
“You talk in your sleep sometimes, you know,” she said, smiling brightly.
“I do?” That was news to me. “What did I say?”
“Mostly just mumbled nonsense,” she said. “But, there was something about the Easter bunny being a terrorist –”
“Well, maybe he is,” I said. “You can't trust giant rabbits with baskets full of candy. They're usually up to something. Shady fuckers.”
She laughed hard and shook her head. Inside, I was dying of shame and embarrassment, but on the outside, I laughed it off.
“Maybe he is. Maybe you're right,” she said, suddenly cocking an eyebrow. “But that wasn't all you said.”
In that moment, I became very aware of the closeness between us. Became very aware of the feel of her tight little body pressed to mine, of the warmth of her breath against my cheek, her fingers trailing down my arm.
None of it was helping tame the problem in my pants, especially with her bedhead, the way her honey blonde hair covered part of her face, creating an air of submissiveness. Her little pink tongue darted from her mouth, licking her lower lip slowly. The moistness on her lips and the sparkle in her eye, made me yearn to kiss her. I don't know what came over me. I felt like my body was moving without my direction, moving of its own volition, and I suddenly felt like a passenger in my own body, as I leaned closer to her.
She leaned closer too though. Her breath was heavy on my lips, our mouths inches apart, when the bathroom door opened suddenly. I drew in a sharp breath, and pulled back so fast, I nearly fell straight off the edge of the bed, but Elise grabbed my arm and laughed.
“Careful, Nolan,” she said. “I promise I'm not going to bite. Hard.”
Chase scowled at me, shooting me a warning glance. Yet, he was wearing nothing but a towel, allowing trickles of water to run down his bare chest. I only noticed because Elise noticed. She'd perked up, sitting in bed and staring at him like a ravenous animal. I had a lot of trouble believing that wasn't planned on his end of things.
“Maybe you should put some clothes on,” I said.
“Thought you two would be downstairs already,” he said. “Sorry about that.”
I wasn't sure if he was being truthful or not. It was hard to tell. I doubted he'd want to come on to Elle, though. Doubted he wanted to tempt her like that. It really didn't seem like something Chase would do. If he noticed the way her mouth was watering as she checked him out though, it didn't show in his face. He sat down on the end of the bed, the towel riding down low and showing a hint of his ass.
“Jesus Christ, man,” I said, throwing a pillow at him.
He chuckled, sounding way more amused than he should have been. Elle was staring at him, her gaze moving over his mostly naked body, her eyes slightly wider, and her lips parted a bit. She looked like a woman who was starving, sitting in front of a sumptuous feast. Chase, like the rest of us, was still in great shape. Being in the Army, we learned to work hard and push ourselves to the limits. None of us let up on the workouts even now.
Footsteps pulled me away from Chase's little show. Two sets of feet were coming up the stairs. Trevor appeared first, and a look of absolute horror and disgust crossed his face.
“Fuck, man,” he said, shielding his eyes.
“Not like we haven't seen each other naked before,” Chase mumbled.
/>
“But there's a lady in the room now,” Sean piped up from behind Trevor.
Chase glanced back and winked playfully at Elise. “I don't think she minds. Not the first naked chest she's seen before. Won't be the last, I'm sure.”
“I don't mind,” Elise confirmed.
Sean grinned, shaking his head. “Unbelievable.”
“What?” Chase asked, reaching down for his shirt on the floor, and pulling it on over his head.
“While the two of us slept on a fold-out couch, you guys were up here getting naked with Elise.”
“Not me,” I said, raising my hand to protest. “Just Chase.”
“For fuck's sake, I'm not naked,” Chase said.
He stood up, the towel still wrapped around his waist, his shirt hanging just above it. However, when he stood, his hand slipped and so did the towel, baring most of his ass for a split second. Elise let out a surprised squeal followed by a peal of laughter that seemed to come deep within her chest. She was doubled over now, her face red – though, if it was red with excitement, lust, or embarrassment, I couldn't tell.
“Sorry,” Chase grumbled, hurrying into the bathroom.
Elise was still doubled over in laughter, completely oblivious to the fact that Chase actually seemed embarrassed by his little faux pas. Had it been Sean or Trevor, there'd have been no shame. They probably would have strutted around butt naked, without a care in the world. They didn't mind being ogled. In fact, I thought they relished it. Chase though, was still a little more modest than our other two friends.
Trevor's arms were crossed in front of his chest, his brow furrowed in what appeared to be annoyance at our antics. Sean had a wide grin stretched across his face as he plopped down onto the bed next to Elise.
“I doubt it's the first ass she's seen, Chase,” Sean said, chuckling to himself.
“First time she's seen one of our asses though,” Chase mumbled, coming back out in a pair of jeans. “And we should be better than that.”
The Cabin: A Reverse Harem Romance Page 5