Chapter Thirty-Three
Xander
God dammit! I pounced on her like that fuckin’ coyote pounced on me in the cold of the storm. What was I thinking?
I’d dreamt about this moment all week, that chance at being with Bailey one more time. I wanted to take it slow, make love, taste every inch of her body. Instead, I jumped her, fucked her fast and furiously, and now my heart pounded at the thought of her leaving. This wasn’t what she came all the up the mountain for; she deserved more.
I lifted from her, staring into her beautiful green eyes. I had so much I wanted to say, but I choked. I couldn’t even spit out an apology for the quick release, for my aggression and overly eager high school boyish behavior. I just rolled from her, leaving her on the couch alone, uncovered, and probably cold. I stared out the window, wondering if Liam would finally make it back up the mountain since the storm had calmed.
I leaned down, scooping Bailey up into my arms, carrying her like a child to the bed. I placed her on the mattress gently, discarded the used condom that hung shamefully from my exhausted dick, and slid in beside her. She hadn’t spoken yet either, making me even more curious about her thoughts.
I couldn’t imagine she’d want to stay after the rough and quick sex session. She would surely leave as soon as the weather broke and she’d regained the energy to make the trip. Fuck!
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice so soft and angelic it melted my soul.
Her hand lifted to my shoulder, slowly stroking the spot where I’d been attacked.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Her eyes narrowed on mine, and she tilted her head.
“Sorry, for what?” she questioned.
“For everything. The way I let you leave, the way I just attacked you just now, the fact that I didn’t take my time, I so wanted to take my time, to savor every second,” I rambled.
Bailey giggled.
I stared into her eyes. They were filled with amusement.
“I wanted to leap on you when I walked into the door, but I wasn’t sure you would be receptive,” she confessed with a smirk.
“Shit, are you kiddin’ me?” I chuckled.
She was worried that I wouldn’t want her?
“I wasn’t sure what to expect when I made it here,” she said softly.
“What did you want to happen when you got here?” I questioned.
I slid my finger under the long hair that stuck to her cheek, carefully tucking it behind her ear. Her green eyes stared into mine, filled with something much deeper than what displayed as surface satisfaction.
“I’m not sure,” she whispered.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I exhaled, leaning down to kiss the freckles on her shoulder.
“I’m glad I’m here, too,” she smiled.
The last part of the sun peered out from the dark clouds. It was already going down and glaring in the front window.
“You think Liam will make it back tonight?” she questioned.
I worried about him being stuck in town, but I hoped he wouldn’t make it back. I wanted some alone time with Bailey.
I shrugged and snuggled against her under the covers.
“Oh,” she gasped, throwing the warm blankets away from our bodies.
A cold chill ran down my spine, causing me to shiver as she leapt from the bed. Her petite frame, nude, glistening in the light of the fire and the burning sun was angelic.
I watched as she pulled her sweat pants over her legs, and then the pink fleece over her head. It was disappointing to lose the beautiful view of her flesh, but her smile was a close second favorite image.
“I brought you something. Are you hungry?” she asked, digging in the large backpack she carried up the mountain.
I looked towards the coffee table, where my sandwich still sat untouched. I was hungry, starving actually. I got up, slid on my pants, and moved to the couch where I could watch while she hunted in her deep bag.
She pulled out a plastic container with a red lid, and her smile widened as she made a sweet growl.
“I’m gonna heat this up. You’ll love it,” she buzzed, rushing towards the kitchen.
The feeling inside my heart was indescribable. My lips curled into a smile, and my heart raced as I watched her stretching to reach the pan from the top cabinet.
I walked towards her, chuckling as I leaned in from behind her and grabbed the pan.
“Thanks,” she said sweetly, offering a quick kiss to my cheek.
She was busy, on a mission, and I loved her enthusiasm, her excitement. The contents from the plastic container were dumped into the pan, and she quickly ushered it towards the fire.
I took it from her, lifting it to the hook above the flame. It was obviously clam chowder from the looks and the aroma. My stomach grumbled at the thought of tasting it on my tongue.
