I’m not sure how Razor’s snores aren’t bothering Caitlin, but she’s sleeping right through the noise. Her arm is slung over me and Razor’s got his arm wrapped around her. But, while the two of them snooze, I’m just staring up at the ceiling.

Enough of this. I carefully slip out from under Caitlin’s arm and twist my pillow down so she’s hugging that instead. Lightly tiptoeing across the floor, I grab my discarded underwear and put them back on before heading out the door.

Gunnar jumps up from where he’s lying next to the front door and greets me. His long tail thumps into everything as he makes his way to my side. Luckily, we learned long ago to keep breakable stuff out of his path. He’s a huge dog, but he still thinks he’s a small puppy most of the time.

The funniest is when he still tries to curl up in my lap on the sofa. It’s something he could do when he was only two months old, but now that he’s a full-grown Newfoundland, he weighs one hundred and fifty pounds. It always makes me laugh when he jumps up there, the look of hope glimmering in his soulful chocolate eyes as he hopes I forget that he’s gotten bigger.

“Hey, buddy.” I lean down and pet behind his floppy ears. “Were you waiting for me? You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” I praise him and he tilts his big boxy head. I run my hand over his shaggy fur and give his favorite spot down the front of his neck a good scratch. He flops down onto his butt with a thump and jiggles his foot in the air until he’s beating it against the floor. He loves that. When I stand back up he sneezes at me indignantly, giving me a hard time for stopping.

“Yeah, yeah. I can’t pet you all day,” I answer his doggy protest. “How about I get you a treat, huh? Think you’d like that?”

That perks him up. There’s nothing he loves more than one of the old caribou bones we keep in the deep freezer for him. He dances in circles as I dig one out for him.

“All right, sit.”

Thump. His fluffy butt hits the floor.

“Good boy. Catch.” I toss it to him and he snaps it up in his powerful jaw. Gunnar immediately prances off down the hall, eager to gnaw into the bone alone. He always does that with things he really loves eating. He goes off and hides out of view, just in case one of us is going to try to get him to share his slobber covered prize.

I chuckle at my furry friend and walk over to the kitchen. My throat is dry, so I grab a glass and fill it with water, sipping on it as my mind spins.

So, why can’t I sleep?

I’m happy. Happier than I can remember being in a long time. It’s not that I’ve been wallowing in misery or anything. Razor and Gunnar are great company. Still, there’s something about having a woman around. A beautiful woman who I can’t stop stealing glances at. A smart woman who makes me hang off her every word. A funny woman who makes me bust a gut laughing. A sexy woman who helps me fulfill fantasies I never even knew I had.

My lips creep up into a soft smile as I let my mind play out that sex. The way she looked, straddling Razor’s face while she sucked my cock. Her cheeks hollowed out while every inch of my shaft thrust in past her lips. Fuck. She’s amazing. And the way she took both of us, it all just felt so natural. So sexy.

Then what’s the problem? I should be happy, satisfied and content. But instead, I’m worried. I sift through the scattered thoughts like a child pretending to pan for gold in their backyard sandbox, trying to find the one that’s eating at me. I guess the thing that’s got me twisted up is…

“I’m afraid I’m gonna fall for her,” I whisper the confession to the silent cabin.

The spike of nerves in my gut tell me that’s exactly what’s going on here.

This storm is still raging outside, but it won’t last forever. At some point, this all ends. Caitlin leaves us behind and we get stuck with the aftermath. The void she leaves behind won’t just make the house feel emptier, I’m afraid it might leave a loneliness in my heart that I’ll never be able to shake.

There’s only one solution really. I’ve got to make sure I don’t fall for her. I can’t let myself open my heart to someone who has no plans to stay in my life. Just play it cool and enjoy the time we all have together. Easy peasy.

So why doesn’t it sit right with me?

I push it away. No more worrying about feelings and hearts. Enough! I finish my water and head back into Razor’s room, moving the pillow back and easing into the bed beside Caitlin. Instantly the tension inside starts to melt away.

Enjoy it while it lasts. That’s the plan. I can’t control the future, but I can control right now. And right now, I’m gonna soak up what’s left of this time together.

I finally get my mind to slow down and my thoughts to stop spinning. Instead, I focus on how we’re going to make the most of whatever amount of time Caitlin will be in our lives. I slide back against the pillow and smile as she snuggles into my chest, letting myself finally fall asleep.