“This is three pounds of chowder. You carried this all the way up here for me?” I gushed.
She nodded.
“Did you make this?” I asked eagerly.
“No, Lila did,” she responded.
I still didn’t know who Lila was, but I didn’t ask. I just watched Bailey as she carefully stirred the contents of the pot, making sweet growls as she lifted the spoon to her lips to taste test the chowder.
Finally, it was warmed to her satisfaction, and she lifted it from the hook. I carried it into the kitchen where she quickly grabbed a couple bowls from the shelf and a ladle to pour. Her bowl was just a small scoop, but she added three large scoops to mine.
“Save some for yourself,” I pleaded.
“Oh, trust me, I had plenty already. I’m saving some for Liam,” she grinned.
It was comforting to see her thoughtfulness, especially for Liam. I assumed the drive to town had them make-up and maybe she was grateful for his help in getting her out of her once she was home.
We moved to the couch. Bailey grabbed a large throw and tossed it over our legs, and then leaned back, cupping her bowl as if it were filled with gold.
Her eyes were eagerly watching me as I lifted the spoon for my first bite. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her anxiousness.
“It’s that good, huh?” I laughed.
She nodded, smiling from ear to ear.
I slid the spoon into my mouth, tasting the chowder against my tongue. It was smooth, creamy, and had an amazing flavor. It was by far the best chowder I’d ever tasted. That was easy to say, since I hated clam chowder.
“Do you love it?” she asked.
“It’s great,” I admitted, swallowing the concoction much easier than expected.
It was a large bowl, and I didn’t want to let her know I wasn’t that crazy about the stuff, so I scooped it in my mouth quickly to avoid any more questions.
“I really am sorry about leaping on you so quickly,” I sighed, that nagging feeling of shame still looming over me like a black cloud.
Bailey giggled sweetly, her eyes rolling as she looked towards me.
“I told you, there’s nothing to be sorry about,” she insisted.
“I’ve thought about what I would do to you if you came back, and that wasn’t it,” I confessed with a nervous chuckle.
“Oh yeah, what would’ve you done?” she teased.
My cheeks burnt as I struggled to find words to answer her question. In my mind, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, what I would’ve done, but voicing it out loud, in front of Bailey, that was tough.
“Let’s just say, we’d still be in bed,” I grinned.
Her eyes widened, satisfied with my response. I was relieved. I didn’t want to give my tongue the chance to screw things up by saying the wrong thing.
“We’ve got plenty of time,” she sighed.
My heart raced. She was staying?
“I don’t have to be back to work for a couple weeks. They have an amazing sub filling in for me,” she added.
A couple weeks. I could work with that. That was enough time to try and determine if there was a chance for us, and if we could make this strangely short-distanced relationship work.
“I won’t waste another minute of our time together then, promise,” I vowed.
“That made me want something sweet,” Bailey announced, turning to me with a hopeful smile.
Sweet, what the hell do I have that’s sweet in this cabin?
“I’m not sure what Liam’s brought here, but he’s bought the entire store each time’s he’s made a trip to town,” I smiled.
I started to get up, but Bailey insisted that I stay put.
“I’ll find us something,” she grinned.
She tore that kitchen all to hell trying to find something to satisfy her sweet tooth. I called out to her a couple times, just to see if she wanted help, but she refused. Her determination was cute, and her relentlessness arousing as she opened every cabinet, every drawer, and even peeked in every cooler. I felt bad that she couldn’t find what she craved until she slung open the back door and let out a yelp.
“Ice cream!” she blurted, holding up a paper carton over her head.
“Where in the hell did you find ice cream?” I gasped, shocked that anything sweet would be stashed here, let alone ice cream.
“I saw chocolate syrup in the cabinet, so I figured it was here somewhere,” she roared with pride.
She made us each a bowl, pouring enough chocolate syrup over the top to drown it, and then put the ice cream back outside in the freezer chest by the door.
Thank you, Liam.